Does i5 3570k bottleneck a R9 290x at 1080p?

Lohengramm · Mar 9, 2015

Just as the title says. Will my cpu cause a bottleneck with my upgrade from 7950 Windforce Gigabyte 3gb gddr5 to R9 290X? If it doesnt, does the upgrade worth it? Will it have a big impact performance?

My rig:
I5 3570k @3.4 (3.8 GHz turbo) stock.
8 GB Ram corsair 1600 Mhz.
Asus z68V pro.
psu ocz certified 700w oczgxs700.

Another question while Im at it:

I might want to crossfire in a future (not a near future) with 2x290x, i do mostly 1080p gaming, no rendering or whatsoever. What do yo guys think? Do I need to upgrade my psu for crossfire if my cpu doesnt bottleneck for one?

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

Is it a 290X or 280X? The 280X is barely an upgrade over the 7950, so watch out for that.

Other than that, in most games you should not see a CPU bottleneck with a 290X and a 3570K. The 3570K is still a great CPU. Even if you do upgrade to dual 290X's, I doubt you'd suffer from CPU limits in most games.

sizzling · Mar 9, 2015

For crossfire you would need a new PSU, ideally a good 850w plus

geofelt · Mar 9, 2015

280X is not a big enough jump over a 7950; you will be disappointed.

I think a GTX980 might be enough of a jump to be satisfying.

3570K will not be a problem with anything you do.
The best possible current cpu will only be about 10% faster.

2x 290X is very power hungry and will need about a 1000w psu
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

290X is getting old.
Better single cards from both amd and nvidia are due out this year, I would look for them.

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

geofelt :

I wouldn't recommend the 980. Too expensive for the 15% better performance. Stick to a single 970 and save $300, or get two 970's for $50 more and destroy the 980's performance. Besides, even the 290X will definitele be an upgrade over the 7950.

Dual 290X will not need a 100W PSU. That's a recommended PSU wattage, which manufacturers almost inflate in case you decide to use a crappy quality PSU and overload it. A good quality 750W should suffice in most cases, although I'd probably choose something in the 800W-850W range.

And although the 290X is getting old, waiting for the next big thing all the time means we will never upgrade. The 290X at its current ~$350 price point is a great deal, and even though there will be more powerful cards they will cost more, and they are not available now.

Lohengramm · Mar 9, 2015

My bad, Epsilon, i edited the post already. It is a 290x.

Okay, so the GTX 970 eats the 290x by far? Its really expensive here in my country, whereas i've got the budget already for the 290x. Will my psu handle it? Thanks already in advance guys.

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

Lohengramm :

No problem. just wanted to make sure

The 970 and 290X are actually quite similar. They might show differences from one game to another, but they're largely the same overall. If you want either of those, I'd just get whichever is cheaper, unless you want to play specific games that you know work better on Nvidia or on AMD.

If you do plan to do dual cards, though, the 290X's run hotter and require more power, so the 970's might be the better choice. It does depend on what price you can get them for, though.

geofelt · Mar 9, 2015

The GTX970 and 290X are in the same performance tier, just 2 tiers above your 7950.
Here is tom's hierarchy list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

They recommend a jump of at least three tiers for a upgrade.
If you do not see a noticeable improvement, you may be disappointed.

Perhaps you can find a second 7950 to run crossfire?

Lohengramm · Mar 9, 2015

How much of an improvement will i notice if i get a second 7950? And also, performance-wise: will it be better than a single 290x?

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

Lohengramm :

Dual 7950's will be better than a 290X, yes. In most games that support Crossfire, you'll see scaling of about 70% more performance, but some games have more and some have less.

Do note you might need to upgrade the PSU for dual 7950's. I'm not sure what quality the OCZ PSU is, but I'd check that before buying a 7950. Also, remember the R9 280 is a rebranded 7950, so I'm fairly certain you can actually use one of those to Crossfire, if it happens to be cheaper than a 7950.

geofelt · Mar 9, 2015

Dual cards always has the potential for some issues.
Like some games do not scale well in cf.
But, by and large, those issues have been lessened with every new driver release.
I could not find a recent comparison, but here is an older review:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_hd_7950_crossfire_review_2_and_3_way,17.html

If the price is right, My guess is that you would do better than a single r9-290x.

If you are gaming on a single monitor, less than 4k, I think I would look into a single evga GTX980.
You would get the 90 day upgrade option if something magical were to be announced soon.
Yes, it is a bit expensive, but today, there is no single gpu card that is as good.

