Will I5 660 Bottleneck GTX 970?
- Thread starter Cheeto88
- Start date
Solution
photonboy
Titan
- Jun 20, 2006
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*The i5-660 is only a DUAL-CORE CPU with hyperthreading.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+660+%40+3.33GHz
It's roughly similar to an FX-4100 AMD CPU for single-thread but for multi-threaded has less performance:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-4100+Quad-Core
*So we're talking some pretty MAJOR BOTTLENECKING going on at times. There are not many games that won't be bottlenecked, and some will be as high as 50% (getting HALF the performance).
That's not to say you can't have a good experience, but if you don't plan to upgrade your CPU (and motherboard etc) in the near future then a different GPU may make more sense.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+660+%40+3.33GHz
It's roughly similar to an FX-4100 AMD CPU for single-thread but for multi-threaded has less performance:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-4100+Quad-Core
*So we're talking some pretty MAJOR BOTTLENECKING going on at times. There are not many games that won't be bottlenecked, and some will be as high as 50% (getting HALF the performance).
That's not to say you can't have a good experience, but if you don't plan to upgrade your CPU (and motherboard etc) in the near future then a different GPU may make more sense.
photonboy
Titan
- Jun 20, 2006
- 21,567
- 13
- 85,015
Update:
To be clear, as said the amount of bottlenecking VARIES significantly between games.
SO THERE IS NO CLEAR CUTOFF.
With an i5-660 you MAY find some games with minimal bottlenecking. Tomb Raider is very well coded and does okay with an FX-4100 so it's probably the best example of what an i5-660 + GTX970 can do. It's also a really awesome game. My GPU is comparable to the GTX960 and I'm mostly maxed at 1920x1080 and can maintain 60FPS.
*I wouldn't go AMD GPU though. An article discussed that the AMD drivers were not coded as efficiently as NVidia's and thus for weak CPU situations it was causing even more of a bottleneck to the GPU. The POWER consumption of GTX900 series is also less than AMD's comparable which is important of your PSU is too weak for the AMD but fine for the NVidia.
So again, if you want a GTX970 then buy one as there may be games you get a better experience in. Another option IMO is the GTX960. Again, it depends on your budget and upgrade path for your PC. If there's something you can spend the $100 difference on that you would really like but can't budget then perhaps a GTX960 instead.
Some links (USA):
GTX970: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn970ixoc4gd
and
GTX960: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42966kr
(Other card choices here)
Summary:
If in doubt, and can afford it then get the GTX970.
(Make sure you have the proper 6-pin/8-pin PCIe connectors on your power supply. If unsure just physically look. Some are "6+2" pins which can support 6-pin, 8-pin, or 2x6-pin with an adapter.
To be clear, as said the amount of bottlenecking VARIES significantly between games.
SO THERE IS NO CLEAR CUTOFF.
With an i5-660 you MAY find some games with minimal bottlenecking. Tomb Raider is very well coded and does okay with an FX-4100 so it's probably the best example of what an i5-660 + GTX970 can do. It's also a really awesome game. My GPU is comparable to the GTX960 and I'm mostly maxed at 1920x1080 and can maintain 60FPS.
*I wouldn't go AMD GPU though. An article discussed that the AMD drivers were not coded as efficiently as NVidia's and thus for weak CPU situations it was causing even more of a bottleneck to the GPU. The POWER consumption of GTX900 series is also less than AMD's comparable which is important of your PSU is too weak for the AMD but fine for the NVidia.
So again, if you want a GTX970 then buy one as there may be games you get a better experience in. Another option IMO is the GTX960. Again, it depends on your budget and upgrade path for your PC. If there's something you can spend the $100 difference on that you would really like but can't budget then perhaps a GTX960 instead.
Some links (USA):
GTX970: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn970ixoc4gd
and
GTX960: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42966kr
(Other card choices here)
Summary:
If in doubt, and can afford it then get the GTX970.
(Make sure you have the proper 6-pin/8-pin PCIe connectors on your power supply. If unsure just physically look. Some are "6+2" pins which can support 6-pin, 8-pin, or 2x6-pin with an adapter.
Joseph DeGarmo
Honorable
- Mar 12, 2014
- 4,052
- 0
- 10,960
In games like GTA V and Witcher 3, there will be bottlenecking due to the CPU requirements to run those games. Games like Battlefield Hardline and DMC: Devil May Cry should not be as bad, though, because those games are pretty well optimized and don't require beastly CPUs to run.
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