Pairing a AMD X2 5000+ BE and ATi HD4850 512MB...bottlenecking?

[AndroidVageta]

Well, just got a new HTPC like 2 weeks ago and I'm already upgrading the hell out of it...2GB of RAM to 4GB...1TB drive to 2 x 1.5TB...onboard audio to X-Fi Fatal1ty...DVD-RW to Blu-Ray/HD-DVD...8800GS to HD4850...goes on...

In either case though my question lies in the gaming realm of my HTPC...basically...is my 5000+ bottlenecking my HD4850?

I have the 5000+ overclocked to 3.2ghz stable and good to go...but I really want to use my HTPC as kind of the living room "gaming console"...while keeping my main gaming rig in my bedroom. So would I experience faster gaming results if I upgraded the CPU to a quad-core Phenom? Or should I really just not worry about it?

 

[heyheybooboo]

1080p or 720p ?

If the former, maybe --- but a 1Gb vid card might help you more.

If 720p I wouldn't worry about it ...

 

[AndroidVageta]

Well, its on a Sony 34XBR960 CRT...so resolution is anything I want it to be up to 1920x1080...mostly be gaming probably at around 1280x720.

 

[geokilla]

If you're gaming at 1280X720, you'll experience a CPU bottleneck in some games. Why would you want to game on your HTPC anyways when you have a gaming system.

Also, I don't think 1280X720 exists. Did you mean 1280X800 or 1366X768?

What motherboard are you running?

 

[AndroidVageta]

No I meant, 1280x720...what you mean it doesn't exist? That's 720p. My CRT can do all resolutions from 800x600 to 1920x1080 and all the ones in between...I have to adjust overscan on some of them, but they all work and don't stretch off screen and such.

My motherboard is AM3 compatible, a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H...

I want to game on it so that I can sit on the couch and play some games using my Xbox 360 wireless controller and LAN parties and the such...gaming PC requires being anti social in my room in a desk chair and 22inch LCD instead of 34inch CRT and hangin out with my woman...

 

[poohbear]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
1080p or 720p ?

If the former, maybe --- but a 1Gb vid card might help you more.

If 720p I wouldn't worry about it ...

i think the opposite would be true. The higher the resolutions the less dependant the gpu is on the cpu. So at 720p the cpu would play a greater role than the higher resolution.

Anyways, a 5000+ is still a very capable cpu, dont fall for the hype of the cpu manufacturers & some of the guys that suffer from e-penis. Especially since ur cpu is overclocked to 3.2!!(nice overclock btw). If u can afford it though i'd go w/ a x3-720 if ur mobo supports phenom2s. then u'll be set for another 2 years.

 

[Gikaseixas]

@ 3.2 ghz your cpu will be enough to drive the HD4850. I have a X2 6400 BE @ 3.4 on my HTPC with a 8800 GTS 512 and i can run every game (but Crysis) without any problems at all.

But if you're not convinced you can always get a X3 720 BE and push it to 3.7/3.8 ghz

 

[Gikaseixas]

Originally posted by: geokilla
Why would you want to game on your HTPC anyways when you have a gaming system.

many people are gaming on their HTPC's lately, it's like having a PS3. You have the confort of your couch and TV's these days have decent resolutions and very good refresh rates.

 

[AndroidVageta]

Yeah, I reserve my hard core gaming for my gaming rig...but for the occasional game time with a quick lap in GRID, or some zombie killing in Left 4 Dead...its good to know that I can do this in my living room and on my couch with out the need to go to my room...

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: poohbear

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
1080p or 720p ?

If the former, maybe --- but a 1Gb vid card might help you more.

If 720p I wouldn't worry about it ...

i think the opposite would be true. The higher the resolutions the less dependant the gpu is on the cpu. So at 720p the cpu would play a greater role than the higher resolution.

Anyways, a 5000+ is still a very capable cpu, dont fall for the hype of the cpu manufacturers & some of the guys that suffer from e-penis. Especially since ur cpu is overclocked to 3.2!!(nice overclock btw). If u can afford it though i'd go w/ a x3-720 if ur mobo supports phenom2s. then u'll be set for another 2 years.

1920x1080 is more than twice the pixels of 1280x720. In a heavily textured game a 512Mb card may well have problems keeping up with the load (framebuffer limited) and (just a generalization) performance at the higher resolution will be 30% less, anyway.

Normally, meh. But gaming on the Sony 34XBR960 (from what I understand - I've never had the pleasure) is the next best thing in the world to maybe ... breast augmentation ???

 

[nyker96]

if you run your card at incredible rez, I think the cpu will not be much of a bottle neck. I doubt your cpu is bottlenecking the 4850s that bad. if it's a 4870s or higher I'd definitely get a PheII upgrade to max out the card.

 

[geokilla]

Originally posted by: AndroidVageta
No I meant, 1280x720...what you mean it doesn't exist? That's 720p. My CRT can do all resolutions from 800x600 to 1920x1080 and all the ones in between...I have to adjust overscan on some of them, but they all work and don't stretch off screen and such.

My motherboard is AM3 compatible, a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H...

I want to game on it so that I can sit on the couch and play some games using my Xbox 360 wireless controller and LAN parties and the such...gaming PC requires being anti social in my room in a desk chair and 22inch LCD instead of 34inch CRT and hangin out with my woman...

Oh. Haha sorry, I didn't know that 720P is 1280X720.

In your case, just turn up the AA and AF till your games start to become unplayable. That should lessen the CPU bottleneck on your 4850.