I'm Assuming my CPU is holding my GPU back

[ViTheNumbers]

so i just ran firestrike with my 295x2 and wasn't completely satisfied with the results so i'm thinking going with an intel cpu would be best, any recommendations on which cpu and motherboard to go with??
my score
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/8494439

 

[DonkeyOatie]

That's really interesting. My Xeon 1231v3 (3.4Ghz) gets to 9600 with a GTX 970, and my i5 4690K 4.7Ghz gets to 9300, and that's on a $100 motherboard.

For US$500, you can get an i7 4790K, a decent Z97 motherboard to overclock it, and a cooler.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 54.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $497.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-07 18:56 EDT-0400

What CPU cooler do you have now?

 

[Tybost]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($192.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $510.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-07 18:55 EDT-0400

 

[ViTheNumbers]

That's really interesting. My Xeon 1231v3 (3.4Ghz) gets to 9600 with a GTX 970, and my i5 4690K 4.7Ghz gets to 9300, and that's on a $100 motherboard.

For US$500, you can get an i7 4790K, a decent Z97 motherboard to overclock it, and a cooler.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 54.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $497.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-07 18:56 EDT-0400

What CPU cooler do you have now?

I have a Deepcool captain 240
and yeah i was thinking of the 4790k with a hero vll mobo
and the guy below you gave me the same suggestion so i think i'll go with that
wondering how big of an increase i'll get on the score

 

[Tybost]

That's really interesting. My Xeon 1231v3 (3.4Ghz) gets to 9600 with a GTX 970, and my i5 4690K 4.7Ghz gets to 9300, and that's on a $100 motherboard.

For US$500, you can get an i7 4790K, a decent Z97 motherboard to overclock it, and a cooler.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 54.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $497.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-07 18:56 EDT-0400

What CPU cooler do you have now?

I have a Deepcool captain 240
and yeah i was thinking of the 4790k with a hero vll mobo
and the guy below you gave me the same suggestion so i think i'll go with that
wondering how big of an increase i'll get on the score

I checked and it said around 19,000 (i7-4790k/HERO VII/295x2

You know the scores from passmark don't really matter ;o not many people would recommend basing your computers overall potential using just passmark for gauaging. Personally I own an FX-8350 together with one 280x and the performance is satisfactory.... but I once wanted a high score as well... xD

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Ultimately, the question is not how big the number is, but how well does it do its job, how well do your games play? At 1080p 60Hz, my system does fine.

It almost seems you are using only half of your GPU, is that possible?

Even my Pentium G3258 + GTX 970 gets almost 8000

 

[jakegroves]

Have you considered overclocking you CPU harder to get better results, and try ramping up the clock on your GPU? Change your memory speeds from 889mhz ... that's pretty weird rig you got ... beasty GPU's, standard CPU and hardly overclocking it, and then some weird ass memory setup , 8gb stick 889mhz, then 2 4gb sticks 889mhz. Would reccomend upgrading them first chance you get. (alternatively they are not running at the proper speed?)

But as others said the i7 4790k and a good board and cooler will give you better results