QX9650 with HD5850

[sithmuffin]

Hey to all,

I'm trying to maximize this system I have before upgrading. It has a QX9650 with a Sapphire Toxic 5850, Gigabyte P45 mobo and 8gb ram that is oc'd to 3.6. So I'm wondering if changing to at GTX 580 would create a bottleneck. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[striker410]

Well, I think the best option would be to add another 5850. What country do you live in? What's the mobo? What is your PSU model? What country are you in? With those questions answered, I should be able to give you an answer on what you should do.

 

[spentshells]

Will you bottleneck yes maybe(Deff), what resolution are you playing at ?
Above 1080 you will not "see" any sort of bottleneck, the CPU is capable.
If you push the CPU further you will see more frames.
if playing below 1080 why are you upgrading the graphics card ?
Will you get a lot more frames with the 580 ? Yes a lot.

 

[addison]

He could get a 6870, or as striker said another 5850.

 

[sithmuffin]

Thanks for replying...

Monitor Samsung P2770 --> 1920 x 1080
CPU Intel QX9650 @ 3.6 w/ Zalman CPNS8700
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R mobo
Corsair PC2-6400 4x2gb
Enermax Liberty 620w - ELT620AWT

I haven't hooked up this monitor yet...still using a Gateway FPD2185W -->1680x1050 but the Samsung is right here on the floor

You can probably tell this motherboard only supports a single video card but with this new monitor I was thinking a more powerful card would keep the frame rate smooth. I just wasn't sure if it would hold back the cpu or vice versa. I believe the Zalman could handle a 3.8 overclock...if that would help.

And yeah I'm hoping to keep this system as my primary for another year.

Thanks again for teh help!

 

[striker410]

Yeah.... That's gonna make things expensive.
Your best bet is probably a 6970. It will run all games on max for a while yet. However, I think the 5850 will MORE than hold it's own, especially if you overclock the GPU. Honestly, keep it the same! I would upgrade the SSD if you don't like load times, but that's about it.

 

[ps3hacker12]

yep as said above the QX9650 is still a fantastic performance CPU, and at 3.6Ghz it still blows even the best AMD processors today, and well as many of the first gen I-series. A little OCing of that 5850 would go a long way, but if you really want an upgrade, then a 6950/560Ti/6970/6870 would all be good options.

 

[spentshells]

Alright just so we are clear on this do not buy a 6870 or a 560ti it is in no way a worthwhile upgrade for you, even a 6950 is not going to be a huge difference.
6950 at the minimum. Looking at 570/6970/580

Just to throw this out there 480 GTX with after market cooling are around 300 dollars right now and would show the performance upgrade you are looking for.

They run hotter they use more power they will absolutely be better than any 6950/560ti/6870

 

[sithmuffin]

Wow you guys are awesome with the responses!

At this point I like the idea of keeping what I have and trying a bit more overclocking. The Toxic 5850 has a factory oc of 765/1125 but I might be able to squeeze something more out of it. Any suggestions of a good gpu oc tool would be appreciated. I'm pretty sure I can bump up the cpu to 3.8 (maybe more?) if that's needed.

I would love it if I can get good fps and smooth playback w/o dropping more $$$. Thanks again!!


Edit: well I did some research here and found some gpu oc info:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/257378-29-5850-toxic-voltage

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2943/4]

http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/633816-how-overclock-your-amd-ati-gpu.html

 

[addison]

You can flash a 6950 to a 6970....

 

[jaguarskx]

You can flash a 6950 to a 6970....

Initially you were able to flash a HD 6950 (2GB version only) to a HD 6970. But I believe that window of opportunity has now close as AMD made changes to fix that "issue".

 

[jaguarskx]

Thanks for replying...

Monitor Samsung P2770 --> 1920 x 1080
CPU Intel QX9650 @ 3.6 w/ Zalman CPNS8700
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R mobo
Corsair PC2-6400 4x2gb
Enermax Liberty 620w - ELT620AWT

I haven't hooked up this monitor yet...still using a Gateway FPD2185W -->1680x1050 but the Samsung is right here on the floor

I have a Q9450 and HD 5850 and I play games on a 1920 x 1200 monitor. I find that I am getting good frame rates. I am not a hardcore gamer though that demands a minimum of 50+ FPS though. I still use Win XP.

