Is an i5 2500 good enough for current graphics cards?

[dukefanmu]

Hello everyone,

I am looking to upgrade my son's graphics card. He has an I5 2500 with 24 gigs of RAM and an 850 watt Corsair PSU. He plays all types of current games on 1080p and likes to use multiple monitors so he can be doing something else as he's gaming. He currently has a Radeon 7970. Is it worth it with his CPU to upgrade to a GTX 1070 or would it make more sense to go with a GTX 1060 or RX 480? I have considered just doing a new build, but if we can get more life out of his current setup that would be ideal. If his I5 2500 won't bottleneck too bad on these cards at 1080p (I know the 1070 is probably overkill for 1080p already) I will just upgrade the graphics card.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[dexxterlab97]

2500 is a bit old gen. But in terms of bottlenecking it might be a little. Good enough for a gtx 1070.

 

[WildCard999]

Bottlenecks are game dependent but it shouldn't be noticeable, would go with the GTX 1070.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Personally, I'd stick with the GTX 1060.

-Wolf sends

 

[dukefanmu]

Personally, I'd stick with the GTX 1060.

-Wolf sends

Wolfshadw, do you say this because of the age of the CPU or gaming at 1080p or for some other reason?

 

[Wolfshadw]

A little of both and then some, actually.

I'm still running an generation older Core I5-760 and the most I would put into my system would be the GTX960. In my opinion, anything above the GTX960 in my system would be overkill. Since you're running a generation newer processor, I guesstimate that a generation newer graphics card would suit you and would not be overkill.

As for your resolution, even a lowly GT730 can game at 1080p if you turn down your settings. With a GTX 1060, your son should be able to play any game on the market at 1080p. He may not be able to have all the bells and whistles turned on, but the games will play just fine.

[rant]
Personally, I've never understood the need for Ultra settings. If I'm in the middle of action, I really don't have time to notice I could actually count the number of leaves in that tree or the number of blades of grass being splattered with my blood. Turn down the settings and pay attention to what your doing.
[/rant]

The other side of the coin is if/when you decide it's time for a new build. The sooner it is (say a year or two), then I'd probably recommend the GTX1070 or even the GTX1080. Those cards could easily be moved forward into the new build. If the new system build is two or more years down the road, then I'd stay with the GTX1060 and go with the latest card available at the time of the build.

-Wolf sends