What CPU do i need to prevent bottleneck

Hi Everyone,

I've searched the forums but im unable to find the right answer.

My current system:

8800GTS SC 640mb
3800X2 Athlon Overclocked to 2.4ghz
2gig OCZ DDR RAM
ASUS A8N SLI PREMIUM socket 939


How much bottleneck am i experiencing with my current setup?

The Game i play the most is TFC2 and i would like to know what upgrade i need to ensure a smooth gameplay on a 32 player map.

I'm not sure if TFC2 is CPU or GPU intensive..so i dont know which route for the upgrade i should take. My budget for an upgrade is limited as i don't want to commit anything big until the maintsream/low end Nahalems come out.

or is it worth to wait for the penryns? or should i go for an E6600? or a Q6600?
I just want to make the most out of my investment with my videocard.

Im open to any suggestions.

thnx,

How are your framerates in TFC2? Also, what resolution are you gaming at?

If you're getting 40-50 fps or more, then you're fine I'd say.

rally... please post what resolution your playing at.. Start at 1280x1024

My rig, which is far less powerful, does really good in TF2.

I don't think you need a new CPU for that game.


If you do get a new CPU, I recommend getting out of 939. That will involve a new mobo and RAM though, but you can keep the graphics card, of course.

Hi All,

Thnx for the quick reply. I currently game with 1680x1050 with a modified High Settings. Water on Low with 4x AA and 8x AF.

I find that lowering any of my current settings don't really help the FPS that much. ( or maybe im just a sucker for eye candy )

I suffer 20-25fps at times in the battlements area ( where everyone fights )

I also checked the CPU load while im gaming. I've noticed the CPU load is at "50" or at 100% according to some forums ive bumped into.

Rally, do you happen to also have TFC2?

CPU will be at 50% because the game isn't multi-threaded.

Hey dude, I had a 7600GT and Athlon 64 3500+. I upgraded to Athlon X2 5200+. I saw a performance gain in a lot of games, but not much. Your set-up still has life in it, consider waiting for 45nm Core 2 Duos. Your processor and possibly RAM are the bottlenecks.

At this point I am experiencing frequent BSODs and can not comment on the new card.

I am not far along in the troubleshooting though.

Im just going to perform a clean install of Vista with all new squeaky clean drivers. That should help me troubleshoot.

Newegg currently has the Opteron 180 (socket 939) listed for $169. It would give you a 20% increase in clockspeed before OC (and it also OCs well), not a small amount. You might want to review the performance difference on the THG charts to see if it would be significant for you. I don't know how that fits in your budget and depending on plans you might be ahead putting that money towards a future, more extensive upgrade.