Considering Radeon R9 290x, question about CPU

wildcardcharlie

Honorable
May 28, 2013
36
0
10,530
So I am considering upgrading from the HD 7850 to the R9 290x, my issue is that currently I have an AMD Phenom II X6 1090T CPU. Obviously with that processor and the R9 290x there is going to be bottlenecking. The thing is I'm not looking to spend around 600 for GPU + CPU right now, so I was planning an upgrading piecemeal, and getting my next CPU later this year.

My question is, let's say I want to play Arkham Knight with the 290x and my Phenom II...how much of an upgrade in performance am I going to see with the new card versus just using my 7850 on that or other newer games? Is there even a point in getting the 290x now, or should I just wait until I can get both at the same time?
 
Solution
Hello,

If you play at 1080p, the R9-290X will be a good upgrade, you should have at least 30 FPS using High - Very High graphics settings. If you have a good motherboard and a good cooler, you can overclock your CPU (it should reach 4GHz easily) and you'll have 30FPS at Ultra.

Don't forget that 290X will need a solid PSU, at least a 650W one (+12V/50Amps or 2x12V/30Amps). For less powerful PSUs, the GTX970 is the choice.

Cristi72

Admirable
Hello,

If you play at 1080p, the R9-290X will be a good upgrade, you should have at least 30 FPS using High - Very High graphics settings. If you have a good motherboard and a good cooler, you can overclock your CPU (it should reach 4GHz easily) and you'll have 30FPS at Ultra.

Don't forget that 290X will need a solid PSU, at least a 650W one (+12V/50Amps or 2x12V/30Amps). For less powerful PSUs, the GTX970 is the choice.
 
Solution