Upgrade Gaming Rig

[Slayer32163]

Amd Phenom II x4 955 4.0ghz
Biostar TA890FXE
4GB DDR3 1600 Patriot G series Sector 5
Sapphire HD 5870 2GB Eyefinity 6 Edition
Rosewill 750w xtreme series PSU
Corsair V32 32GB SSD
Western Digital 1TB black

I have $850 budget to spend on upgrading my computer to run at a higher fps in eyefinity. What would be the best upgrades?

 

[geofelt]

Are you thinking of triple monitor gaming? If so, the graphics card/s would be the first place to upgrade.

If you are worried about your cpu capability, run these two tests to clarify your options:

1) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.

2) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

 

[Slayer32163]

i already have an eyefinity setup. 5760x1080. i was looking to get either a 6990 or 590 but im sure there will be a bottleneck

 

[mdd1963]

a review of Crossfired 5870s vs an SLI pair of GTX460s from a while back...

One can be almost certain that a single 5870 will be massively GPU-limited at 5760x1080...
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/09/16/nv_gtx_460_1gb_sli_vs_ati_hd_5870_cfx_redux/2

 

[geofelt]

i already have an eyefinity setup. 5760x1080. i was looking to get either a 6990 or 590 but im sure there will be a bottleneck

There is always a bottleneck, or, I prefer to call it a limiting factor.

The real question is, how much cpu, gpu, or whatever do you need to play games to your performance standards. Some games are self limited to 60fps, or what the lcd typical refresh rate is. Do not look so much at the average or maximum fps numbers, but at the minimum, and how frequently that minimum occurs.

With eyefinity, your graphics card has to manage about 6 million pixels. You can get some idea of how it will work by looking at the 2560 x 1600 benchmarks, thye are managing 4 million pixels.

Whether amd, or nvidia, I think you are looking at dual gpu's in the 6990 or GTX590 class. Perhaps sli GTX570 or cf 6950 would be ok.
You probably need a better psu for your plans also.

I can't imagine that a 2500K would be a limiting factor in most games. It might be in something very cpu limited, like FSX.

 

[Slayer32163]

All im wondering is if in a game like Crysis 2, would a Phenom II x4 955 be a "limiting Factor" if i was running a HD 6990 or GTX 590?

 

[4745454b]

If you have that much, move to a 2500/2500K. Reuse the ram, and get a larger SSD. And yes, get another 5870.

 

[megamanx00]

Your 955BE at 4.0Ghz is not the limiting factor in your setup (at least generally). Why don't you just add another 5870 2GB? If you want 2 new cards then you have to go with two 6970s. Even so the difference won't be great compared to two 5870s. If you want to go nVidia then your only option is the GTX 590 unless you get an SLI board.