Old PC + new 5870 = no gain

[nonameo]

You know what, considering how well x2 939 cpus have held their value, I would think that upgrading your CPU/mb shouldn't cost you that much more extra. You'll get more money than you might think out of that 170.

 

[Arkaign]

You know what, considering how well x2 939 cpus have held their value, I would think that upgrading your CPU/mb shouldn't cost you that much more extra. You'll get more money than you might think out of that 170.

This is the truth! Sell it while the prices are still relatively high! DDR1 ram sells as well.

 

[Hyperlite]

Just throwing this in for reference, but the rig in my sig runs ME2 at max settings, no AA, 16x AF, 1680, 30fps min.

 

[toyota]

You know what, considering how well x2 939 cpus have held their value, I would think that upgrading your CPU/mb shouldn't cost you that much more extra. You'll get more money than you might think out of that 170.

yeah I have seen people pay more for a socket 939 cpu then they would have spent on a brand new AM3 quad core cpu, mobo and ram.

 

[vailr]

My advice is: sell the Radeon 5870 on eBay & buy a P55 i5/i7 system with the money.
Wait 6 to 9 months, (until the 32 nm AMD GPU's are available) to upgrade from the Radeon 4850.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Do not sell the 5870. That is the worst option. That GPU is the 8800gt of old. It'll last you a very long time.

Sell the 939 stuff. I had people offering me $150+ for an X2 4200+ at one point.

 

[jpeake]

What CPU are you looking at currently OP?

at the moment i am leaning i5-750. I will probably never go more than 2 GPU, so I don't think x8/x8 PCIe of the P55 will hurt me.

although x58 might be cool with gulftown right arond the corner

I just OC'd to 2.5 Ghz, seems stable. 3Dmark is at nearly 10k. Gonna try some games.

thanks guys for all the great debate.

 

[jpeake]

Do not sell the 5870. That is the worst option. That GPU is the 8800gt of old. It'll last you a very long time.

Sell the 939 stuff. I had people offering me $150+ for an X2 4200+ at one point.

Agreed. Selling/returning the 5870 never crossed my mind, she's a keeper. I also never thought about selling my current CPU/mobo/RAM. Can't imagine anyone would want it.... Maybe I'll try ebay/craiglist.

Thanks for the idea.

 

[BFG10K]

well I am sure some people would have still told him to do it because "games are gpu limited". lol

Nope, not when he runs games at 1680x1050 at medium detail on such a slow CPU.

 

[toyota]

Nope, not when he runs games at 1680x1050 at medium detail on such a slow CPU.

well in this case the resolution wont matter much because that cpu is not not adequate enough for a 5870 no matter what. that cpu will cause a lot of sluggishness in many newer games and others it would still be a massive performance limiter for the 5870 at the settings its normally capable of running. like I mentioned earlier that cpu does not even meet the requirements to play some games so upping the res doesnt change that fact. 15fps minimum at 1680 or 1920 is still the same level of suck. not to mention the huge waste of 400 bucks for a card that cant come remotely close to being fully utilized.

 

[cbn]

for the third time you dont buy a $400 video card and run it with a cpu that does NOT come close to letting you use the card as intended. the first few people that replied to this thread certainly got that so I wish you would to.

Yes, but the OP has already bought the card. We never recommended him to buy it did we?

Since he already has the video card in his possession he has at least two options available for fully utilizing its potential:

1. Buy faster CPU/mainboard

2. Buy more monitors and use Eyefinity. (provided his CPU can be overclocked to achieve adequate performance)

Number 2 sounds more exciting to me.

 

[cbn]

I just OC'd to 2.5 Ghz, seems stable. 3Dmark is at nearly 10k. Gonna try some games.

Try Mass Effect 2 with that Overclock and tell us how it worked out.

 

[toyota]

Yes, but the OP has already bought the card. We never recommended him to buy it did we?

Since he already has the video card in his possession he has at least two options available for fully utilizing its potential:

1. Buy faster CPU/mainboard

2. Buy more monitors and use Eyefinity. (provided his CPU can be overclocked to achieve adequate performance)

Number 2 sounds more exciting to me.

so getting shitty minimum framerates and low performance because of a slow cpu sounds exciting because its on 3 monitors???

 

[cbn]

so getting shitty minimum framerates and low performance because of a slow cpu sounds exciting because its on 3 monitors???

As long as gameplay is "smooth", then yes the extra immersion effect sounds far more interesting and exciting to me.

All a person needs for playability is 30 FPS average (according to Guru 3d) and to me that seems like a real conservative recommendation.

 

[toyota]

As long as gameplay is "smooth", then yes the extra immersion effect sounds far more interesting and exciting to me.

