GTX 780 Ti and i7 860

[brodexcius]

Hey everyone,

So I've been thinking about upgrading my gaming PC, and I've decided that I want to go for the GTX 780 Ti.

I have also thought about upgrading my CPU though. My current CPU is an i7 860, which I feel like is still a pretty decent CPU. I've previously been told, that my CPU would bottleneck my graphic card, and I wouldn't get the full performance from that card, untill I upgrade my CPU.

My question is, How would it bottleneck the card? Like, if we talk a game like arma 3 or Titanfall, would my FPS suffer severely from running with the i7 860? Would it help anything to overclock the CPU?

 

[skit75]

When you put a 780Ti into a PC, your CPU will likely be your next bottleneck. Your CPU has a 2.8GHz default clock so it could happen. That being said, if You over clock that i7 to a modest 3.6 or 3.8GHz, you should be in the clear. Find a game that will show close to or at 100% CPU utilization on a single core with your stock settings. Overclock the CPU to 3.6 or 3.8 and see if the utilization comes down to 60-75% usage, in the same game.

 

[brodexcius]

When you put a 780Ti into a PC, your CPU will likely be your next bottleneck. Your CPU has a 2.8GHz default clock so it could happen. That being said, if You over clock that i7 to a modest 3.6 or 3.8GHz, you should be in the clear. Find a game that will show close to or at 100% CPU utilization on a single core with your stock settings. Overclock the CPU to 3.6 or 3.8 and see if the utilization comes down to 60-75% usage, in the same game.

Okay, I've actually been thinking about doing that - How would I actually experience a bottlenecked GPU? Would my game stutter no matter what, or would I be able to "just" lower the graphics settings, to achieve a smooth performance? Would it be any different if I choose the none Ti model?

 

[skit75]

When you put a 780Ti into a PC, your CPU will likely be your next bottleneck. Your CPU has a 2.8GHz default clock so it could happen. That being said, if You over clock that i7 to a modest 3.6 or 3.8GHz, you should be in the clear. Find a game that will show close to or at 100% CPU utilization on a single core with your stock settings. Overclock the CPU to 3.6 or 3.8 and see if the utilization comes down to 60-75% usage, in the same game.

Okay, I've actually been thinking about doing that - How would I actually experience a bottlenecked GPU? Would my game stutter no matter what, or would I be able to "just" lower the graphics settings, to achieve a smooth performance? Would it be any different if I choose the none Ti model?

You can use a 3rd party program to monitor your GPU usage. If you are CPU bottle necked, your CPU usage will be near saturation on any single core and your GPU will be holding steady somewhere near 40-60% usage. The key thing is to look at the individual cores in task manager. If any of (1) of them are pegged at 100% you are bottlenecked.

If your CPU(all 4 cores have overhead) and GPU usage percents both have overhead to spare in a demanding game, you are fine.

 

[Supernova1138]

Even a 770 could be bottlenecked by an i7 860 if you're running it at stock clocks, though it will vary depending on the games you play. Most games would still be GPU bound, but on more CPU heavy titles like Crysis 3 or Battlefield 3/4, you would definitely hit a bottleneck. If you can get a decent overclock, it would certainly help, particularly for Arma 3 which seems to be a heavily CPU bound game that only really effectively uses 1 or 2 cores. If you are aiming as high as a 780Ti for a GPU, I would consider upgrading to Haswell, because you may still run into a bottleneck with a 780Ti, even with a good overclock on an i7 860.

 

[brodexcius]

Even a 770 could be bottlenecked by an i7 860 if you're running it at stock clocks, though it will vary depending on the games you play. Most games would still be GPU bound, but on more CPU heavy titles like Crysis 3 or Battlefield 3/4, you would definitely hit a bottleneck. If you can get a decent overclock, it would certainly help, particularly for Arma 3 which seems to be a heavily CPU bound game that only really effectively uses 1 or 2 cores. If you are aiming as high as a 780Ti for a GPU, I would consider upgrading to Haswell, because you may still run into a bottleneck with a 780Ti, even with a good overclock on an i7 860.

When you say upgrade to Haswell, what do you mean?

Like, should I go all the way, and buy a new graphic card, motherboard and CPU?

 

[RobCrezz]

Overclocking will help avoid any bottlnecking in most games. Some CPU heavy games might still bottleneck a bit but you should be fine.

That said, if you are gaming on a single 1080p monitor it might be worth considering the 770 or regular 780.

 

[RobCrezz]

Even a 770 could be bottlenecked by an i7 860 if you're running it at stock clocks, though it will vary depending on the games you play. Most games would still be GPU bound, but on more CPU heavy titles like Crysis 3 or Battlefield 3/4, you would definitely hit a bottleneck. If you can get a decent overclock, it would certainly help, particularly for Arma 3 which seems to be a heavily CPU bound game that only really effectively uses 1 or 2 cores. If you are aiming as high as a 780Ti for a GPU, I would consider upgrading to Haswell, because you may still run into a bottleneck with a 780Ti, even with a good overclock on an i7 860.

When you say upgrade to Haswell, what do you mean?

Like, should I go all the way, and buy a new graphic card, motherboard and CPU?

That would get the best performance from the 780 Ti.

 

[coozie7]

A few late comments.
The i7 860 is still a capable piece of kit, even at stock speeds it'll run AAA titles fluidly-especially with a strong graphics card installed but without a strong overclock it will restrict a fast card like the GTX780/R9 290 in some CPU heavy titles (BF4 springs to mind).
Unless you're using, or intend to use dual/triple displays or go for a 120Hz/3D monitor anything over a GTX 780 is expensive overkill, regardless of CPU, the display will effectively limit gaming to 60FPS.
Being a cautious (and skinflint) type of guy I'd suggest you get the card of choice, install it and a decent CPU cooler then overclock the current CPU to see how it runs.
FYI, my 4 year old, mildly overclocked rig can run anything out there at at least high, in most cases Ultra settings on a single 1080 60Hz display.

