CPU upgrade (AM3+)

[TCcomputers29]

Hi all,

I have a problem. Should I upgrade my current CPU (Phenom II 955) to a FX 8350? is my 7950 being bottle necked by my Phenom II? If I upgrade my CPU should I see an improvement in FC3, Crysis 3, Bioshock Infinite? If I do upgrade my CPU what CPU cooler do you recommend? (for OCing). Also will I notice an improvement overall in windows? (windows 7)

 

I currently have a 990FXA UD3, 4gb ram (8gb soon), 650w PSU and an Sapphire 7950 Vapor X

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

[ir_cow]

Im using a FX 8350 in another build and its plently fast but I think your 4gb of ram is causing the issues. games don't even use more than 2 cores these days. Maybe someone has a better answer but for me FX 8350 is still slower than a i5 in many things so if you are going to upgrade maybe switching platforms is a better long term solution.

 

I'm going to put my bet on the 4gb of ram being your biggest issue.

[wevsspot]

Agreed, I wouldn't do anything until you get the 8Gb memory upgrade in place and see where you're at then.

[IVIYTH0S]

Also is the 955 overclocked? That's still a solid chip if overclocked

[d6bmg]

I'll third on the low memory issue. Now-a-days, 8GB is considered to be the perfect amount to handle all daily work & gaming.

Generally Windows 7 consumes ~1.5-2GB of RAM and if you have other applications running, 4GB of RAM could easily became insufficient amount.

So, add another 4GB module or upgrade the RAM kit to 8GB and see the result.

And, even a stock Phenom II 955 won't bottleneck HD7950.

[ohldboy]

Yes, try the memory upgrade first.

Second, use a software program to "monitor" software/GPU usage. Only if you are hitting 100% CPU usage are you bottlenecking.

Third, what is your resolution and overclock? May make a difference?

[d6bmg]

^^ The word bottleneck is used way to much. Unless one couples a very high end GPU with a very low end CPUs like Athlon II X2 or Pentium chips I don't think there will be any serious bottleneck and that too in some depending games.

[ir_cow]

I disagree in a way . a bottleneck can be anything in the form of the slowest interface . generally it has been storage but CPU does a factor depending on the game

[IVIYTH0S]

My friend is still happy with an overclocked E8400 C2D and a 660Ti at 1080P

[TCcomputers29]

Sorry for my late reply (I had an assignment lol), well my CPU is not OC'ed, I was thinking of picking up 8gb ram tomorrow and an FX 8350, I do render some vids for youtube and play games at 1080p on MAX but some games lag (crysis 3 ). Will I benefit from upgrading my CPU and RAM in these departments? Also does an Athlon X2 250 cpu bottleneck a Radeon 6850?

Thanks

[d6bmg]

Yes, you will get befinit from the CPU & RAM upgrade. You can easily notice it while rendering and gaming.

[IVIYTH0S]

Are you hurting for render times?? I'd overclock your 955 first because it's free and then maybe try and find some reviews that show the kind of video format you're rendering between PII's and the FX series.