I3 2120 bottle neck radeon 7770?

[Rawbunnie]

Hey guys im just putting together my first build. Ive been reading about the whole cpu and gpu thing and how for most modern games they depend much more on the gpu. so, ive taken peoples advice and since im on a tight budget ive spent less on the cpu and gotten a better gpu. So. my only consern is that the i3 2120 will limit the 7770's abilities.

Intel® Core™ i3-2120 Processor 3M Cache 3.30 GHz

ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

MSI R7770-PMD1GD5 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5

Please tell me what you think!

(I am planning to play games like BF3, mw2, minecraft etc- If you can would someone tell me what kind of frames could i get on these games?)

 

[FinneousPJ]

No it's fine.

 

[Onus]

I think those parts are pretty well balanced. Keeping in mind that there is always a bottleneck (the part that most limits performance), I think the HD7770 will likely be the limiting factor in most games. Fortunately, graphical settings tend to have the most variability, so turning some things down will let you play on, still with "good" settings.
I realize you are on a tight budget, but if possible, I'd suggest getting a more advanced mobo, such as http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157335 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157329 for 1) Ivy Bridge support, 2) USB 3.0, and 3) SATA 6Gb/s.
Are future upgrades a possibility, or is this it? You don't list your PSU; hopefully it is a quality unit. A 380W Antec Earthwatts, 430W Corsair Builder, or (if you're a stickler for efficiency as I can be) a 360W Seasonic 360GP would all be sufficient for this rig, as is. If future upgrades are a possibility, it would be cheaper in the long run to get a decent 500W-600W PSU now.

 

[Rawbunnie]

ive got a CORSAIR Builder Series 430W. I originally wanted to get another 7770 to crossfire but i still can find a mobo within my budget. I aslo do not expect ot play all games at max graphics, just to have a system good enough to still have fun with. what difference does USB 3.0 adn SATA 6gb/s make?

 

[NoUserBar]

SATA 6gbs makes a difference for connection speed to ssds mostly. And if you want to use hard drives for external storage USB 3.0 is the fastest way. I read a review that stated 29 mbs for USB2 and 80+ mbs for USB3. Not everything uses USB3 yet, but it's compatible with USB2 and lower so no downside there.

 

[sarinaide]

They are on a parity with each other, the 7770 while yes being a lower end mainstream card packs enough punch to deliver performance of respectable levels while the i3 is a respectable CPU. you should be able to run both to the max delivering best possible FPS.

 

[InvalidError]

Which component bottlenecks which depends on game, resolution, quality settings and a few other parameters. You can bottleneck a HD7970 with a P4 if you push GPU-heavy details high enough and you can bottleneck an i7-3770 with a HD5770 if you drop details and resolution low enough.

The real questions are where the balance between the two lies on a game-by-game basis and whether or not that balance is good enough for you.

 

[Onus]

I think an i3 + HD7770 will provide decent settings for at least a few years. You could always put a dollar a day into a jar (one less soda to dissolve your teeth) and in eight months or so upgrade to a HD7850 (which will run on that PSU).

 

[Rawbunnie]

ya i was thinking about upgrading later on if needed. can a 7850 really run on my psu???

 

[InvalidError]

The 7850 should bring your peak power in the 300-350W range, which should still be safely within the CX430's comfort zone.

 

[esrever]

ya i was thinking about upgrading later on if needed. can a 7850 really run on my psu???

yes. even a 7870 shouldn't be a problem.

 

[esrever]

The 7850 should bring your peak power in the 300-350W range, which should still be safely within the CX430's comfort zone.

With an i3, the peak power would be below 250W...

 

[Rawbunnie]

How would my i3 2120 do with a hd7850?

 

[Rawbunnie]

also, how substatually would a hd7850 step up my frame rate?

 

[esrever]

also, how substatually would a hd7850 step up my frame rate?

the 7850 is a pretty big upgrade to the 7770, it is 50% faster. The i3 has no problem with a 7850.

 

[amuffin]

You'd be fine up to a 7950.

 

[mohit9206]

since you guys believe that an i3 is good for upto a 7950 i wanted to ask how my pentium g630 would pair with such cards ?

 

[Rawbunnie]

Cool, thanks so much for the help guys!

 

[InvalidError]

since you guys believe that an i3 is good for upto a 7950 i wanted to ask how my pentium g630 would pair with such cards ?

Not all games are created equal. While a lot will run fine on Pentium Gxxxx or i3, a few like BF3 need more oomph than that for optimal results through their worst-case scenarios and it is likely that the number of games falling in this category will increase over time.

IMO, i3 is a much safer medium-term (2-3 years) choice.