Next cpu upgrade for GTS 250

[CU]

I plan to upgrade cpu's in the next 1-3 months (undecided about waiting for BD or not). Right now I am playing Borderlands and Witcher (the first one). Borderlands runs OK 25+ max settings at 1080p. Witcher high teens to low 20's with max settings. I know my GTS 250 is starting to show its age and the 512meg on the card is hurting 1080p (I don't use AA to help), but I think my cpu is still holding me back. Games normally have both cores near max while my gpu rarely ever max's out. As much as I like overclocking, I think a 2500K would be way overkill. The 2100 seems to be a better fit. No more cpu bottleneck and cpu cycles to spare for a new gpu down the road, 6 months+. Not to mention cheaper. Does that sound reasonable, or will I see a difference between the 2500K and 2100 with my gpu?

P.S. I wish they made a i3 21xxK. I hate not being able to overclock.

 

[toyota]

I would wait until you got a new cpu before getting another gpu. that cpu barely meets minimum requirements and in some cases does not even do that. no point in killing the potential of a decent card while you wait up to 3 months to get a new cpu.

 

[CU]

I will replace the cpu first. I guess my question is how much cpu while leaving some cpu cycles for the next gpu without going cpu crazy?

 

[toyota]

I will replace the cpu first. I guess my question is how much cpu while leaving some cpu cycles for the next gpu without going cpu crazy?

well I would still go with 2500k since it will last you much longer with the ability to oc.

 

[Arkaign]

Good news, OP. Checking completed listings on fleabay, it looks like S939 3800+ x2 still bring $30-$50 used! The board will probably bring about the same. All of the ram, probably $20-$30ish. So maybe $100 or a bit more/less selling off your old cpu/mobo/ram.

Given that you seem to keep PCs for a very long time, yeah a 2500K would be a great bet. The GTS250 will do things you never thought possible with that matchup, then when you can afford it, you can go GTX560, 6950HD, or perhaps a GTX6xx/HD7xxx series card when they come through.

 

[Termie]

One option is to split the difference and get the i5-2400. It has limited overclocking options that the i3-2100 does not. See here for more info: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-2500-2400-2300_11.html.

It's about $70 more than a 2100 and $30 less than the 2500k, but offers nearly all the stock-clock performance of the 2500k. If you're not interested in pushing it but still want a good investment, the 2400 isn't a bad option. It could probably support 3x the GPU power you have without bottlenecking the system.

 

[nenforcer]

Since you've waited this long already and your an AMD user I would wait another 2-3 months for the AMD Bulldozer FX launch just to see how it compares. It's not looking too good and its doubtful to lower prices at any bracket, especially at the i5 2100K level, but at least wait another week or two for the Llano APU to be on the market.

I'm putting any GPU upgrade off until this fall when Batman:Arkham City, BF3/COD : MW3 and Rage are all released.

 

[Termie]

Since you've waited this long already and your an AMD user I would wait another 2-3 months for the AMD Bulldozer FX launch just to see how it compares. It's not looking too good and its doubtful to lower prices at any bracket, especially at the i5 2100K level, but at least wait another week or two for the Llano APU to be on the market.

I'm putting any GPU upgrade off until this fall when Batman:Arkham City, BF3/COD : MW3 and Rage are all released.

He's probably an "AMD user" because that was the best thing going in 2005. Now Intel is. I don't see a huge reason for him to wait for BD if he's interested in something in the next month or two and can take advantage of the upgrade.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

I don't think you'd see a difference between the 2100 and 2500K with your current GPU, but you should get the quad core Sandy Bridge if at all possible. The 2400 is a good compromise and you can do some overclocking with it.

 

[CU]

Not really a "AMD user", I have it because I felt it was the best buy at the time. I have built a P120, K2-300, Celeron 366, P4 1.8, Opteron 144, and X2 3800. Maybe it is time for Intel again. One key reason for not waiting for AMD's BD is, I have some family members that will be driving by a Fry's and MC around July 15th. So, I can have them stop and pick up something and finally get in on the good in store prices.

I don't really like the 2400 as just $30 more the 2500K can give me about another ghz after overclocking both, 3.8ghz using 4 cores vs 4.[5-9]ghz using 4 cores. It looks like the difference between the 2100, 2400, and 2500K will be small if any with my GPU. I tend to like the 2100 more because the $70 I save could be added to a GPU later. And, I can see myself swapping the 2100 to a 2500K or something faster (Ivy Bridge) after I get a new GPU and reusing the same MB. If I get the 2400, I can see wanting something faster later, but not able to justify the cost in upgrading since I already have a mildly overclocked quad.

 

[toyota]

just get the 2500k and be done with it. its great now and will be even better down the road when you need to oc it at some point. a 2100 can not be oced at all and already is slightly behind the 2500k with current higher end gpus so why start out gimped if you are planning on upgrading to higher end gpus more than once or twice down the road.

if you are going to drive yourself crazy worrying about the one time price differences between these cpu then maybe an upgrade should be the least of your worries.

 

[CU]

just get the 2500k and be done with it. its great now and will be even better down the road when you need to oc it at some point. a 2100 can not be oced at all and already is slightly behind the 2500k with current higher end gpus so why start out gimped if you are planning on upgrading to higher end gpus more than once or twice down the road.

if you are going to drive yourself crazy worrying about the one time price differences between these cpu then maybe an upgrade should be the least of your worries.

LOL, yeah I am a bit of a penny pincher and read all the hot deal sites to much. Maybe I do have problem. Oh and if I get the 2500K I will overclock right away whether I need to or not. It would be like seeing your Christmas present, but not allowed to play with it because it is Dec 1st.

 

[toyota]

LOL, yeah I am a bit of a penny pincher and read all the hot deal sites to much. Maybe I do have problem. Oh and if I get the 2500K I will overclock right away whether I need to or not. It would be like seeing your Christmas present, but not allowed to play with it because it is Dec 1st.

yeah I was just making the point that it has loads of power in reserve so if and when you need it it would be there. with the other cpus it would be time to start looking for an upgrade. to me thats worth the small extra cost to go ahead with the 2500k.

 

[edplayer]

get the 2500K

LOL, yeah I am a bit of a penny pincher and read all the hot deal sites to much.

are you near a Microcenter? They have the best cpu deals. Mine was overclocked on day one. Running it now with speedstep so it sips power most of the day.

 

[CU]

Not near Microcenter, but I have family that will driving by one on July 15th. Does anyone know if they plan to change the 2500K's price before then? It has been $179 there for awhile now correct.

 

[edplayer]

prices should be the same. Buy it online, make sure you get the confirmation email and have them pick it up.

 

[timma]

you should upgrade to AM3+ platform~
and get 6870 OC~

 

[toyota]

you should upgrade to AM3+ platform~
and get 6870 OC~

so he can have an inferior cpu in every way compared to Sandy Bridge? and then hope Bulldozer comes out within a few months and is actually competitive? considering they are having to do another respin just to try and get the clockspeed up that's not a risk I would take. we know how the 2500k performs right now and they are good values to boot.

 

[B-Riz]

Ivy Bridge was delayed again, so i5 2500k is the way to go.

BD was already admitted to not live up to the hype, re: BAPCO fiasco.

IMHO I do not think Ivy Bridge is going to blow Sandy Bridge out of the water, it might be faster in encoding and a wee bit faster in benchmarks.

Are you just going to benchmark all day?

And why would Intel release a chip a year later and make Sandy Bridge look quaint and p/o enthusiasts, consumers and OEM's?

The chip set issue has definitely rippled through the road map.