AMD Phenom X4 965 gaming question

[iMammoth]

I bought a PNY Nvidia GeForce 660 Ti XLR8.
My current cpu is an AMD Athlon II X4 630.
My system is bottlenecking on my current set-up.
Question is: Would the Phenom X4 965 BE be sufficient enough to play todays modern games like BF3 and Natural Selection 2?
I am currently getting around 30-50 FPS but its very shakey.
Even lowering the graphics settings the FPS remains the same.
I currently have my Athlon OCed to 3.1Ghz and doesnt seem to help!
Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[clutchc]

What resolution are you gaming at? The PhIIX4 965BE and that card should be good for smooth game play up to 1080p at mid to high settings. Except for the lack of L3 cache, your O/C 630 is only .3GHZ slower than the phenom tho.

 

[OnyxGunslinger]

With my Phenom II X4 965 stock and my Gtx560ti I get around 60 frames in every game I played. All settings where at "high" or greater.

 

[BeastLeeX]

the 965 should increase performance by a good bit http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/188?vs=102

There is a comparison, the games are at the bottom. Other than that the 965 should easily OC to 3.9Ghz with the slightest voltage increase, increasing performance even further. If you can grab an AM3+ cpu I recommend the 6300 or 8320.

 

[iMammoth]

Yeah I was kinda looking for a quick fix for now.
I saw on newegg the Phenom 965 BE is $99.99 so I may go ahead and grab it.
Reason being is that my MOBO only supports AM3 and it seems that the phenom is the best fix for the time being.
I am planning on upgrading my MOBO and getting an AM3+ but currently have insufficient funds because the particular set-up is going to cost ~$300.
I know itd be a smarter choice to save for it but I game mainly on my PC and the athlon just isnt cutting it.
I thank you all for your responses!
What do you all think I should do?

 

[iMammoth]

What resolution are you gaming at? The PhIIX4 965BE and that card should be good for smooth game play up to 1080p at mid to high settings. Except for the lack of L3 cache, your O/C 630 is only .3GHZ slower than the phenom tho.

To answer yiur question clutchc, I am gaming at 1080p and have no desire to really go beyond that for the time being!

 

[clutchc]

Your 660ti is more GPU than your Athlon can keep up with. The PhII X4 965BE will struggle keeping up with some games too, but it will provide quite a bit more room for the 660ti to stretch its legs. I think that would be a good choice for your AM3 socket. Besides, it is easily O/C'd and can reach PhII X4 980BE speed (3.7GHZ) with the stock cooler alone.

I think I gave the wrong impression earlier about the Phenom II x4 965BE being closely equal to your Athlon. Badly worded on my part.

 

[MajinCry]

Get the 965 BE. When you find that it ain't cutting it anymore, get a hyper 212 evo and overclock that CPU. Worthwhile investment, that lil' proccy is.

 

[iMammoth]

Thanks!
I actually bought a Hyper 212 Plus.
What is the difference between an Evo and a Plus?

 

[BeastLeeX]

evo has the heatpipes connected for better cooling, the plus has spaces between the heatpipes

 

[computernewb]

i used to have a phenom ii x4 965. great little cpu for the price. i was playing bf3, sc2, d3, and more without a problem. with your 660ti you should be just fine

 

[BeastLeeX]

i used to have a phenom ii x4 965. great little cpu for the price. i was playing bf3, sc2, d3, and more without a problem. with your 660ti you should be just fine

No doubt, I currently have a 960t at 3.9Ghz, and For what I paid, along with AM3+ socket, I love my build. I am waiting until Steamy to upgrade, but right now I see no reason to.

 

[sarinaide]

I bought a PNY Nvidia GeForce 660 Ti XLR8.
My current cpu is an AMD Athlon II X4 630.
My system is bottlenecking on my current set-up.
Question is: Would the Phenom X4 965 BE be sufficient enough to play todays modern games like BF3 and Natural Selection 2?
I am currently getting around 30-50 FPS but its very shakey.
Even lowering the graphics settings the FPS remains the same.
I currently have my Athlon OCed to 3.1Ghz and doesnt seem to help!
Thanks in advance for any input!

Yes it will be sufficient though a budget end FX part based on Vishera may be a better investment than a hard to find aging Phenom II.

 

[iMammoth]

Best answer selected by iMammoth.