Recommended CPU for crossfired 7950s

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

MrCrisp

Honorable
Aug 6, 2013
10
0
10,510
Hey guys,

I just purchased a second HD 7950, and a Z77 extreme6 motherboard (not many left!), planning to build it up in a couple of days' time. My current CPU is an I5 2500k, and while with my cooling system (Hyper 212 evo) I could probably pump it up to 4.5-4.8, I suspect there will still be a bottleneck - particularly playing Battlefield, which is the primary reason for the upgrade.

I'm trying to jack up my minimum in-game fps as high as I can get it, to accommodate the 144Hz Asus VG278HE that I picked up for a good price last weekend.

So I'm guessing that obviously I'll need to look at a high level i5 or an i7, the question is what? (I'm suspecting either an i7-3770 / i7-3770K)

Does anyone have experience with a similar build? In particular I'm looking for great performance in those major multiplayer maps, where I know CPU also plays a large role.

I _could_ simply try overclocking the current i5 and see how it performs, but tbh I've made a few builds in the last few weeks and I just want to get this one finished, without the fiddling and running around to buy new parts. If I can turn up to the store that has my mobo and pick up the needed cpu at the same time, it would be a huge relief!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
M

MrCrisp

Honorable
Aug 6, 2013
10
0
10,510
Hmmm... I currently don't have it oc'ed, but with one card the frame rates are dipping down into the high 30's in 64 player maps, and that's while running on medium/high settings.. I know the 7950's will place even more demand on the CPU but I suppose I can give it a crack, I was just hoping someone might have had experience with a similar setup... Most of the guys I play with swear by i7's, particularly while running sli/crossfire..

If the current 2500k will do, then hoorah I say! :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Seladon-1370374

Seladon-1370374

Honorable
Jul 23, 2013
2,213
0
12,960
I think that you could probably even get 3 of those on this CPU without getting a bottleneck. Or it would just be on the bare limit. But I'm pretty sure that 2 will be fine. I don't really know about how good are crossfire drivers right now though.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MrCrisp

Honorable
Aug 6, 2013
10
0
10,510
In fact, while i think of it, my current 650W psu will also need an overhau - pretty darn sure it won't make the cut! Any recommendations on a well priced replacement? A lot of US guys seem to swear by XFX psu's, but they appear to be unavailable in Australia... :(
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MrCrisp

Honorable
Aug 6, 2013
10
0
10,510
Hmmm actually, judging from your responses, perhaps rather than an i7 the cash would be better invested in a better cooler to (hopefully) allow for a higher oc..

Gaaah, too tired to make sense of it all. Might catch some zzzz's and return later! Thanks for the input guys!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
larkspur

larkspur

Distinguished
Mar 10, 2011
2,252
111
20,640
Z77 limits you to Sandy or Ivy. You already have a Sandy. Your 2500k at 4.5ghz will perform on par with a 3570k at 4.3ghz. Going to an i7 won't help either - it only gets you hyperthreading which isn't worth the money you'd be spending, especially from a gaming perspective.

Your CrossFire setup will be great with a 2500k. You can easily overclock and your CM evo will do great. If you want to spend some money and do a computer project, research real watercooling (there's a forum on Tom's), get yourself a kit, have some fun, and see just how high that 2500k will go : )

PSUs: I like to take all the guesswork out and buy Seasonic.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bowzef

bowzef

Distinguished
Oct 18, 2010
543
1
19,010
if you going upgrade then get i7 3770k OC it to 4.4ghz with HT (bf3 uses HT by the way) and that will open up the bottleneck, im in same boat as you, but im going for a straight overclock to 4.8ghz on my i5 2500k with a custom liquid cooling kit to try remove my bottleneck i am using HD7970 OC and they are getting bottlenecked with my i5 2500k . only thing i suggest is liquid cooling like swift tech h220 corsair h100i or a kraken and a i7 3770k at 4.4Ghz with HT on, and good psu, (i'm australian as well ) is get a corsair HX850W Gold PSU , check PCCG for the prices.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MrCrisp

Honorable
Aug 6, 2013
10
0
10,510
Hmmm it appears we get seasonic but not xfx... Can get a decent price on either a Seasonic S12D or M12II 750W, both are being sold at the same price from the store that has my mobo in stock. But will 750W be adequate to power this rig, particularly if I overclock and run extra fans etc?

bowzef - So are you saying they are getting bottlenecked _with_ the oc? If so then i may have no option but to grab the cpu, if not then I'd be extremely interested in hearing the results of your oc... BTW isn't that Corsair slight overkill? (Not to mention a +$200 psu!)

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bowzef

bowzef

Distinguished
Oct 18, 2010
543
1
19,010

not when you start overclocking 850w is sweet spot , don't want be maxing the PSU, otherwise you that could lead to dead psu , corsair is seasonic, they make good psu one best is corsair and seasonic , and with a good high wattage psu means future GPU's are going benefit from it.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_hd_7950_crossfire_review_2_and_3_way,5.html
here is graph with wattage of just GPU, depending how many other components you have fans ect system pull about 350w to 400w , worse case, but like i said with overclocking power draw comes up, and with a GOLD rated PSU clean power source is pretty important for me to make sure that i don't end up with dead pc when power goes out, not all surge protector will stop , any sudden spikes in power psu is able to clean it up.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

MrCrisp

Honorable
Aug 6, 2013
10
0
10,510
I found an interesting and rather thorough article, based on some bf3 chip testing..

http://chipreviews.com/main-feature/main-news/battlefield-3-revisited/

Have placed a bid on a 3770k on ebay, if - and only if, I can get a damn good deal on it.. Otherwise, tbh, I'm speculating that I might better invest the cash in a more optimal cooling solution and a sturdier psu.. I no longer have the box for the original 2500k, meaning that selling it on is not really an option - and to think of it sitting in a drawer gathering dust, for what seems like a relatively minor performance gain, just doesn't feel worth it.

Anyone know of a decent water cooler that will fit an Antec Three Hundred case? The H100i is rumoured to be slightly too big..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bowzef

bowzef

Distinguished
Oct 18, 2010
543
1
19,010


look at the swift tech liquid cooling swiftech h220 or single rad version is a full modular kit so you can add more rads and loops to it, if you an fit 240 up the top don't think you can, if your able remove hdd cage in front you could get a 240 rad mouted there other wise gets a nocutra coolers

here is a few liquid kits
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_45&products_id=23752&zenid=e3814b59ca4f66b4dca27047be47c51f

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_45&products_id=24465&zenid=e3814b59ca4f66b4dca27047be47c51f

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_45&products_id=22308&zenid=e3814b59ca4f66b4dca27047be47c51f

air cooling

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_23&products_id=13232&zenid=e3814b59ca4f66b4dca27047be47c51f

and few cheap cases that support bigger rads

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=22365

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=23371

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=21332

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_547&products_id=19881
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom