Upgrading computer for better Borderlands 2 performance

[Lil'John]

I am trying to help a nephew out with his computer. He is having issues with Borderlands 2 and Witcher 2.

At a high level, he has the following:
Intel i5 2320 CPU (ie Sandy Bridge)
6GB memory
Raedon 6450 GPU

I've got a "spare" Haswell i5-4570s that I would get a new motherboard for.

So one question is: Is the i5-4570s a significant enough upgrade over the i5-2320 to help with CPU bound performance?

Another question is: Is the HD4600 graphics a side grade of the Raedon card? Or is it a downgrade?

 

[AtenRa]

Better upgrade that GPU, Core i5 2320 should be ok for those games even at default.

 

[nsafreak]

Yep, I agree with AtenRa on this one. He has enough CPU to handle Borderlands 2 it's his GPU that's choking on the game as the HD 6450 is a pretty poor performer. Good budget upgrades would be either a R9 270x or a 660Ti depending on what you're willing to spend.

 

[Lil'John]

Better upgrade that GPU, Core i5 2320 should be ok for those games even at default.

From what I've read, it sounded like both games are CPU bound.

What I will grant you is the GPU is lower side of middle level GPU when new and same thought with the CPU.

I'm eyeballing the CPU because I get a fairly good discount on it:whiste: The Haswell i5-4570s I have was bought because the store didn't have stock of the T version. Thus gifting the S along would allow me to get a T verison:$

 

[ShintaiDK]

You want a new GPU, but if you at same time could switch to the 4570s, it wouldnt hurt. But GPU first, the HD6450 is a terrible slow one. The HD4600 is most likely a minor upgrade over the HD6450, but again, you want an entirely different GPU. A proper one. Minimum some GT650/HD7700 or better.

 

[nwo]

Even if you were to get a CPU worth a grand it wouldn't mean a damn for gaming since your GPU is terribly slow. Your current CPU is sufficient for gaming, so you should be fine as long as you upgrade your GPU. I'd recommend a Radeon 270 ($180 new) or a 7850 if you can get it for around $100 used.

 

[DigDog]

i played bl2 with a 2.4ghz |E6600 and a 7750, @1920x1080, and it played perfectly. CPU is NOT the issue - GPU is.

 

[frozentundra123456]

From what I've read, it sounded like both games are CPU bound.

What I will grant you is the GPU is lower side of middle level GPU when new and same thought with the CPU.

I'm eyeballing the CPU because I get a fairly good discount on it:whiste: The Haswell i5-4570s I have was bought because the store didn't have stock of the T version. Thus gifting the S along would allow me to get a T verison:$

Sorry, I have to disagree. I have the exact same cpu along with a HD7770, which is quite a bit stronger than the 6450.(Actually I would consider 6450 very low end for gaming.)

I only play Borderlands in single player, and I also played Witcher 2. Both are gpu bound even with the HD7770 when using 1080p. A gpu upgrade would definitely improve performance. With the HD7770, I can play Borderlands at pretty high setings, but W2 struggles a bit. Neither game under the conditions I play at are even close to being cpu limited.

The 4570s actually has a lower base clock than the 2320, but quite a bit higher turbo. So depending on how the turbo works, you probably would see around a 10% clockspeed increase and perhaps 15% better ipc, so it would be an improvement, but you would definitely need a fairly powerful video card to utilize it in those games.

 

[NTMBK]

The HD 6450 is terrible. I guarantee that you aren't CPU bound.

 

[erunion]

From what I've read, it sounded like both games are CPU bound.

True, some games are more CPU intensive than others.

But the CPU he has is actually very powerful, while his GPU is very weak(its less than $50 and not really for gaming). His i5 is definitely not the bottleneck. Upgrade his GPU.

Even when matched with the fast i7 that exists, the 6750 can't break 30fps at 1080p. And the 6750 is way faster than his 6450.

Whats your budget for the upgrade? A 7790 is a little over $100, and a 7850 is around $150.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Oh, yea, I forgot about physX. I believe it is disabled by default however. I tried cpu physX enabled and it was not worth it to me.

 

[bononos]

From what I've read, it sounded like both games are CPU bound.

What I will grant you is the GPU is lower side of middle level GPU when new and same thought with the CPU.

I'm eyeballing the CPU because I get a fairly good discount on it:whiste: The Haswell i5-4570s I have was bought because the store didn't have stock of the T version. Thus gifting the S along would allow me to get a T verison:$

The 6450 wasn't a lower mid tier card when new, it was the lowest of the low of the 6 series and wasn't meant for gaming, on par with integrated graphics. And your nephew's i5 isn't lower mid tier, its mid tier and better than i3s.

