I'll have the bottleneck... or not?

[dkt23]

Hey guys, this is my first post here and I am looking for some good video card advice. I have read around the forums and it looks like most of you are experts... sort of. Anyways right now I have an MSI k9a2 platinum with 4gb ddr2 800 XM2 memory an AMD Athlon X2 5600+ a Radeon 5750 (running at 870/1430, max oc on ati overdrive) and a 700watt psu. I already understand that my cpu will bottleneck a 6850 but I am really instersted in buying one for the future. My question is how much will my system bottleneck this card and how much of an increase (if any) will I see in games such as FSX, COD BO, BFBC2 etc... Thanks for the help guys!

 

[toyota]

as it is right now you have a fairly balanced system but there are some games where your cpu is already a limitation. in general, a 6850 would be pretty wasteful with your cpu. and certainly in the games that you listed there will be little to no improvement going to a 6850. technically your cpu doesn't even meet the minimum requirements for Black Ops.

 

[happy medium]

Welcome to the forums,

Your cpu is bottlenecking the 5750 now, do not get a new card until you buy a faster cpu.
You will see no gain if you upgrade.
At what resolution are you gaming at?

 

[Powermoloch]

^ this pretty much

a budget AMD X3, or phenom II upgrade can give a boost

 

[GaiaHunter]

It is hard to quantify and depends of the game.

An upgrade to a 6850 could allow you a higher resolution/AA modes, but in games where the CPU is the bottleneck you wouldn't see FPS increase (just IQ increase at same frame rate).

It is a shame that while your motherboard can accept Phenom II X2 it can't unlock them, since it uses the SB600 chipset. That would be quite a decent upgrade for around $90. Or you could drop a phenom II x3 on your system - newegg has the 715 BE for $86 with no HSF.

 

[toyota]

It is hard to quantify and depends of the game.

An upgrade to a 6850 could allow you a higher resolution/AA modes, but in games where the CPU is the bottleneck you wouldn't see FPS increase (just IQ increase at same frame rate).

It is a shame that while your motherboard can accept Phenom II X2 it can't unlock them, since it uses the SB600 chipset. That would be quite a decent upgrade for around $90. Or you could drop a phenom II x3 on your system - newegg has the 715 BE for $86 with no HSF.

he named some games that his cpu is clearly too weak to handle smoothly. again his cpu doesn't even meet the requirements to play Black Ops. crappy framerates at 800x600 or crappy framerates at 1920 is the same experience so resolutions and AA levels mean little to nothing in this case.

 

[dkt23]

Thanks for all the advice guys!! Well to play most of my games smoothly I run the resolution at 1024x786 to 1280x1024 with minimal AA depending on the game. Now here is my issue with buying a new cpu, my motherboard doesnt support ddr3 and I really dont want to get a new one because I really like it. I dont have a problem buying a phenom II x4, all I would have to do is update my bios but is it worth running that cpu with my xm2 ddr2 800?

 

[toyota]

at 1024x768, you dont need a faster gpu anyway. and if that is a crt then you should use 1280x960 not 1280x1024.

I would get a modern widescreen monitor before upgrading anything on that pc.

 

[happy medium]

I dont have a problem buying a phenom II x4, all I would have to do is update my bios but is it worth running that cpu with my xm2 ddr2 800?

Yes, without a doubt. You will see gains with just a cpu upgrade.

 

[dkt23]

Sweet, so I guess I'll just get a CPU upgrade for now. I'll go into the CPU forums now and see weather or not to get the Phenom II x4 in the AM2+ or the AM3 configuration due to my motherboard (920 or 925).

 

[happy medium]

Sweet, so I guess I'll just get a CPU upgrade for now. I'll go into the CPU forums now and see weather or not to get the Phenom II x4 in the AM2+ or the AM3 configuration due to my motherboard (920 or 925).

I'll save you the trouble, the 925 denob at only 95 watts is the best choice and is supported by your motherboard. 125$ at Newegg.

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodcpu2&prod_no=1332&maincat_no=1

 

[GaiaHunter]

Sweet, so I guess I'll just get a CPU upgrade for now. I'll go into the CPU forums now and see weather or not to get the Phenom II x4 in the AM2+ or the AM3 configuration due to my motherboard (920 or 925).

Your motherboard support the AM3 X4 phenom II. Even support the X6. I would go for some BE though and possibly one that is C3 stepping, which should allow you to get 3.6GHz-4GHz.

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodcpu2&prod_no=1332&maincat_no=1

Now, in some games, like Dragon Age you will sill huge differences, even with that 5750. Some other games will see less impressive games.

If you get an X4 and OC it to 3.6-4.0GHz shouldn't bottleneck any single current GPU at medium-high resolutions.

 

[dkt23]

Nice, the 925 it is! Once I get it I'll be doing some minor overclocking as well. Thanks for the advice you guys :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: