Whats my bottleneck?

Mungrel25 · 15th July 2010, 2:25 PM

Hello, I've just upgraded to a 1920x1200 LCD and my games FPS has taken a hit. Currently have E8400 CPU and GTX 260-216. Which one would be causing the FPS drop?
Would I better off to upgrade my cpu to I5 750 or my gpu to a HD5850
thanks.

Ravennoir · 15th July 2010, 2:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mungrel25

Hello, I've just upgraded to a 1920x1200 LCD and my games FPS has taken a hit. Currently have E8400 CPU and GTX 260-216. Which one would be causing the FPS drop?
Would I better off to upgrade my cpu to I5 750 or my gpu to a HD5850
thanks.

What were you running before ? it does take a bit of power to run 1920x1200

what are you pre and post upgrade FPS rates ?

Maldark · 15th July 2010, 2:29 PM

At larger resolutions the graphics card is always the main contender. I'd get the HD 5850 and overclock the crap out of your E8400, you should see some decent gains then.

ysu · 15th July 2010, 2:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mungrel25

Hello, I've just upgraded to a 1920x1200 LCD and my games FPS has taken a hit. Currently have E8400 CPU and GTX 260-216. Which one would be causing the FPS drop?
Would I better off to upgrade my cpu to I5 750 or my gpu to a HD5850
thanks.

First of all; some games need more cpu some need more gfx, there's no clear answer to your question.

Having said that, in my experience the graphics memory can be a main issue with large resolutions.

The other thing;
The cpu can be overclocked I reckon, but the gfx card won't take much.

I'd suggest looking at
- turning extras down for a start (shadow qualities and fsaa can take up a lot, and you don't really need high AA on such high resolutions)
- also try o/c'ing the cpu, (see if it helps)
- maybe try reducing the number of pre-rendered frames (they sit in the gfx memory as well)

and see how things go.

But I think in your case the gfx upgrade makes more sense, that cpu is a pretty powerful one.

Mungrel25 · 15th July 2010, 2:48 PM

Thank you for your replies. I was running about 30-35fps at 1680x1050 maxed options on all games. Not huge fps but I could handle it. Now at 1920x1200 I get 10-24fps and notice the difference. Games like Bad Company 2, Age of Conan. I like to run my games at max quality.
I was going to upgrade one or the other just didn't know which one would help me the most.
Thanks again I grab a HD 5850. are the Sapphire Toixc's worth the extra $$$?

slyls1 · 15th July 2010, 2:53 PM

Yes i can confirm that an e8400 and 5850 are not too shabby at 1920x1080.

However i think the cpu is bottle necking the card at the speeds im running it (in sig)

Then again an i5 750 and a 5850 OC'ed is a killer combo. best bang for buck around i reckon

mevereyn · 15th July 2010, 4:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maldark

At larger resolutions the graphics card is always the main contender. I'd get the HD 5850 and overclock the crap out of your E8400, you should see some decent gains then.

+1

I'm still using a 775 processor (same stock speed, but quad) but with a 5800 series card. Games, in my experience so far, love the combo. No need (for me) to upgrade the CPU just yet.

I'd recommend the straight Sapphire 5850 @ ~$350 from PCCG, but there might be even better deals out there. StaticIce ftw.

Yamunsa · 15th July 2010, 5:08 PM

if you have the e84 running at stock i agree with the others - clock it

ayles · 15th July 2010, 6:52 PM

+1 oc the the cpu
then add 5850

max settings for those games no problems!

Ravennoir · 15th July 2010, 7:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yamunsa

if you have the e84 running at stock i agree with the others - clock it

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayles

+1 oc the the cpu
then add 5850

max settings for those games no problems!

OC the CPU and see if you have an increase in Frames, then you will know that the CPU is holding the Gfx back

$3@N · 15th July 2010, 8:03 PM

+ for overclocking CPU

Whats the rest of your system?

Mungrel25 · 16th July 2010, 12:27 PM

Thanks for the advice. System is;
Intel E8400 factory clock 3.0Ghz and heat sink
GTX 260 216sp OC
4GB Corsair Dominator RAM
Corsair 650W PSU
Win 7 x64
NZXT Tempest.

To be honest I've never OC a cpu before. Found a good guide on the net to oc E8400. Would I need a better heat sink or factory will be fine?

ayles · 16th July 2010, 12:46 PM

Factory will be ok for alittle bump in voltage, raise the volts further and youll find the thermal limit of the heatsink.

If you buy a 775 heatsink for $50 that will get you 3.8+ghz, maybe 4.0? maybe 4.4

Yamunsa · 16th July 2010, 12:59 PM

stock will be fine for a mild oc. the easiest start is to go in to your bios and change the fsb from 333 to 400. set your vcore or vid, depending on your bios terminology, to 1.32v and leaving everything on auto it will move your cpu to 3.6ghz.

run either prime, everest or occt's stress test to confirm stability and that your temps do not exceed 70 degrees for the duration of a 4 hour test.

if you make it to the end of 4 hours you can pretty much be sure that everything is ok. (some people say 1h some say 12hrs. 4hrs has always been fine for me).

the best advice is to do some reading, run some conservative testing and see how it goes. what your asking of the machine is nothing in the extreme and it should be a fun introduction to overclocking.

GL

Don.0.1 · 16th July 2010, 2:44 PM

I have a GTX 260 core 216 and an i3 540 and I get around 40 fps in bad comnpany 2 at high settings
The i3 is overclocked to 4ghz but this has not had a huge difference to bad company except that it loads faster

I agree with the others try overclocking your cpu and if it doesn't help get the 5850

15th July 2010, 2:25 PM	#1
Mungrel25 Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 8	Whats my bottleneck? Hello, I've just upgraded to a 1920x1200 LCD and my games FPS has taken a hit. Currently have E8400 CPU and GTX 260-216. Which one would be causing the FPS drop? Would I better off to upgrade my cpu to I5 750 or my gpu to a HD5850 thanks.

