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Radeon R9 280x bottleneck on an old motherboard?

Tags:
  • CPUs
  • Motherboards
  • Graphics
  • Bottleneck
  • Graphics Cards
  • Radeon
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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November 20, 2013 4:11:11 PM

Hello everyone.

I'm aware there is plenty of other posts similar to mine but since everyone has different configuration other posts may not apply to my PC.
So my question is, will my current motherboard and CPU handle the new Radeon R9 280x or will it bottleneck my PCIx?

My current configuration is as follows:

Power Supply: Gigabyte GE-M800A-D1 "Odin Pro", 800 W
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 (Rev.1.0)
CPU: Intel Core i5-750, 2.67GHz
Memory: 3x - Mushkin PC3-12800, 2 GB, 1600MHz, so 6GB in total
Graphics Cards: Radeon HD 5870, 1 GB and Radeon HD 5850, 1 GB, connected in crossfire, mode 16x/4x.
I think the rest of it is not important for this question.

This computer was build in January 2010 and mostly for gaming and gaming development, but since it's getting old I would like to upgrade it's graphics. I should probably replace CPU as well, since it's taking quite a beating when I'm running some newer titles like Far Cry 3, Guild Wars 2, StarCraft 2 - Heart of the Swarm and TrackMania 2. But replacing a CPU would also mean replacing a motherboard, which I'll probably have to do anyway.

I did some research on this a while ago when Radeon 7000 series came out. I was worried even back then, since my motherboard and cpu do not support PCI 3.0. But some reported that the drop in power would be around 5% max, that didn't bother me much, but I decided to wait with the upgrade back then. But now my graphics cards cannot handle it anymore so an upgrade is required.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

Yahara Octanis

More about : radeon 280x bottleneck motherboard

Best solution

November 20, 2013 4:32:19 PM

I doubt your cpu is going to bottle neck that card. The first gen core i series are still solid performers. However you're asking this question toms where the default answer is usually when in doubt buy new shiny thing, so be prepared for alot posts saying to upgrade even if you dont really NEED to based on your specs
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November 21, 2013 1:33:30 AM

Thank you for your answer. I will go ahead and buy that card, and then see how it performs. If in any case the performance will not be adequate, I can always go back to the store and buy a new motherboard and a new cpu as well.
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