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

geofelt :

I wouldn't go with a 980 for practically any reason. $300 more than a 970 for 15% better performance doesn't make sense. If you're willing to spend ~$700 on graphics cards, it's usually better to get two 970's for $50 more and blow away the 980. And Nvidia is unlikely to announce anything within 90 days, except for the Titan X, which I don't think will apply for the upgrade program or be worth the money.

Lohengramm · Mar 9, 2015

Then, if you guys pick a yes, a second 7950 is a go for me (taking in consideration that is verter than a single 290x). Before i buy it, is there anything Sting with my psu for the second card?

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

Lohengramm :

OCZ PSU'a are not made by reputable manufacturers. It will last less than a good quality unit, and if you stress it too much it is likely to malfunction, or in the worst case actually damage your hardware. It is recommended to get a good quality PSU for dual GPU systems.

geofelt · Mar 9, 2015

I think there is a psu issue.
My reading says your psu has only two 6 pin power leads.
A 7950 needs those two and a second card will need to use molex to pcie 6 pin adapters.
In general, if a psu does not have the leads you need, it is not capable of delivering sufficient power by using adapters.

That would also apply to using a R9-290X which needs both a 6 and a 8 pin power lead.

The strongest cards I can think of that will use only two 6 pin power connectors would be a GTX970 or GTX980.

Perhaps, if budget is a big concern, you should just be happy with what you have.

coozie7 · Mar 9, 2015

@Lohengramm: Unless your display is 120Hz or faster IT is going to be the bottleneck, even running GPU heavy games like FC4 and Metro 2033 Redux my setup (mouse over the Hurricane) is too fast for a single 60Hz 1080 display unless I get heavy handed with the AA settings.
Only consider dual R9 290 cards if you go either dual screen or 4K because a single R9 290 will give decent gameplay on a single 1440 monitor.
I also have, usefully enough, a HD7950 and have played with it in both the current i5 4690K rig and others and can state, with total certainty, that the R9 290 is a BIG improvement, although I doubt it's a match for a pair of HD7950s.
Me, I'll suggest you get a R9 290 (not the 'X' version-too much extra cash for not enough extra speed) or the slightly faster but more expensive GTX970 and Ebay the HD7950.
As long as the current power supply has 1x6 and 1x8 (more normally they're 6+2 design allowing the one plug to operate as a 6 pin by pushing the two pin part aside or as an 8 pin by inserting both the 6 and 2 pin parts together to make up an 8 pin) PCI-E plugs it'll be fine with any of the single cards mentioned.

Lohengramm · Mar 9, 2015

Very well guys, it's been really helpful. I'll get the 290x then. Budget is an issue for another PSU. I assume the current one I've got is enough at least for the 290x, right?

coozie7 · Mar 9, 2015

Far as I can tell, the PSU has the correct leads and plenty of output, so it's no problem.
I would suggest you look at the cheaper R9 290 instead though, the performance increase of the R9 290X isn't that much, the cost is.
If it'll fit your system case the Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X OC is both very powerful and quiet, but whichever you choose bear in mind these cards need good case ventilation to tame their considerable heat output.

Epsilon_0EVP · Mar 9, 2015

Lohengramm :

Yes, that sounds good. The PSU you have should not be a risk, but it will probably not last as long as a higher quality unit. That's something you can fix later, though.

As for getting a 290 instead of a 290X, most 970's are currently around the same price as most 290X's, so it should not be a bad recommendation if the 970 is also recommended. Just don't pay over $350 for your 290X, since then you'd be better off with a 970. In other words: if you can find one for $250-$300, get the 290, or if you can't, look for 290X's/970's around the $300-$350 price range.

iHaveNoParts · Sep 11, 2015

Believe it or not, any i5 desktop processor will never bottleneck an R9 290X or 280X. But upgrading from an HD 7950 to any of these two cards is not recommended. The reason why is because they will not make any new changes and amd graphics cards consume a lot of power. If you want a good card that is will make your life change, get a GTX 980. But if you have the money, get a GTX 980 Ti. A 980 Ti will definitely beat the GTX Titan like no one's business and is less than $1000!

GTX 980 Ti (If you love/like NVidia): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133611&cm_re=gtx_980_ti-_-14-133-611-_-Product

GTX 980 (Non Ti): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487067&cm_re=gtx_980-_-14-487-079-_-Product

Does i5 3570k bottleneck a R9 290x at 1080p?

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