Would I get the max performance out of a GTX 980 ti with a FX-8350

RustPlayer · Mar 31, 2016

So these are currently my computer specifications & I'm wondering if I got a GTX 980 would my GPU be bottlenecked?

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($107.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 R5 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($106.42 @ Amazon)

nokiddingboss · Mar 31, 2016

unfortunately, yes. the fx will choke your 980. its more suited for entry to barely mid range cards.

tical2399 · Mar 31, 2016

RustPlayer :

that cpu and gpu will be fine. dont know what that other guy is talking about
http://www.tweaktown.com/tweakipedia/55/amd-fx-8350-powering-gtx-780-sli-vs-gtx-980-sli-at-2560x1440/index.html

filippi · Mar 31, 2016

Corsair H100i is a good cpu cooler! Can you reach 8350@8GHz?

RustPlayer · Mar 31, 2016

nokiddingboss :

tical2399 :

So, is there a noticeable difference between the CPU's with a 980 ti?

CelicaGT · Mar 31, 2016

Depends on the game really, if it's single threaded yes it will bottleneck.

Eximo · Mar 31, 2016

Depends on what you are playing. Most games rely on a single powerful core with less important threads running on the other cores. FX-8350 can hamper this slightly with it slower single core performance. About equal to a 2nd/3rd gen i5 without overclocking.

Those games that are well optimized for having lots of cores can operate faster, but generally the Intel chips win out.

That said, we are talking about 10FPS difference at most.

tical2399 · Mar 31, 2016

I really wish people will stop using bottleneck without giving clear info on what that means. A bottleneck just means its not allowing 100% performance. That sounds bad right, well how bad is the bottleneck is the question that needs to be answered. Lets says a 980 paired with a powerful intel chip would give you 100 fps. That same card with a an 8350 might give you 90. Yes 90 is less than 100, but if you're on a 60 hz monitor it makes no difference to you. If you're o na 120/144 hz monitor it makes no difference to you because neither can push max refresh.

A 980 and an 8350 will be fine for games.

coozie7 · Mar 31, 2016

A few other points:
Are you looking at a GTX980Ti, as in your headline or a GTX980, which you mention in the bulk of your post? There's a big difference between them so we need to be sure which card we're talking about.
We need to know what monitor/s you're using, or planning to upgrade to, pairing a GTX980Ti with a 1080 60Hz display, even with the 'slow' AMD CPU is a waste, the whole system is going to be bottlenecked by that 60Hz display whatever CPU/GPU you're using.
What are you upgrading FROM? Maybe you already have a very well balanced system, making a single component upgrade essentially worthless.

EDIT: Tical2399 pipped me on the monitor issue.

RustPlayer · Mar 31, 2016

coozie7 :

Alright, so I want the best for my money between the 980 ti & 980 so Im not sure at the moment. & Currently I have a 144hz monitor & a GTX 750 ti. So I'm wondering if its worth getting a 980 ti.

CelicaGT · Mar 31, 2016

tical2399 :

It's accepted as a general rule of thumb when referring to an unbalanced system, in addition the OP used the term and thus it's assumed they understand it's meaning. Also they asked if they will get "max performance from a 980 ti" with an FX8350, not will it be "fine for gaming" and we all answered accordingly. It will be fine for gaming but will not get "max performance". This is the internet, all things must be taken literally /s

CelicaGT · Mar 31, 2016

RustPlayer :

Don't get me wrong, that's a fine system you have. But if your intent is to push that 144Hz display at vsync you are going to need a lot more horsepower. The 980 is a waste as it's expensive for what you get the 980ti might be worthwhile depending on what you play and at what resolution. Either way I don't believe it's a good investment, AM3(+) is a dying platform and your options are limited. If you have the money for that 980ti I'd spend it on a new mainboard/proc.

RustPlayer · Mar 31, 2016

CelicaGT :

RustPlayer :

Don't get me wrong, that's a fine system you have. But if your intent is to push that 144Hz display at vsync you are going to need a lot more horsepower. The 980 is a waste as it's expensive for what you get the 980ti might be worthwhile depending on what you play and at what resolution. Either way I don't believe it's a good investment, AM3(+) is a dying platform and your options are limited. If you have the money for that 980ti I'd spend it on a new mainboard/proc.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. :\ So, i7 4790k or i5 4690k?