Give your new monitor a whirl with your current rig for a few days to decide if you really need/want to upgrade your video card.

 

[Javed4535]

Initially you were able to flash a HD 6950 (2GB version only) to a HD 6970. But I believe that window of opportunity has now close as AMD made changes to fix that "issue".

Does the Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB support unlocking to a HD 6970? And how did they fix that issue? Drivers or New graphics cards?

 

[striker410]

New cards that can't be flashed.

 

[addison]

There is always ebay striker.... Bet you there is a older 6950 that can be flashed to a 6970.

 

[jaguarskx]

Does the Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB support unlocking to a HD 6970? And how did they fix that issue? Drivers or New graphics cards?

The HD 6950 was redesigned. 1st and foremost support for dual BIOS was removed in case you actually mess up flashing your video card. There were some other changes, but since I was not interested in buying a HD 6950 anyway I did not bother looking into the other changes.

Basically right now, if you want a video card with the performance of a HD 6970, then you will need to buy a HD 6970. You missed the window by about 3 or 4 months.

 

[striker410]

There is always ebay striker.... Bet you there is a older 6950 that can be flashed to a 6970.

While he might be able to find a flashable card, it would be a gamble, one I would not take.

 

[addison]

Then again amazon proabably has one, who knows tiger direct might.

 

[Javed4535]

Will the new HD 6950 graphics cards have new model nos? Or same model nos? I'm guessing it would be exactly the old model nos. This is probably just a business strategy by AMD, I'm not saying the flashing thing is fake but in the end they fixed it and now it just looks like a business strategy to make people buy the card making them think that this graphics card is a "Steal"

 

[addison]

If you want a flashable 6950 it's probably on ebay, as Striker said I wouldn't take chances unless the card is sealed shut. Also a 6950 is awesome but if you could get a older model that is flashable, it would be even better.

 

[striker410]

Will the new HD 6950 graphics cards have new model nos? Or same model nos? I'm guessing it would be exactly the old model nos. This is probably just a business strategy by AMD, I'm not saying the flashing thing is fake but in the end they fixed it and now it just looks like a business strategy to make people buy the card making them think that this graphics card is a "Steal"

Well, here's the thing. In first production, they used the same PCB as the 6970 for the 6950 (I think) Which is why it could be flashed. Now, only SOME models could be flashed. Now that's it's been a long time since any of them have been produced, they are extremely rare. To have a flashable card, you need 3 things.

-Standard PCB, no custom ones.
-Dual BIOS switch, only available on some cards.
-The rare older model card that can flash.

Now, that makes them pretty rare. Also, some people had issues with overheating when flashing them anyway.
To be honest, the best route for me would be to get a GTX 560 Ti and OC it to GTX 570 levels. If you are uncomfortable with OC, Zotac makes a nice AMP! version that is very highly clocked, and still has a warranty! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500196&Tpk=amp%20560%20Ti

 

[addison]

Yet OC shortens life of hardware, that is why I only clocked my CPU to 3.0 also you have to have REALLY good airflow and cooling.

 

[ps3hacker12]

Yet OC shortens life of hardware, that is why I only clocked my CPU to 3.0 also you have to have REALLY good airflow and cooling.

not really, its overvolting that reduces life span, CPU are built to last 10years+ even if you do some mild overvolting, it would still last about 7-8 years or so (unless you go to crazy high voltages).

 

[addison]

But I don't like the idea with his build in watercooling because he has to change it every 6-12 months, if there is a leak then the system is bye bye

 

[ps3hacker12]

But I don't like the idea with his build in watercooling because he has to change it every 6-12 months, if there is a leak then the system is bye bye

oh ok, watercooling if not properly maintained, then yeah it can cause problems, it should be left to enthusiasts, there are quite a few nice air coolers he could use though.