HD 4890 Turbo 1GB DDR 5 with Phenom 2 X3 720BE

lokee

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guys, i just bought 4890 turbo 1gb and mounted to my rig :D

but i fear that my cpu was causing a bottleneck,since i left it on a default clock (2.8GHz)...

is it true that my pc suffers from cpu bottleneck??how can i check it??
 

lokee

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Phenom 2 X3 720BE @ 2.8GHz (default)
HIS HD 4890 Turbo 1GB DDR 5
4 GB @ 2GB DDR2 PC5300 V-GEN
HDD : 1. WDC 320GB 7200
2. Seagate 80GB 7200 (primary)
POV Blackdiamond 500W
Biostar GF8100 M2+ TE
Samsung 18.5" 933SN

please help me... :D
 

lokee

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so it's not bottleneck at all then..i play any kinds of games,cept sports maybe,hehehehe...well yes,FPS (crysis, wolfenstein,COD,etc), Action RPG,adventure, RTS (selective)...

i'm a bit curious,how does one determine his cpu or gpu suffers from bottleneck??is there some kind of numbers or score between cpu n gpu that we can see n determine it???

until now, i only use win 7 experience index which my cpu got 6.7 and the gpu @ 7.6
 

JofaMang

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To determine if you are CPU limited, check the 3D FPS performance (game or benchmark) as you change resolutions. Generally, if your CPU is your limiting factor, your FPS will remain the same as you change resolutions. If you have a change in FPS consistent with your resolution shift (your fps drop as you increase your resolution) then your video card is maxing out on those settings, and is your limiting factor. Remember that this diagnostic requires the same graphics setting for each test.

If you are changing resolutions, with max graphical settings in a tough test, and the performance doesn't change, then you are very likely heavily CPU limited.



I saw impressive improvements in overall smoothness and fluidity in my graphics as I OC'd my CPU, with my x3 710 cpu and 4870 512mb. 3.0ghz was a big improvement point, and my daily 3.25 has seemingly plateaued my overall performance. I have had it as high as 3.45 stable, but the small improvement in my graphics wasn't worth the extra cpu heat.
 

lokee

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correct me if i'm wrong...so if there's an option between cpu as our limiting factor and the gpu as our limiting factor,based on what u explained about FPS thru the whole process,we'd rather had a cpu botteneck right??
 

JofaMang

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I prefer to be in a CPU limited situation (barring a REALLY old CPU w/ a super powerful videocard), as the videocard's power can be directed to AA/AF and all that shiny stuff. It also is able to maintain steadier frame rates, in my personal experience.
 

Subversion

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i think i have a bottleneck situation...

i have an amd athlon 64 x2 4200+ (old chip :() and a radeon hd4890 which i just installed.

have a 17" monitor.

my fps in games is rly terrible - getting like 30 fps in cod5.

would an athlon x2 250 solve my problem? this is all i can afford :)
 

abswindows7

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yes it can't be worse xD Get an after market heatsink and overclock to 3.5-3.75ghz and you'll be more than fine
 

JofaMang

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Before you spend any money on a CPU, I suggest trying a fresh install of windows, updated, and then download and install your newest drivers. Having recently installed a lesser card in an almost identical computer, I am sure you should be getting better performance than you are.

Also check your airflow in your case, dust buildup in your CPU heatsink, all that stuff.
 

First of all don't judge with Windows score.
I had a Q6600 @ stock speeds(2.4) and i OC'd it to 3.4,in some games like Crysis,COD4 etc the performance increase was minimal but in games like Company of heroes,World in conflict it gave me a great boost,or in applications like PhotoShop this OC gave me good results.
To determine that whether u suffer from bottleneck or not u have to check which games u play and what resolution u play,with your current setup u are fine with games,in some RTS games like Company of Heroes,world in conflict,Supreme commander etc u will benefti from OC'ng
 

brockh

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The Phenom II X3 720BE is fine with the HD 4890. I have my CPU clocked up to 3.2GHz (with stock cooler), the GPU clock up to 900MHz, and the memory clock to 1050MHz. The video card overclocks are somewhat conservative, but regardless a better CPU (barring the highest end i7) will only gain you 5-6 FPS increase in some games. Check your memory, airflow, and other cooling as well as any bloatware on your computer slowing things down.
 

lokee

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i already tried to OC my cpu (720be) to 3.2GHz and when i got to windows and tested it with prime95 it restarted by itself..

could it be my m/b TDP support only 95W??
 

brockh

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You shouldn't have had to touch any of the voltages; just bump the multiplier up. If it's not stable with just the multiplier increased then you might have just gotten a bad egg :p Usually they overclock well. I'd check the temperatures and make sure your cooler is doing its job as well.
 

lokee

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thanks 4 the advice man,really appreciate it :D

somehow i had a bad feeling bout my cpu,but i think i'll try to OC again n stressed it with prime95...

btw,i never really know when should i stop prime95 in process..should i stop it manually or it will evemtually stop working at some point??

how can i tell that my cpu (OCed) were stable thru prime95??
 

Raidur

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You should have to stop prime95 manually. If it stops itself this means your CPU (or ram at times) is not 'stress stable'.

You can tell if your CPU is stable if prime95 does not stop itself for a couple hours (restarting computer counts as a fail =P) then your computer is stable. Some people say to go for 24 hours but a couple hours is fine if you ask me.

Don't forget to tell prime95 to check for rounding errors (in Advanced menu and then check "Round off Checking") or it won't let you know when it fails.