Q6600 bottleneck? What would be the better upgrade?

[QUOTE="Former_Slacker"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"] Yes, a Q6600 with a GTX 570 will play BF3 on high/max at 1680x1050 without issue.neatfeatguy

Thanks for the help guys. My main worry though is a possible bottleneck. I just played bc2 to do some benchmarking. My avg fps at 1680 x 1050 with max settings, 1xaa and 16xaf with HBAO was around 60 while with 8xaa it was around 40 on heavy metal. Playing with low settings at that res also netted me around 50 fps on oasis while at max settings with 1xaa it was around 35. My cpu was at >90% usage the entire time and my card was also near >90%.

Here's what I get from BFBC2 when I OC my Phenom II x4 940 up from 3.0 to 3.712 and stock GTX 570 @ 1650x1080, High settings, AA 4x, AF 16x:

• Min fps = 54
• Max fps = 105.8
• Avg fps = 77.18

Here's what I get when I OC the GTX 570 from stock to 900/1800/2060:

• Min fps = 65.2
• Max fps = 112.2
• Avg fps = 89.28

Now, that's only from benchmarking the first single player level. My CPU and GPU were always running like yours were, 90%+. I'm not sure if this help you out at all, but it can give you an idea of what kind of performce you could see on the GTX 570 and a faster CPU.

Thanks, that does help. There's a nice little boost there with the oc but unfortunately my bios is locked down so I can't oc and I don't like investing in old hardware so paying for a new mb just to oc doesn't seem like its worth it when that money could go towards an ivy bridge cpu with a new mb next year. I've never actually played the single player campaign for bc2 and it'll go try it now to bench and see what I get. As long as the 570 could pull high with no aa and maintain at least a steady 30 fps on a 64 player conquest game I'll be content.

Edit: I am averaging in the lower 40s with my 5770 and stock q6600, so an increase into the upper 70s would be quite a bit.

Alright, I just have one more question. All of the 570s on newegg, at least the ones around the $320 mark, use the 560ti's heatsink and fan which doesn't bode to well. The ones with the original fan or a 3rd party design all cost in the $350 range and at that price would a 6970 be a better deal? Is there anyone with a 570 that has the new fan here to comment on its effectiveness. I have good air flow in my case but I don't like the idea of it throwing hot air in there instead of outside.

No a 6790 would not be the better deal , because its not much faster then what you have now. Also all cooler types on the GTX 570's will cool the gpu correctly. The newer one's that have a big fan in the middle cools better and it still blows hot air out the back.

No a 6790 would not be the better deal , because its not much faster then what you have now. Also all cooler types on the GTX 570's will cool the gpu correctly. The newer one's that have a big fan in the middle cools better and it still blows hot air out the back.

04dcarraher

Sorry, typo. I meant a 6970.

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

No a 6790 would not be the better deal , because its not much faster then what you have now. Also all cooler types on the GTX 570's will cool the gpu correctly. The newer one's that have a big fan in the middle cools better and it still blows hot air out the back.

Former_Slacker

Sorry, typo. I meant a 6970.

until they drop HD6970 2GB to 250-270$ AFTER MIR : id stick with a GTX 570 or HD6950 / GTX 560 TI 1000MHZ OC if you want to spend less 5770 OC can do bo up to +15% boost tough but it still never gonna surpass GTX 460 1GB (non SE)

Trust me GTX 570 is the clear choice. I have AMD Phenom II X3 Black Edition and with my upgrade to a BIOS flashed HD 6970, did wonder's to my performance. I could run ALL GAMES I have including Crysis and Crysis Warhead with all setting MAXED out with 2X-4X FSAA and 16X Anistrophic Filtering and it runs those game silky smooth @1080P. My Phenom II X3 isn't exactly top of the line CPU, but a HD 6970 is AMD's fastest single GPU card. Your CPU is plenty fast enough, the bottleneck, will not be a factor in most games except for maybe a couple which IMO, isn't going to justify the extra costs of getting a new CPU. Even those games thay may bottleneck because of your CPU you will more than able to play those games at very playable settings.

