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Upgrading GPU, need to find non-bottleneck CPU/mobo.

Apr 29, 2013
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Hello, I had some questions regarding the GTX 980 and the cpu requirements for it. I'm currently upgrading my computer one piece at a time, and since my displays are randomly turning off for a few seconds I figured I should prioritize the GPU first.

As it stands right now, I have the AMD Phenom II x4 955 cpu and a 970A-UD3 motherboard with it - I've had both since 2010 and it was originally a budget build. I recently upgraded my power supply to an EVGA SuperNOVA 1050 GS, so I got the power taken care of (hopefully). And for the record, the video card I'm replacing is an old Sapphire HD 7770. Now, I know the CPU is old (tier 3 in the hierarchy thread) and the motherboard is probably not even worth mentioning, so I need to know:



1. How much will my CPU and/or mobo bottleneck the GTX 980? Will my mobo/cpu even let me use it right now?

2. Can you recommend a good CPU/mobo that won't bottleneck my GPU?


Again, I fully intend to buy a new CPU and motherboard when I have the money for it, but since I'm having display problems right now, I decided to replace the GPU first rather than get other parts. So please keep that in mind when replying.

Thanks in advance!

PS. I wasn't sure if this should be in the CPU forum, GPU forum or somewhere else. so I apologize in advance if it's misplaced!
 
Solution
It will bottleneck thew GPU to a certain extent yes, but it will still provide playable framerates while you wait to upgrade.

As I have seen in this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D8Bn56D0V0

The Phenom II x4 955 you have falls about 10-15 FPS lower than the FX8320 Octa Core CPU. While this may sound like a lot, the FPS noted there are still in the good playable regions of 35+ FPS.

A good upgrade ( depending if you prefer AMD or Intel ) would be -

A) Intel i5-4690k and any Z97 Motherboard, good OC'ing - $350 - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/x874Bm .
B) AMD FX 8350 and 970 motherboard ,also allows good OC'ing - $250 - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6nMxRB .

It all depends on taste and preference, I myself am getting the 8350 soon...
It will bottleneck thew GPU to a certain extent yes, but it will still provide playable framerates while you wait to upgrade.

As I have seen in this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D8Bn56D0V0

The Phenom II x4 955 you have falls about 10-15 FPS lower than the FX8320 Octa Core CPU. While this may sound like a lot, the FPS noted there are still in the good playable regions of 35+ FPS.

A good upgrade ( depending if you prefer AMD or Intel ) would be -

A) Intel i5-4690k and any Z97 Motherboard, good OC'ing - $350 - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/x874Bm .
B) AMD FX 8350 and 970 motherboard ,also allows good OC'ing - $250 - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6nMxRB .

It all depends on taste and preference, I myself am getting the 8350 soon. Seems like a really solid chip, but the 4690k even with the difference in price, is a much better chip.
 
Solution





Thanks for the response. Now just to clarify, this card(PICE-3.0) is backwards compatible with PCIE-2.0 correct? And will this card fit on my current motherboard? It looks like it may get rather close to the ram sticks.

Motherboard - https://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga970aud3
New GPU - https://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn980g1gaming4gd
Old GPU - https://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100358vxl

 
I did see this lucky you 😀 xD and yes, PCI 3.0 is backwards compatible and vice versa. You will have no issues there at all. So yes the GTX 980/970 will fit the card, just keep in mind the Windforce edition is an extremely long card!! This could easily get in the way of your case, so just be careful, do some research on the length of the card before you buy it and make sure it fits. That could be the worst thing to happen to you if it doesnt fit.
 
Unmarked solution so more people see this (not to be an ass to cheap gamer)

Your board is solid as a rock mate - it supports both the 8320 & 8350 with a bios update at the very most.you have no reason to change it at all.

Id personally go with an 8320,a decent aftermarket cooler ,a little over clock to equal 8350 speeds ( your board will do more should you require)

I would also honestly stick to a 970 UNLESS you're running 1440p+ resolutions.
At 1080p a 980 would just be wasted money.
 
I apologize for the late response, I've been very busy lately. Thanks for the info everyone! I received my new GPU and my Carbide 540 case. I got everything mover over and I must say I'm quite impressed! It works so much better now even with the bottlenecking.

As far as the CPUs go - I was leaning towards saving up for a while and getting one of the Intel i7 CPUs, mainly for future proofing and lower power consumption. From what I understand, the i5 is more than enough for gaming and the i7 is overkill for gaming alone.

However, I do a lot of multitasking on my computer and I'm thinking the i7 would be the better way to go. With that being said, I don't know jack about CPUs. I want something that can handle high end games, streaming games, handle visual studio and PS running in the bg along with a bunch of chrome tabs and various other programs. I also want my CPU to be future proof for a good 5 years. In the future I may expand my system even more by running SLI maybe, so I think I need something with enough PCI lanes? I don't know, I think I might make a new thread for this and spend several hours searching the web tomorrow as it's my only day off.