Will my current setup bottle-neck a Radeon HD 7950?

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Ferron

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Mar 24, 2013
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My old Radeon HD 4870 is starting to reach it's limits so I thought I should upgrade.

I have a standard Dell XPS 625 back from 2009. My CPU is AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0 GHz. I have 8 GB RAM (pretty sure its DDR2).

Also, would the card be compatible with my motherboard? I think mine is the old socket AM2 so I wasn't sure (still reading up on this stuff).

This was the specific model I had in mind (just in case):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131478&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-Video%20Cards-_-PowerColor-_-14131478&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=3962334&SID=
 
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mclovits


Yes, they require different...
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mclovits

mclovits

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In CPU intensive games like Arma II, for example, you will see some pretty evident bottlenecking. The Phenom series is starting to get old, yet they are still good CPU's. If you can afford to upgrade, I would, if not, I wouldn't worry too much, you'll still see a performance increase.
 
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Ferron

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Thanks a ton for the replies guys, I really appreciate it (and your patience with my noobiness).

The main reason I'm upgrading is to be able to play Skyrim, Witcher 2, and hopefully Witcher 3 (releases next year). I can run Witcher 2 comfortably on medium but wanted to be able to play it on higher settings, and according to "canyourunit" I can run Skyrim on low settings.

mclovits, what would CPU would you recommend upgrading to? I'm still new to the whole PC customization thing so I don't know much but I was watching a NewEgg building video online and I saw that Intel CPU's are distinct from AMD CPU's and that I need to make sure my motherboard supports the one (unless I heard him incorrectly).
 
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mclovits

mclovits

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Yes, they require different motherboards, if you are planning on upgrading, I would recommend getting either an FX 8350 from AMD or an i5 3570k from Intel (3570k fares better in most games, but it's your choice) and maybe an AsRock Pro4 or Extreme 4. I have the Pro4 and an overclocked 3570k and it's great. The next series of Intel CPUs is coming out soon, but Ivybridge (3000 series) is still very relevant. Lastly, if you can, get a 7970, the difference in performance will allow you to almost max out the Witcher 2, which is an extremely demanding game. If you want to run the Witcher 3 though you'd be looking at something in the realm of $1000-$1500 in graphics cards alone just to max it at 1080p. If it's more demanding than the Witcher 2, it's going to require some serious horsepower.

That's not to say a 7970 wouldn't work well, I'm just saying if you want to play it at or near the highest settings smoothly, it's going to cost a bit more, but a 7970 is planty relevant.
 
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Ferron

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Mar 24, 2013
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Thank you so much for the reply man.

The AMD FX-8350 is going to require an AM3 board so that seems to be a no-go with my current setup. I was thinking about getting the 7970 but it sits a solid $150 above the 7950.

Maybe its time I just read up more on this stuff and build a new PC from the ground up I guess. A lot of my stuff is getting outdated.

Anyway, thanks for the reply I really appreciate the help.
 
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mclovits

mclovits

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No problem, feel free to always post on the forum or PM me, I'm always on and I love building systems and putting together different rigs.
 
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