until they drop HD6970 2GB to 250-270$ AFTER MIR : id stick with a GTX 570 or HD6950 / GTX 560 TI 1000MHZ OC if you want to spend less 5770 OC can do bo up to +15% boost tough but it still never gonna surpass GTX 460 1GB (non SE)

marcthpro

Or you could get a HD 6950 2GB and BIOS flash that to a HD 6970. ;) The Sapphires have a very high rates of success of BIOS flashing to a HD 6970, you could even read the reviews, even latest ones from couple of days or so ago, where people have successfully BIOS flashed their HD 6950 to a HD 6970.

Trust me GTX 570 is the clear choice. I have AMD Phenom II X3 Black Edition and with my upgrade to a BIOS flashed HD 6970, did wonder's to my performance. I could run ALL GAMES I have including Crysis and Crysis Warhead with all setting MAXED out with 2X-4X FSAA and 16X Anistrophic Filtering and it runs those game silky smooth @1080P. My Phenom II X3 isn't exactly top of the line CPU, but a HD 6970 is AMD's fastest single GPU card. Your CPU is plenty fast enough, the bottleneck, will not be a factor in most games except for maybe a couple which IMO, isn't going to justify the extra costs of getting a new CPU. Even those games thay may bottleneck because of your CPU you will more than able to play those games at very playable settings.

Xtasy26

The reason I'm doing this though is for bf3. BC2 was a cpu intensive game and bf3 looks to be the same. I want to get high/max at 1680 x 1050 with no aa at a stable fps of at least 30.

Come on, of course you leave out this section of my quote "Its fact that the TC wants to play BF 3 on dx 11 high/max settings and a 5770 wont be able to do it"... Most "Pc" games coming out have dx 10 and or dx 11 features and the 5770 isnt the best choice for maxing ethier one. Yes I know alot of new games dont push gpu's since they are multiplatform and are designed around console limits. However your not even seeing the big picture, here where many new games are pushing gpu hardware too. Yes its all about the dx 11 just slapped on.... come on give me a break with that. DX 11 has more efficient coding giving you better framerates vs dx 10 or 9, also allows tessellation too. Let alone each generation of gpu that based for dx 11 gives you more options and performance vs the previous. Personally I used Geforce 8800GT's since 2007 and SLI them since 2008 and two 8800GT's in SLI do out perform a single 5770 in most games, and still I upgraded to a GTX 560 and games like STALKER :COP, Metro 2033, AVP, the Witcher 2 and other games run better and look better.

04dcarraher

Why do you keep shoving that statement down my throat? Is that the only argument that you think you have against me? I never even said that it could. I said a 5770 could max most recent games, which IS the big picture, contrary to what you claim - no, not "many" new games, but "FEW" new games are pushing GPU hardware.

And the rest of your post just completely ignores my last post, good job. You name 3 games? I'll name like 15. The 5770 is STILL GREAT.

I also love the fact that you completely ignored my post that flat out said to TC to get a 570 if he wants to for BF3.

Oh and guess what? I was too lazy to go and find out if the 5770 is really that inferior in Battlefield 3, but look what I found?

Granted, its with a Phenom II X4 @ 4.0 GHz, but a Q6600 can near that performance with a good OC. Note that this is MAX, with DX11, at 1920x1080. And it STILL achieves an avg of 30 fps. Imagine it with NO useless AA, NO useless AF, at 1680x1050.

BF3 at 1920x1080 with no AA, no AF, not max settings in alpha mode with barely any advanced effects in the final game at 30fps, wow thats really maxing a game out right there!

