Best Graphic Card that won't bottleneck my fx-4100?

[Ryan_BsUnK1209]

Hi all!

I just want to know what the best graphic card i could buy that won't bottleneck my fx 4100 processor. I currently have a 550ti that runs okay but i want more performance for the games that are coming out.

I am thinking of just getting another 550ti for $90 and sli it and save some money but I want more opinions.

And yes! I should've bought an intel processor but now its too late so don't suggest it, I am not willing to pay for another motherboard and a processor. I just want to the best graphic card for my processor.

 

[blazorthon]

A Radeon 6870 or 7850 should be fine on that CPU so long as you overclock if you play any CPU-bottle-necked games. If the CPU is still a problem in any games, then you could also overclock the CPU/NB frequency (controls L3 cache frequency) and get some significant performance gains beyond mere CPU frequency overclocks. You could easily step up to even better cards depending on the games that you play.

 

[gamerkila57]

a GTX 670 or HD 7950

 

[oxford373]

fx4100,phenome II X4 955,i3-2100 all these CPUs aren't bottleneck for any single graphics card .

 

[blazorthon]

fx4100,phenome II X4 955,i3-2100 all these CPUs aren't bottleneck for any single graphics card .

It depends on the situation. Try saying that after playing BF3 MP on any of those CPUs at stock. Anyone who wants a 120Hz/3D setup would also do well to avoid them. For most games in most uses, they're fine, but not always.

 

[gamerkila57]

It depends on the situation. Try saying that after playing BF3 MP on any of those CPUs at stock. Anyone who wants a 120Hz/3D setup would also do well to avoid them. For most games in most uses, they're fine, but not always.

i play BF3 64mp all the time with no problems not at stock though

Edit: I do highly recommend Overclocking your cpu though

 

[Kamen_BG]

Let me assure you you'd get twice the FPS you're getting now if you bough/OC'd a FX 8120 or 2500K.

And now to the real question.I think you'll be fine with any card below the HD 7950.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-7970-cpu-scaling-performance-review/
Your CPU is pretty much as good as the Athlon 645 in the article.

 

[oxford373]

maybe these CPUs will be bottleneck 30% for a game or tow,does he have to care about that ,also i think i5-2500 is only necessary for SLI or CF.

 

[ohyouknow]

7850 is a good choice at around 200 bills and will be fine with your setup. Don't fret over bottlenecking so much. Game on and enjoy.

 

[blazorthon]

what it will only be about 5-15% which you really won't notice

EditKamen_Bg The FX 4170 is on par with a Phenom II 955 not a Athlon II 645

The FX-4170 at stock is actually much closer to the stock Phenom II x4 980, probably a little ahead of it.

 

[gamerkila57]

maybe these CPUs will be bottleneck 30% for a game or tow,does he have to care about that ,also i think i5-2500 is only necessary for SLI or CF.

what it will only be about 5-15% which you really won't notice

EditKamen_Bg The FX 4170 is on par with a Phenom II 955 not a Athlon II 645

 

[oxford373]

i said that about 0.1% of games not for every game.

 

[blazorthon]

i said that about 0.1% of games not for every game.

Go back, read your post, and try saying that again. I'm not trying to offend you, but you said FX, Phenom II, and i3 won't bottle-neck any game and that simply isn't necessarily true.

 

[oxford373]

(maybe these CPUs will be bottleneck 30% for a game or tow,does he have to care about that ,also i think i5-2500 is only necessary for SLI or CF.)what i meant about game or tow is battlefield MP and any other game that would be huge bottleneck and i don't know about it

 

[gamerkila57]

(maybe these CPUs will be bottleneck 30% for a game or tow,does he have to care about that ,also i think i5-2500 is only necessary for SLI or CF.)what i meant about game or tow is battlefield MP and any other game that would be huge bottleneck and i don't know about it

like i stated above BF3 is was of the games i play the most when i tested it with a HD 7950 @1920x1080 Ultra no AA gpu usage was around 80-90 and cpu usage 70-84

 

[photonboy]

QUICK ANSWER:
Here's three awesome cards from about $200 to $300
(HD7850, HD7870, GTX660Ti)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121656

*the GTX660Ti is $300 but it also comes with Borderlands 2 which is $60 so that is actually a really awesome deal if you want this game.

