Will my Athlon II x3 445 bottleneck my HD7950?

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danjm99

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Nov 13, 2012
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I just got a HD7950 and I am only get 45 (about) FPS average in Metro 2033 on the same settings as used in benchmarks I've been looking up...

If my CPU is not bottlenecking my performance, I am very, very disappointed in this card.

Opinions? If you believe it is, how much?
 
Metro 2033 is a very GPU demanding game. Most CPU;s perform close tot he same so issue is not CPU bottleneck or PCIE 2.0 bottleneck.

Metro2033.png


The 7950 is about giving its all.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/378?i=588.585.586.584.515.618.516.508.555.587.598.645.550.647.548.517.509.660.518.510.549.511.540.547.543.519.512.680.539.542.536.538.541.535.681.537

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/club_3d_7950_royal_king_review/11

02_metro.png


metro_2033_1920_1200.gif


Even the 680 and the 7970 don't hit 45+ avg fps.
If you upgrade to the latest drivers (12.11), you might get a 10% boost.
PCI2.0 is only a bottleneck in 3 way SLI/CF for some games at extreme resolutions.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/07/18/pci_express_20_vs_30_gpu_gaming_performance_review/14

Your CPU will bottleneck you in some games but in single player, it really shouldn't. In mulitplayer games esp bf3 64 player, you will see issues with your cpu.
 
Yes, your Athlon II X3, while a very good processor, is the main bottle neck for your HD 7950, especially with Metro 2033. The card's GPU is waiting for the CPU to catch up with it in demanding games like that one. Metro 2033 is a very demanding game graphically. Especially at 1920x1080.

Having said that, 45 fps is quite good frame rate for that game. But it is all due to the graphic card. With a faster CPU, you will see improvement. But there are also other factors... the hypertransport buss speed, the lack of an L3 cache, etc.
 
If you look through majority of game benchmarks, the II x 3 can hold it own to provide playable framerates except in multiplayer games. While it is limiting the full potential of your 7950, in Metro 2033 specifically, the GPU and the CPU are working near their max already. If you look at the benchmarks I posted, In Metro 2033 you will not gain too much FPS by going to a new CPU since the bottleneck is the GPU. In other games of course the CPU is going to hold you back.
 

Interesting article. I'm going to have to read the article this one was a follow up on next. Explains in easy to understand terms why high frame rates can still look choppy at times. Frame rate is mainly dependent on the GPU, but smoothness is dependent on the CPU.
 
I would say that even if you are doing okay with your FPS during gameplay with your Athlon, in the interest of simply using the computer for everything else up to opening the game, it's time to upgrade. You have the 7th fastest GPU to hit the market as of today- meanwhile, the benchmark chart shows your CPU as the 52nd fastest among just AM3/AM3+ chips!

It sounds like you already made the decision- are you doing a fresh Intel build and just keeping the card/psu/case?
 
I've just upgraded my case & power supply as I knew I would be upgrading my GPU and processor, and overclocking them, so I went for a CM Storm Scout II with a few CM Sickleflow fans and an OCZ ZS650.

I will be replacing my motherboard and processor then upgrades will be finished until I decide to buy an SSD. I will be building with an Intel motherboard.
 
the benchmarks are not done by just playing the game. the part tested from a vary specific screen test from the game to showcase how demanding the game can be.
 
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