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

Come on, of course you leave out this section of my quote "Its fact that the TC wants to play BF 3 on dx 11 high/max settings and a 5770 wont be able to do it"... Most "Pc" games coming out have dx 10 and or dx 11 features and the 5770 isnt the best choice for maxing ethier one. Yes I know alot of new games dont push gpu's since they are multiplatform and are designed around console limits. However your not even seeing the big picture, here where many new games are pushing gpu hardware too. Yes its all about the dx 11 just slapped on.... come on give me a break with that. DX 11 has more efficient coding giving you better framerates vs dx 10 or 9, also allows tessellation too. Let alone each generation of gpu that based for dx 11 gives you more options and performance vs the previous. Personally I used Geforce 8800GT's since 2007 and SLI them since 2008 and two 8800GT's in SLI do out perform a single 5770 in most games, and still I upgraded to a GTX 560 and games like STALKER :COP, Metro 2033, AVP, the Witcher 2 and other games run better and look better.

kaitanuvax

Why do you keep shoving that statement down my throat? Is that the only argument that you think you have against me? I never even said that it could. I said a 5770 could max most recent games, which IS the big picture, contrary to what you claim - no, not "many" new games, but "FEW" new games are pushing GPU hardware.

And the rest of your post just completely ignores my last post, good job. You name 3 games? I'll name like 15. The 5770 is STILL GREAT.

I also love the fact that you completely ignored my post that flat out said to TC to get a 570 if he wants to for BF3.

Oh and guess what? I was too lazy to go and find out if the 5770 is really that inferior in Battlefield 3, but look what I found?

Granted, its with a Phenom II X4 @ 4.0 GHz, but a Q6600 can near that performance with a good OC. Note that this is MAX, with DX11, at 1920x1080. And it STILL achieves an avg of 30 fps. Imagine it with NO useless AA, NO useless AF, at 1680x1050.

ouch ownage approved, 04cadarrher just got it

BF3 at 1920x1080 with no AA, no AF, not max settings in alpha mode with barely any advanced effects in the final game at 30fps, wow thats really maxing a game out right there!

V4LENT1NE

HMM i may not be that smart but isn't that what the topic creator asked for in his first post?? I guess some people just don't know how to read. Not to mention he also said he will be playing at 1600 X 900 resolution. Also this IS the alpha version which means the final will be even more optimized.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

BF3 at 1920x1080 with no AA, no AF, not max settings in alpha mode with barely any advanced effects in the final game at 30fps, wow thats really maxing a game out right there!

blaznwiipspman1

HMM i may not be that smart but isn't that what the topic creator asked for in his first post?? I guess some people just don't know how to read. Not to mention he also said he will be playing at 1600 X 900 resolution. Also this IS the alpha version which means the final will be even more optimized.

BF3 at 1920x1080 with no AA, no AF, not max settings in alpha mode with barely any advanced effects in the final game at 30fps, wow thats really maxing a game out right there!

V4LENT1NE

Wow stop putting words in my mouth? NEVER have I said it can max the game. Read: I said that the 5770 ain't a slouch in it.

And it clearly fulfills the TC's requirement for BF3 performance.

Newsflash: Not everybody is "max 60 fps" happy like you two are.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

BF3 at 1920x1080 with no AA, no AF, not max settings in alpha mode with barely any advanced effects in the final game at 30fps, wow thats really maxing a game out right there!

kaitanuvax

Wow stop putting words in my mouth? NEVER have I said it can max the game. Read: I said that the 5770 ain't a slouch in it.

And it clearly fulfills the TC's requirement for BF3 performance.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

BF3 at 1920x1080 with no AA, no AF, not max settings in alpha mode with barely any advanced effects in the final game at 30fps, wow thats really maxing a game out right there!

kaitanuvax

Wow stop putting words in my mouth? NEVER have I said it can max the game. Read: I said that the 5770 ain't a slouch in it.

And it clearly fulfills the TC's requirement for BF3 performance.

Newsflash: Not everybody is "max 60 fps" happy like you two are.

