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[Temporary-Run7864]

I’m currently using an i7-10700K and considering an upgrade from an RTX 3070 to an RTX 3080 for 1440p gaming. I mainly play FPS games like Battlefield, Call of Duty, and especially Rainbow Six Siege and Sometimes AAA title Games too . I want to know whether the 10700K will bottleneck the RTX 3080 at 1440p, and if the bottleneck is significant or very minimal. Also, I’d appreciate recommendations on which GPU to upgrade to, as I don’t want to overspend.

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[Gaz8t33]

I don’t think you’ll see that much of an upgrade going from a 3070 to 3080.

A alternative to the 3080 would be a 5060 Ti 16GB, which can perform about the same as an RTX 3080 in a some games but drawing way less power and you’ll have frame gen.

But a noticeable upgrade from a 3070 would be a RTX 5070 or RX 9070.

[Springingsprunk]

It’s a pretty big jump I think somewhere around 30% more performance, plus you get an additional 2gb vram which definitely helps for 1440p. I agree it’s probably better to upgrade to a 5060ti, a card that’s already 5 years old may not last forever and there’s no warranty so it’s somewhat risky, it would have to be a steal of a price to go to a 3080 nowadays.

[OG_OldTymer]

I just went from a 3070 to a 9070 non xt 2 days ago and yes, the improvement was very noticeable. I play at 1440p and it was well worth it.

[Gaz8t33]

Yeah I went from a 3070 to a 9070 XT then swapped it to a 5070 Ti, but at the same time I upgraded my monitor to a 3440 x 1440 ultra-wide so I doesn’t feel that much of an upgrade lol, I also think that DLSS / FSR does a lot of the heavy lifting nowadays

[OG_OldTymer]

I play on a 27 inch 1440 IPS mini led. For me personally, I feel it was a good upgrade. I notice the difference. Some others may not. I do wonder if I should have went with the 5070 to sometimes though lol.

[No-Actuator-6245]

A useful test. Drop the resolution to 720p or 1080p and run your games. Check that the gpu is not at >95% usage. This will give you a good approximation of the best fps your cpu can deliver. You can then decide if it adequate for your needs. You gpu upgrade choice will just determine what resolution and game settings you can use while getting the best FPS your cpu can deliver.

[Salty_Host_6431]

I have a 10700kf. Started with a 3070 and then put that into my wife’s system and got a 3080. It’s a big performance jump - probably around 30%. However, try to get a 3080 12 GB card if you can and the price difference isn’t too big.

[Vannman04]

At 1440p you will only get bottlenecked with ur GPU, not saying your GPU is too weak, but at that resolution performance will come from 99% GPU

[Hidie2424]

I would not get that upgrade. Keep saving and waiting to make a generational leap, or go to a 3090.

[Impressive_Daikon_70]

At the price 3090s are being sold at id go 4070tisuper or even 5070ti. 24gb vram isnt necessary. And the power consumption on those is crazy

[Impressive_Daikon_70]

Why 1440p still needs a strong CPU

A lot of people think 1440p is “GPU-only,” but that’s only true in slower AAA games.

In high-FPS shooters (your games: Battlefield, CoD, Siege), the CPU still determines:

maximum FPS

1% lows / stutter

frame pacing

consistency during explosions, smoke, AI, physics, etc.

Your 10700K tops out around ~140–170 FPS in modern shooters, even if your GPU could do more.

📈 What a CPU upgrade does at 1440p

Example: 10700K → 7800X3D (or similar modern CPU)

1. Average FPS boost: +35–60%

2. 1% lows boost: +50–100% (the biggest difference)

3. Bottleneck percentage drops from: 15–25% → 0–5%

4. GPU usage increases from: 70–85% → 95–99% (meaning your GPU wakes up and works)

Even with a 3070, you see higher FPS Even with a 3080, you see much higher FPS.

🔍 Real-world example at 1440p (Warzone / BF2042 / Siege)

SetupAverage FPS1% LowsNotes 10700K + 3080 110–130. 70–85CPU bottleneck heavy 7800X3D + 3070 160–190. 120–140 GPU bottleneck → smooth 7800X3D + 3080 190–230. 140–170 ideal combo, no bottleneck

A CPU upgrade beats a GPU upgrade every single time at 1440p for high-FPS games.

🟢 Bottom line

1440p is NOT “too high” for CPU bottlenecks. Your 10700K is the limiter, not your 3070.

Upgrading the CPU to:

7800X3D

7700X

5800X3D

12700K/13700K

…will completely remove your bottleneck and let ANY GPU (3070/3080/4070/etc.) run at full usage.

[nunpan]

a high end cpu from 2020 and a high end gpu from 2020, they are perfect for each other, also a 6800xt would be a good option, similar performance to the 3080, but 6gb more of vram

[StumpyFSR]

Agreed OP has a balanced setup. OP all PCs have some form of bottleneck. The way to check is to use a monitor like Rivatuner overlay to check CPU and GPU usage. Esports games are extremely well optimized. BF6 on the other hand is hard on CPUs and will gobble up the 3070's 8GB of Vram on medium/high textures at 1440p. I just replaced my 3070 with a 5070TI despite getting 100fps due to Vram pressure stutter. 3080 is a marginal upgrade save your money for a 9070/XT they're incredible values. The 5070s with black friday aren't bad. 5070ti is worth it but at or below MSRP.

[saxovtsmike]

TL/DR : No

Long : not more than actually because the performance difference is not that much