Cost effective, nicely paired processsor for an ATI 5870?

[VirtualLarry]

and for just a little more money you can get a superior product in the i5 750 with way more oc headroom to make it even better.

and sorry but with multi gpu setups the X4 is noticeably inferior. http://www.legionhardware.com/artic...ssfire_cpu_scaling_performance_part_2,21.html

"For the most part the Core i7 9xx and Core i5 7xx series were in a league of their own.

It was the minimum frame rate of the Athlon II X4 which was most disappointing, and if you look at games such as Company of Heroes and World in Conflict at 2560x1600, it would drop considerably lower than the Pentium E6xxx series for example. "

Nice try, but the Phenom II is not the same as the Athlon II, especially for gaming, which is cache-dependent. Of course the Athlon II sucks for gaming, that was not up for questioning. But likewise, the poor showing of the Athlon II doesn't mean that the Phenom II is likewise not good for gaming. In fact, many benches show the Phenom II X4 965 to be comparable.

 

[toyota]

Nice try, but the Phenom II is not the same as the Athlon II, especially for gaming, which is cache-dependent. Of course the Athlon II sucks for gaming, that was not up for questioning. But likewise, the poor showing of the Athlon II doesn't mean that the Phenom II is likewise not good for gaming. In fact, many benches show the Phenom II X4 965 to be comparable.

well that was my mistake for misreading before I quoted it. still look at the review and see for yourself that for about the same money the i5 750 is the superior product compared to the Phenom 2 X4.

 

[konakona]

well that was my mistake for misreading before I quoted it. still look at the review and see for yourself that for about the same money the i5 750 is the superior product compared to the Phenom 2 X4.

I agree. oc'ing nb seems to close the gap somewhat, but still i7/i5 seems to be a better product for gaming by far.

 

[tweakboy]

You existing processor OCed will do just fine, ull get all your frames with 5870 gl,

 

[capita]

THis is the reverse of the question I asked in the video forum. I have a Core 2 Due and I plan to upgrade my video card to a 5870. But feeling that C2D 2.9 GHz may not be upto par with the video card. I wonder which processor would be best suited to be paired with this graphic card?

Here is my criteria:

1. Must be economical (Sorry I'm on a tight budget :\ )
2. Must not limit the 5870 at resolutions of 1600 by 1200 and above in any game released now.
3.Could be either Intel or AMD.

Thanks!

Playing at high resolution isn't CPU bound. So if your CPU can handle 1280 x 1024, it can also handle 1600 x 1200. The higher resolution will stress the GPU not the CPU.

I've tested intel i5-750 with most of today's heavy games and they all ran flawlessly. I think the most CPU intensive game today is Supreme Commander 2. So I tested it with 8 players on with more then 2000 units and it ran it fine.
So I don't think there is any regular game out there right now that even an i5-750 can't handle. So any i7 processor can run anything you throw at it.

Having said that, with such an expensive GPU your should at least spend a fair amount on CPU since CPU handles everything and not just gaming.

Since you want cheaper solution, I would say go for i7-860. Its the best bang for the buck in i7 series. If you can throw more cash then i7-870. Although the price difference between them is alot more then difference in performance.

Anything above that is waste of money for today's gaming.

I don't know about AMD options.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Anand: If you fall into the limited funds category, then we highly suggest you give the Phenom II X3 720BE serious consideration when upgrading your next system.

It's a year old, but the point remains: If the Phenom 720BE can push 2 1Gb 4870s in Crossfire, it can push an HD 5870 just as well.




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