Bottleneck?

[jchinn81]

I think a component in my system is bottlenecking me I do believe and I have no idea how to isolate it. I'm hoping someone can help.

Current specs are:
Windows xp
AMD athlon 64 3800+ lima 2.3 ghz
2 1 gig kingston pc-5300 ddr2 5-5-5-15
xfx hd 4350
jetway m26gt4 v2 motherboard


If I do have a bottleneck, what would you replace first? Then second? and so on.
Maybe this will help a little. I mostly run games.

 

[Snipergod87]

I would think the 4350, but that entire system will limit you pretty badly. That is a single core CPU. Even if you do get a better GPU you wont see any difference because of the CPU. And if you get a better CPU you wont see much of a difference becase of the GPU..

I would replace both the CPU/GPU and worry about the RAM later. Looks like that motherboard will take AM3 CPU's, but only ones with a 65 watt TDP.

 

[mattimeo005]

I think you're using the term "bottleneck" incorrectly. All of your components are about the same performance level, and actually go well together. A bottleneck is when one or more of your components is significantly more powerful than another, and thus the less powerful component prevents the more powerful one from reaching its full potential.

Anyways, if you want to run modern games at high resolutions and details, you will pretty much need to upgrade your entire system. I would start with a new motherboard and cpu, as a new cpu will allow you to play most games at lower resolutions with the 4350. After that, if you want better graphical quality, you will need to upgrade your gfx card as well.

 

[jchinn81]

Wow you guys are fast and very knowledgeable. Thank you for giving me some incite. I have about a $200 budget and looking to upgrade. So my ram is ok. I need to focus on a new cpu, motherboard, and video card in that order. Thank you so much.

Well, knowing I'm spending around $200, could you guys maybe give me some recommendations on what cpu+motherboard to buy?

 

[geofelt]

You have a nicely balanced system, so don't expect magic from a single component upgrade.
The best single upgrade is to the video card because it can be carried forward without loss to a later upgrade.
I think you need a multi core cpu, and more ram also.

But first, run these two tests to help clarify your options:

1) Run your games, but reduce the resolution and eye candy to a minimum. This will simulate what will happen if you upgrade to a stronger graphics card. If your FPS improves, it indicates that your cpu is capable of driving a stronger graphics card to higher levels of FPS.

2) Keeping your graphics resolution and settings the same, reduce your cpu power. Do this by removing the overclock, or by using windows power management to set a maximum cpu% of perhaps 70%. If your FPS drops significantly, it indicates that your current cpu is a limiting factor, and that a faster cpu would help.