Why such BAD performance.

UnterFeuer

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Jan 18, 2014
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This is my current build (yes I know, I need a new system) I still have to play BF3 on LOW settings for it to barely even run. so, before I invest in a new rig, I want to see if anything can be tweaked to get me along a little longer.

Gigabyte - GA-MA790FX-DS5 - Mobo
Phenom II X4 940 (not OC'd 3.0GHz)- Proc
8192MB - GSKILL DDR2
Windows 8.1 Pro
2 RADEON 4870's Xfired 512 DDR5

that's most of the important stuff I can think of. SWTOR runs like crap also, seems like most games I have to turn off (or set to low) shadows and things like that...

I would be happy to answer anymore questions you have about the setup

 
Solution
I think you should upgrade the GPU to a single powerful card, Crossfire never works better and your current cards are slow and slow in VRAM also for modern day games. So a powerful GPU with 2GB VRAM will be a better option for you.

BTW what is the make/model of PSU ?
I think you should upgrade the GPU to a single powerful card, Crossfire never works better and your current cards are slow and slow in VRAM also for modern day games. So a powerful GPU with 2GB VRAM will be a better option for you.

BTW what is the make/model of PSU ?
 
Solution

apcs13

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Oct 2, 2013
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When you upgrade, you will want at least a FX-6300 processor or i5-2500(k) if you want to run most games at comfortable settings at 1080p, you will want to get some DDR3 (or better yet, DDR4 when it releases) RAM, optimally 8GB of the stuff, and a GPU with a comfortable 2GB GDDR5 memory if you play at 1080p. Most games will run fine off of 2GB, in fact Metro: Last Light uses around 1GB on complete max settings except for SSAA at 1080P for me. For all of that stuff I would say at least a 600W 80+ bronze power supply or better. Good luck!
 

UnterFeuer

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Jan 18, 2014
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PSU is a Thermaltake...black widow 850...I had a feeling it was the GPU RAM. That being said, could you recommend and upgrade to the 4870's? I was looking at the 7750's (yes I am an AMD guy) but some of the reviews I read say they are pretty much the same.
 
A 7850 is about on par with a pair of 4870s, but in your case will perform far better as you are being heavily restricted by your limited VRAM. The 7750s in theory would be similar in performance to your 4870s, but again, you are heavily restricted by VRAM so a pair of them will handily beat your 4870s which have similar processing power.
 

apcs13

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I would avoid Crossfire in general, it is a nice way to get more GPU horsepower out of something you already own but it is always better to have a more powerful single card than a crossfire/SLI setup. For the next few years, you will need 2GB VRAM, so what I would say is to upgrade to at least a 2GB card now, maybe something like the 7870 or a 670, and then in a few years you can crossfire/SLI that and you will be enjoying a ton of power.
 

jb6684

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Hey, I have an "old Phenom II X4 940" too!!!!!!

I can play BF3 on High and BF4 on Medium @ 1920x1080 resolution. I CrossFire two old 5770's.... these are have 1Gb GPU RAM.

If you run MSI Afterburner Beta version you can display GPU RAM usage on-screen. You'll see that 512Mb is what's KILLING your performance. I have to dial back Anti-Aliasing to keep things below 1Gb GPU RAM, or my frame rates fall off a cliff. So, if you get a new card with 2Gb GPU RAM your good....

That said, pick up a 7870 before they are gone or a 270X (a single 7750 simply won't do.... ) That will be a bit FASTER than what I have.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202025


BTW, even withe the stock CPU cooler, go into the BIOS and bump up that multiplier one full notch so your run @ 3.2Ghz. Just a tweak, not radically faster but helps. I also Only have 4Gb system RAM, so, your better off their than I am.
 

UnterFeuer

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Jan 18, 2014
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i appreciate, more than you know, your guys willingness to help me out...I'll start shopping for a single better card...other than that, do you believe most other hardware is ok? (for now) I tend to over think...I would rather not spend 300 bucks on a video card at the moment if there it a more influential bottleneck..
 

apcs13

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Oct 2, 2013
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Your CPU might hold you back, but I think you should get yourself a nice GPU, and then maybe when you have enough money, your next purchase would be a more powerful CPU. But for sure your most severe bottleneck is your GPU. I would highly advise upgrading that before anything else.