[QUOTE="kaitanuvax"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

Come on, of course you leave out this section of my quote "Its fact that the TC wants to play BF 3 on dx 11 high/max settings and a 5770 wont be able to do it"... Most "Pc" games coming out have dx 10 and or dx 11 features and the 5770 isnt the best choice for maxing ethier one. Yes I know alot of new games dont push gpu's since they are multiplatform and are designed around console limits. However your not even seeing the big picture, here where many new games are pushing gpu hardware too. Yes its all about the dx 11 just slapped on.... come on give me a break with that. DX 11 has more efficient coding giving you better framerates vs dx 10 or 9, also allows tessellation too. Let alone each generation of gpu that based for dx 11 gives you more options and performance vs the previous. Personally I used Geforce 8800GT's since 2007 and SLI them since 2008 and two 8800GT's in SLI do out perform a single 5770 in most games, and still I upgraded to a GTX 560 and games like STALKER :COP, Metro 2033, AVP, the Witcher 2 and other games run better and look better.

blaznwiipspman1

Why do you keep shoving that statement down my throat? Is that the only argument that you think you have against me? I never even said that it could. I said a 5770 could max most recent games, which IS the big picture, contrary to what you claim - no, not "many" new games, but "FEW" new games are pushing GPU hardware.

And the rest of your post just completely ignores my last post, good job. You name 3 games? I'll name like 15. The 5770 is STILL GREAT.

I also love the fact that you completely ignored my post that flat out said to TC to get a 570 if he wants to for BF3.

Oh and guess what? I was too lazy to go and find out if the 5770 is really that inferior in Battlefield 3, but look what I found?

Granted, its with a Phenom II X4 @ 4.0 GHz, but a Q6600 can near that performance with a good OC. Note that this is MAX, with DX11, at 1920x1080. And it STILL achieves an avg of 30 fps. Imagine it with NO useless AA, NO useless AF, at 1680x1050.

ouch ownage approved, 04cadarrher just got it

Your talking about max settings again and what passes as it, can you not see how that would come across?

V4LENT1NE

I'll rephrase everything:

"So what if it doesn't max 60 fps a FEW games out of dozens? It plays those few games well enough. If he's truly not satisfied go ahead and get the GTX 570, but that's your choice and not my recommendation.

Is max 60 fps really necessary? AA is useless and so is AF in high resolutions. Also I bet TC doesn't give a crap if he gets 40-60 as opposed to 60fps all the time. His eyes aren't superhuman nor is he a max 60 fps freak.

TC has just posted what he wants in BF3, and I just found out that a 5770 could very well fulfill those requirements as implied from this benchmark."

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="kaitanuvax"]

Why do you keep shoving that statement down my throat? Is that the only argument that you think you have against me? I never even said that it could. I said a 5770 could max most recent games, which IS the big picture, contrary to what you claim - no, not "many" new games, but "FEW" new games are pushing GPU hardware.

And the rest of your post just completely ignores my last post, good job. You name 3 games? I'll name like 15. The 5770 is STILL GREAT.

I also love the fact that you completely ignored my post that flat out said to TC to get a 570 if he wants to for BF3.

Oh and guess what? I was too lazy to go and find out if the 5770 is really that inferior in Battlefield 3, but look what I found?

Granted, its with a Phenom II X4 @ 4.0 GHz, but a Q6600 can near that performance with a good OC. Note that this is MAX, with DX11, at 1920x1080. And it STILL achieves an avg of 30 fps. Imagine it with NO useless AA, NO useless AF, at 1680x1050.

04dcarraher

ouch ownage approved, 04cadarrher just got it

hmm it seems you will never admit you're wrong even with the evidence shoved in front of your face. No matter.

Anyways to the OP. You can still get hte 570 gtx if you'd like you will definitely get a boost in frames. However you will be completely fine playing battlefield 3 with your current 5770 at more than 30 frames per second at your resolution. I personally wouldn't spend $350 on a video card especially if my budget was restricted. Here is a core i5 2500k plus motherboard for $330. You can buy 8gb ram for like $40 now adays. Also by next year you will be able to buy a card for less than $150 that will near max out battlefield 3 either way. Make your decision. IMO you can still get away with you're 5770 and q6600 overclocked to 3.0ghz until next year when ivy bridge comes out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

ouch ownage approved, 04cadarrher just got it

blaznwiipspman1

hmm it seems you will never admit you're wrong even with the evidence shoved in front of your face. No matter.

