CPU Bottleneck help!?

[Poundcake767]

I'm trying to upgrade my CPU from AMD Athlon to a CPU that wouldn't bottleneck my NVIDIA GTX 970. I want a cpu that isn't costly and could be in the low 100 dollar range. Would an Intel Core i3 work? Or an AMD FX. The only thing I'm worried about having an am3 + motherboard is that there is no PCIe 3.0 slot its only PCIe 2.0 except for the Asus Sabertooth Gen3 which costs 200 USD. Is their any way to get PCIe 3.0 slots externally? And is it worth it to have PCIe 3.0 versus a PCIe 2.0? Thanks.

[Poundcake767]

Any help?

[ReesZRB]

No, PCIe 3.0 wins PCIe 2.0 by about 1-2 fps without bottlenecking. Best to i5 but you are on a budget I can't see why. Also would like to know your current CPU.

[Godlygamer23]

It's not worth it to have PCIe 3.0 over 2.0. There is no way to get it externally either. The issue with bottlenecking is it depends on what games you're playing. If it's something like Skyrim, you're going to need a powerful CPU.

[yourdad165]

You'd have to change your board if you're going to get an Intel CPU.

[david cassar]

There isn't a cpu in the low 100 dollar range that wouldn't bottleneck the 970. A locked i5 is the cheapest cpu which won't bottleneck the 970.

[Majestic]

100 dollar for a board and CPU? Dont even bother.

[i_build_nanosuits]

There isn't a cpu in the low 100 dollar range that wouldn't bottleneck the 970. A locked i5 is the cheapest cpu which won't bottleneck the 970.

this, sorry.

[i_build_nanosuits]

Have you seen this in the Deals section?

the pentium will be a MAJOR bottleneck for such a GPU i'm sorry..

this is the bare minimum to consider for a GTX970:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $219.98

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-24 11:12 EST-0500

This is what i would recommend if you want to get ALL the performance from this GPU:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $297.97

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-24 11:14 EST-0500

[Wingfan]

the pentium will be a MAJOR bottleneck for such a GPU i'm sorry..

this is the bare minimum to consider for a GTX970:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $219.98

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-24 11:12 EST-0500

This is what i would recommend if you want to get ALL the performance from this GPU:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $297.97

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-24 11:14 EST-0500

These are great options. 

[small2cats]

you heard i_build_nanosuits dude. It's time for a big upgrade if you want to get 100% out of the 970.

[SteveGrabowski]

nanosuits has a video where he shows just how much a Pentium G3258 chokes a GTX 780, much less the better GTX 970, so the unlocked Pentium would be a horrible choice. Is your budget absolutely firm, and is low $100 range just for the CPU, or would it be CPU+board? If the budget isn't firm it would really be worth it to up that low $100s to $250 or so for a nice locked i5 and an H97/B85/H81 board.