Bottleneck in i3 540

[ibanezs470dx]

I was thinking of upgrading my current (really outdated) GPU, the AMD HD5770, to a new Nvidia 970. I was wondering how much of a bottleneck this would create due to the limitations of my cpu (the i3 540). I do plan to overclock (with a custom cooler) my cpu if nessesary and have overclocked to 3.4ghz before without getting any ridiculous temperatures. 

 

So in summary my questions are:

 

How much of a bottleneck should I expect from my cpu?

Would it be better to upgrade my cpu (and motherboard) and get a lower end graphics card instead?

If so what options do I have to upgrade for a resonably futureproof rig?

 

Cheers

[MrKickkiller]

I would suggest buying the gpu now, using it with a bottleneck, and to upgrade later to a non bottleneck system.

 

I don't see why it would be a deterrence to buy the GPU if it was gonna be bottlenecked. It will give you way better performance now.

+ Even more performance when the money starts coming in and you get to upgrade your motherboard and cpu.

 

Oh and never ever downgrade your GPU, it is the key for gaming performance!

A cpu will only make a 1-10 fps difference at most.

You need a more powerfull cpu if you want to multitask, render etc. Look @ the Pentium G238. (Dual Core)

Paired with a good cpu it gives equivalent gaming performance with a 5960X (Octa Core)

 

This is just my opinion. Maybe you want to gather some more opinions.