 

[brodexcius]

A few late comments.
The i7 860 is still a capable piece of kit, even at stock speeds it'll run AAA titles fluidly-especially with a strong graphics card installed but without a strong overclock it will restrict a fast card like the GTX780/R9 290 in some CPU heavy titles (BF4 springs to mind).
Unless you're using, or intend to use dual/triple displays or go for a 120Hz/3D monitor anything over a GTX 780 is expensive overkill, regardless of CPU, the display will effectively limit gaming to 60FPS.
Being a cautious (and skinflint) type of guy I'd suggest you get the card of choice, install it and a decent CPU cooler then overclock the current CPU to see how it runs.
FYI, my 4 year old, mildly overclocked rig can run anything out there at at least high, in most cases Ultra settings on a single 1080 60Hz display.

I think I've decided on buying the gtx 770, buying additional ram, and trying to overclock my system - How would you suggest I would go about overclocking the CPU? I don't have the biggest case in the world, i found out that I can fit the hype 212 evo in there, but not the H100i liquid cooler from Corsair. Would the 212 evo be enough, to get my cpu running stable at say, 3.4 GHz?

I'm in general looking for good performance in games like Arma 3, but when I look at the recommended settings for the game, it says 2.9 GHz processor, and as my i7 is stocked at 2.8, I think the OC would be needed for the game to perform optimally.

 

[coozie7]

I'm running the older Hyper 212 Plus on a i5 750 at 3.4GHz, no problems, it's cool and quiet, just be aware that, depending on case, you may need to remove the motherboard to install a better cooler. Take the right hand side panel off and see if there's a large opening under the CPU socket, it'll be obvious because you'll be able to see the motherboard/CPU socket through the motherboard tray. If there's one you're in luck...If not...
To help the coolers, make sure you have decent intake fan/s in the front of the case, if you get (or have) variable speed fans with 3 or 4 pin leads you can plug them into the motherboard headers to control their speed (and noise) through the BIOS.
From my skinflint view, you've made the best choice, good card and with a mild OC it should run as if it was in a new rig...Enjoy!

 

[brodexcius]

Okay, I've been trying to grasp what you said about "the large opening under the cpu socket", and I'm not sure I understand entirely I've removed both sides of my cpu, and when I look on the "wrong" side, I have an opening in the front part, but the enitre surface behind the motherboard is solid.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811294002

Here's a link to my case - I'm not sure if you can see what is needed, but maybe you can point it out to me?

 

[RobCrezz]

The CPU is the processor, not the case.

Unfortunately you have no cut out on the motherboard tray, which means you will have to remove the motherboard to fit unfortunately.

I would think about upgrading that case, as its pretty low end and has no cooling. Or you should at least get some fans for it.

 

[brodexcius]

The CPU is the processor, not the case.

Unfortunately you have no cut out on the motherboard tray, which means you will have to remove the motherboard to fit unfortunately.

I would think about upgrading that case, as its pretty low end and has no cooling. Or you should at least get some fans for it.

Would this be a decent pick?

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r

 

[coozie7]

There's no cutout, just a solid metal sheet behind the motherboard...Sorry, mate if you want to add a better cooler you'll need to take the motherboard out. There IS coolers that will just use the stock mounting system of plastic pushpins but they're not particularly good and getting the pushpins to lock down properly can be surprisingly difficult.

 

[coozie7]

Nice Corsair!

 

[RobCrezz]

The CPU is the processor, not the case.

Unfortunately you have no cut out on the motherboard tray, which means you will have to remove the motherboard to fit unfortunately.

I would think about upgrading that case, as its pretty low end and has no cooling. Or you should at least get some fans for it.

Would this be a decent pick?

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r

Yeah thats a good budget case.

 

[brodexcius]

With the new 200r case in mind, then I can actually fit the H100i water cooler, would that be a good idea instead of the evo then?

EDIT: just noticed I didn't choose an answer yet - is there anyway to give credit to more than 1 person in a thread?

 

[coozie7]

Looks like a H100i would fit in the top location where there's clearly room for two fans.
No, you've another choice to make.

 

[brodexcius]

Looks like a H100i would fit in the top location where there's clearly room for two fans.
No, you've another choice to make.

Okay, I guess I will buy the H100i, and also buy a new PSU, just to make sure I won't dmg the card in anyway.. I've been looking at the Corsair AX760 PSU, but I'm not sure what I need, now that I decided to do some OCing. Would this PSU be good enough? Is it maybe even overkill, and I might be able to get a cheaper PSU that can pull the machine?

 

[coozie7]

If it's this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139042 it's a top line part but a bit expensive for my tastes, I'd probably look more towards something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151106
Exactly which PSU is installed BTW? You may not need a new one...After all, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
As another personal note, I've never been entirely convinced of the value of watercooling unless the user is determined to keep the noise/temperatures as low as possible, again, if it were my money (which it clearly isn't) I'd opt for a simpler, cheaper air cooler.

 

[brodexcius]

If it's this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139042 it's a top line part but a bit expensive for my tastes, I'd probably look more towards something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151106
Exactly which PSU is installed BTW? You may not need a new one...After all, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
As another personal note, I've never been entirely convinced of the value of watercooling unless the user is determined to keep the noise/temperatures as low as possible, again, if it were my money (which it clearly isn't) I'd opt for a simpler, cheaper air cooler.

My current PSU is: Inter-Tech Energon EPS-650W - Isn't there some kind of danger of my parts getting burned by using a bad PSU?

 

[coozie7]

Yes.