A new CPU to fit my new GPU? (And more)

[akumati]

So soon, by next weekend, i'm going to order a GTX 660ti Graphics card. Until then, I'm on my 550ti.

While playing bf3, I noticed that my cpu gets upto 80-95~% on the large maps (64 player conquest ones), And I ran a CPU test on Guild wars 2, and was a steady 72% in the main city walking around. (Probably not the best benchmark testing eh? xD)

So the point of this thread is to kill multiple questions.

1: My current gpu is an AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 925 processor, is that suffient enough for my gaming without some harsh bottleneck?

2: Say I turn my graphics in a game up, or switch a monitors resolution to a 1080p one (Planning on going for the visuals now ), Will higher graphics put more load on a cpu?

3: If a replacement is indeed needed, can I get a link of a new processor (Budget would be 150ish) that'll run everything as smoothly as it could?

Thank you!

 

[rolli59]

1 It is an OK CPU with the current card but would bottleneck the 660Ti on current resolution.
2 swapping to higher resolution it loads the GPU more so after upgrading to the 660Ti will help reduce CPU bottleneck.
3 Not knowing your motherboard it is impossible to suggest replacement CPU but have you considered aftermarket cooler and overclock?

 

[Wisecracker]

Your AMD processor loves any "CPU utilization" and more importantly, there are a good many Denebs that take a nice little OC even at low volts.

I've got one You should be able to go 240-250MHz (depending upon your RAMs speed) with the system clock if your motherboard has any *jam* It can't be worse than mine (Biostar nVidia nForce 6150/430 AM2) That will get you to 3.36GHz-3.5GHz

That speed will eliminate any questions you may have about 'bottle-necking' in certain situations.

I can look up the VCore for you but it doesn't matter. It's LOL-low. Like 1.23v at load.

That said, if you have $$$ burning a hole in your pocket, the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb is $85 with code thru the 23rd....

BUT, you could just get a CM Hyper212+ for $25, and an HD7950 [:lutfij:4]

 

[Ramzzz2936]

in games like u need a better gpu i would go with the 7950 instead of 660ti

 

[akumati]

So it's assured that my cpu might bottleneck a 660ti. (Also, no thanks to Ramzzz2936 on this thread).

But one of my questions has not been answered clearly..

Say I go from low graphics to ultra in like bf3, will the cpu load increase? Not the gpu, the cpu. x.x

 

[rolli59]

The CPU load does not increase the GPU load does.

 

[akumati]

Perfect, Thanks guys. I'll consider the cpu that Wise linked after purchasing the 660ti. Was planning on getting a 1080p monitor, but performance over looks, amiright?

 

[akumati]

Best answer selected by akumati.