Potential bottleneck? Help please!

[freddy1765]

Hi,
I wasn't sure whether this belonged in the CPU- or GPU forum, but here it is;

I'm currently running a stock clocked Phenom II x4 925 (2,8 GHz), and an XFX Radeon HD 5770..
Lately I've found the 5770 simply doesn't cut it for me anymore, and I'm looking to buy a Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB
(Dirt 3 edition, which apparently has the recommended dual fans and BIOS switch thingy for the 6970 flash?)

I was just wondering whether this might create a bottleneck in gaming perfomance? The CPU isn't exactly top-of-the-line,
but sadly I haven't got the funds to upgrade both GPU and CPU to something like Phenom 955 BE
(or better still, get a Z68 mobo and i5 2500-k).

Oh, my PSU is an Arctic Fusion 550R, I assume it won't be a problem running 6950 on that?

Cheers in advance for any reply!

 

[Mousemonkey]

Without knowing your resolution it's only possible to say that you don't really understand the concept of what the term 'bottleneck' refers to.

 

[freddy1765]

Duh, I always forget to include some information in these posts.. Running at 1080*1920.

 

[mactronix]

Is there a reason you are at stock ? just don't need to push it or don't want to ? Personally i have a CPU i have tested unlocked and overclocked but i run at stock as i don't need the performance .... Yet.

There really should not be an issue read/skim this quartet (links on first page) http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/balanced-gaming-pc-overclock,2699.html
and you should see that the "Bottleneck that people keep harping on about isn't really that big a deal at a decent resolution.

Mactronix

 

[Mousemonkey]

Fair enough! :lol: At that res you should be OK but I haven't had any experience with AMD CPU's over the last couple of years.

 

[freddy1765]

I've considered OC'ing, but I wouldn't know how to, and also it would probably require additional cooling, like thermal paste and whatnot?

 

[FlintIronStagg]

I have the same cpu. It shouldnt bottleneck that 5770; its a rather balanced pair. If you go bigger on your GPU like you are wanting, you should definitely look into overclocking your cpu. I have my 925@ 3.3Ghz on stock voltage, and saw around a 15% performance increase while gaming with my GTX570. If you arent increasing the voltage on your OC, a stock cooler would work, however i recommend getting somethign aftermarket. However, if you dont have a mobo that can OC your cpu, the 925 should still be ok for the 6950, and will only strangle it a little bit at stock speeds until you get somethign better or Oc it a tad.

 

[freddy1765]

So all you did was increase the multiplier in the BIOS? (That's how it works, if I'm not mistaken?)

I don't think there's a bottleneck currently, the 5770 just can't keep up with the games/graphics settings I want to play, and I've read newer games rely less on the CPU and more on the GPU.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

So all you did was increase the multiplier in the BIOS? (That's how it works, if I'm not mistaken?)

I don't think there's a bottleneck currently, the 5770 just can't keep up with the games/graphics settings I want to play, and I've read newer games rely less on the CPU and more on the GPU.

not the multiplier, but the base frequency i bumped up to 236. The multipliers are locked as this isnt a black edition, so it is x14x236=3306mhz. I just kept increasing it until i didnt get a boot then backed it off, stock voltage im getting 3.3G; that is max without increasing voltage, which im tempted to do seeing other people getting a 3.6 out of this processor. If you arent sure you want to do it in bios, clock it in AMD overdrive

 

[freddy1765]

So in OverDrive i just change the base frequency to 236, click 'OK', and GG?
My mobo is Gigabyte GA-MA785GT-UD3H, haven't a clue how it handles OC.
If I were to run it at the same speed as you, would you recommend another heatsink on the CPU or won't that be necessary?

 

[FlintIronStagg]

i have an aftermarket heatsink, but unless you are messing with voltage increases, you dont HAVE to yet. I dunno too much about overdrive, i just know its more user friendly than bios. there are tons of tutorials with overdrive online if you need it

 

[freddy1765]

I see, it's certainly worth looking into. Guess it's about time I began messing with OC anyway.. Thanks for you help!

 

[FlintIronStagg]

not a problem good luck