Anyways to the OP. You can still get hte 570 gtx if you'd like you will definitely get a boost in frames. However you will be completely fine playing battlefield 3 with your current 5770 at more than 30 frames per second at your resolution. I personally wouldn't spend $350 on a video card especially if my budget was restricted. Here is a core i5 2500k plus motherboard for $330. You can buy 8gb ram for like $40 now adays. Also by next year you will be able to buy a card for less than $150 that will near max out battlefield 3 either way. Make your decision. IMO you can still get away with you're 5770 and q6600 overclocked to 3.0ghz until next year when ivy bridge comes out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

I Agree with blaznwiipspman1, Tc should take the leap into the i5, after all he's going to get more value for his money than just buying the GTX 570. Tc you can always purchase the GPU later, with the new CPU, mobo, ram, etc your Pc is going to last a good while plus its not like your GPU is trash and you wont be able to play BF3 at all.

I Agree with blaznwiipspman1, Tc should take the leap into the i5, after all he's going to get more value for his money than just buying the GTX 570. Tc you can always purchase the GPU later, with the new CPU, mobo, ram, etc your Pc is going to last a good while plus its not like you GPU is trash and you wont be able to play BF3 at all. I mean take a look at the Vote Results you posted, people are choosing option 1 more. robertoenrique

I Agree with blaznwiipspman1, Tc should take the leap into the i5, after all he's going to get more value for his money than just buying the GTX 570. Tc you can always purchase the GPU later, with the new CPU, mobo, ram, etc your Pc is going to last a good while plus its not like your GPU is trash and you wont be able to play BF3 at all.

robertoenrique

I just don't understand ppl who blow $350 to $400 on a video card when the rest of their computer could use an upgrade first. With the core i5 2500k his frames will likely push past 45 frames per second average in battlefield 3 at his monitors native resolution of 1600X 900, no AA/AF and high settings. He will also get to enjoy using all the dx11 effects as well.

[QUOTE="robertoenrique"]I Agree with blaznwiipspman1, Tc should take the leap into the i5, after all he's going to get more value for his money than just buying the GTX 570. Tc you can always purchase the GPU later, with the new CPU, mobo, ram, etc your Pc is going to last a good while plus its not like you GPU is trash and you wont be able to play BF3 at all. I mean take a look at the Vote Results you posted, people are choosing option 1 more. 04dcarraher

[QUOTE="robertoenrique"]I Agree with blaznwiipspman1, Tc should take the leap into the i5, after all he's going to get more value for his money than just buying the GTX 570. Tc you can always purchase the GPU later, with the new CPU, mobo, ram, etc your Pc is going to last a good while plus its not like you GPU is trash and you wont be able to play BF3 at all. I mean take a look at the Vote Results you posted, people are choosing option 1 more. 04dcarraher

The majority of people have voted for option 1, are they all wrong? robertoenrique

[QUOTE="robertoenrique"]The majority of people have voted for option 1, are they all wrong? Iantheone

[QUOTE="robertoenrique"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="robertoenrique"]I Agree with blaznwiipspman1, Tc should take the leap into the i5, after all he's going to get more value for his money than just buying the GTX 570. Tc you can always purchase the GPU later, with the new CPU, mobo, ram, etc your Pc is going to last a good while plus its not like you GPU is trash and you wont be able to play BF3 at all. I mean take a look at the Vote Results you posted, people are choosing option 1 more. robertoenrique

Edit* also going from DDR2 to DDR3 gives no real gains in gaming 1-2 fps at best. Its better to get the GTX 570 now enjoy the upgrade and really see the improvement and upgrade his core later then to just upgrade his core where his graphical abiliites have not changed

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

ouch ownage approved, 04cadarrher just got it

blaznwiipspman1

hmm it seems you will never admit you're wrong even with the evidence shoved in front of your face. No matter.