CelicaGT · Mar 31, 2016

Haha! That's another fun discussion! To be clear I got the i5 4690k but I may grab the i7 before the price starts climbing. Probably won't benefit me much in the now but who knows moving forward, The Witcher 3 is already thrashing all 4 cores hard. I guess it depends on how much hyper threading is worth ($449 cdn in my position lol)

coozie7 · Mar 31, 2016

Did you select Tical2399 as best reply? If not I'll deselect him to keep the thread active.

Probably your best value is to go with a R9 390X it's as fast, if not faster than a GTX980 and usually less expensive. While the big GTX980Ti is a devastatingly fast card it's also very expensive and it WILL be somewhat held back by the current CPU.

One last point, Nvidia is releasing some new parts in April, so if you can hold onto your cash until the reviews are in and the dust has settled you'll avoid possible buyers remorse, or at the very least have longer to save and be far better informed when it comes to 'add to basket'.

Edit: Switching to an i5 moves the goalposts significantly-and raises the price of the upgrade quite a bit-but if you're planning on the big MB/CPU/RAM upgrade and moving to Intel, check out the Skylake parts and motherboards, prices are now pretty well on par with the older Haswell/DDR3 components and you're getting some extra motherboard goodies in the mix.
And that means the GYX980Ti is a viable option.

RustPlayer · Mar 31, 2016

coozie7 :

Did you select Tical2399 as best reply? If not I'll deselect him to keep the thread active.

Probably your best value is to go with a R9 390X it's as fast, if not faster than a GTX980 and usually less expensive. While the big GTX980Ti is a devastatingly fast card it's also very expensive and it WILL be somewhat held back by the current CPU.

One last point, Nvidia is releasing some new parts in April, so if you can hold onto your cash until the reviews are in and the dust has settled you'll avoid possible buyers remorse, or at the very least have longer to save and be far better informed when it comes to 'add to basket'.

Accidentaly selected it, please deselect

coozie7 · Mar 31, 2016

Done.

RustPlayer · Mar 31, 2016

CelicaGT :

What do you think about this build if Im gonna go with skylake? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QBJ723

Asusprime · Mar 31, 2016

I think a GTX 970 would be a better choice. The FX 8350 would not take complete advantage of a GTX 980 much less a GTX 980Ti. If you want to play games that require a lot of Vram then an R9 390 with 8GB of Vram would be an ideal choice. Games like Assasisn's creed Unity use more that 4GB of Vram.

The most important thing is to mention what games do you plan to play. Some games take advantage of 4 cores while games like Watchdogs can use 8 cores.

I used to play World of Warcraft and had both an FX8320 and an i3 4170. Surprisingly I would get more FPS with the i3. That is one game that relies on fast single core performance and can take advantage of 4 cores max.

Prices from Newegg
EVGA GTX 970 4GB-----$319.99 w/Free Shipping and Free Game Tom Clancy's The Division
XFX R9 390 8GB--------$319.99 w/free shipping and Free Game Hitman

CelicaGT · Mar 31, 2016

RustPlayer :

Looks pretty solid to me, and good move on Skylake. I was a little early to the party (Devil's Canyon just sounds cool though). Keep your eye out for the new GPU's this summer too.

coozie7 · Mar 31, 2016

Did you select another best reply by mistake?

That Skylake build looks good, but to nitpick, (and as a seasoned tightwad) I'd suggest the i5 is a cheaper and virtually identically performing option.
Combine the above build with a GTX980Ti and you're in for a real FPS treat.
Just remember, Pascal is due soon, so you might want to actually do the upgrades backwards-go for the CPU/MB?RAM first, then decide on a GPU upgrade.
Don't forget, your Windows (or other OS licence/install) may need to be changed, you may even need to purchase a new licence depending on which one you currently have. Suggestion: If you're on Windows, it'll detect the upgrade and will ask for activation/reactivation, try that, if it reactivates you're in, if not you'll need to purchase a new license and reinstall-and reinstalling after such a massive upgrade is a good idea anyway, even if you find you can reuse your existing license.

Would I get the max performance out of a GTX 980 ti with a FX-8350

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