GPU for this CPU?

[kidersxbulwark]

Would an HD 6870 be too powerful for my AMD Athlon II 630 x4 @ 2.8Ghz?

 

[mdd1963]

There is really no such thing as 'too powerful' of a GPU for most cpus, assuming you have 'enough' processor', but, some cpus do outframe others, and significantly so.

Instead, most folks wonder/worry if the rig is eitgher overly 'cpu limited' or gpu limited', which is much less of a concern at 1920x1080 than it is at 1280x1024. 'Some' cpu scaling still ocurs even at 1920x1080, and, very little at 2560x1600.

Have a look at 'moderate' resolution cpu scaling benchmarks, and then decide for yourself if a cpu or cpu/mb combo upgrade might be warranted. A cpu/mb upgrade might indeed boost your framerate by40-50% if you play at modest resolutions of 1280x1024....

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4310/amd-phenom-ii-x4-980-black-edition-review/7

 

[vilenjan]

No you will be fine, but unless you plan on overcloking or jumping to a 1080p monitor anytime soon, the 6870 will be the end game for your CPU.

If you can get the X4 to around 3.2Ghz, I can see it supporting a 6950 no problem.

 

[geekapproved]

You'll be ok but I wouldn't get anything faster than that without overclocking the cpu.

I see no reason you shouldn't be running that thing at 3.2ghz. 400mhz is a small overclock.

You can test for a bottleneck like this. When you get the card, install the latest driver and reboot, then run a benchmark. Then overclock the cpu and run the benchmark again, if you see a difference, then you were cpu limited.

 

[jjb8675309]

you will be a bit cpu limited at stock I would guess but like people have said with a small overclock that can likely be eliminated, I would have no worries running a 630 oc'ed and a 6870