Anyways to the OP. You can still get hte 570 gtx if you'd like you will definitely get a boost in frames. However you will be completely fine playing battlefield 3 with your current 5770 at more than 30 frames per second at your resolution. I personally wouldn't spend $350 on a video card especially if my budget was restricted. Here is a core i5 2500k plus motherboard for $330. You can buy 8gb ram for like $40 now adays. Also by next year you will be able to buy a card for less than $150 that will near max out battlefield 3 either way. Make your decision. IMO you can still get away with you're 5770 and q6600 overclocked to 3.0ghz until next year when ivy bridge comes out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

The OP stated several times that the BIOS is locked and is unable to OC. Now, if the OP could OC the Q6600, I'd strongly suggest a GTX 570 or HD 6970 if the 5770 couldn't run the game at acceptable levels after it comes out.

But since the BIOS is locked and OC'ing is out of the question, a stronger GPU will help offset things more then just throwing in a faster CPU. The HD 5770 can only do so much and if the Alpha benchmark chart shows us anything, that GPU could have problems in the official released version once all the bells and whistles are included. A more powerful GPU would be best, then after a new CPU and MB are introduced (be it Ivy/Sandy Bridge or Bulldozer), the more powerful GPU will maxmize upon it and a greater boost in performance will come into play.

I for certain had a boost in performance when I added a second 8800GTS 512 to run in SLI on my old dual Athlon 64 x2 5600+ that ran @ 3.15GHz. I knew I would bottleneck the GPUs, but the boost in performance was worth it. About 6 months later or so, I was able to afford my Phenom II x4 940 and new MB - pairing up the same two cards in SLI I gained nearly a 25% gain in performance in all games and even more when I OC'ed the CPU up to 3.4GHz.

That is why I recommed a better GPU first. There will be a performance boost and once the new MB/CPU is added, the OP will get yet another performance boost.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"] Nope that chart is so off, you do not know which cpu is where on that chart, again you blowing smoke to cover your own mistakes, Also it shows O wait look!!!! a 5770 cant run the alpha at max settings and the alpha does not even have all the bells and whistles.

neatfeatguy

hmm it seems you will never admit you're wrong even with the evidence shoved in front of your face. No matter.

Anyways to the OP. You can still get hte 570 gtx if you'd like you will definitely get a boost in frames. However you will be completely fine playing battlefield 3 with your current 5770 at more than 30 frames per second at your resolution. I personally wouldn't spend $350 on a video card especially if my budget was restricted. Here is a core i5 2500k plus motherboard for $330. You can buy 8gb ram for like $40 now adays. Also by next year you will be able to buy a card for less than $150 that will near max out battlefield 3 either way. Make your decision. IMO you can still get away with you're 5770 and q6600 overclocked to 3.0ghz until next year when ivy bridge comes out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

The OP stated several times that the BIOS is locked and is unable to OC. Now, if the OP could OC the Q6600, I'd strongly suggest a GTX 570 or HD 6970 if the 5770 couldn't run the game at acceptable levels after it comes out.

But since the BIOS is locked and OC'ing is out of the question, a stronger GPU will help offset things more then just throwing in a faster CPU. The HD 5770 can only do so much and if the Alpha benchmark chart shows us anything, that GPU could have problems in the official released version once all the bells and whistles are included. A more powerful GPU would be best, then after a new CPU and MB are introduced (be it Ivy/Sandy Bridge or Bulldozer), the more powerful GPU will maxmize upon it and a greater boost in performance will come into play.

I for certain had a boost in performance when I added a second 8800GTS 512 to run in SLI on my old dual Athlon 64 x2 5600+ that ran @ 3.15GHz. I knew I would bottleneck the GPUs, but the boost in performance was worth it. About 6 months later or so, I was able to afford my Phenom II x4 940 and new MB - pairing up the same two cards in SLI I gained nearly a 25% gain in performance in all games and even more when I OC'ed the CPU up to 3.4GHz.

That is why I recommed a better GPU first. There will be a performance boost and once the new MB/CPU is added, the OP will get yet another performance boost.

I voted option 1 but now that I think about it you shouldnt upgrade anything until you have money for EVERYTHING.

Incremental upgrades work well when you know you will be getting the same hardware 6 months down the road so why wait. However in this case we could have new CPU's and GPU's next year so getting SB now in preparation of a GPU next year may not end up being a good decision, you are certainly NOT gonna get much more performance by upgrading CPU only.

