9 replies to this topic

[frontmankius]

Hey everyone,

Before you read this I'd just like to say I have little to no experience at all in this topic so if you could keep your answers relatively easy to understand that would be great.

Back in 2008, my brother built a top-of-the-line computer with all the best components to be found. I since then inherited it, and had to upgrade a few things here and there since it was getting a bit old. So, a couple months prior to this post I purchased a brand new HD6950 graphics card for Battlefield 3. My experience with it at first was revolutionary compared to the old, outdated HD4950. I soon realized that even though everything was running smooth as silk, I really wasn't getting the best out of the GPU simply because everything else (RAM, Motherboard and mainly processor if I'm not mistaken) was outdated. I believe this is called bottlenecking.

What parts am I looking for and what performance am I hoping to have with GW2? Well, I'm just trying to get the most out of my 6950. If that means I can only run the game on medium (which I doubt), then so be it. What components would I need to upgrade and what particular parts would you recommend? I don't really have a limited budget, but try and keep it as low as possible just as long as I can fully take advantage of my GPU.

TL;DR: My HD6950 is getting bottlenecked by everything else in my outdated computer. What parts would I need to change?

Thanks a lot for you help,
-FrontmanKius

[Hegr]

I would really help if you could give us some information about your current specs.

[frontmankius]

Alright, sorry about that. Like I said I don't really know how to list this neither do I know what's important and what's not, but here's my best go at it :

-Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00 GHz
-Corsair TX 650W
-GSkill Kit Extreme2 2x1 Go PC8500 PK
-Asus P5E
-Sapphire Radeon HD6950 1Go

If there's anything else please let me know, I'll add it ASAP.

[Hegr]

It looks like the GPU and PSU are good but the other 3 are extremely dated compared to today's products. I would say a new CPU, motherboard and RAM would definitely help. Something like an i5-2500k on either a Z68 or Z77 motherboard with about 8GB of DDR3 RAM would do the trick. Unless you plan on running some CPU intensive programs, like editing software for example, you wont need more than an i5 or more than 8GB of RAM.

[Guinsoona]

^ Yeah you need a good CPU + GPU to prevent bottleneck.

And since you need a CPU, which requires you to change your Mobo, might as well get a cheap RAM upgrade.

I'd also like to suggest getting an SSD boot drive, you can definitely feel changes in your SSD.
e.g (10-20x faster bootime and game load times.)

Cheers

[Silentverdict]

I really can't remember the last time there was 1 CPU that was recommended so much for gaming, at a reasonable price. Like Hegr said, you're best off with an i5 2500k. Grab that with a decent mobo (I have the http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157271 but there are many well rated options) and a better CPU fan if you plan on doing any ocing (which the i5 excels at) along with some ram, and you'll be set.

[frontmankius]

Thanks for the help guys, I now have an idea of what I want to get.
I already have a CPU cooler, will it do the job or do I need a new one?
EDIT: Crap, I just realized website is in French, sorry about that.

[Hegr]

Looks like a similar cooler to the Cooler Master 212 which is good. So that cooler should be fine.

[Silentverdict]

if by similar to you mean virtually identical . The 212 is fantastic though, so I can't blame them.

[Ladox]

I really can't remember the last time there was 1 CPU that was recommended so much for gaming, at a reasonable price. Like Hegr said, you're best off with an i5 2500k. Grab that with a decent mobo (I have the http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157271 but there are many well rated options) and a better CPU fan if you plan on doing any ocing (which the i5 excels at) along with some ram, and you'll be set.

I believe that's because many of the other and cheaper i-series processors have their overclocking ability simply stripped away

On topic though, i5 2500k would indeed be the smartest upgrade at the moment.
Get any cheap ram, 8gb is a reasonable amount if you're only gaming.

About overclocking the i5 though(what you absolutely should do), What case do you have?
Cases make all the difference in the world, temperature wise.

Also, does your current cooler have a mounting kit for a 1155 socket?
if not, I'd dare to recommend the TT Silver arrow if you want to pinch the max out of that processor.