Will my FX-4170 bottleneck an GeForce GTX 960?

Martijn Langohr · Jul 5, 2015

Hello,

I am planning to buy a new GPU (EVGA GTX 960 4GB) for my system, but I don't know if my AMD FX-4170 and the GeForce GTX 960 will be a good match. Can you guys help me out?
IF i have to buy a new CPU, I hope you guys can advise me which one is the best for the GPU.

Current PC specifications:
CPU: AMD FX-4170
GPU: Club 3D HD 7770
HDD: 1TB 7200 rpm
RAM: Corsair 8GB (don't exactly know the specifications about the RAM)
PSU: Corsair 700W 2013 edition
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Pro3, Socket: AM3+

If you guys need more information, just ask me!
Thanks!

renz496 · Jul 5, 2015

Probably

sizzling · Jul 5, 2015

Will depend on the game and how cpu intensive it is.

abaday789 · Jul 5, 2015

like said above it probably will do depending on how cpu intensive the game is etc. I you want to upgrade I would advise going for a FX6300 series CPU as it would be quite good value plus it has a stock speed of 3.5 which can be easily overclocked as long as you use a decent 3rd party cooler like a hyper 212 evo

Martijn Langohr · Jul 5, 2015

Thanks for the answers so far! I want to play games like GTA V on 1080p with high - very high settings, with a playable FPS if possible. I also want to be ready for Star Wars Battlefront, will the CPU - GPU combo work out then?

abaday789 · Jul 5, 2015

If you can I would stretch to the 970 it has a much better bang for its buck and will allow you to play at higher resolution with better fps

Martijn Langohr · Jul 5, 2015

abaday789 :

Thanks for the advice, I've looked into it and I found the MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GD5 OC, I am planning to go for this one if it isn't a problem. I have decided not to upgrade my CPU yet, but i am gonna buy the Hyper 212 evo cooler as you mentioned before.

UPDATE: I saw on the internet that the GPU (970) and the CPU (FX-4170) would be a bottleneck, is this true?

RobCrezz · Jul 7, 2015

Yeah even more so with the 970. the Fx-4170 is not a good CPU. Bulldozer was crap, and thats one of the lowest bulldozer CPUs.

Still worth going for the 970 if you intend on upgrading the cpu in the future though.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 7, 2015

RobCrezz :

IF i buy the card and decide not to upgrade right now, will i be able to get a decend framerate while i play game like GTA V on high quality settings? Otherwise i will go for the GTX 960, maybe.

RobCrezz · Jul 7, 2015

Martijn Langohr :

You will probably get the same frame rate as the 960 due to the CPU holding the performance back most of the time.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 7, 2015

RobCrezz :

Martijn Langohr :

You will probably get the same frame rate as the 960 due to the CPU holding the performance back most of the time.

But will my system run fine or will i experience BSOD's or other stuff?

Dan414 · Jul 7, 2015

I don't know about your CPU, but I have a FX-6300 oc'd to 4.1 and there are no issues with it limiting me. I am running a GTX 760 though so that seems to be my limiting factor.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 7, 2015

If i would overclock my CPU, and get a decend cooler (will probably get 212 Evo), will it make a big difference in performance?

Dan414 · Jul 7, 2015

It depends on what is bottlnecking your system. Faster CPU can help with loading programs, levels in games, or anything where your computer currently "sits and thinks" while you wait. But looking at your system, you might see the most tangible performance gain per dollar by adding a small SSD to run your system and programs from.

Edit: You might also try overclocking your 4170 with the stock cooler just to see what you can get, and if there is any noticable difference, just monitor the temps.

abaday789 · Jul 7, 2015

the AMD stock cooler is overly noisy due to its small fan that blows directly down on the cpu to keep it cool but if you can cope with the noise you might be able to get a small overclock out of it

the hyper 212 evo is a great cooler for its price i would deffo encourage you to get it as you can use it on other cpus in the future if you do upgrade

Calculatron · Jul 7, 2015

Slightly.

RobCrezz · Jul 8, 2015

Martijn Langohr :

RobCrezz :

But will my system run fine or will i experience BSOD's or other stuff?

Not as a cause of a "bottleneck". Its not a huge problem, it just means your CPU will hold back performance of the GPU in this case.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 8, 2015

Okay, thanks for the help guys. I became a lot wiser the last days! I am going to get the MSI GTX 970 because in the future i am going to upgrade to a better CPU. I will also get the Hyper 212 Evo cooler for my current 4170, because of the noise i am experiencing now. Besided that i am also going to get a new case, but i dont need you guys to help me with that.

haider95 · Jul 8, 2015

Whos telling this guy to upgrade to a GTX970, even with a 960 there will be an obvious bottleneck but who actually thinks it would be a good idea to further increase the bottleneck by adding a 970 to the mix.

Upgrade your CPU first, really recommend you go the i3 haswell route but you can go for the FX6XXX series too as long as you over clock. Do NOT get the 970 and pair it with your current CPU. There will be a minor increase in performance if any.

RobCrezz · Jul 8, 2015

haider95 :

I said go for the 970 IF he intends on upgrading to a better CPU. i.e. if he intends on getting a i5/i7/xeon/6350/8350 then the 970 will perform better.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 8, 2015

haider95 :

If i get a FX-6300, a Hyper 212 Evo and overclock it, would that make a difference?

RobCrezz · Jul 8, 2015

Martijn Langohr :

Yep that would improve performance a lot. I would suggest getting heatsinks for your VRMS on your motherboard also.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 8, 2015

RobCrezz :

Martijn Langohr :

Yep that would improve performance a lot. I would suggest getting heatsinks for your VRMS on your motherboard also.

Well if that is the case then I think I am going for the FX-6300 aswell.

RobCrezz · Jul 8, 2015

Martijn Langohr :

RobCrezz :

Well if that is the case then I think I am going for the FX-6300 aswell.

I would suggest updating your motherboard bios to the latest version before getting the new CPU just to ensure compatibility - its a straight forward process though.

Martijn Langohr · Jul 9, 2015

RobCrezz :

Martijn Langohr :

I would suggest updating your motherboard bios to the latest version before getting the new CPU just to ensure compatibility - its a straight forward process though.

Will do, are there other things i have to look out for?

Will my FX-4170 bottleneck an GeForce GTX 960?

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