Best LGA1366 CPU to pair with MSI HD7870 Hawk 2GB | Dell T3500

[heli1337]

Hi, I'm looking for best 1366 CPU, which will work ideal with HD7870 2GB.

Any ideas?

I'm gonna use it in Dell T3500, so Overclocking is disabled and I have to work on stock clocks.

 

Actual System Configuration - https://www.3dmark.com/fs/25679120

New GPU For Replacement - https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/msi-hd-7870-power-edition.b1353

[freeagent]

I would look for a W3690 or x5690. If you had a good motherboard then for sure the W3690 because you have access to more memory dividers. I had an X5690, great for overclocks, but lack of dividers made it boring. If you have to go with an X series try to pair it with memory that has tight timings. The lower the CAS the better.

[unclewebb]

5 hours ago, Helly Benchmarking said:

Overclocking is disabled

There are no BIOS options for overclocking but you can use software like ThrottleStop or Intel XTU for overclocking. I have been doing this for years on the T3500.

 

45 minutes ago, freeagent said:

W3690 or x5690

I would avoid the X series. They have a locked maximum multiplier so they cannot be overclocked.

 

Both the W3680 and W3690 have an unlocked multiplier. Those are your two best choices. The similar W3670 is locked so avoid that one. I prefer the W3680 since they are cheaper. The T3500 does not have any voltage adjustment so either of these will top out at approximately 4.0 GHz on all cores when fully loaded.

 

For cooling, grab any old case fan and strap it to the side of the OEM cooler. This cooler is amazing when you add a little bit of air flow to the design. I lowered the fan voltage so it is nice and quiet. These CPUs are easy to cool since they are running at default voltage even when overclocked. 

 

 

You will also need to increase the TDP / TDC for maximum performance when fully loaded. As long as the power limits are set high enough, the CPU can maintain full speed with zero power limit throttling. The default TDP is 130W. I think I had to boost that up to about 190W for maximum performance. I cannot remember if the TDC needed to be increased or not. I think default TDC might have been good enough. These CPUs are built like tanks so increasing the power limits is not going to hurt them. 

 

I was not 100% stable at 4133 MHz but you might get lucky and find a good CPU that can game at this speed. I think recent versions of Intel XTU no longer support the W3680. ThrottleStop is guaranteed to get the most out of these CPUs.  

 

 

[heli1337]

5 hours ago, freeagent said:

I would look for a W3690 or x5690. If you had a good motherboard then for sure the W3690 because you have access to more memory dividers. I had an X5690, great for overclocks, but lack of dividers made it boring. If you have to go with an X series try to pair it with memory that has tight timings. The lower the CAS the better.

I don't need a cpu with 130W TDP...

I was looking for something like X5650 / X5670

[freeagent]

19 minutes ago, Helly Benchmarking said:

I don't need a cpu with 130W TDP...

I was looking for something like X5650 / X5670

Oh ok..

 

You didn't mention that anywhere.

 

Both of those are locked.

[unclewebb]

1 hour ago, Helly Benchmarking said:

I don't need a cpu with 130W TDP...

Why not? 

 

X58 CPUs need lots of power to get maximum performance out of them. It is best to buy an unlocked CPU. You can set the power limits low or you can set the power limits high for maximum performance. An unlocked CPU puts you in control of how it runs.

 

Even at 190W, the Dell OEM cooler with a fan attached to it was enough to keep the CPU from running too hot.  

 

An X5650 will run fully loaded at a maximum speed of 2933 MHz. With its 95W TDP power limit being enforced, it might not even run that fast.

 

https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Xeon/Intel-Xeon X5650 - AT80614004320AD (BX80614X5650).html

 

A W3680 will run the same load 40% faster. The extra cost is money well spent. 

[heli1337]

11 minutes ago, unclewebb said:

Why not? 

 

X58 CPUs need lots of power to get maximum performance out of them. It is best to buy an unlocked CPU. You can set the power limits low or you can set the power limits high for maximum performance. An unlocked CPU puts you in control of how it runs.

 

Even at 190W, the Dell OEM cooler with a fan attached to it was enough to keep the CPU from running too hot.  

 

An X5650 will run fully loaded at a maximum speed of 2933 MHz. With its 95W TDP power limit being enforced, it might not even run that fast.

 

https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Xeon/Intel-Xeon X5650 - AT80614004320AD (BX80614X5650).html

 

A W3680 will run the same load 40% faster. The extra cost is money well spent. 

I want to still live and don't pay collosal amount of money for electricity

[heli1337]

15 minutes ago, unclewebb said:

Why not? 

 

X58 CPUs need lots of power to get maximum performance out of them. It is best to buy an unlocked CPU. You can set the power limits low or you can set the power limits high for maximum performance. An unlocked CPU puts you in control of how it runs.

 

Even at 190W, the Dell OEM cooler with a fan attached to it was enough to keep the CPU from running too hot.  

 

An X5650 will run fully loaded at a maximum speed of 2933 MHz. With its 95W TDP power limit being enforced, it might not even run that fast.

 

https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Xeon/Intel-Xeon X5650 - AT80614004320AD (BX80614X5650).html

 

A W3680 will run the same load 40% faster. The extra cost is money well spent. 

Still i'm using the HD7870 which is GTX 1050 / 950 equivalent.

It's not that powerful GPU so it doesn't need an beast CPU with Ryzen 5 2400G as a best comparision

[unclewebb]

@Helly Benchmarking Just because you increase a power limit 100W does not mean that the CPU will constantly consume an extra 100W. The CPU only consumes what it needs to consume. When idle or lightly loaded, there will be virtually no difference. If gaming for 8 hours a day, it might cost an extra 5 or 10 cents per day. It is not a huge expense. 

 

The unlocked W series tend to be better binned. That means they can run the same speed reliably as some X series CPUs with less voltage. They might consume less power compared to an X series. 

[heli1337]

1 minute ago, unclewebb said:

@Helly Benchmarking Just because you increase a power limit 100W does not mean that the CPU will constantly consume an extra 100W. The CPU only consumes what it needs to consume. When idle or lightly loaded, there will be virtually no difference. If gaming for 8 hours a day, it might cost an extra 5 or 10 cents per day. It is not a huge expense. 

 

The unlocked W series tend to be better binned. That means they can run the same speed reliably as some X series CPUs with less voltage. They might consume less power compared to an X series. 

What W - series CPU do You reccomend from Mid-Range?

I saw a W3680 price in mine local shopping service and it's too high for me.

[unclewebb]

@Helly Benchmarking If you cannot afford a W3680 then get any CPU. An X5650 is about $10 on eBay. 

[freeagent]

14 minutes ago, Helly Benchmarking said:

What W - series CPU do You reccomend from Mid-Range?

W3670 is like 55 usd on ebay.. these were high end parts back in the day.. and the price still reflects this.