Cpu vs. gpu bottle neck - same question different spec.

[elgavi]

Hi,

I currently use an intel P-D 805 OC to 3.3GHz and an X850XT vga by sapphire.
This vga has pixel shader model 2.1 and many new games does not support pixel shader model lower then 3.0.

Since i want my next big upgrade to include an i5 cpu i'll need new mobo and ram too and it is too expensive for now.

To my question, how bad will this CPU bottle neck a new HD5770 ?
(Also, with the new card i might have to drop the cpu OC and go back to 2.6GHz because my 480psu wont cut it.)

Thanks,
Nati.

 

[arcticking]

What is your screen resolution if you game? Right now, im suggesting you go a bit lower like a HD 4670. Its great and can handle many of the modern day games. It has Shader models 4.1 and supports Direct X 10.1

Also, it pretty much depends on the rest of your system on how well you run games.
I can run Mass Effect 2 and a bunch of other with these specs:

Graphics Card: ATI HD 4670
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition OC'd @ 3.6Ghz
RAM: 3GB of DDR2 667
Hard Drive: 160GB IDE
Motherboard: GA-MA770-UD3 Motherboard
PSU: OCZ 700W ModXStream (Not really suggesting this, 450W and lower is fine)

The CPU and PSU of mine were over the top, but I was planning on upgrading the Graphics Card later on.. get the HD 4670! Check the youtube videos of gameplay with the HD 4670. Type in "hd 4670" in youtube

 

[paperfox]

Depending on how long of a time between upgrading your graphics card and motherboard/cpu, getting a 4670 would not be that bad of an idea as arcticking suggests.

Even a 4670 will be bottlenecked by your cpu alittle and a 5770 is about twice as fast, maybe more than a 4670. That is not a bad thing, you should still get at least 30 fps on any resolution 1680x1050 and under.

 

[elgavi]

Thanks for your reply.
I wish to work with full hd resolution (max out the screen).
The "i hope this will actualy happen" idea, is to upgrade mobo, ram and cpu next year.
Followed by purchasing another 5770 to use in crossfire.
BTW i saw that the vapor-x version of the 5770 need minimum of 450w other the 500w so a little OC might still work.

If this plan will work.. do you still think the 5770 is a waste?

I have 2g 800 DDR2 ram, 160GB sata2, 480w thermaltake psu.

There is an alternate plan, buying a e7500 cpu with the card, that way i will manage to take more from this setup before a full upgrade is needed.

any thoughts?

again thanks for your answers.

 

[coozie7]

@ Elgavi: Given your future plans I'd say both Articking and Paperfox have the best idea which is to install a HD4670 in the current system and leave the rest alone.
True the HD4670 is not exactly a high end card but it's streets ahead of your existing X850XT, it's six tiers higher:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/geforce-310-5970,review-31747-7.html

Are you sure your existing motherboard will support a E7500? Just because it is a LGA775 socket does not mean it will support the newer Wolfdale processors, indeed many of the older boards do not. Check on the motherboard manufacturers website, they usually have a CPU compatability listing for all their products, old and new.

 

[elgavi]

I have an idea!

According to gigabyte website, my board supports even a q9400 which got me thinking.
(The board i bought with the original pc was fried last year so i replaced it with a GA-EG41MF-US2H).
A q9400 fits on my old board and is rated just a notch below the new i5 in most benchmarks.
Meaning that if i upgrade the CPU and VGA alone, without ram, psu or mobo i can get very close to a newly hi end machine, and this upgrade will last for a long time.

If that is actually the case, and I'm not dreaming of performance that will never come ...
I will have a kicking pc by the end of the week.

After the upgrade my pc will be:
cpu: q9400
vga: sapphire vapor-x 5770 (vapor version requires 450w instead of 500w - so no need to upgrade psu )
mobo: Gigabyte GA-EG41MF-US2H - G41, FSB 1333, Dual DDR2 800MHz (up to 8g)
psu: 480w thermaltake.
ram: g.skill 800MHz CL4 2x1g

What do you think, is this the super-power machine I think it is or not?
(my last test for this semester is in three days and after that - Gaming time... )

 

[jyjjy]

The Vapor-X version of the card does not actually use less power than the normal version of the HD5770. It actually uses (very)slightly more power as it has a (very)small OC from the standard speeds. The suggested wattages from manufacturers are never accurate and always highly inflated. Only get that card if the better fan is worth the extra money to you.
Also I would recommend 2 more gigs of ram while you are upgrading.

 

[elgavi]

Thanks,
Question: The regular version of sapphire 5770 (new edition) has MINIMUM requirement of 500w. Is this requirement holds tight or does a 480/450w will perform without issues?

If so, i'll go for the regular 5770, add a few bucks and buy an extra gig or two.
But the question remains, is this machine can perform close to a newly i5 build?

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, it should be fine on any 480w PSU unless it is a truly terrible brand. Like I said, ignore the suggested power requirements, they aren't accurate. Here is a pretty reliable chart of how much power cards actually use;
http://mark.zoomcities.com/images/gfx/GFXpowerchartby3d.png
I dunno exactly how close that build will be compared to a new i5 system but it will be good and a viable gaming system for a couple of years at least, especially if you OC the processor.

 

[coozie7]

+1 Jyjjy.
Those PSU requirements are very high in order to cover for those 'truly terrible' units out there, which you do not have.
You will be fine but, if you have any concerns, run the numbers through this power calculator:

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[elgavi]

jyjjy: "... good and a viable gaming system for a couple of years at least..." .
What can i say? music to my ears.
About just how good this pc will be... maybe i'll open another thread...
Wednesday, though, is shopping time.

Thanks, all.
Really appreciate your help.