I've got a 960T unlocked to 6 cores, stock clocks, and a 3GB 7950, on an AM3+ mobo. Last christmas I treated myself to a 1440p monitor, and I've been playing just Battlefield 3 on it at all Ultra minus MSAA.
I'm wondering though, are there reviews out there that show min and avg FPS that include Haswell and a 7950 at 1440p?
I'm trying to figure out if I'd be better off for Battlefield 3 (and possibly 4) if I got another 7950 (and then opened myself up to potential Crossfire issues) if that would be better for the min and avg fps vs. getting a Haswell based setup and just keeping the one 7950.
Any advice?
Chuck
You are not going to find many comparisons regarding the 960T. You may be able to guestimate it by looking at some Thuban core x6 reviews. I think I remember some runs at 1050, 1600, 1200 but don't recall 1440.
I, not too long ago was in the same boat as you. I also had a 960t unlocked, a single Sapphire HD6950 Flex and playing BF3. Wanting better performance, I sought out another Sapphire HD6950 Flex (used) and bought it. Paid almost what I paid for the first one new(hard to find). I had to buy a new power supply. New/larger case. Anyhow, now that I had CF, I had more heat & micro stutter, but I did get better frame rates, though still not great.
Next, I bought a 8350...only to discover my MB was a AM2+/AM3, NOT a AM3+ (be sure yours is if you go for a 8350). After getting my 8350 from NE, and realizing I needed a board, I drove over to my local TD and got another board. I again improved my frame rates, but not greatly. Still had micro stutter.
Then I handed the rig to my oldest son (have two, both kids gamers). I bought a 3570k, MB and a GTX680 Twin Frozr. System is WAY faster. WAY cooler, WAY quieter.
The 8350 is not a bad processor, Its under water (CoolerMaster Siedon 240M $90 on sale). I can run it up to 4.7 stable Prime 95 and stays in the 60's maxed. If you go that route, its a nice upgrade for not much money. If you needed to change the board...I would say go Intel.(sell your board/cpu to offset some costs)
I would be hesitant to recommend a CF solution. If your power supply has enough power for CF, a 8350 (assuming you will OC it), as well as your case is large enough and flows air nicely...then I would say "maybe", if you can get the card used at a good price. CF works better now with the latest drivers.
However, if you need to buy a stronger psu, and/or a better case then it may be a smarter decision to upgrade to a new card (280x?). You could sell your current card to help offset the cost.
If I had known my board was not AM3+, I would not have spent the money on the 8350 & board. I would have just gone to Intel. The gaming performance increase is much better for the money spent.
Unless you have lots of money to outright buy an entire Intel system with a R9 290x or a GTX780 variant, I would recommend the 8350 upgrade if you do indeed have a AM3+ board. Get rid of the 7950, and get a minimum of a 280x.
Good luck with your decision
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