upgrade the CPU to FX x8core processor.

Hi i have recently built a PC and am wondering what to upgrade. Currently i have got a :
Sapphire HD 6670
Phenom ii x4 965 BE (3.4GHz)
8GB GDDR3 1333MHz
I am thinking of upgrading either the CPU or the GPU. (If i upgrade the GPU it will be to a Sapphire HD 7850)(If i upgrade the CPU it will be to FX x8 core processor). Which one should i upgrade???

I currently have:

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP, 32-bit (Service Pack 3)
DirectX version: 9.0
GPU processor: GeForce 9800 GT (2) SLI
Driver version: 306.81
DirectX support: 10
CUDA Cores: 112
Core clock: 660 MHz
Shader clock: 1650 MHz
Memory data rate: 1800 MHz
Memory interface: 256-bit
Memory: 512 MB
Memory type: GDDR3
Video BIOS version: 62.92.45.00.A4
IRQ: 16
Bus: PCI Express x16
GPU processor: GeForce 9800 GT
Driver version: 306.81
DirectX support: 10
CUDA Cores: 112
Core clock: 660 MHz
Shader clock: 1650 MHz
Memory data rate: 1800 MHz
Memory interface: 256-bit
Memory: 512 MB
Memory type: GDDR3
Video BIOS version: 62.92.45.00.B2
IRQ: 16
Bus: PCI Express x16
Product Name P5N-D

Version 1.XX

BIOS

Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD

BIOS Version ASUS P5N-D ACPI BIOS Revision 1101

BIOS Release Date 05/18/2009

BIOS ROM Size 1024 KBytes

CPU

Socket Designation Socket 775

Manufacturer Intel

Version Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66GHz

Supported Voltage 1.3 v

External Clock 333 MHz

Max Speed 3800 MHz

Current Speed 2500 MHz

Memory

Socket Designation DIMM_A1

Current Speed 800 MHz

Memory Type DDR2

Installed Size 1024 MBytes

Socket Designation DIMM_A2

Current Speed 800 MHz

Memory Type DDR2

Installed Size 1024 MBytes

Socket Designation DIMM_B1

Current Speed 800 MHz

Memory Type DDR2

Installed Size 1024 MBytes

Socket Designation DIMM_B2

Current Speed 800 MHz

Memory Type DDR2

Installed Size 1024 MBytes

I have not updates the drives in year. Can you help me.

thank you,

Hi sir.
I currently have a really old Intel Core2 Q9300 still running DDR2.
and a GTX 560Ti

Would a i7 2600k give me enough bang for the buck to least some years or should I wait a little more and get an ivy bridge?
Keeping the 560Ti for a while I guess, it seems to be holding up alright.

Hi Rodney i have a question about my current system specs.
I feel that i lack some performance even though i have a GTX 580.
I even lag some in windows, i have my OS installed in my SSD
Do you recommend that i upgrade any of theese?

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, Quad Core, 3,4Ghz, AM3, 8MB, 125W, Boxed
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3, Socket-AM3+, ATX, 990FX+SB950, DDR3, 4xPCIe(2.0)x16, SLI, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, FW
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600MHz 8GB CL8 Kit w/4x 2GB XMS3 modules, CL8-8-8-24, for Core i5 and i7, 1.65V, Intel XMP

MSI GeForce GTX 580 1536MB PhysX

Seagate Barracuda® 7200.12 1TB
OCZ SSD Agility 3 Series 2.5" 90GB

Corsair TX850M 850W PSU

I feel this topic was directed to me (see http://www.3dgameman.com/forum/hardware/system-bottleneck). lol Thanks!

My system is kinda old but still powerful for what I need (gaming at 1680x1050, medium-high settings,FPS around 50).

Hello Rodney,
I have a question, my friend has an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ it is a dual core processor at 3.1Ghz, motherboard is an Asus M3A socket AM2 and 4Gb of DDR2 at 667Mhz. He has a Sapphire Radeon HD3850 512Mb GDDR3 VRAM as his Graphics Card.. He asked me if he could upgrade something in order to play all the modern games at high settings at resolution of 1280x720. Don´t really know if upgrading the GPU is going to be a good advice cause not sure if the CPU is going to be a bottleneck. What do you think about it? It is better to get a GPU like a Radeon HD6950 or upgrade the whole set of CPU, Motherboard and RAM??
Thanks and always enjoy your videos!

If you had to buy a micro ATX case that is around 100-120$ which one would you buy? The fractal define and arc mini seem interesting, but I'm unsure if there are any other options...

