- Nov 30, 2013
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Should a new CPU/mobo be next on my list? I feel like maybe my old AMD Phenom II X2 is bottlenecking causing FPS issues.
Here is my current setup:
CPU: AMD Phenom II 550 Black edition (clocked at 3.1ghz)
RAM: 16gb Kingston DDR3-1600
Video: AMD HD6850 1gb (clocked at 950 core 1100 memory)
Motherboard: Asrock 970 Extreme 3
PSU: Corsair TX750
HDD: 2x Crucial 128gb SSD, 1TB WD Black for storage
So I first ran this processor in an old Gigabyte board with an HD3850. Performance was fine back when it was built but really started to suck. Over time I upgraded various components. Now, the only thing left over from the original system is the processor.
I have ran AMD exclusively in my desktops ever since the K6-2 (15 years?) but am considering switching over to Intel just to switch things up and due to the OS X support (stupid, I know..)
So, I am looking at potentially upgrading the CPU, motherboard, and video card in the near future but am not wanting to wait to purchase them all at once. Figuring out if there is a bottleneck may help with this.
My issue is low FPS. I mainly play MMOs and shooters (@ 1080 res). I rarely ever get over 40fps in most modern games. In WoW, I only get over 40 if Im in a small room or looking directly at a wall. At that point, it jumps up to 80fps or so. The newer the shooter, the lower the FPS and the lower I have to set the graphic quality. Old stuff like TF2 runs just fine. I decided to pull up the CCC and Windows performance monitor. In the MMOs my GPU utilization hovers around 35%-45% occasionally spiking up to 55% or so. My CPU on the other hand sits at 75%-85% and will spike to 99%.
So given that information, do you guys think my CPU is my bottleneck?
If so, I will probably pick up an I7 4770K or I5 4670K and motherboard so I can get some of the benefits until I have the cash for a new video card. If not, then I will probably get a GTX 760 2gb card. If its worth anything, I swapped out my HD6850 with my old HD3850 as a test and only saw about a 10fps drop. I didn't try to run BF3 or BF4 though..
Also, I know I said Im looking to switch to Intel, but Im not 100% set on it. Money is the number one factor here, so if I can get as good of performance out of an AMD and save money from not having to buy a mobo or more expensive CPU then Im all for it. Looking at my motherboards supported CPU list, though, Im thinking not
TL;DR version:
I have an AMD Phenom II X2 550 cpu and AMD HD6850 video card. Which one is my bottleneck and what should my next upgrade be?
Here is my current setup:
CPU: AMD Phenom II 550 Black edition (clocked at 3.1ghz)
RAM: 16gb Kingston DDR3-1600
Video: AMD HD6850 1gb (clocked at 950 core 1100 memory)
Motherboard: Asrock 970 Extreme 3
PSU: Corsair TX750
HDD: 2x Crucial 128gb SSD, 1TB WD Black for storage
So I first ran this processor in an old Gigabyte board with an HD3850. Performance was fine back when it was built but really started to suck. Over time I upgraded various components. Now, the only thing left over from the original system is the processor.
I have ran AMD exclusively in my desktops ever since the K6-2 (15 years?) but am considering switching over to Intel just to switch things up and due to the OS X support (stupid, I know..)
So, I am looking at potentially upgrading the CPU, motherboard, and video card in the near future but am not wanting to wait to purchase them all at once. Figuring out if there is a bottleneck may help with this.
My issue is low FPS. I mainly play MMOs and shooters (@ 1080 res). I rarely ever get over 40fps in most modern games. In WoW, I only get over 40 if Im in a small room or looking directly at a wall. At that point, it jumps up to 80fps or so. The newer the shooter, the lower the FPS and the lower I have to set the graphic quality. Old stuff like TF2 runs just fine. I decided to pull up the CCC and Windows performance monitor. In the MMOs my GPU utilization hovers around 35%-45% occasionally spiking up to 55% or so. My CPU on the other hand sits at 75%-85% and will spike to 99%.
So given that information, do you guys think my CPU is my bottleneck?
If so, I will probably pick up an I7 4770K or I5 4670K and motherboard so I can get some of the benefits until I have the cash for a new video card. If not, then I will probably get a GTX 760 2gb card. If its worth anything, I swapped out my HD6850 with my old HD3850 as a test and only saw about a 10fps drop. I didn't try to run BF3 or BF4 though..
Also, I know I said Im looking to switch to Intel, but Im not 100% set on it. Money is the number one factor here, so if I can get as good of performance out of an AMD and save money from not having to buy a mobo or more expensive CPU then Im all for it. Looking at my motherboards supported CPU list, though, Im thinking not
TL;DR version:
I have an AMD Phenom II X2 550 cpu and AMD HD6850 video card. Which one is my bottleneck and what should my next upgrade be?
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