Which GPU will be bottlenecked by my CPU?

[coffeecoffee]

I'm running a "890GPA-UD3H" Mobo w/ Phenom II X4 C3 @ Default 3.0Ghz with 8GB of DDR3 GSkill Ram at 1600MHz, 750W Corsair PSU, 500GB HDD plus a 5770 on the side. No plans to overclock w/ the exception of bios flashing a 6950 to perform similar to a 6970 if my CPU can handle it. But I do plan to play games on a 24" 1080P Monitor - 1920 x 1200 resolutions. This is intended as a Gaming PC, however my 5770 is starting to lose ground in terms of performance due to it's age. Currently trying to figure out ALL of my GPU options, which is why I'm trying to find out what my CPU can handle.


Additional info/specs on my Phenom II x4 945 C3 can be found via the link below.
www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103809&Tpk=phenom II x4 945

~Coffee

 

[pale paladin]

I have found that with my Phenom 955 @3.7 with a 5850 OC to 5870. I have no bottlenecks but I believe a higher card would be bottlenecked by the 955. Looking at the many benchmarks on different websites and my own at the level of a 6870 or lower your processor overclocked should be just fine and should serve you for at least another year. But if you invest in something like a 6950 or above I would recommend looking into a platform change if your gaming demands 6950 level performance.

Personally I play Crisis 2 @ max everything @ 1080p and average 55+fps so for me I'm doing fine. Now if you are just playing WoW or some MMO I probably would just upgrade to a 6850 or equivalent.

Lastly, the reason I recommend a change to intel is because currently , for the price you cannot beat what they have to offer. From Microcenter you can purchase a 2500k for $179.99. that proc decimates everything AMD has to offer currently and for about 100 more bones you can purchase a good 1155 mobo. Keep your ram Keep everything and then you will have a clearer upgrade path that will scale with what you purchase in the future more so than a Phenom x4.

 

[DEY123]

I tired to find a nice test that showed it being bottle necked or not...My basic understanding is that Phenom IIs start to cause issues when you have GPUs in crossfire/SLI...so based on you only running one card any single GPU card should be fine.

Also with a 1080P monitor you will be at 1920x1080 not by 1200

 

[DEY123]

I have found that with my Phenom 955 @3.7 with a 5850 OC to 5870. I have no bottlenecks but I believe a higher card would be bottlenecked by the 955. Looking at the many benchmarks on different websites and my own at the level of a 6870 or lower your processor overclocked should be just fine and should serve you for at least another year. But if you invest in something like a 6950 or above I would recommend looking into a platform change if your gaming demands 6950 level performance.

Personally I play Crisis 2 @ max everything @ 1080p and average 55+fps so for me I'm doing fine. Now if you are just playing WoW or some MMO I probably would just upgrade to a 6850 or equivalent.

Lastly, the reason I recommend a change to intel is because currently , for the price you cannot beat what they have to offer. From Microcenter you can purchase a 2500k for $179.99. that proc decimates everything AMD has to offer currently and for about 100 more bones you can purchase a good 1155 mobo. Keep your ram Keep everything and then you will have a clearer upgrade path that will scale with what you purchase in the future more so than a Phenom x4.

I'm pretty sure he already has the system based on him saying his 5770 was not cutting it. As such it is much more cost effective to just get a new GPU for now instead of replacing everything as I don't think at 1920x 1080 that he will find more then 1 or 2 situations he would get better perf with intel (assuming we stay at 1080 and don't say that intel wins because it is pushing 110FPS and AMD only 95FPS)