Is this a reasonable build? - is cpu bottlenecking gpu?

[basch99]

My main question is that will my core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge bottleneck my HD 7970 in games? I mainly want to play games like Skyrim, Diablo 3, Crysis 2, Deus Ex, Tera, GW2, Mass Effect 3 and so forth. Since most games are CPU oriented, my i3 shouldn't be too bad right? Thank you. If Ivy Bridge i3 comes out and Nvidia Geforce GTX 680 (more avaliable) and GTX 670, I will buy those. But for now, Radeon HD 7970 serves my needs. Thank you.

NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59.99

Seagate ST310005N1A1AS-RK 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $109.99

ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" 5ms Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD Monitor w/Speakers & HDMI $159.99

XFX FX-797A-TNFC Radeon HD 7970 Core Edition 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $479.99

SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM $19.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply Unit $109.99

Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse $27.99

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $121.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GB $46.99

Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32100 $109.99

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Compatible $29.99

HDMI cable $2.99

total: $1,284.88

 

[ncc74656]

you have some serious money going into this comp and are looking to seriously cheap out on the CPU. spend the money in an I5. the I3 is a good chip but not for this kind of a build. i would buy a I5 2500 or a 2500K, the K edition is so close in price to the standard that i say its a no brainer ot buy it but if you need to cut a bit out then get the regular 2500, you can get it for 15.00 off in a combo deal with your motherboard.
if you need to save money and cant afford the 100.00 price cap in CPU i would downgrade your video card to a 7950 and over clock it a bit. you can equal the performance of the 7970 and save money.

 

[clutchc]

Here's where the 13-21xx stands in the hierarchy of gaming CPUs...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

It's one tier down from the i5-25xx processors.

 

[geofelt]

Is this a new build, or do you already have a 2120 and a 7970?

If you already have those, why not try the games first, and see how you do?

Most games are graphics card limited, not CPU limited. In which case, the i3-2120 may still serve you well.

Still, I agree with ncc74656 that the 2120 is not quite appropriate to the 7970/GTX680 class cards.

I am sure you can find places to cut to make room for a 2500K.

 

[amuffin]

i3-2100 won't really bottleneck, unless you are playing at VERY low resolutions!! You really shouldn't be buying a 7970 if you are playing at anything below 1080P 1920x1080...

 

[ohyouknow]

i3 should work fine but getting the i5 would be a better choice. GW2 might have lots of people on screen since it's an mmo so it would be a good idea to get more cores for online games like that.

 

[ncc74656]

the i5 is a very strong CPU, i would downgrade the GPU to get the 2500K. in fact i have done that very thing on some recent builds ive done. the 7950 is a very strong card and it can be easily clocked up to match a stock 7970.

 

[basch99]

Oh yeah, this is a new build - I haven't gotten these components yet. And of course I'm gaming this on the 1080p monitor that comes with my build. Do you think a core i5 2300 would suffice? Should I downgrade my RAM to save money (because the radeon hd 7950/7970 have a massive 3GB vRAM)? BTW i'm doing this build to replace a foolhardy macbook pro 13 inch purchase. I was contemplating reversing the situation - ie getting i5 2500K and HD 7950 vs i3 2100 and HD 7970. I really don't mind a i3-2100 because i'm not running multi-threaded applications that much with some light java programming. Also, I'm not an overclocking guy so the i3 is just fine for me. I'm not encoding videos and editing photos. Just a decent CPU to play games - I considered getting an FX-6100 though. Let me post a revised version of that build later. Thank you guys so far!

 

[basch99]

oh yeah, I got this CPU because it's replaceable - I'll do a CPU upgrade and mobo upgrade next year though.

 

[basch99]

Is this a new build, or do you already have a 2120 and a 7970?

If you already have those, why not try the games first, and see how you do?

Most games are graphics card limited, not CPU limited. In which case, the i3-2120 may still serve you well.

Still, I agree with ncc74656 that the 2120 is not quite appropriate to the 7970/GTX680 class cards.

I am sure you can find places to cut to make room for a 2500K.

Of course my post was a typo I meant to say GPU limited, not CPU limited - i know that an 2100 is not quite on the same level as an 7970 but it's got 3.3 gHz in dual core config. Those numbers and the wattage are very appealing to me. However, I will consider making a build with an i5 around the same price range.

 

[basch99]

Here's my modified build:

One question though: Is my 750w psu good enough - I mean 500w recommended for 7970 and 95w for cpu - what about the rest?

NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $59.99

XFX FX-797A-TNFC Radeon HD 7970 Core Edition 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $479.99

SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM $19.99

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Compatible $29.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply Unit $109.99

Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse $27.99

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $121.99

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $99.99

Acer S230HLAbii Black 23" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor $149.99

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ $39.99

Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 $179.99

Total: $1319.89 - with 20 dollar rebate
Modified Total: 1299.89

 

[ncc74656]

that PSU has the amps to run it. if you want to Xfire at some point then i would say going higher isnt a bad idea but the GPU's dont pull as much as these MFG's say. i run dual vid cards that claim to pull 500W each. fully maxed out my entire system does not use more than 720W (718.4W on average). thats a solid PSU tho, good amps, good rails, good reviews... you should be good.

 

[basch99]

BTW is it necessary to upgrade to Ivy Bridge? I don' really see a need - Sandy is good enough for the forseeable future.

 

[ncc74656]

no its not, depending on what you are running. if you are building new then perhaps its worth while but if you are building off an old platform then it might not be. for instance i run a P55 chipset 2nd gen i7 and if i go to a high end ivory i only gain 3% performance for the extra 2,000.00.

