Need advice

[lukeman005]

Hey all, so I built my computer about 7 months ago, everything is great, however, I am now getting greedy and would like some advice on potential upgrades I should get that will speed up my computer and increase my FPS in gaming significantly.

Current Specs:

-Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH

-SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

-2 days ago I purchased the newer version for my 2nd Radeon HD 6950 for crossfire (I think I made a mistake which is very annoying)
-ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
-CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
-AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
-Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
- ( I also got a 2nd hard drive, cheaper one, 350gb)
-ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
-IN WIN Dragon Rider Black 1.0 - 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
-ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor


Those are my current specs, fairly satisfied, however, I got battlefield 3, set it on ultra with 2 graphic cards and my fps was ranging from 50-73 fps. My friend suggested getting a better Mobo.

My Question to all of you: If money was not an issue (within reason, id like to not spend a lot but I also could easily spend $500+, but if its not necessary please inform me) what upgrades should I look into? I regret getting a 2nd radeon 6950 card, I should of waited and just bought a brand spankin new card but I am very impatient..waste of 250 bux! Would really appreciate some advice on upgrades, specifically to up my FPS, thanks all!

 

[Kamab]

It really doesn't seem like you'd benefit from an upgrade right now. Is your crossfire setup showing microstuttering? 6950s are said to scale with xfire pretty well. Are your drivers up to date?

Your processor is already towards the top end of AMDs processors for gaming. More RAM would probably not improve your gaming experience. Plus, your graphics cards are fairly high end.

If you are noticing microstuttering and it bothers you, take out one GFX card and try returning it or selling it on ebay. Use that money to buy a GTX 590 or a Radeon HD6990 (I don't honestly think this would be very worth it either).

 

[casualbuilder]

Thats honestly not that bad...i play LoL and my FPS range from 73-108. Im running a single GTX560.

I would recommend a GTX580 over the GTX590 due to overheating issues and massive power consumption. You won't get any performance difference on today's games, and you can upgrade to SLI in the future if you need. Also, i dont believe any gpu is worth $750...thats a mortgage payment...

 

[lukeman005]

Yeah I know, I am just very disappointed after just purchasing another 6950 card and cross firing it, and my fps not being godly.

 

[lukeman005]

I was thinking a better mobo, as well as another solid state drive, because its always full, and maybe wait till xmas or so and see if prices drop on graphic cards?

 

[casualbuilder]

While i think you made a very good buy, i have to say that BF3 is a very high CPU intensive game. an intel i5 2500k or even i7 2600k as quad cores would have performed much better, as well as an AMD 1090T or 1100T.

 

[Kamab]

Also, I haven't played it yet but for BF3 ultra settings those FPS seem very high. As in, performing as expected.

 

[casualbuilder]

If you want a good cheap mobo, get an Asrock 990FX (bottom barrel board) for $140. Great board, and has some nice features. I dont think your gpu's are any issue here. I would look at getting into intel's line though if you really like FPS's and cpu intense games like BF3, or at least upgrade to a hex-core.

 

[lukeman005]

Yes the FPS is decent, BUT getting a 2nd card only increased it by maybe 10 fps...which was not what I expected, i was hoping 80+

 

[casualbuilder]

an increase by 80+? thats a bit optomistic...

 

[Kamab]

You should look at relevant benchmarks and see if your setup is achieving more or less than what is expected. Ideally you would look at these benchmarks beforehand to figure out if an upgrade is worthwhile.

+10fps on one of the most graphic intensive titles out right now is not bad.

 

[Kamab]

I think he meant total 80+ fps, which nobody is seeing right now, even with SLI'd 580s (avg 64, max 72)

 

[casualbuilder]

I think if you went with an OC'd 1100T, or an OC'd i5 2500k, you might hit 80+ FPS, but that is still a bit optomistic. As said, BF3 is one of the most intensive games on a PC right now.

 

[lukeman005]

So do you think my problem is my motherboard? If i get a better motherboard will it put my graphic cards to potentially better use? I played wow today, and on ultra it wasn't breaking mid 30's for fps...now that is absurd.

 

[casualbuilder]

while your mobo isn't quite "up to par" with the rest of your system, i wouldnt say that this has anything to do with low fps.

 

[lukeman005]

So what do I need to upgrade?

 

[casualbuilder]

what is your resolution?

 

[casualbuilder]

Also, network latency is a huge problem with WoW. While upgrading to a 6 core cpu would help, im not sure its worth it at this point. gpu and cpu are great, and WoW gets very busy in crowded cities and 25-man raids.

 

[lukeman005]

WOW: 1920x1080
BF3: 1920x1080 60hz

Both games set on ultra, max settings.

 

[casualbuilder]

Yeah, i wouldn't worry too much about your FPS. Im running WoW on 1400 x 900 with a GTX560 and a 955BE (4.22GHz) and i see roughly 40-60FPS. I think you are just fine at a higher resolution and a slower cpu.

 

[lukeman005]

Right, but what upgrades would increase my fps for gaming is all I am asking?

 

[casualbuilder]

i5 2500k, Asrock P67 EXTREME4 Gen 3 MoBo, and GTX580.


NOT WORTH IT!

 

[lukeman005]

Why is it not worth getting?

 

[lukeman005]

I think what I will do is get the i5 2500k motherboard for now, and wait for prices to go down on the new cards coming out.

 

[casualbuilder]

the i7 2600k costs $330. the i5 2500k costs $220. If they perform almost the same why spend an extra $110? Whether on a budget or not, it seems like a waste to spend extra on the same thing.