Will my crappy processor bottleneck a HD 7850?

[JJ1217]

Hi guys, I've decided with a HD 7850 to play battlefield 3. My computer is fairly old (this is the first time im upgrading it since 2008), and i was wondering whether my Core 2 Duo E8400 would bottleneck a HD 7850.

If it does, I have more than enough to buy an i5, but then i'm not sure what motherboard to buy with it (my current one is 775).
Any tips would be great . I'm not a Tech expert, so if you dumb it down for me, that would be great to .

~JJ1217

 

[Sunius]

I think it's safe to assume that it will hurt your performance. Are you using DDR3 or DDR2 ram?

I'd suggest this combo:

Intel i5 2500k - $219.99
MSI Z68A-G43 - $109.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $33.99

 

[mocchan]

It MIGHT bottleneck the 7850 a little bit, I'm not too sure.

However, if you have the money to buy an i5, I would suggest upgrading to an i3-2120 and an H61 motherboard it would be the most cost effective solution in my opinion. It would roughly cost the same as getting a 3570k/2500k.

 

[JJ1217]

I honestly have no idea on how to check my ram. All i know is that i have 2gb ram. In response to Sunius, is there any way to check my ram? In reply to Mocchan, I would prefer a quad core for gaming, so although i can afford an i3 and motherboard, I would rather spend the extra money.

Thanks for the help!
~JJ1217

 

[mocchan]

A good way to check would be to download a program called CPU-Z. It can show you your exact CPU, Motherboard, and RAM

If you can spend the extra money for a quad core, go for it! By all means, yes!

Here's an example for ya

 

[Sunius]

The above poster is right and was faster than me . You can download CPU-z from www.cpuid.com

 

[JJ1217]

Agh, have parental controls on. Had to re-install windows earlier, and didn't set myself as admin. -.-

 

[JJ1217]

Ok i have DDR2. Checked my motherboard to see what it supports.

 

[Sunius]

Then you'll have to upgrade RAM as well. I'd suggest this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

 

[JJ1217]

Don't Newegg only post to America? I'm in Australia. However i'll look it up on the australian equivalent, mwave.

 

[JJ1217]

Damn, that means i also have to upgrade my motherboard.

 

[Sunius]

Wasn't that's the point? You said you wanted to upgrade to i5 .

 

[Guest]

You pretty much have to upgrade everything. Core 2 Duo and DDR2 memory are getting too old for HD 7000 series GPU and you need new motherboard to make everything work.

 

[JJ1217]

HAHA. might as well buy a new computer while im at it

 

[arnoldlouie]

I am not sure if the thread is still alive.. I have the same cpu and I found a review that has a e8400 paired with a HD 7970 and sure their is a lot of bottleneck in some games but getting a better video card can deliver a playable frame rate. You would be surprised at how the e8400 performed.. Try the 7850 first before buying a new rig. i5 2500k plus gtx 670 would be a better combination.

http://www.ocaholic.ch/xoops/html/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=816&page=11

 

[paddys09]

I am not sure if the thread is still alive.. I have the same cpu and I found a review that has a e8400 paired with a HD 7970 and sure their is a lot of bottleneck in some games but getting a better video card can deliver a playable frame rate. You would be surprised at how the e8400 performed.. Try the 7850 first before buying a new rig. i5 2500k plus gtx 670 would be a better combination.

http://www.ocaholic.ch/xoops/html/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=816&page=11

No it died quite some time ago

 

[JJ1217]

Died a fair amount ago, I'm no longer stupid about computers

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by MouseMonkey