If you think about it. Games aren't that CPU heavy yet. Most high end (enthusiast) CPUs on the market have so much more power than games ask for. GPUs on the other hand are generally a different story. A lot of new games are using most if not all of the current gen graphics technologies (DX11, OGL4.0, advanced physics, etc). You can usually get away with sticking with a CPU that is 2 generations old and still be able to play brand new games on max settings as long as you have the GPU for it.

yeah im on a first gen i3 (OC'd a 540 to 3.45) w/ 8GB Ram and all ive bought since then is an Intel SSD and a EVGA 550 Ti and i can play battlefield 3 at 60 FPS on medium. I was just mad at myself that i didn't know about sandy bridge until after I bought this system, but oh well...I probably won't upgrade CPU's until the next generation, or until I can't play new games anymore

I would rather ask myself VIDEOCARD or SSD! Only because thats what i know i have to change. I gave my sons pc an ssd and he loads every game 5 times faster than me. So i say ssd, but then i realy need a new video card as well but they are so freekin expensive in this country.A GTX 670 2GB cost me 568,- CAD, i think you get it in Canada for 420??? So im hopeing for the lottery! :-)

I have a Nvidia GTX 480 and a i7-860 Overclocked from 2.8 GHz to 3.25 GHz, what should I upgrade first?

I prefer going all out on the cpu, although I have a 3930k and a 7970. I like the extra pci-e lanes of the lga 2011.

Actually, the real way to know if you have to upgrade your CPU or GPU, is to use an actual system monitoring program. Use MSI Afterburner. If the settings you WANT to play on give you 99% GPU usage in the on-screen display, you need to upgrade your GPU. If you are less than 99%, say 50% or so, your CPU is a HUGE bottleneck, and it needs to be upgraded instead. If you know what you're doing, upgrading based on actual in-game performance bottlenecks as evidenced by programs like this are much more useful than saying "oh i have a 3 GHz processor, that can't possibly be the bottleneck." Are you kidding? What if the viewer had a 3 GHz Pentium 4? That's not a bottleneck for BF3? Bad way of saying that.

I have gigabyte g1 x58 i7 950 at stock 3ghz with gtx 580 sli 24 corsair gb do I need over clock my CPU for better GPS?

I currently have:

ASUS Sabertooth P67
Intel Core i7 2700k Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz @ 4GHz
8gb G. Skill Ripjaws X Series
WD Caviar Black 500GB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s
Thermaltake 850 Watt PSU
PALiT GTX 460 768MB
Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler

I plan on upgrading my gpu whenever I can afford it. Possibly with a 560 or higher

Man I love you. Keep up the great videos.

~ironsoldier~

I'm planning on upgrading my video card soon so I can play newer games better.

My current specs.
•AMD FX4100 @3.6GHz
•Gigabyte M68MT-S2 Micro ATX Motherboard
•XFX Core Edition PRO550W PSU
•AMD Radeon HD 6670
•Acer 20" LED Backlight (1600x900)

I'm considering getting a Radeon HD 6870 specifically this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161396

Any input is appreciated. =)

Before upgrading im getting an ssd. Or better hardware such as a new monitor.

Yeah Rodney you R O C K

I usually do the big upgrades every couple of years if I need to (a year minimum) with smaller ones more frequently.

2007 - AsRock 775i65G, Pentium E2140, 2GB DDR, ATi x1650
2009 - Core2Duo E7500, HD4670
2010 - Gigabyte G41M Combo, 4GB DDR2, HD5670 1GB
2011 (early) - 8GB DDR3 (the G41M Combo supports both DDR2 and DDR3), first 1TB HDD
2011 (late) - Asus M5A97 Pro, 16GB DDR3, Phenom II x6 1090T, HD6770, first Kingston SDDNow V100 65GB
2012 (early) - Mess up two DIMM slots, reverted back to 8GB (extra 8GB as backup)
2012 (April) - XFX HD6870 1GB, Cooler Master Elite 430, Cooler Master TX3 Evo
2012 (May) - Second monitor for dual setup

That's generally how I do upgrades. I've kept spare parts for a possible server or HTPC.

I will always go with the cpu, motherboard, memory and stuff before a video card. video cards change too fast and you can't keep up

Hi Mr Rodney i have a question.

i currently have i7 870 running at stock (2.9Ghz) and a 5770 HD GPU
i am planning to upgrade my GPU to a 6970.
but after some research i think a 7870 is about same price as the 6970 But.
wil 1 of them Bottleneck with the current CPU?

Thanks in advance.