Give your 4670s to your nephew and get him a low end card like the 7770, now thats a low end gaming card not the 6450.

 

[Aikouka]

The HD 6450 is terrible. I guarantee that you aren't CPU bound.

I can't disagree with this at all. The 5450 and 6450 are not gaming cards! I used a 5450 for years, but it wasn't in a gaming machine -- it was in my file server that ran a P-series motherboard (i.e. no video out). It's great when you just want something that is small and quiet, but it's not for gaming.

 

[Blue_Max]

Video Video Video Video Video Video Video Video Video Video Video

The Radeon 6450 is NOT made for gaming! The Intel HD 2500 he has included on the CPU is probably equal or better!

Get. A. New. Video. Card.

 

[AtenRa]

The Radeon 6450 is NOT made for gaming! The Intel HD 2500 he has included on the CPU is probably equal or better!

The HD6450 has 160 processors, It is much faster then HD2500/3000 and sometimes even faster than HD4000

More here,

Now, HD4600 in Haswell will be faster. It will even gain more performance if it will OC the HD4600 at 1.7GHz and pair it with 2133/2400MHz memory.

Edit: HD4600 will be a nice upgrade over HD6450 but, getting the HD7750 will double the performance over Haswell HD4600 or Triple over HD6450.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_4770K_Haswell_GPU/6.html

 

[Puppies04]

OP just in case you haven't realised by now your nephew is GPU bound.

Sell the 4570S and put the money you would have spent on a mobo towards a GPU and you will be the best uncle in the world.

 

[Vesku]

Definitely need a beefier GPU. Even my AMD 1090T at 3.6GHz can handle the CPU side of Borderlands 2 Multiplayer. Not too relevant but my Radeon 7950 also is enough for 1440P, I'd imagine a 7790/750Ti should be fine for 1080P.

 

[ShintaiDK]

The HD6450 has 160 processors, It is much faster then HD2500/3000 and sometimes even faster than HD4000

More here,

Now, HD4600 in Haswell will be faster. It will even gain more performance if it will OC the HD4600 at 1.7GHz and pair it with 2133/2400MHz memory.

Edit: HD4600 will be a nice upgrade over HD6450 but, getting the HD7750 will double the performance over Haswell HD4600 or Triple over HD6450.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_4770K_Haswell_GPU/6.html

Remember they use the GDDR5 version, he might have DDR3 or GDDR3

Reviewers funny enough almost always gets the best cards in those series, never the worst.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1
Wast majority is not exactly strangely enough DDR3. And you cant even buy the GDDR5 version.

160 SP is equal to around 16 EUs.

But he should get GTX650/HD7750 and up.

 

[Lil'John]

Thank you for the info.

I'm not sure what the budget is currently. Right now, I'm assuming in the $200ish range.

At what point will the CPU limit the graphics card?

Would either the R9 270x or a 660Ti be bottled?

 

[Jimzz]

For $200 I would look into getting a 270. He will very much enjoy BL2 and other games.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7503/the-amd-radeon-r9-270x-270-review-feat-asus-his

 

[Headfoot]

Agreed, a 270 would be a good choice. A few manufacturers are offering BF4 with it, like this one for example : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202062. 660ti would be good too. I'd personally probably decide based on what games bundle comes with each these days since they are so close in terms of performance and price

 

[ShintaiDK]

BF4 is not exactly a value title. And the R7 270 is poor value for its price/performance

GTX660 with 2 games for 170 and180$.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125443
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121660

Another option could be a faster GTX760 for 230$ with 2 games.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500306

Or 150$ with rebate for a HD7870. (That is faster than the R7 270.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127722

 

[erunion]

At what point will the CPU limit the graphics card?

It depends on the game, as you probably know.

But that's not really something you have to worry. I wouldn't pair it up with a Titan, but that CPU will be fine for GPUs well past $300.

So just shop for a GPU the usual way.

 

[Puppies04]

Thank you for the info.

I'm not sure what the budget is currently. Right now, I'm assuming in the $200ish range.

At what point will the CPU limit the graphics card?

Would either the R9 270x or a 660Ti be bottled?

That is completely down to which game we are talking about. Using borderlands 2 as an example you could pretty much buy any GPU on the market and it wouldn't be CPU bottlenecked.

 

[loafbred]

Here's a good deal for GTX 660 with two games:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133470

Here's a comparison of GTX 660 and Radeon HD 7850:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1039?vs=1076