Upgrading from Phenom x4 965 to i5 3470, worth it?

[Smeg45]

I've rebuilt my main gaming system into a CM Storm Trooper case and a Windforce 7950. I left the CPU + Mobo alone ( a 965 OC to 3.8GHz on a 790GX chipset with the northbridge pumped to 2.4Ghz) as I thought it would be sufficient. Now I'm replaying some games like Crysis 2, Metro 2033 and Saint's Row 3 (for a start) and I can see FPS wildly dipping all over the place from 35 to 45 to 50 and back down. I'm certain its the 965. So I still have cash left over and was thinking of going for a 3470. I won't overclock (I only overclocked the 965 because it is aging) and will be paring it with Gigabyte's H77M-D3H. Will the stock cooler be sufficient? Good upgrade choice that will last for a while yet?

 

[davemaster84]

A 7950 isn't the best card out there you know, I've crysis 2 (dx11 and high res texture pack) and when maxxed out with my gtx 680 and my 955be at 3.8 it runs at 60 average, sometimes 80 and even sometimes 40 (very few times, mostly when entering big scenarios) . I think it would be better to keep your 965 and maybe upgrade to a 7970 ghz edition, that would be an upgrade. Regards

 

[Smeg45]

Not here. I average 35-40, spiking up to 50+. A 7950 is also more than enough for what I want to run, and a 7970 would be an idiotic upgrade. More input please!

 

[nekulturny]

Metro 2033 has FPS rates all over the place no matter what CPU and GPU you use it seems. See here, its a complete cluster-f... no matter what.

Crysis 2 I've found on the rig in my sig is fairly stable, I play Ultra settings 1280x1024. Saints Row, is a game I've never heard of, nor have I ever played.

But as a rule, no I don't think "upgrading the CPU" to a 3470 and buying a new motherboard to complement it will be a worthwhile upgrade. Yes the 3470 is a better CPU, but its shouldn't matter. MOST games care more about the video card than the CPU.. What detail settings and resolutions are you playing in?

 

[Smeg45]

1080p. Crysis 2 I mentioned earlier, with my setup, frames shouldn't be dipping that much. Even that graph you posted, the i5 is 10FPS+. I think I'll spring for it. The 965 is getting creaky and old and the 3470 eliminates any bottleneck. Any other thoughts?

 

[nekulturny]

Frames will dip on Metro 2033 always. I've played the game extensively on both an i5-2300 system and my Phenom II system..

As far as springing for the i5 and a motherboard to go with it, honestly it will not be a worthwhile upgrade, but its your money. Do what you want. But again, almost all of the 1000s of games on the market are limited by the video card, not the CPU.

You mention FPS dips. Now, that leads me to wonder if you're looking at FRAPs. Do you actually notice lower gaming performance, or is the only reason you're noticing anything at all is because FRAPs drops. Theres a lot of people who honestly would have no reason to complain about their gaming performance if they didn't have benchmarks lol. They're useful up to a point, but then it gets to a point where you're just pipe dreaming for perfection.

http://www.techspot.com/review/379-crysis-2-performance/page8.html

Crysis 2 with a GTX 590 @ 1920x1200, runs on a Phenom II 980 average 61 FPS. which leads me to suggest if you are not satisfied with your performance to consider a 2nd 7850 crossfire or a better single card and see if that gives you the performance you're looking for before dropping money on a CPU and mobo. If you're gonna upgrade, start with the thing that is most likely to affect game performance, in your case, this is the video card.

 

[Smeg45]

Hmmm, I just upgraded to a 7950 last week. The CPU + mobo is the last part left to upgrade. I'll think on it further.

 

[dudewitbow]

it would be cheaper to buy piledriver than to buy i5-3470+mobo imo


then i realize its am3, ill move along now. disregard my comment. (though if you want an upgrade, imo save for the next intel platform, or wait for ddr4 ram to be readily made)

 

[Smeg45]

it would be cheaper to buy piledriver than to buy i5-3470+mobo imo


then i realize its am3, ill move along now. disregard my comment. (though if you want an upgrade, imo save for the next intel platform, or wait for ddr4 ram to be readily made)

Always something to wait for

Over here an i5 3470 is $45 cheaper than a 3570K ($189) and a H77 is $85. Its not a huge pile of money. Hmmm, decisions decisions. I'll do some more testing and decide this week.