I’m considering getting a new PC since I’m an avid player of Jedi games. While Jedi: Fallen Order runs smoothly, Jedi: Survivor often spikes my CPU usage to 100%, causing my fans to blast loudly and even leading to crashes. I’m hoping to enjoy the game without these issues, so I want to know if upgrading to a faster CPU would actually decrease the CPU usage shown in Task Manager. My current setup includes an Intel i7-9700K, 16 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER. Would moving to a higher speed CPU, say around 4GHz, solve my problems? Additionally, I face similar issues with Stormgate, which confuses me since it doesn’t seem more intense than StarCraft 2.
3 Answers
Yeah, at 1080p you’re likely hitting CPU limits more often, especially with those settings. Your i7-9700K is starting to show its age. Upgrading to something like a Ryzen 9600X would be a solid choice, paired with a B850 motherboard and some DDR5 RAM. Your GPU is still pretty decent, so if you want smoother gameplay, consider playing at 1440p with DLSS on. It helps shift some workload to your GPU instead.
If you’re already seeing high CPU utilization during gameplay, upgrading will definitely help reduce that usage and keep things cooler. You might also want to crank up your game’s graphical settings and resolution; this offloads some workload to the GPU, which could help relieve stress on your CPU. Just remember, with your socket’s age, a full platform upgrade might be due soon to keep up with newer games.
Upgrading your CPU can help lower your CPU usage percentages in games. Better CPUs might handle the same tasks with less effort, which can also lead to cooler system temps. Your current CPU is a bit behind, and since it’s unlocked, you could try overclocking it a bit too. Just keep in mind, if you’re going for a significant upgrade, you’ll likely need a new motherboard and RAM too.
But how does changing the resolution affect CPU usage? Doesn’t that just affect the GPU?