Worth upgrading cpu for better gaming experience?

[Zakir_325]

Currently my computer specs are:
AMD Athlon X4-750k quad core overclocked to 3.7ghz i think
8gb ddr3 ram
AMD R7-250X gpu with 1gb ram
Windows 10
1 TB sata drive
500w psu
Gigabyte F2A78M-DS2 motherboard

Obviously its a very budget outdated computer, but it can game. But recently a lot of the new games struggle and I was thinking of upgrading my GPU as mine is rubbish. I was thinking the new AMD rx-480 but would my cpu not bottleneck it? Also do you think the low fps on games and so on is more down to my cpu? or both need to be upgraded. For example i tried to play firewatch the other day and i couldn't even maintain 30fps on medium settings, how bad is it?

I'm not a amazing with computers but would love advice please?

Thanks Zakir.

 

[Mark RM]

the 480 would be bottlenecked by your CPU in some games, yet it would a serious card upgrade and would definitely give you a huge boost. It would install fine in your rig and if you have cash to upgrade to a new gaming platform later (CPU/MOBO/RAM) you can use your fancy new card on it as well.

 

[clutchc]

Yes, your GFX card is your present bottleneck. The RX-480 should make a world of difference.

 

[CTurbo]

I would not run a 480 on ANY 500w psu. Maybe a GTX960 would be a better option? It would certainly be a HUGE upgrade over the 250x.

 

[clutchc]

I would not run a 480 on ANY 500w psu. Maybe a GTX960 would be a better option? It would certainly be a HUGE upgrade over the 250x.

According to this, the RX-480 is only a 166W card at 100% usage: http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-rx-480-8gb-review,5.html

 

[CTurbo]

Hmm the Tom's review said it averages 164w, but the peak 100% usage draw was much higher at ~225w, but even still, that statement came mainly due to there being zero GOOD 500w psus on the market, and many of them fail to safely get anywhere near their labeled wattage.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Hmm the Tom's review said it averages 164w, but the peak 100% usage draw was much higher at ~225w, but even still, that statement came mainly due to there being zero GOOD 500w psus on the market, and many of them fail to safely get anywhere near their labeled wattage.

Even GTX 970s will have spiked into 300W territory. The max value is only the single highest instant and is usually not very representative of the card's true power consumption.

 

[clutchc]

Hmm the Tom's review said it averages 164w, but the peak 100% usage draw was much higher at ~225w, but even still, that statement came mainly due to there being zero GOOD 500w psus on the market, and many of them fail to safely get anywhere near their labeled wattage.

Are you sure that wasn't OC'ed? I've only seen a single 6-pin header on the cards so far. That would limit it to 150W.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

It actually hit 300W under gaming load.

 

[CTurbo]

Even GTX 970s will have spiked into 300W territory. The max value is only the single highest instant and is usually not very representative of the card's true power consumption.

Again, my statement was based on the assumption the psu was not very good. I usually err the side of caution on these boards because we are often playing with other peoples money. Perhaps the OP could give a little more info on his/her psu.

Also, I won't be recommending any 480s until AMD fixes the power issue.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Even GTX 970s will have spiked into 300W territory. The max value is only the single highest instant and is usually not very representative of the card's true power consumption.

Again, my statement was based on the assumption the psu was not very good. I usually err the side of caution on these boards because we are often playing with other peoples money. Perhaps the OP could give a little more info on his/her psu.

I just don't understand your first statement on how you wouldn't run the RX 480 with any 500W PSU. It would actually be a perfect match with something like an FSP Hydro X 450W unit. Or unless you're just saying that because good 500W units are scarce. But the EVGA 500B it would be fine with, for instance.

I also won't recmmend 480s until they fix those issues; the issues should be addressed Tuesday, but I'll recommend aftermarket cards instead.

 

[clutchc]

@ Turkey3_scratch
That wasn't system load, was it? Can you link me to the article?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

@ Turkey3_scratch
That wasn't system load, was it? Can you link me to the article?

The article was here http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-rx-480-polaris-10,4616-9.html - it is not the whole machine, just the card. But if you look you can see it is a very brief spike.

 

[CTurbo]

Sure a GOOD 450w psu would be fine. There are no GOOD 500 units. They're all 520 or 550w. Seasonic had a 500w ss but I'm pretty sure it's been discontinued.

And for the record, I would not recommend any thing stronger than a 960 on a 500B or CX500. They're already unreliable enough.

 

[CTurbo]

Yeah you can see from that graph that it spent a great deal of time in the ~225w range. Too much stress for your typical 500w paperweight.

 

[clutchc]

@turkey3_scratch
Wow. Not exactly what we were led to believe with the RX-480. And those nasty spikes. Poor power regulation?
AMD better start equipping that card with an 8-pin connector. I wonder if that was with a pre-release card?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

@turkey3_scratch
Wow. Not exactly what we were led to believe with the RX-480. And those nasty spikes. Poor power regulation?
AMD better start equipping that card with an 8-pin connector. I wonder if that was with a pre-release card?

All cards do that. Even the GTX 1080 hits 300W, and the GTX 980 would hit about 350W.

The average is more important, though what's really important is having a PSU with good transient response performance, which unfortunately only a few review sites like HardOCP, Techpowerup, and Tomshardware test.

 

[Zakir_325]

My PSU is 500w but If I was to get the Rx 480 I would get a xfx or corsair's 550w psu?

Also thanks for answering the questions I guess it would be a good idea to get a new GPU I did think about the gtx 960 but for the price range do you not think a Rx 480 is more worth while?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

All that matters is the model of the PSU, what model do you have?

 

[Zakir_325]

It says on the side of the unit:
FSP GROUP INC
Model number: FSP500-60HCN

 

[Mark RM]

I agree, a decent 450 W will run your proposed system where a bad 750 W won't. People here scream buy big without reason behind behind it.

 

[Zakir_325]

So what's good psu capable of running the Rx 480 and the rest of my rig?

 

[CTurbo]

The 960 and 480 are sitting at 2 different price points right now. Any 550w XFX would be fine or the 520w Seasonic that's sitting at $58 with no rebate.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NMwhRB

 

[Zakir_325]

@CTurbo I've found both the 960 and Rx 480 (the 4gb version) to be around the same price I think?

.

 

[CTurbo]

Yeah but ~$200 is a terrible price for a 960. They can be had in the $120-150 range all the time.