Upgrade to use 290x

[Skarrsgaard]

I recently purchased a R9 290x Tri-X from Newegg. However, my cpu and mobo I feel are going to bottleneck my new card.

I have a Phenom II X4 965, and an M5a78l-m.

Will these bottleneck my card?

I'm considering getting a stop-gap until the next generation is released late this year or early next year.


I have a budget of ~ $200
Right now I'm considering:

FX-6300 + MSI Gaming

Or

i3 + h81

Any advice? Should I just tough it out?

 

[Suribachi]

What games are you playing that you think are bottlenecking the card? What is the CPU load during these games or programs?

 

[timeconsumer]

Try it and see how it performs on your games. Compare your FPS in games to what guys with an i3 + 290x or FX-6300 + 290x are getting (check youtube). Basically do a cost-benefit analysis. If you are getting 35-45fps in game X and other guys are getting 55 or 60 fps is that worth $200 for you for 9 months?

 

[Skarrsgaard]

@Suribachi

i currently play Smite, FFXIV, and Alien Isolation.

My CPU is pretty much maxed out on AI and pretty high on FFXIV. I have not, however, overlocked my card because my mobo is really shit.

 

[Suribachi]

It definitely sounds like the CPU is bottlenecking the system. It is trying to run the game, keep track of all the AI, and pre-render frames for the GPU all at once and cannot keep up. I would go for the FX, more threads to handle more tasks and you can overclock it much better to keep for a while longer than the i3. Do keep in mind though, that this comes with double the power draw of the i3.