Bottleneck | GPU > CPU | New gen GPU w/ last gen CPU?

[fohrums]

My current Rig:

Mainboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX
CPU: Intel i5 3470 @3.2GHz
GPU: MSI 7850 2gb
RAM: Kingston 8gb DDR3 @1333MHz

I'll be primarily upgrading my GPU to a Radeon R9 390 and was wondering if anything in my current rig would bottleneck this new GPU upgrade?

I'm also considering on upgrading my Ram to the later DDR4, but not sure if my mobo is compatible with it.

• REFERENCE (specification):
  • Mainboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX

 

[Deders]

Your processor is powerful enough that it will benefit from a faster graphics card.

You won't be able to put DDR4 in that motherboard.

 

[fohrums]

Your processor is powerful enough that it will benefit from a faster graphics card.

You won't be able to put DDR4 in that motherboard.

Understood. :thumbsup:

But now my concern is for the power consumption of the card.

This is because my PSU is the Corsair HX520 which is about 7-yrs. old. I'm planning on specifically getting the Sapphire version of the R9 390, because it has the best cooling (literally no review mentioning it being too hot). According to Amazon.com the Sapphire R9 390's power consumption is 375w as opposed to 275w which is what other hardware sites state it to be :\.

I first and foremost want my system to stay cool as I do leave it on more than it is off and i'm planning on playing heavy graphic games which will stress the card to it's full TDP more so often.

Is my Corsair HX520 PSU cutting it too close or am I in the safe zone? If I were to rough estimate i'm thinking i'm ~50w headroom if the replacement card is installed.

My Full System Specs:

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX (TDP:?)
CPU: Intel i5 3470 @3.2GHz (TDP: 77w)
~GPU: (Sapphire R9 390) (TDP: 375w)
RAM: 2 x 4gb Kingston @1333MHz (TDP?)
STORAGE: 2 SSD 128GB-each + 2 HDD 400GB-each @7200rpm (TDP:~40)
USB: Coolermaster Keyboard + Zowie FK Mouse (TDP:?)

With all the TDP-ratings within my system specs calculated, it'll be: ~492w/520w, which is cutting it extremely close to the max output my PSU can do. This is not even including the unknown TDP-ratings within my system specs labeled with '?'.

I'm quite afraid. Otherwise i'll upgrade to the newer Corsair AX* series.

 

[Yuriman]

I recommend you either upgrade your PSU, or go with something like a GTX 970 which uses a lot less power (145w TDP) and performs around the same.

You might also consider overclocking your CPU. It's not fully unlocked, but your motherboard/CPU combo is capable of getting another 400mhz, or about 10-15% extra performance, and all you should need to change is the multiplier.

 

[fohrums]

...or go with something like a GTX 970 which uses a lot less power (145w TDP) and performs around the same.

😱 I thought it was the other way around.

It's just i've been on ATI's side for quite some time, due to miserable experiences using an Nvidia card. I guess i'd go that route because my power supply is capable of handling it. Infact it's nearly the same amount of power my HD7850-2GB uses (125w).

BTW, what are good manufactures on the Nvidia side? And lastly, what are ways to know card models that are matched to compete against each other (preferably a detailed list).

 

[Dasa2]

if your ram can oc to 1600 9-9-9 or better yet 8-8-8 you may get ~8% more performance out of the cpu

asus evga gigabyte msi are some of the better ones with 3y warranty thats not to say there is anything wrong with the cheaper ones that only offer 2y warranty
main difference between models is noise of the hsf stock clocks and overclocking headroom