15th July 2010, 2:29 PM	#3
Maldark Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Newcastle, NSW Posts: 578	At larger resolutions the graphics card is always the main contender. I'd get the HD 5850 and overclock the crap out of your E8400, you should see some decent gains then. __________________ Balthasar\|L3360@3.5GHz(8.5x412)\|4GB Patriot Viper DDRII1066 5-5-5-12\|UT-X48-T2R\|Gigabyte 4870\|Lian-Li PC65-B\|Seasonic M12D 850W\|2x320GB(RAID 0)+1.5TB Casper\|AMD 240\|4GB Corsair DDRII800 5-5-5-18\|GA-MA785GM-US2H\|Sapphire HD4550\|Antec NSK2480B\|640GB+2x2TB

15th July 2010, 2:53 PM	#6
slyls1 Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Adelaide Posts: 1,372	Yes i can confirm that an e8400 and 5850 are not too shabby at 1920x1080. However i think the cpu is bottle necking the card at the speeds im running it (in sig) Then again an i5 750 and a 5850 OC'ed is a killer combo. best bang for buck around i reckon __________________ Gaming: i5 2500K@4.5Ghz TRUE 120, Z68XP-UD4, 8GB 1600 DDR3, OS: Intel 520 60GB, 1TB WD Black+Intel 330 60GB Cache, MSI GTX680 TF3 OC +50/+100, CM690 Adv II LanBox: i5 750@4Ghz TT Frio, Evga P55-SLi, 8GB 1600 DDR3, Kingston 64GB SSD, GTX570@900/3900, CM690 HTPC: X4 965, MA785GM-US2H, 8GB 800 DDR2, X-Fi Sound, 4TB, Antec NSK2400 Trades: $7K+ Last edited by slyls1; 15th July 2010 at 2:59 PM.

15th July 2010, 5:08 PM	#8
Yamunsa Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cairns Posts: 1,532	if you have the e84 running at stock i agree with the others - clock it __________________ Join the OCAU HWBOT TEAM A10-5800K vs i3 3220 review

15th July 2010, 6:52 PM	#9
ayles Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 458	+1 oc the the cpu then add 5850 max settings for those games no problems! __________________ 2500k @ 5.0ghz ~ ripjaws 8GB @ 2.1ghz ~ GTX 580 SOC @ 1ghz ~ Corsair tx-750 ~ Antec P182b ~ Razer Mamba 4G Dual laser ~ SA950 27" 120hz + Panasonic Veria 50" 1080/24p Plasma ~ Yamaha 5.1 Home Theatre

15th July 2010, 2:48 PM	#5
Mungrel25 Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 8	Thank you for your replies. I was running about 30-35fps at 1680x1050 maxed options on all games. Not huge fps but I could handle it. Now at 1920x1200 I get 10-24fps and notice the difference. Games like Bad Company 2, Age of Conan. I like to run my games at max quality. I was going to upgrade one or the other just didn't know which one would help me the most. Thanks again I grab a HD 5850. are the Sapphire Toixc's worth the extra $$$?

15th July 2010, 8:03 PM	#11
$3@N (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Forever A Pwn Posts: 6,015	+ for overclocking CPU Whats the rest of your system?

16th July 2010, 12:27 PM	#12
Mungrel25 Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 8	Thanks for the advice. System is; Intel E8400 factory clock 3.0Ghz and heat sink GTX 260 216sp OC 4GB Corsair Dominator RAM Corsair 650W PSU Win 7 x64 NZXT Tempest. To be honest I've never OC a cpu before. Found a good guide on the net to oc E8400. Would I need a better heat sink or factory will be fine?

16th July 2010, 12:46 PM	#13
ayles Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 458	Factory will be ok for alittle bump in voltage, raise the volts further and youll find the thermal limit of the heatsink. If you buy a 775 heatsink for $50 that will get you 3.8+ghz, maybe 4.0? maybe 4.4 __________________ 2500k @ 5.0ghz ~ ripjaws 8GB @ 2.1ghz ~ GTX 580 SOC @ 1ghz ~ Corsair tx-750 ~ Antec P182b ~ Razer Mamba 4G Dual laser ~ SA950 27" 120hz + Panasonic Veria 50" 1080/24p Plasma ~ Yamaha 5.1 Home Theatre

16th July 2010, 12:59 PM	#14
Yamunsa Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cairns Posts: 1,532	stock will be fine for a mild oc. the easiest start is to go in to your bios and change the fsb from 333 to 400. set your vcore or vid, depending on your bios terminology, to 1.32v and leaving everything on auto it will move your cpu to 3.6ghz. run either prime, everest or occt's stress test to confirm stability and that your temps do not exceed 70 degrees for the duration of a 4 hour test. if you make it to the end of 4 hours you can pretty much be sure that everything is ok. (some people say 1h some say 12hrs. 4hrs has always been fine for me). the best advice is to do some reading, run some conservative testing and see how it goes. what your asking of the machine is nothing in the extreme and it should be a fun introduction to overclocking. GL __________________ Join the OCAU HWBOT TEAM A10-5800K vs i3 3220 review

16th July 2010, 2:44 PM	#15
Don.0.1 Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 23	I have a GTX 260 core 216 and an i3 540 and I get around 40 fps in bad comnpany 2 at high settings The i3 is overclocked to 4ghz but this has not had a huge difference to bad company except that it loads faster I agree with the others try overclocking your cpu and if it doesn't help get the 5850