[Solved] Need help with my new build... CPU & Vid-Card

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs [Solved] Need help with my new build... CPU & Vid-Card

I currently have an ASUS P5Q-Pro mobo paired with an E8400 OC'd to 3.6Ghz, 4Gb of DDR2@1066, two WD Caviar Black 640's in RAID1, and a brand new GTX460 1GB.

I want to run games like Skyrim @1920x1080/Medium-High, but can't do so with that setup. I'm getting a lot of hiccups.

Now, I am definitely going to upgrade my mobo to a z68/1155, but I can't make up my mind on the CPU/Vid-Card combo.

1: Will an i3-2100, with the GTX460 let me run at my preferred settings? I really want an i5-2500k, but don't want to spend that much if the i3 is good enough. That way I can upgrade to Ivy Bridge late next year.

2: Would it be better to keep the 460 and go for the i5, or stick with an i3 and return the card for a GTX 560?

Any input would be appreciated! Just let me know if you guys need more information. Thanks!

Reply to xsytrance

Best answer

your video card is fine. the i5 2500k is good enough for a long time, get the 2500k don't bother with the i3 and keep the video card.

Message edited by Frizzo on 12-02-2011 at 06:16:09 PM

Reply to Frizzo

thanks frizzo, i think i will definitely get that i5. i'd like to pick your brain one more time though.

what's your opinion on crossfire vs sli? i noticed the crossfire-capable boards i am eyeing are less expensive than the sli-capable ones. since i am on a budget, i'm thinking of returning my 460 for a comparable radeon, specifically a 6850, and then x-fire sometime down the road.

i've read mixed opinions about one dual-setup being more "supported" than the other and vice-versa. i've also never owned an AMD card. what do you think? are AMD and Nvidia pretty much neck and neck right now?

Reply to xsytrance

can you paste these motherboards you are looking at? (the links)

amd has impressive graphics cards, but i'd keep the 460 over a 6850...have you ever used msi afterburner? most of those 460's have a lot of room for overclocking.

amd has great quality cards...they seem to always be haunted by drivers that aren't maxing out card potential though..

Reply to Frizzo

+1 for the i5-2500K, it overclocks very well

been using amd cards since forever, on a 6870 right now. No complaints on my side yet. the problem with amd drivers mostly come up when you crossfire so I'd recommend buying a single card than putting 2 together, that aside you'd be fine running skyrim on medium-high with a 6870 or 6850

p.s. I'm playing skyrim and it defaults to high presets with no stuttering or low frames. HD6870 and i5-750@3.6Ghz

Reply to vertical777

welcome to the forums newcomer!

when it comes to using multiple cards - you'll get what is known as micro-stutter. This will happen regardless of going through nvidias camp or amd's camp

would side with getting a GTX560Ti - if you want to return it. The 560Ti throws out less heat than the 460 and is also a good card. However you could do one better by getting a 6950 for the same price and do a shader unlock via bios to a 6970.

my personal opinion would eb to do for the single most powerful card you wallet can afford now and have it run the games until the gpu manufacturer's release something new.

speaking of which nvidia are about to announce their GTX 6xx series and AMD will announce their HD7xxx series as well.

AMD would be the way to go now - cos of prices.

skyrim isn't what you'd call a "crysis-like" gaming benchmarker for your GPU, you'll be better off running lower end cards for a game like that.

Message quoted 2 times
Message edited by Lutfij on 12-02-2011 at 07:24:21 PM

------------------------------ WC'ing prjkt | Lutfi's AMS
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Reply to Lutfij

Lutfij wrote :

my personal opinion would eb to do for the single most powerful card you wallet can afford now and have it run the games until the gpu manufacturer's release something new.

speaking of which nvidia are about to announce their GTX 6xx series and AMD will announce their HD7xxx series as well.

AMD would be the way to go now - cos of prices.

+1 to these

Reply to vertical777

actually forget about that price difference. i saw a nice xfire-only board for $70 after rebate, but it's no longer available. here are the two boards i am looking at now though, if you dont mind having a look.

I normally get my parts from newegg, but i'm in that "cant-wait-for-shipping" mood and will go straight to microcenter today. (Plus the i5 is cheaper here)

http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0364087 -
I'm more than likely getting this board. My only gripe is the lack of an internal USB 3.0 header, but it's really no big deal. Also, it's mATX... should I be worried about an mATX board getting hotter easier than an ATX board. Especially since I will be overclocking?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0374834 -
I threw this board in the mix because it has PCI-Express 3.0. So maybe in the future I can just upgrade to a PCI-X3 card instead of going SLI.

What do you think?

Reply to xsytrance

Wow guys, I took so long to type my last reply, that I didn't even get to see everyone else's replies until now. Thank you all for the feedback! I'm still very torn on what to do.

Reply to xsytrance

Lutfij wrote :

welcome to the forums newcomer!

would side with getting a GTX560Ti - if you want to return it. The 560Ti throws out less heat than the 460 and is also a good card. However you could do one better by getting a 6950 for the same price and do a shader unlock via bios to a 6970.

Thanks Lutfij. The problem with this though is that I got my 460 for about 135USD. The cards you are recommending are about $100 more than that. I'd really like to keep the costs down now, and keep my options open to maybe pay a little more later. I mentioned the 6850 as a replacement because I saw it for 140USD.

Reply to xsytrance

whats your entire budget if you'd went with the i5 - K and a gpu?

this is listed on microcenter $50 more than on newegg - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157271 it also has free shipping.

Message edited by Lutfij on 12-02-2011 at 07:51:13 PM

------------------------------ WC'ing prjkt | Lutfi's AMS
WC'ing Sticky
Power Supply+UPS
PC Build Guide + Troubleshooting
Reply to Lutfij

350 USD max... right now microcenter has the i5 for 180+tax, and like i said i paid 135 for the gtx460.

Reply to xsytrance

ok so after reading some more about micro-stuttering, i've decided i will stick with only one GPU, so i'll keep the 460 and upgrade in the future. will definitely also go with the i5-2500k. thanks guys!!

now i just need help choosing a mobo. i'm really siding with the MSI mobo i linked above, for the PCI-Ex3.0 upgrade path in the future. sigh... decisions, decisions...

Reply to xsytrance