All I would suggest you right now is to get the HDD as that is something that would benefit you from the get go and wont get obsolete. You dont need a PSU btw.

And to all the people defending the 5770 as a powerful card, I guess it's time for some techpowerup charts :o

Crysis 2 and just cause 2 are another 2 games which 5770 cannot come close to maxing out even at 16x10. So there we have half a dozen games already.

Gonna throw my hat into the ring.

Get a GTX 570/560Ti or HD6950 depending on which games you want to play. The Corsair 550w should be enough as it's a quality power supply but won't satisfy any future upgrades. OC the Q6600 because it will be bottlenecked at stock, and if your motherboard is locked just pick up another LGA775 one cheap from Ebay.

Other upgrades would cost alot of money for smaller performance gains.

Gonna throw my hat into the ring.

Get a GTX 570/560Ti or HD6950 depending on which games you want to play. The Corsair 550w should be enough as it's a quality power supply but won't satisfy any future upgrades. OC the Q6600 because it will be bottlenecked at stock, and if your motherboard is locked just pick up another LGA775 one cheap from Ebay.

Other upgrades would cost alot of money for smaller performance gains.

Kilew

If you spend time reading he said is motherboard is locked which mean he gotta buy a P35/P45 hopefully he find a good one on ebay or craiglist if he go with a GTX 570 he should oc it :P it get close to GTX 580 performance in most of Current AAA title

he is also thinking of changing the Little Bottleneck he would have for newn cpu / mobo / ram around next year for Ivybridge(1155) / Amd Komodo (Fm2)

People.. he doesn't have to buy a new motherboard to OC. Anybody ever heard of the "tape mod" for the Q6600? It's a tried and true overclocking method for these chips on limited mobos. It requires very limited tools and maybe 30 minutes to do at the most.

People.. he doesn't have to buy a new motherboard to OC. Anybody ever heard of the "tape mod" for the Q6600? It's a tried and true overclocking method for these chips on limited mobos. It requires very limited tools and maybe 30 minutes to do at the most.

hartsickdiscipl

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

People.. he doesn't have to buy a new motherboard to OC. Anybody ever heard of the "tape mod" for the Q6600? It's a tried and true overclocking method for these chips on limited mobos. It requires very limited tools and maybe 30 minutes to do at the most.

04dcarraher

Yes

And to all the people defending the 5770 as a powerful card, I guess it's time for some techpowerup charts :o

Crysis 2 and just cause 2 are another 2 games which 5770 cannot come close to maxing out even at 16x10. So there we have half a dozen games already.

Gambler_3

Half a dozen games, half of which MIGHT be worth playing. I could throw in 3dmark11 in there and it would probably fit too.

And for all the nay sayers saying 5770 can't run BF3 based on that chart, IT IS 1920X1080, NOT 1680x1050. He could very well achieve 35fps avg on 1680x1050 - since when wasn't that playable? Hell, if I got 35 fps avg in a game I wouldn't even think about upgrading.

[QUOTE="Gambler_3"]

And to all the people defending the 5770 as a powerful card, I guess it's time for some techpowerup charts :o

Crysis 2 and just cause 2 are another 2 games which 5770 cannot come close to maxing out even at 16x10. So there we have half a dozen games already.

kaitanuvax

Half a dozen games, half of which MIGHT be worth playing. I could throw in 3dmark11 in there and it would probably fit too.

And for all the nay sayers saying 5770 can't run BF3 based on that chart, IT IS 1920X1080, NOT 1680x1050. He could very well achieve 35fps avg on 1680x1050 - since when wasn't that playable? Hell, if I got 35 fps avg in a game I wouldn't even think about upgrading.

lol yah gambler whips out a chart that shows some of the most demanding games for the pc that even the highest end cards have trouble running. And the settings for these games are much higher than what the OP said he would be satisfied running the games at. The op said he would be ok with high at 1680 X 1050 res with no AA or af. So add at least 20 frames to each of those games for the 5770 and you have the results.