Long answer:
As mentioned, it's going to completely VARY by the game. The BETTER the graphics card, the more likely it is that the CPU will be bottlenecked by a game.

So SOME GAMES will play better with the GTX660Ti whereas some others will be CPU bottlenecked and play about the same with ALL THREE of my recommended graphics cards.

ADVICE:
- Get the best VALUE for your budget, up to a GTX660Ti (see benchmarks)
- overclock the CPU within the recommended safety
- get a CPU heatsink/fan (about $30) if you only have a stock one
- have between 4GB and 8GB of RAM

other:
ABOUT SLI:
SLI and Crossfire introduce micro-stutter. This is most obvious with two lower-end cards like 2x550Ti. It's at it's least (but not gone completely) with 3xSLI with higher-end cards.

I really don't recommend SLI.

 

[blazorthon]

The Radeon 7950 is better than the 660 Ti at about the same price (some are the same price) and also has a free $60 game, Sleeping Dogs.

 

[Ryan_BsUnK1209]

like i stated above BF3 is was of the games i play the most when i tested it with a HD 7950 @1920x1080 Ultra no AA gpu usage was around 80-90 and cpu usage 70-84

So should be good enough for a 550ti sli or should i just get a 660ti? Also I play on a 1920x1080 resolution and my CPU is over clocked at 4.05 ghz with a stock fan, do you suggest I go up tp 4.6 ghz with a aftermarket cooler?

 

[Ryan_BsUnK1209]

QUICK ANSWER:
Here's three awesome cards from about $200 to $300
(HD7850, HD7870, GTX660Ti)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121656

*the GTX660Ti is $300 but it also comes with Borderlands 2 which is $60 so that is actually a really awesome deal if you want this game.

Long answer:
As mentioned, it's going to completely VARY by the game. The BETTER the graphics card, the more likely it is that the CPU will be bottlenecked by a game.

So SOME GAMES will play better with the GTX660Ti whereas some others will be CPU bottlenecked and play about the same with ALL THREE of my recommended graphics cards.

ADVICE:
- Get the best VALUE for your budget, up to a GTX660Ti (see benchmarks)
- overclock the CPU within the recommended safety
- get a CPU heatsink/fan (about $30) if you only have a stock one
- have between 4GB and 8GB of RAM

other:
ABOUT SLI:
SLI and Crossfire introduce micro-stutter. This is most obvious with two lower-end cards like 2x550Ti. It's at it's least (but not gone completely) with 3xSLI with higher-end cards.

I really don't recommend SLI.

This is the best reply so far.

 

[blazorthon]

So should be good enough for a 550ti sli or should i just get a 660ti? Also I play on a 1920x1080 resolution and my CPU is over clocked at 4.05 ghz with a stock fan, do you suggest I go up tp 4.6 ghz with a aftermarket cooler?

The 660 Ti's GPU is like six times faster than the GTX 550 TI's GPU, yet they have the same memory interface. Do not get the 660 Ti. The memory bandwidth bottle-neck is huge on that card. GTX 550 Ti SLI is also bad for micro-stutter and such reasons. The GTX 670 is the only high-end Nvidia card worth buying from the Kepler series right now and the Radeon 7950 is the better card than the 660 Ti at the same price, especially for overclocking.

 

[gamerkila57]

So should be good enough for a 550ti sli or should i just get a 660ti? Also I play on a 1920x1080 resolution and my CPU is over clocked at 4.05 ghz with a stock fan, do you suggest I go up tp 4.6 ghz with a aftermarket cooler?

in my opinion the GTX 550 Ti's are horrible cards so go for a GTX 660 Ti or HD 7950

and yes to get the most performance from your cpu i highly recommend overclocking your cpu with an aftermarket cooler

 

[Ryan_BsUnK1209]

Best answer selected by Ryan_BsUnK1209.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey