i7 950

[Scarymonkeys]

Hello. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I want to have a gaming PC built by Christmas. I've been looking at possibly the i5 2500k, which sells for around $150 on eBay, but recently I've looked at the i7 950. I know it's an old card, but it sells for below $100. The GPU I will be possibly getting is a GTX 670 for around $125 on eBay. Will this CPU bottleneck that, render 20 minute videos at 1080p daily, and allow me to upgrade my GPU in the future without upgrading the CPU? If not, can someone recommend me a CPU that will sell for the se price point on eBay?

[TheKDub]

I wouldn't go for that, with that budget your better off with a pentium g3258 or an athlon x4 I think it was.. (Some $80ish quad core from AMD)

[Clyne]

Although LGA1366 motherboards start over a hundred dollars used.......

[i_build_nanosuits]

its a good match but id recommend an i5-4440 and cheap h81 motherboard instead it would not cost much more,would perform better and guaranteed to work...

[Method]

The 950 won't bottleneck it at all. I'm on an i7 920 with a GTX 970 and that hardly bottlenecks it. Rendering 20 minute 1080p videos it should be OK in.

[Scarymonkeys]

The i5 sells $80 over my budget.

Also, to Method, thanks! I'm surprised it can handle such a high-end card..I'm sure anything will be better than my 1.3GHz i5 in my laptop.

[Method]

I think the 860k is what TheKDub was talking about:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113379

 

For a budget gaming build that's a pretty nice choice.

[Scarymonkeys]

Would the FX-6300 perform better than the 950?

[i_build_nanosuits]

no its about the same, also both of these cpus are no match for a gtx970 unless you play on ultra resolution so just take that idea out of your head...gtx 770 or radeon r9 280x are as high as you want to go on these for 1080p gaming, its even pushing it a bit i'd feel comfortable running a 760 or r9 280.

[Method]

no its about the same, also both of these cpus are no match for a gtx970 unless you play on ultra resolution so just take that idea out of your head...gtx 770 or radeon r9 280x are as high as you want to go on these for 1080p gaming, its even pushing it a bit i'd feel comfortable running a 760 or r9 280.

 

No, thats simply just wrong. I have a 920, overclocked to 3.9, handles every game I can possibly throw at it just fine. Watchdogs plays maximum settings at solid 60fps with vsync, 1080p. 

[Scarymonkeys]

Ok, I can pick up the 950 for $50-80 on eBay, so what good motherboard that will overclock should I get? I also want to make sure that this will last me for at least 4-6 years.

[Method]

A 950 likely won't last you for 4-6 years. If you're looking for a budget system with some life in it like that, save some more money and get a beefier cpu. My 920 is being replaced soon with an x99 based system. If however you're looking for something to get by on and you'll upgrade a year or 2 later, sure, spend the money for the 950 and a board.

[Scarymonkeys]

Okay. I think I'll just save up my money a bit more and get a decent i5 on eBay.

[SteveGrabowski]

its a good match but id recommend an i5-4440 and cheap h81 motherboard instead it would not cost much more,would perform better and guaranteed to work...

 

This. Newegg has the i5-4440 for $170 right now and you can get decent H81 boards for ~$50. No reason to buy used and pay more.

[i_build_nanosuits]

No, thats simply just wrong. I have a 920, overclocked to 3.9, handles every game I can possibly throw at it just fine. Watchdogs plays maximum settings at solid 60fps with vsync, 1080p.

monitor your GPU load my friend, there's no way in hell you get 98% GPU load in most games..you are not getting all the performance your GPU is capable of.

[Method]

monitor your GPU load my friend, there's no way in hell you get 98% GPU load in most games..you are not getting all the performance your GPU is capable of.

 

GPU load, and everything else. Occasionally hit 89%, mostly around the 75%-80% mark though. This is while playing Watchdogs.

 

CPU load:

 

Stayed pretty solid around the 67% mark. The drop on the ends of these graphs is me alt-tabbing out. Watchdogs hogs all of one thread for whatever reason after its out of focus.

 

My 970 is barely bottlenecked by my 920, at 3.9 ghz. Stock, sure, it might be a heftier margin. But to say that a 920 or even a 950 is "no match" for a 970 is misleading and wrong.

[i_build_nanosuits]

GPU load, and everything else. Occasionally hit 89%, mostly around the 75%-80% mark though. This is while playing Watchdogs.

 

Stayed pretty solid around the 67% mark. The drop on the ends of these graphs is me alt-tabbing out. Watchdogs hogs all of one thread for whatever reason after its out of focus.

 

My 970 is barely bottlenecked by my 920, at 3.9 ghz. Stock, sure, it might be a heftier margin. But to say that a 920 or even a 950 is "no match" for a 970 is misleading and wrong.

man, this is quite a bottleneck you have there...you are not getting all the performance from your GPU...listen, you've paid nearly 500$ for a new graphics card and you are not

getting the performance you've paid for...i would suggest you do yourself a favor and put another 300$ on a core i5-4590 and an H97 motherboard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($193.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($67.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $261.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-24 07:23 EST-0500

[Method]

man, this is quite a bottleneck you have there...you are not getting all the performance from your GPU...listen, you've paid nearly 500$ for a new graphics card and you are not

getting the performance you've paid for...do yourself a favor and put another 300$ on a core i5-4590 and an H97 motherboard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($193.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $271.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-24 07:20 EST-0500

 

You have no idea what you're talking about. Gpu is a 80% nearly at all times. CPU isn't even being capped out. I've already said I'm upgrading to an x99 build. I didn't pay "nearly" 500$ for it. Its a 970, I paid 350 for it.

[i_build_nanosuits]

You have no idea what you're talking about. Gpu is a 80% nearly at all times. CPU isn't even being capped out. I've already said I'm upgrading to an x99 build. I didn't pay "nearly" 500$ for it. Its a 970, I paid 350 for it.

good news, but you want your GPU to be at 98% consistentily in every games...at least that's what i want and MOST people who spend that much money on a GPU would want!

BTW no reasons to insult me at this point.

350$ after taxes and shipping?! wow that sounds like an amazing deal BTW...

[Method]

good news, but you want your GPU to be at 98% consistentily in every games...at least that's what i want and MOST people and spend that much money on a GPU would want!

BTW no reasons to insult me at this point.

350$ after taxes and shipping?! wow that sounds like an amazing deal BTW...

 

Except that's not how high end GPUs work, or any gpus work. Not every game can max out a gpu, let alone a 970. I'll run a bunch of other games to show you this.

[i_build_nanosuits]

Except that's not how high end GPUs work, or any gpus work. Not every game can max out a gpu, let alone a 970. I'll run a bunch of other games to show you this.

all you will show me is more cpu bottleneck because you do want your GPU to be maxed out and put out as much frames as possible cause that's how this works

and unless you are on a 60hz screen or you play with Vsync you do want your GPU maxed out AT ALL TIME while gaming.

[Mush Brain]

He is not bottlenecked.

 

The i7 950 is still quite a bit faster than the FX 8 cores, and a hell of a lot stronger at single thread.

[Method]

I do play with vsync. I can turn it off and show you my usage again if you'd like. Also 350 with shipping isn't a "great deal" by any means. Newegg commonly offers free shipping, I got free shipping when I bought it from NCIX, and I have amazon prime, so I'd always get free shipping. Even if I didn't, it'd be what, 10 bucks? $360 all said and done? That's why the 970's have been selling like hotcakes. 

[i_build_nanosuits]

I do play with vsync. I can turn it off and show you my usage again if you'd like. Also 350 with shipping isn't a "great deal" by any means. Newegg commonly offers free shipping, I got free shipping when I bought it from NCIX, and I have amazon prime, so I'd always get free shipping. Even if I didn't, it'd be what, 10 bucks? $360 all said and done? That's why the 970's have been selling like hotcakes. 

you have Vsyn on?! you should have told me that way earlier...yes do a quick test without Vsync and see if your GPU get max loads...

[Method]

you have Vsyn on?! you should have told me that way earlier...yes do a quick test without Vsync and see if your GPU get max loads...

 

At work right now Have to wait till 4:00ish. But yes, games like watchdogs/tombraider where you have a 3rd person view, I can't stand vsync being off. Tearing is just too ridiculous. FPS's obviously I keep it off.