HD 7850 2GB - Disappointed with performance

[bunchable]

Hello all - I just upgraded my 4 year old PC with an HD7850 GPU and am sadly disappointed with the performance improvements. Doubtless this is due to the other out of date components. I would just like some advice on how to make the most of the new GPU - and what other bits to upgrade?

Here's my current spec:
Intel core 2 duo E8500 CPU
500W PSU
GA-P35-DS3L motherboard
4GB (4x1) Corsair 800mhz DDR2 Ram
HD7850 2GB GPU
Windows 7 32 bit

any advice most welcome - thanks

 

[renz496]

try overclock your cpu to reduce the bottlenecking effect. plus it is better to use 64bit OS with your system. lastly what is your psu brand?

 

[beavermml]

i dont think OC the CPu will eliminate the problem much... even my aging 4870 is bottlenecked by CPU e8400 ( 4.0ghz ) in recent games. by the time i swap it with 2500K, the bottleneck shifted to the GPU.

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

Would an extra 2G ram help a bit ? Not sure with the slow cpu, but i saw a big improvement going from 4 to 6. I have a better cpu tough )

 

[rdc85]

It much a cpu bound i think, as other said u may wanna try to O.C. but make sure u know the risk and do some research first.

Could u try increase the resolution / detail to move the work more towards the GPU...

There not much else to do, except u were willing to build new rig..

edit: to use 4+ gig ram u will need to reinstall 64 bit os

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

It much a cpu bound i think, as other said u may wanna try to O.C. but make sure u know the risk and do some research first.

Could u try increase the resolution / detail to move the work more towards the GPU...

There not much else to do, except u were willing to build new rig..

edit: to use 4+ gig ram u will need to reinstall 64 bit os

Ah, sh.., forgot about that

 

[rdc85]

bottlenecked by cpu and ram

His build actually prety well/balanced good combi in it's time..

Since he tips his balance by change the gpu, not much else to do except up the proc a bit.

I'm somewhat don't agree to add ram or o.c ram, since it DDR2 800 already good for the E8500 (well balaced). It will waste of money and cannot be moved to DDR3 board...

 

[Kamen_BG]

His build actually prety well/balanced good combi in it's time..

Not really.If you wan't good performance you should never use single channel memory.That's his main bottleneck.
Get another memory module!!!That should be your first priority.
And then when youve got one you should overclock your CPU.Problem solved.

 

[renz496]

problem solved? i don't think so. currently he is using 32bit OS. adding more RAM will doesn't mean anything when his current system cannot use more than 4GB RAM (VGA RAM included). btw i assume you're suggesting he was using 1 stick of DDR2 RAM. he does not clarify other than (4x1) so i assume he was using 4 sticks of 1GB DDR2 RAM lol. if he really did get all his RAM 4 years ago i think it is more logical to assume he was using 4 sticks of 1GB DDR2 RAM but we need him to clarify this himself to be sure. also psu can be the culprit if the 500w unit he is using right now are already starts to failing or he simply using cheap quality psu from cheap brand

 

[bunchable]

Hi again, yes I have 4x 1GB Ram....
I don't recall the brand of PSU that I got when I bought the new GPU - it was just the one they recommended in PC world.
Is it really worth all the hassle of installing Windows 7 64 bit to increase the ram capacity (I think I will max out at 8GB whatever and I think my Motherboard only supports DDR2 800mhz anyway).
How about a poll on whether I should build a new rig or look into a complete CPU, MOBO, RAM upgrade?

(I think I already know the answer deep down really)

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

Yeah, the first one :lol:

 

[renz496]

to get the outmost of your new gpu going for new build is the best choice. but i you can't afford to do so right now OCing the cpu is one way of reducing the bottlenecking effect that you currently have. but first getting 64bit OS takes priority to fully utilize all your available RAM. if you want to keep your current OS then take out 2GB of RAM from your current system though i did not recommend doing so.

 

[bunchable]

Not done any OCing before - I only have a bog-standard Heatsink & Fan to play with too.
Is it fairly safe? I know you have to go into the BIOS but that's about all.

any tips/settings welcome

 

[geekapproved]

Your running your memory in single channel mode on a dual channel mobo, that hurts performance.

Also your cpu is way to slow to keep up with 7850.

I'd say your gpu is probably disappointed more with your computer, than you are with your gpu.

 

[renz496]

if you were interested to OC your current system maybe you can make a thread in OC section seeking for advice. but for sure you're going to need after market cooler for your cpu. so in the end it might cost you some money but if you don't have the money to get entirely new system right now that it is a cheap way to get better performance from your system

 

[bunchable]

Sorry, I don't know what this means - please explain:
'Your running your memory in single channel mode on a dual channel motherboard'

What can I do to change this if it will help?

I have 4 ram units of 1GB each (so all available slots are used)

 

[bunchable]

so having 2 RAM units of 2GB each would improve performance from having 4 RAM units of 1GB each?

This would cost me £40-£50 I reckon - will the improvement be worth it?

 

[nbelote]

Ideally, since you have 1 4GB stick already, your best option is to get another 4GB stick and put it in the same colored RAM slot. You would need to change to a 64 bit OS to use it, but it would be beneficial in the long run.

 

[kanoobie]

I'd say your gpu is probably disappointed more with your computer, than you are with your gpu.

got to agree with this; maybe if you give us a budget to work with we can come up with some replacement parts

 

[Sunius]

No, don't buy them. For some reason people thought you're using 1 stick of 4GB, not 4 sticks of 1 GB.

What exactly you don't like in performance? What games are you running at what settings and how many frames per second are you getting?

That CPU should not bottleneck too hard, my friend has E7500 and he just bought GTX 560 - the performance increase was tremendous.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Your running your memory in single channel mode on a dual channel mobo, that hurts performance.

Also your cpu is way to slow to keep up with 7850.

I'd say your gpu is probably disappointed more with your computer, than you are with your gpu.

+1.
The performance of the card isn't properly represented with that old system.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Would an extra 2G ram help a bit ? Not sure with the slow cpu, but i saw a big improvement going from 4 to 6. I have a better cpu tough )

The 2gb of ram wont help if the card only runs at 60% capacity due to a CPU bottleneck

 

[bunchable]

Hi - I've tried Saints Row 3 and Crysis 2 so far - the auto configure on saints row put the settings at 'ultra', but it's choppy as hell (don't know the actual fps). Crysis 2 manages to look good when I'm not moving, but becomes almost unplayable at the first sniff of action - jumps around all over the place.

Here's my current spec in case you didn't see the start of the thread:
Intel core 2 duo E8500 CPU
500W PSU
GA-P35-DS3L motherboard
4GB (4x1GB) Corsair 800mhz DDR2 Ram
HD7850 2GB GPU
Windows 7 32 bit

 

[vrumor]

OC your CPU or buy new CPU/mobo/RAM.

 

[jdwii]

Hi - I've tried Saints Row 3 and Crysis 2 so far - the auto configure on saints row put the settings at 'ultra', but it's choppy as hell (don't know the actual fps). Crysis 2 manages to look good when I'm not moving, but becomes almost unplayable at the first sniff of action - jumps around all over the place.

Here's my current spec in case you didn't see the start of the thread:
Intel core 2 duo E8500 CPU
500W PSU
GA-P35-DS3L motherboard
4GB (4x1GB) Corsair 800mhz DDR2 Ram
HD7850 2GB GPU
Windows 7 32 bit

Like the others said you need to upgrade your CPU even 200$ will get you a new board+CPU+Ram that will be better then what you have now.