What would be the best GPU that does not bottleneck 3870k?

[talkskiwon]

Proc. A8 3870K
Ram 4Gb
GPU AMD 6650
PSU Corsair 650
Motherboard ASUS fm1 A75 v pro

So, earlier this year I build a new pc with 3870k APU just to have a budget pc.

Later this year, I saw borderlands 2 on commercial and thought this would be a great low maintenance game.

I was wrong....the game demands very good GPU to get good PhysX effect.

the game is awesome and..I am looking to upgrad my gpu. Its already crossfired with 6650 but Physx quality is really bad

I was looking at hd 6950, but would this bottleneck with my cpu?

Also I haven't overclocked my cpu and gpu yet, (don't know how to oc the cpu ) should I get it overclocked it first?

how would this improve the physX?

Any suggestions and advises are welcomed!

Lastly, my budget is like under $250.

 

[bloc97]

Your CPU, a A8-8370K is a great middle-range CPU. There won't be a really a "bottleneck", since most games cannot fully take advantage of a quad-core CPU.
Most AMD CPUs have lower IPS per core compared to Intel CPUs, but that difference in gaming is Minimal and unnoticeable.

PhysX is only used in one or two games, and is not a really great technology, it is mostly used as a marketing gimmick.

Also, take note that you cannot Hybrid-Crossfire a HD 6950 with your APU, since the 6950 is much much more powerful.
If you want a cheaper GPU, buy the 5870, it is much cheaper, and performs very well compared to the 6950.

-Hope it helps!
Bloc97

 

[talkskiwon]

Thank you so much for help. I am not expecting any crossfire. But it seems that 5870 is like $450? You mean something else?

 

[jasont78]

Thank you so much for help. I am not expecting any crossfire. But it seems that 5870 is like $450? You mean something else?

what more like it should be about 100 at the most on ebay 2nd hand i have seen 6950's for 169 new

 

[jasont78]

Your CPU, a A8-8370K is a great middle-range CPU. There won't be a really a "bottleneck", since most games cannot fully take advantage of a quad-core CPU.
Most AMD CPUs have lower IPS per core compared to Intel CPUs, but that difference in gaming is Minimal and unnoticeable.

PhysX is only used in one or two games, and is not a really great technology, it is mostly used as a marketing gimmick.

Also, take note that you cannot Hybrid-Crossfire a HD 6950 with your APU, since the 6950 is much much more powerful.
If you want a cheaper GPU, buy the 5870, it is much cheaper, and performs very well compared to the 6950.

-Hope it helps!
Bloc97

hey i like your profile pic. but not really relevant for current amds bulldozers, piledrivers, and the new apu's, etc they dont use real cores, long live the phenom 2, just had a laugh at it!

 

[bloc97]

hey i like your profile pic. but not really relevant for current amds bulldozers, piledrivers, and the new apu's, etc they dont use real cores, long live the phenom 2, just had a laugh at it!

Yes, you are true, they don't use real cores, but they at least DO use hardware, unlike Intel SMT that actually only use software to achieve more threads per core. Some people had been successful to unlock Hyperthreading on i5's and even Celerons.