Is my GPU bottlenecking my CPU?

[Z3NITH]

Hello, my computer setup is almost 3 years old now. Will my AMD Radeon HD 7000 series bottleneck my Intel Core i7-3770? I have looked at the MHz for both. My CPU's cores almost all run at 3.7 MHz, while my GPU's run at 775 MHz for core and 800 MHz memory. I have trouble running 45 FPS for low settings on non-graphical demanding games (Gmod & Cs:Go)

 

(Kind of new at technical stuff)

[Godlygamer23]

Bear in mind the frequency units for the CPU are in GHz, not MHz(You could turn them into MHz though). In games like Gmod or CS:GO, you are very CPU bound. By turning down the settings in CS:GO to low, you are becoming more and more CPU limited.

[Goldensapling]

This, this doesn't make any sense. I'm not srue you understand what a bottleneck is. Anyway, you have an old GPU I believe. Your MHz has nothing to do with performance or the performance of the other component. Which particular GPU do you have?

[Z3NITH]

My GPU's an AMD Radeon HD 7470, and yes, it is an old GPU (Around 3.5 years old)

Also, my main concern is for the CPU based games, I have a fairly decent one. I do not understand why my FPS is so limited.

[FAQBytes]

GPU will always bottleneck CPU unless your CPU is garbage.

 

What I mean by this is that your GPU will always be running at 100% unless the CPU is garbage.

 

With that said, you only gave us a series, and that can be vastly different.

 

A 7990 will be more than sufficient, but a low end GPU will be the limiting factor.

 

More info would be useful.

[FAQBytes]

My GPU's an AMD Radeon HD 7470, and yes, it is an old GPU (Around 3.5 years old)

Also, my main concern is for the CPU based games, I have a fairly decent one. I do not understand why my FPS is so limited.

Yes, that is a very weak card and I recommend upgrading it if you want to do any type of gaming. What are you wanting to achieve and what is your budget? 

[Z3NITH]

I wish to get something that is fairly cheap for my main games, so CS:GO and Gmod. I also wish to render short YouTube clips. Something cheap-ish.

[FAQBytes]

I wish to get something that is fairly cheap for my main games, so CS:GO and Gmod. I also wish to render short YouTube clips. Something cheap-ish.

I'd go with a cheap-ish r9 380. A lot of places are giving out good deals. I still recommend going r9 200 series for that for the best price-performance ratio.

[FAQBytes]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121963&cm_re=r9_380-_-14-121-963-_-Product

[Z3NITH]

How long do you think my gpu and CPU will "last" with new AAA games coming out every so often? Will I be able to run AAA games with decent FPS?

[FAQBytes]

How long do you think my gpu and CPU will "last" with new AAA games coming out every so often? Will I be able to run AAA games with decent FPS?

With the 7470, I'd say it's done with it's AAA lifespan. 

 

With the r9 380, I'd say a good 3-4 years. It should run most games at ~high right now, and most games will be DX12 soon, so it will get a pretty big boost, so it will last. 

It will get you 5-6 years and then it will need to be ~Mid for AAA games. 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2980028/components-graphics/amd-radeon-r9-380-review-the-best-200-graphics-card-you-can-buy-for-1080p-gaming.html?page=2

[Z3NITH]

Thank you so much! One question, are the sizes of the GPUs similar? My main concern is if it won't fit..

[Godlygamer23]

Thank you so much! One question, are the sizes of the GPUs similar? My main concern is if it won't fit..

What case are you using at the moment?

[Z3NITH]

It was so long ago that I forgot what it is, and it is not written anywhere..

[Godlygamer23]

It was so long ago that I forgot what it is, and it is not written anywhere..

Can you post a photo of the inside?