Is my CPU bottlenecking my graphics card?

[jayray256]

Hey guys,
I've had my computer for a few months now and I was wondering if my CPU is bottlenecking my GPU and whether it is just a bit poor overall.
Here is my CPU:
http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php?products_id=136146
An AMD Phenom II X2 3.2Ghz processor.

And here is my graphics card:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004R7MTPQ/ref=asc_df_B004R7MTPQ8084525?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004R7MTPQ
Sapphire HD 6870

So two questions really:
- Is my CPU bottlenecking (videos take ages to render, games should have a few more fps)
-Should I have gone with a better graphics to processing ratio?

Thanks in advance,
J.

 

[HEXiT]

no. the 6870 doesnt have enough grunt to bottleneck a phenom 2 even if it is a low end cut down model.
chances are its your motherboard or memory thats reducing performance...
tighten the latencies on the ram and move everything off auto in bios to stock settings.

 

[clutchc]

Unlock the two dormant cores in the Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition you have, and you will see an improvement. If both cores unlock and are stable, you will have a Phenom II X4 955 (B55). It will help the HD 6870 quite a bit. I had that processor in an earlier system with the lesser HD 6850 and, when unlocked to a 955, it made a huge difference in gaming. I can only assume like improvement in video rendering. Rendering needs more cores more than it needs a faster card. As for gaming, your HD 6870 should be good for nice frame rates at 1080p and lower with the unlocked processor.