All a person needs for playability is 30 FPS average (according to Guru 3d) and to me that seems like a real conservative recommendation.

well thats just it. the framerates arent going to be smooth in some games with that old 2.0 X2 cpu. and who the hell wants to buy a $400 video card to average 30fps?

 

[evolucion8]

well thats just it. the framerates arent going to be smooth in some games with that old 2.0 X2 cpu. and who the hell wants to buy a $400 video card to average 30fps?

While your point is true, the OP definitively needs a faster CPU, a good dual core will be enough for him if he's tight in budget.

 

[jpeake]

been playing Mass Effect after OC'ing to 2.5 Ghz. It improves things by about 10fps. Another thing I noticed is that the CPU usage isn't pegged at 100% anymore. Before, it would always be 100% in any game, all the time. Now it seems to flutter between 90-100%

I can get between 50-60fps on ME now (ultra quality, super-sample AA, and AF), but it does stutter at times. But OC'ing made a difference I can feel.

So thanks guys for all the tips. It is clear now that a new CPU/mobo/RAM is in order. I may wait a month and see if i7-920 drops at all, and go X58 if so (to be ready for gulftown in the future)

If not then I think a P55 system will serve me well (maybe more USB 3 models will come out in Feb anyways). i don't game as much as i used to these days, but i really want the silky smoothness of 60fps+, and i know I'll be going with a higher res monitor in the future (probably not until summer). then an SSD for Christmas later this year and I'll be good for another 4 years or so.

thanks guys

 

[Arkaign]

Agreed. Selling/returning the 5870 never crossed my mind, she's a keeper. I also never thought about selling my current CPU/mobo/RAM. Can't imagine anyone would want it.... Maybe I'll try ebay/craiglist.

Thanks for the idea.

Checking completed auctions on Ebay, bare Opteron 170s regularly sell for $65-$75, the socket 939 boards go for $30-$50 usually. Add in the ram, and you can probably easily see $100-$130 or so for those whole package, and that takes a TON off the cost of the replacements.

 

[cbn]

While your point is true, the OP definitively needs a faster CPU, a good dual core will be enough for him if he's tight in budget.

If I was the OP I would consider holding off on a new board if at all possible (unless it is an X58 or maybe one of the new upcoming AMD RD890/SB850 boards)

Much faster SSD devices will be coming out and they are only going to get faster and faster every year. Maybe having a board with capability to run both full x16 PCI-E bandwidth and SATA 3/USB 3 card makes more sense than jumping on the cheap LGA 1156 bandwagon?

 

[jpeake]

Checking completed auctions on Ebay, bare Opteron 170s regularly sell for $65-$75, the socket 939 boards go for $30-$50 usually. Add in the ram, and you can probably easily see $100-$130 or so for those whole package, and that takes a TON off the cost of the replacements.

I will take a look, that would be awesome if I could sell my gear!

 

[jpeake]

If I was the OP I would consider holding off on a new board if at all possible (unless it is an X58 or maybe one of the new upcoming AMD RD890/SB850 boards)

Much faster SSD devices will be coming out and they are only going to get faster and faster every year. Maybe having a board with capability to run both full x16 PCI-E bandwidth and SATA 3/USB 3 card makes more sense than jumping on the cheap LGA 1156 bandwagon?

yeah, I think you are right. SSD is another upgrade I've been looking into, and I see they are getting close to SATA 2 interface max....

I will probably throw my stuff on ebay and wait a little while for the next refresh of mobo's.

 

[cbn]

If not then I think a P55 system will serve me well (maybe more USB 3 models will come out in Feb anyways).

Don't those SATA 3/USB3 P55's limit your video card bandwidth to x8?

I am not sure I would want that sort of comprimise on a gaming machine (especially with Video cards doubling in performance every 18 months).

 

[toyota]

While your point is true, the OP definitively needs a faster CPU, a good dual core will be enough for him if he's tight in budget.

yeah nothing wrong with getting a good fast dual core but if he has the extra scratch then spending 75-100 bucks more would cover him for the next few years.

 

[cbn]

yeah, I think you are right. SSD is another upgrade I've been looking into, and I see they are getting close to SATA 2 interface max....

I will probably throw my stuff on ebay and wait a little while for the next refresh of mobo's.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3593

Take a look at this board. Gillbot (an Admin here @ Anandtech) has one---> http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=29294214&postcount=39 As you can see he is pairing it with a 32nm L5609 ES quad core.

 

[jpeake]

Don't those SATA 3/USB3 P55's limit your video card bandwidth to x8?

I am not sure I would want that sort of comprimise on a gaming machine (especially with Video cards doubling in performance every 18 months).

Do all of them do that? I thought maybe it was just the couple of P55's with USB3/SATA3 that are out now. Is it gonna be that way on all P55's with USB3/SATA3? If so then I will for sure skip it and go X58.