CPU or GPU upgrade for 2560x1440 gaming.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
I

iamlanvin

Distinguished
Dec 21, 2010
21
0
18,510
Hi,

My current rig:

965BE OCd to 4.0
Sapphire Dual X 7970
HEC Cougar 550w

I'm using it on a 27" 2560x1440 display.

What would be more beneficial to my FPS at $500 cost? :

A. Change mobo + 4670k
B. Get a 7970/280x for crossfire and 800~1000w PSU
C. Your suggestion.

Thanks guys!
 
Solution
griptwister
Yeah, but at 1440P levels the playing field Between AMD and Intel's best offerings. I like the 4670K only for the motherboards that come with it. But the i5 3570K is a better CPU. Even my buddy at Intel say so for desktop performance.

Since you're planning on going crossfire, I'd recommend the FX 8350 so you can take full advantage of games that use MANTLE.

You could probably get away with 750w. 850w would provide a lot of cushion for power requirements though.

IMO, Two HD 7970s are better than a HD 7990.

Hope this helps.
Sort by date Sort by votes
griptwister

griptwister

Distinguished
Oct 7, 2012
1,437
0
19,460
Shoot, You're good, I'd actually recommend a FX 8350 for the that resolution. I've got a HD 7870Ghz right now. If you want, my 1440P monitor comes in tomorrow, and I can run some tests for you? Oh, and even though my Sig says FX 8350, I've got a Phenom II x4 840 sitting in the desktop right now. I'll be exchanging it with a FX 8350 later this month when My friend gets his upgrade. :)

Oh, just realized you were considering Xfire. FX 8350 all the way!!! :D At that res!!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Swordkd

Swordkd

Splendid
Oct 3, 2012
2,795
1
21,965
I would probably recommend getting the 4670k with a new crossfire capable board, and a decent 850w Psu.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $429.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-12 23:18 EST-0500)

This will set you up for being able to go crossfire in the future.

If you buy a 7970 now, I feel that you wouldn't see near the performance gain to make the expense worthwhile. Regardless, you'll be wanting to go crossfire for gaming at that resolution, or selling the 7970 and buying a 780 perhaps. An overclocked 965 wouldn't bottle neck a 780 I don't think.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lumber-jack

Lumber-jack

Honorable
Jun 30, 2013
143
0
10,710
If you are gong option B @ $500 budget you could probably find a 7990 on sale and sell your current card. Better than running two separate cards IMO and has more benefits than two 7970's.

I paid about $600 - 650 for mine and am running an 860 watt PSU. I know the prices went back up but I am sure they will come down.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I

iamlanvin

Distinguished
Dec 21, 2010
21
0
18,510
@griptwister

I am considering the 8350.

I read that the 3570k/4670k is better than the 8350 in gaming applications.

Here, the 3570k/4670k and 8350 are similarly priced. Id just have to fork over $100~150 to get a mobo that can support crossfire.

Still, the 8350 is not out of the equation.

@swordkd

I like your item suggestions. I was actually considering those. Unfortunately, that PSU is not available here in my country. There is only the XFX Pro 850W 80 Plus Bronze XXX edition. Would that be enough for the 4670k OCd and crossfire 7970 OCed?

@Lumber-jack

Doesnt two 7970s have better performance than one 7990?

Cheapest 7990 I can find here is at $850 (not in US)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
griptwister

griptwister

Distinguished
Oct 7, 2012
1,437
0
19,460
Yeah, but at 1440P levels the playing field Between AMD and Intel's best offerings. I like the 4670K only for the motherboards that come with it. But the i5 3570K is a better CPU. Even my buddy at Intel say so for desktop performance.

Since you're planning on going crossfire, I'd recommend the FX 8350 so you can take full advantage of games that use MANTLE.

You could probably get away with 750w. 850w would provide a lot of cushion for power requirements though.

IMO, Two HD 7970s are better than a HD 7990.

Hope this helps.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
I

iamlanvin

Distinguished
Dec 21, 2010
21
0
18,510
I've been reading around and there is a benchmark out there that the 8350 is better than the 3570k at higher resolutions? Are those real?

My current motherboard is Asrock 990fx Fatality.

BTW, news about Mantle are making me think about Steamroller.

Steamroller actually made me hold on upgrading my 965BE a year ago. People kept saying that "it's around the corner". What do you think? Upgrade is in order now? Im seriously considering picking up the 8350 now.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
griptwister

griptwister

Distinguished
Oct 7, 2012
1,437
0
19,460
To be honest my friend, I've been following steamroller diligently, and no one knows anything about an enthusiast processor. I am however... Suspecting AMD will be releasing a new CPU around the same time Intel released Haswell 14nm (They've already started production on it). And from what I know, AMD will have access to 20nm and 16nm FinFET.

Kaveri looks good though... There is a guy on youtube I found who runs a a10-5800K with a HD 7870 and plays @1440P. So, again. It's all up to you.

I'm hoping we'll see a early excavator release and either AM4 or a new platform... like I said, we should get more info next year.

Give your Phenom II x4 @4Ghz a go with the 7970 crossfire. I suspect we'll hear more in December or January. APUs always come first with the new Arch's. That's AMD's new thing. However, If you feel like your CPU is getting crapped down at that resolution, I encourage you to buy a FX 8350. And yes, The FX 8350, depending on the game, does do better than a i5 at higher resolutions. Especially now that there will be games that support MANTLE.

I'm really excited to get my FX 8350 here soon, I'm going to buy a 990FX just in case if they release steamroller for the AM3+ platform.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I

iamlanvin

Distinguished
Dec 21, 2010
21
0
18,510
While Im on topic, is 7970 crossfire stable now and not having any issues like before(microstuttering)?

I read that 13.8 update only supports up to 1600reso and single monitor. Which would be perfect for my setup!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
griptwister

griptwister

Distinguished
Oct 7, 2012
1,437
0
19,460
I believe you can do that. Um, I noticed that with this new driver, my single GPU performance has been better in most games. I don't know what they did, but the frames seem to be smoother. I'm pretty sure you'd be fine with xfire as HD 7970s are the same thing as r9 280x's. And the 280x's are doing good in xfire right now.
 
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