 

[basch99]

can you quote that please? what ivy is only 3% faster than sandy for an whopping 2000 dollar more (that's more than my entire build!)

btw is my core i5 2300 much better now? I realized the cringes on your faces so I upgraded to the cheapest i5 while still keeping a 7970. Thank you.

 

[geofelt]

The 500w recommendation for the 7970 includes allowance for a cpu and the normal complement of peripherals.
The card, itself uses only perhaps 200w at peak loads.

750w is plenty, and probably more than you need. The psu will only draw the wattage it needs.
If you find a good 650w unit, that will be fine too.

Your build looks good.

 

[ncc74656]

i currently run a i7 860@4.9GHhz with liquid cooling, 2133Mhz ram and dual 5870 video cards. i priced out the 9330K i7 in the build with one of the new bang MB's. it only made sense for me to upgrade my video cards vs the entire system. until intel releases a new generation i do not feel it is advisable to upgrade from any existing i7 ot the 2011 socket. perhaps from a first gen to a third gen BUT you can do more with video cards and ram on the first gen's.

 

[basch99]

The 500w recommendation for the 7970 includes allowance for a cpu and the normal complement of peripherals.
The card, itself uses only perhaps 200w at peak loads.

750w is plenty, and probably more than you need. The psu will only draw the wattage it needs.
If you find a good 650w unit, that will be fine too.

Your build looks good.

i might crossfire in the future, so 650w is more than good enough for my build? Good, I'm not going to crossfire until maybe in 3 years. Thank you.

 

[geofelt]

Since this is a new build, I have some added thoughts. The build will work well as it is, but I think you can do better.

1) If you are near a microcenter, they will sell you a ivy bridge 3570K for the same $190. Or a 2500K for $170. Either is one heck of a lot faster, even without overclocking.
Along with that, you can get a Z77 motherboard for $60. An unbeatable deal.

2) There is little advantage in upgrading current sandy bridge to ivy bridge, but for a new build, I would go with the newer chip. From newegg, you can get a 3450 ivy @3.1 for <$200. That is better than the 2300@2.8, and the ivy will be 5-10% faster per clock to boot.

3) Z77 motherboards are no more expensive. You should be able to find one for a similar price.

4) This Antec 650w psu is of top quality, will run your card with power to spare and will save you a few bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

 

[basch99]

one more question: the amd website says that and 8 pin PCI-Express connector and one 75w 6 pin PCI power connector recommended. Does my latest build with the 650W PSU / mobo meet these specifications?

my new psu is the 650w corsair enthusiast v2. Other than that everything remains the same as my latest build. Thank you!

 

[geofelt]

i might crossfire in the future, so 650w is more than good enough for my build? Good, I'm not going to crossfire until maybe in 3 years. Thank you.

In three years, there will be single cards that are stronger, cooler, and cheaper than anything we see today.
Here is my canned rant on cf/crossfire:
a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX560 or 6870 can give you great performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX560ti or 6950 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single 7970 or GTX680 is about as good as it gets.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, then sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX560ti needs a 450w psu, even a GTX580 only needs a 600w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.
A single more modern 28nm card like a 7970 or GTX680 needs only 550W.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual cards do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual card support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) cf/sli up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.

 

[geofelt]

one more question: the amd website says that and 8 pin PCI-Express connector and one 75w 6 pin PCI power connector recommended. Does my latest build with the 650W PSU / mobo meet these specifications?

my new psu is the 650w corsair enthusiast v2. Other than that everything remains the same as my latest build. Thank you!

The 650w corsair enthusiast v2 has two 6+2 pcie connectors. That means that each connector can plug into either a 6 pin or a 8 pin slot.
It also implies that the psu is capable of delivering power to two 8 pin connectors which can take up to 150w each . Good unit too.

 

[ncc74656]

crossfire/sli is more of an enthuest tool. the ability to brag about higher scores on bench marks. there is no game on the market that can not be run in 2D with a single card (crysis included). having said that, the option to buy a second card a year or two down the road and add it onto your build for a cheap upgrade is a good one. i.e. if you got a 560 2 years ago and today wanted more speed you can spend 80 bucks on craigs list on a second 560 and equal brand new 500.00 cards or today.

if you ever plan to run 3D on games then you need more than one card. even the GTX 680's are not able to run games maxed out in 3D solo.

 

[basch99]

so your're saying that I should wait for a few years and get the new fatest single gpu that is faster than crossfire HD 7970 now? If that's your're case then that sounds good, however mobo and cpu maybe ram and other stuff will need to be upgraded. I'm post my Ivy Bridge build soon. Thank you!

 

[ncc74656]

my case is that you can use dual GPU soultions to save money in the future, it takes quite a while for a single GPU to catch up to dual GPU speeds. even today a single 680 is damn near equal in games like crysis warhead and metro 2033 to dual 560ti's. however you dont always need to build a new system. if you save some money on the video card now such as buying the 7950 then you can afford a better CPU like the i5 2600K. this would give you a stronger platform to upgrade from and while its not the fastest thing out there would you really max it out? buying the absoult best product in the top tier on the market is great for braging rights if you have extra cash, but if you are on any kind of a budget then its just wasting money.

in the end its your money so do with it as you wish, all i can tell you is in my experience and if it were my build i would buy the i5 K edition so its easily over clock able if i needed more speed and the 7950 (which i just bought last night to replace my 5870) because there is no game the 7950 cant run and it will match the speed of a 7970 if you OC it.

having a strong CPU and MB is the key to a future proof build, ram is cheap to upgrade and adding a video card can be relativity inexpensive as well. i do agree however that if you are building from the ground up that ivy is a good way to go.

good luck