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"][QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

People.. he doesn't have to buy a new motherboard to OC. Anybody ever heard of the "tape mod" for the Q6600? It's a tried and true overclocking method for these chips on limited mobos. It requires very limited tools and maybe 30 minutes to do at the most.

hartsickdiscipl

Yes

so he could do the tape mod, overclock his gpu, save his money till next year when ivy bridge is out and the radeon 7000/ nvidia 600 series cards are out and do an upgrade then.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"] Ya dont the tape mod cause the cpu to run at 3 ghz? blaznwiipspman1

Yes

so he could do the tape mod, overclock his gpu, save his money till next year when ivy bridge is out and the radeon 7000/ nvidia 600 series cards are out and do an upgrade then.

He could, but that wouldn't be his best bet. He's going to need to upgrade something in his rig eventually. I think that once his Q6600 is at 3ghz or higher, the next logical thing to do in a gaming rig is to get something better than a 5770. The GTX 570, 560 Ti, and 6950 make sense for him. A 3ghz+ Core 2 Quad and a GPU of that caliber will beat an i5 2500k and an OC'd 5770 in the majority of games once you crank the detail setttings and AA/AF up.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

Yes

hartsickdiscipl

so he could do the tape mod, overclock his gpu, save his money till next year when ivy bridge is out and the radeon 7000/ nvidia 600 series cards are out and do an upgrade then.

He could, but that wouldn't be his best bet. He's going to need to upgrade something in his rig eventually. I think that once his Q6600 is at 3ghz or higher, the next logical thing to do in a gaming rig is to get something better than a 5770. The GTX 570, 560 Ti, and 6950 make sense for him. A 3ghz+ Core 2 Quad and a GPU of that caliber will beat an i5 2500k and an OC'd 5770 in the majority of games once you crank the detail setttings and AA/AF up.

sigh....how many times do I and the original poster have to say it?? He doesn't care about the AA/ AF and he'll be happy with high settings no need for ultra. So with that in mind his 5770 is completely fine for even playing battlefield 3.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

so he could do the tape mod, overclock his gpu, save his money till next year when ivy bridge is out and the radeon 7000/ nvidia 600 series cards are out and do an upgrade then.

blaznwiipspman1

He could, but that wouldn't be his best bet. He's going to need to upgrade something in his rig eventually. I think that once his Q6600 is at 3ghz or higher, the next logical thing to do in a gaming rig is to get something better than a 5770. The GTX 570, 560 Ti, and 6950 make sense for him. A 3ghz+ Core 2 Quad and a GPU of that caliber will beat an i5 2500k and an OC'd 5770 in the majority of games once you crank the detail setttings and AA/AF up.

sigh....how many times do I and the original poster have to say it?? He doesn't care about the AA/ AF and he'll be happy with high settings no need for ultra. So with that in mind his 5770 is completely fine for even playing battlefield 3.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

so he could do the tape mod, overclock his gpu, save his money till next year when ivy bridge is out and the radeon 7000/ nvidia 600 series cards are out and do an upgrade then.

blaznwiipspman1

He could, but that wouldn't be his best bet. He's going to need to upgrade something in his rig eventually. I think that once his Q6600 is at 3ghz or higher, the next logical thing to do in a gaming rig is to get something better than a 5770. The GTX 570, 560 Ti, and 6950 make sense for him. A 3ghz+ Core 2 Quad and a GPU of that caliber will beat an i5 2500k and an OC'd 5770 in the majority of games once you crank the detail setttings and AA/AF up.

sigh....how many times do I and the original poster have to say it?? He doesn't care about the AA/ AF and he'll be happy with high settings no need for ultra. So with that in mind his 5770 is completely fine for even playing battlefield 3.

He's going to want to play more than just BF3 in the long run. The guy obviously has some money to spend on an upgrade, so let him spend it on something to enhance his performance.

Wow I never would have though that my little thread would have caused such a debate. It seems the community is pretty divided on this. Maybe the best bet would be to wait for the beta and see what is necessary to run bf3 at high and exactly how cpu intensive it is.