E8600 enough for GTX480 SLI?

[gonesy]

Hi all

I have a simple question and that is.........is my E8600 CPU powerful enough to power 2 x GTX480's in SLI? My config is Striker II Formula MoBo with 4GB of 1066MHz DDR2 RAM and a 1KW CoolerMaster PSU. I already have a HD5850 GPU installed at the moment but want to get back to Nvidia.

I seem to have 2 options to consider and they are:

1. Do I upgrade to a core i7 930 setup and add another HD5850 to give me Xfire or
2. Do I just go for the 2 x GTX480's in my existing system? The price to do both is about the same.

I use my setup to mostly game, playing Bioshock 2, CODWW, Wolfenstein, Crysis etc...........think you get the idea, and want to get the best experience possible.

Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks

 

[JofaMang]

SLI 480 would be SEVERELY limited by an E8600 cpu. I would be willing to bet that CF5850 + i7 would outperform SLI480 + E8600.

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
I would go for the first one,because i7 930 will give you a nice boost in performance.
Also although 2 HD 5850s perform lower than 2 GTX 480s in SLI but their performance is great and also they run cooler and quieter.

 

[gonesy]

OK thanks, it looks like an upgrade to the i7 setup then and have the 5850's in Xfire. I suppose I could always sell my Striker MoBo, E8600 and 4GB of Ram too!!

Thanks for that

 

[Bluescreendeath]

Nope. A fast dual core (ie. OCed E8600) already bottlenecks a single GTX480 by a good deal. Two GTX480s will be significantly bottlenecked.

 

[rescawen]

IMO get a phenom 1090t + 5870 vapor-x, OC both and ull score 60 fps at 1080p at most games, and it will come pretty cheap, dont have to worry bout new PSU!

 

[Maziar]

OK thanks, it looks like an upgrade to the i7 setup then and have the 5850's in Xfire. I suppose I could always sell my Striker MoBo, E8600 and 4GB of Ram too!!

Thanks for that

Good luck

 

[gonesy]

Ok then, so will an i7 930 be ok to run 2 x HD5850's in Xfire with no bottleneck? Also is my existing HD5850 being bottlenecked by my E8600 at the moment?

Thanks again

 

[feeddagoat]

check out this article.

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/radeon_hd_5870_crossfire_cpu_scaling_performance_part_2,1.html

The E8xxx performs very well (as does a single core sempron xD) The conclusion is also worth the read too. Part 1 is the same with less cpu's on test but the conclusion is still relevant, part 2 expands on it a bit more. theres also n article on phenom II vs intel i7 gaming performance when paired with an HD5970. Its an interesting read too

 

[Maziar]

Ok then, so will an i7 930 be ok to run 2 x HD5850's in Xfire with no bottleneck? Also is my existing HD5850 being bottlenecked by my E8600 at the moment?

Thanks again

Well it mostly depends on the games that you play and the resolution too.

 

[gonesy]

Would an E8600 bottleneck a single GTX480?

 

[JofaMang]

Would an E8600 bottleneck a single GTX480?

Yes, I imagine any dual core, regardless of clock speed would be the limiting factor if paired with a 480. How severe can't really be said, as I have yet to see any reviews or benchmarks on the card with anything but highly clocked i7 x4/x6 CPUs.

 

[gonesy]

Ok thanks...........I am just curious that Dell are selling a system thathas the E8600 paired with the GTX480...........Iknow it has 4GB of DDR3 133Mhz Ram but would that make a big difference? Link to add below.

http://www.scsistuff-store.com/servlet/the-10469/DELL-XPS-430-Core2Duo/Detail

 

[JofaMang]

That configuration kind of baffles me, to be honest, heh. But in all fairness, if one focus group said that potential customers would still cheap out on CPUs, and another focus group said that potential customers would spend extra on top tier videocards, a Core2Duo paired with a GTX480 might just be a logical product from a corporate point of view. I highly doubt their marketting guys are enthusiasts, I mean, just look at what they did to alienware.

 

[gonesy]

thanks again...........I am in a bit of a delimma now as I have an E8600 with 4GB of 1066Mhz DDR2 and a more than powerful PSU and was wanting to get a 480 to compliment my setup but if its going to be a worthless vebture then I will have to think again

 

[JofaMang]

I didn't say it would be worthless, heh, but you may not get all your money's worth out of the investment of a 480. Again, to be clear, I am just using theory, not personal experience to come to my hypothesis.

 

[gonesy]

would you consider 2 x HD5850's in Xfire as good as a 480? I am thinking of upgrading my system to an i7 930 and I already have 1 5850 at the moment?

 

[impaledmango]

if you can get a 5970 for the same price I'd rather get that then 2 5850s, since they perform similarly anyways.

 

[JofaMang]

From the benchmarks and reviews that are out there, 5850cf should similar, give or take based on the titles, as a single 480. Especially if the CF is on an i7 platform, and the 480 was paired with an E8600.

 

[gonesy]

i7 setup with a 5970 is a bit too far out of my price range sadly

 

[gonesy]

would I notice any improvement by having a 480 with my E8600 as opposed to my existing 5850 with my E8600..............was considering getting the 480 now then saving for the i7 setup in the future

 

[JofaMang]

would I notice any improvement by having a 480 with my E8600 as opposed to my existing 5850 with my E8600..............was considering getting the 480 now then saving for the i7 setup in the future

I don't know, there isn't anything out there comparing the top tier videocards on dual core systems. I can't imagine that a 480 would be much better than a 5850 on an E8600, but there may be a performance difference.

 

[gonesy]

ok then thanks..............may I ask what you would do in my position? Would it be the 480 and E8600 setup or the i7 930 and 5850 in cf ? Thanks

 

[gonesy]

JofaMang thanks very much for all the input I think I will go for the i7 setup as you suggested unless you can think of any other alternatives..............thanks again

 

[JofaMang]

Between just those two options, I would take the i7 + 5850cf. The i7 is just so much stronger than an E8600, even if a 480 and CF5850 were identical in power.