Should I upgrade my i7 975 ex?

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TheAndyPlan

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I just got an r9 290x and I feel like it isn't performing as well as it should (or as well as reviewers benchmarks say it should). The oldest parts of my computer are the mobo and CPU, so I was thinking maybe that is the problem.

I have:
GPU : MSI r9 290x w/ non reference cooler
CPU: i7 975 extreme @ 4ghz
RAM: 24gb corsair vengeance 1600 c9
MOBO: EVGA x58 sli le
PSU: Ultra X3 1000 watt

I game at 1920x1080, mostly bf4 right now, but on ultra with 2x MSAA I'm still not getting the 92-112fps reviews have said I should get from the card. Is my CPU bottlenecking my GPU? I know they're 5 years old, but I'd hate to have to get a new processor and mobo. Any performance tweaks would be appreciated too.
 
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Missed that, sorry. I will change it a bit. Thanks
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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The 92-112 is probably with a very expensive 4930k or 4960x. BF4 likes more cores and those CPU's are 6 core with hyperthread as well. As long as you are getting over 60fps, don't worry about it. Make sure drivers are up to date as well. Your chip is faster than most i5's at stock speeds and those are routinely recommended on here.
 
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Valentin_N

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what loga says is true so need to worry. What you could do is to see if Mantle API can give a boost.

if you plan to upgrade wait for LGA 2011-3 socket which should come around Q4 if I am not mistaking.
 
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rolli59

rolli59

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OP is already at 4GHz!
 
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Valentin_N

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Missed that, sorry. I will change it a bit. Thanks
 
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TheAndyPlan

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Thanks everyone. In Test Range in BF4 i'm getting 45, 55 max fps on ultra with 2x FSAA using their performance test. i have Mantle running. i have an H80 cooler on my CPU. i dont know why i'm not getting as good of an fps from what you've all said it sounds like i should be. still cant complain too much, i just wanted to put on 120% resolution scale but that brings my fps down significantly to about 25-33. Metro Last Light is fairly clunky too. especially with super sampling on (obviously).
 
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Valentin_N

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Could you see what cpu your motherboard support? I have you thought of seeing if a hexa core such as i7-980 might help, if the price is not high. Maybe mantle can take advantage of the hexa core.

I know that Xeon cpu for socket 1366 should come soon so they could be interest, I will do further investigation.
 
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TheAndyPlan

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Unfortunately, i7 980s are about the same price as a new mobo and an amd fx 8350 or 9590 and I've read the xeons aren't great for gaming, more photo editing and rendering which I do, but not that much.
 
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Valentin_N

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that may be true as I don't know where you live (have you considered es samples?). when it comes to xeon, its partly true, however if you buy one with higher frequency then it's also do good in games.

As I said I will investigate further as I know new Xeon for you socket will come -the only issue that might be cause problems is the motherboard (if it gets a bios update to support upcoming).
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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1366 is a dead socket, all new Xeons are being made for LGA 2011 and 1150. OP, if you really want to upgrade your CPU, it will depend much on your budget. That said, Xeons can be good, depending on what one you get, for a gaming rig. If you want to overclock, a 1150, 4770k or a 2011, 4930k are your only options real for i7.
 
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Valentin_N

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I may have confused it with an other fact, thanks :)

to the OP: how long can you wait? if you can wait until Q4 this year then you're better off instead of purchasing the current socket 2011-0 with cpu; I am pretty sure that Skylake-E cpu's will be supported by socket 2011-3
 
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