2009 refresh build - GTX 970 bottleneck?

[MrKneecap]

Hi folks! I have a big "re-use" question I hope to answer to save some bucks. I just pulled the trigger on a new GTX 970 and an MX100 512GB , but I'm worried my aging i5 750 CPU is going to be a massive bottleneck. Thoughts?

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming. That's it. I'm currently playing ESO, but Skyrim, Battlefield, and Borderlands also get some screen time.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$600 (not counting new GPU and SSD)

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

US

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

N/A

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel CPUs and nVidia GPUs, otherwise no preference

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Ah, the big question. Here's what I'm working with, built in 2009:

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield Quad-Core 2.66GHz LGA 1156
Mobo: EVGA P55 SLI 132-LF-E655-KR LGA1156 Intel P55 ATX
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Video: 2x SLI EVGA 896-P3-1171-AR GeForce GTX 275 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit DDR3 (moving to wife's computer)
SSD: Intel X25M 160GB (moving to wife's computer)
HDD: WD 150GB Raptor
Power: Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE CrossFire 80 PLUS Certified Modular

Backup HDD, DVD burner, sound card, and Windows 7 will all be used again.

Replacements already purchased:
Crucial MX100 512Gb
Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Default for now, but if I get a new processor I'll go aftermarket for the cooler.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

1920x1080, still living in the past with my 42" Westy. Maybe triple monitors in the future if I win the lotto.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

Now, maybe waiting until black friday.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

Win 7 to be used again.

 

[nsafreak]

To put it simply, yes your i5 750 is going to be a pretty big bottleneck. You're at the point now where I would consider saving up for a Z97 or X99 system rather than investing more into that aging platform. You'll be able to use the GTX 970 but nowhere near its full potential. However $600 is more than enough for a decent i5 4690K & a Z97 motherboard as the rest of your components should be fine. This combo from newegg should suit your needs just fine although there are even better combo deals if you happen to be near a microcenter.

 

[Termie]

Yes, it's a massive bottleneck.

Take a look at these CPU gaming benchmarks, using an HD 7870, which offers half the performance of a GTX 970:

www.techbuyersguru.com/i5CPUshootout.php

In short, unless you overclock your i5-750 to at least 4GHz, your video card's potential will be lost in many games.

Also, 4GB of system RAM is really barebones these days. Your going to get a lot of thrashing in some games, although most will run (some new games are launching with 6GB now required).

I'd do the following:
(1) 4690K - $230
(2) Z97 motherboard - $120
(3) 2x4GB of RAM - $75 (or 2x2GB for $50)

So, for $425, you'll be buying yourself an entirely different gaming experience.

By the way, I'd ditch the Raptor - it's loud, hot, and painfully slow. Just no reason to keep it in a modern system. And one last tip - your PSU may not be compatible with Haswell low-power sleep states. I'd look into that issue and potentially replace it with a much lower wattage, much more efficient model like a 550W Gold from Seasonic or XFX.

 

[Cerb]

The linked combo, some RAM, and nice cooler, still leaves over $130 (or, you could save another $20-30 w/ the Hyper212+ Evo).

A new PSU is optional, but wouldn't be a bad idea. You can disable those power states. The Corsair RM650, and CX600 both have good sales+rebates going for them. With the rebate card thing, you order, get the code, then can go ahead and apply that immediately to the next order. So anything with a, "rebate card," from NE should be ordered first.

 

[Firsttime]

Yeah it will bottleneck it pretty badly. I put a 760gtx into my i5-760 system and it can only ever utilize about 60% of the GPU in 1080p games.

 

[Zorander]

You could save some bucks by overclocking the i5-750. Get yourself a decent aftermarket cooler (and some extra RAM -4GB is indeed low nowadays). The CPU will hit 3.3-3.5GHz easily. With good airflow and luck, you could even get close to 4GHz. The overclocked CPU will manage well with current games and won't bottleneck the 970 as much. I did this with my i7-860 and got very good mileage out of it (upgraded out of itch, not performance issue).

Estimated cost: $100-150.

 

[vailr]

I'd recommend the previously linked Gigabyte Z97 board & 4690K combo, a 600 or 650 Watt replacement PSU, 2x 4 Gb DDR3, + a current model 1 Tb storage HD to go with the SSD. If the DVD burner is not a SATA drive, replace that also.
Peruse this thread for the particular weekly "best prices":
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841

 

[MrKneecap]

Firstly, thank you all for inputs; and for confirming my suspicions. I should have known better than to go for the piecemeal upgrade. I do appreciate the overclocking option but at this point I think I would hit diminishing returns. So as for the complete new build option, the 4690K does indeed look to be the perfect fit for my needs. I'll jump on 2x 4 Gb DDR3 as well.

My only decision left is power supply and motherboard -

I will likely go SLI at some point since I've had good success in the past. It appears the linked Gigabyte board has one x16 and one x8. Is this a limitation for SLI? Would a different board suit me better like the ASRock Z97 Extreme4?

Likewise, I'm OK with a 650W supply (admittedly the 1000W beast I have now is overkill), because I assume the low power consumption of the two GTX 970s shouldn't be problem.

 

[Termie]

Firstly, thank you all for inputs; and for confirming my suspicions. I should have known better than to go for the piecemeal upgrade. I do appreciate the overclocking option but at this point I think I would hit diminishing returns. So as for the complete new build option, the 4690K does indeed look to be the perfect fit for my needs. I'll jump on 2x 4 Gb DDR3 as well.

My only decision left is power supply and motherboard -

I will likely go SLI at some point since I've had good success in the past. It appears the linked Gigabyte board has one x16 and one x8. Is this a limitation for SLI? Would a different board suit me better like the ASRock Z97 Extreme4?

Likewise, I'm OK with a 650W supply (admittedly the 1000W beast I have now is overkill), because I assume the low power consumption of the two GTX 970s shouldn't be problem.

650W would be perfect for GTX 970 SLI.

And both the Gigabyte Z97X-SLI and ASRock Z97 Extreme4 have the same PCIe setup - x16 for one card, or x8/x8 for two. That's the maximum you'll find in a z97-based system, and it's sufficient for current cards. In the future, x16/x16, provided by the x99 platform, will be preferable.

 

[vailr]

If going with a Z97 board, then you might want to also consider replacing the case with something that includes a front USB 3.0 port.

 

[escrow4]

On RAM, Win 8.1 needs 4GB as an absolute minimum and will swallow 1.5GB to 2GB just for itself. On top games will swallow another 2-4GB - I've had Watch Dogs crack 5GB+ on a 16GB RAM system. 8GB is the absolute minimum, 16GB is preferred.

 

[ElFenix]

Yes, it's a massive bottleneck.

Take a look at these CPU gaming benchmarks, using an HD 7870, which offers half the performance of a GTX 970:

www.techbuyersguru.com/i5CPUshootout.php

those graphs are horrible. when you look at what the actual figures are, you're not losing much at all.

 

[Zorander]

Yes, it's a massive bottleneck.

Take a look at these CPU gaming benchmarks, using an HD 7870, which offers half the performance of a GTX 970:

www.techbuyersguru.com/i5CPUshootout.php

In short, unless you overclock your i5-750 to at least 4GHz, your video card's potential will be lost in many games.

I read that article and my takeaway is the i5-760 @3.5GHz performs surprisingly well against a stock 4670K.

 

[mfenn]

those graphs are horrible. when you look at what the actual figures are, you're not losing much at all.

Agree, graphs which aren't indexed at zero are evil. However, there are significant benefits to minimum frame rate in Deus Ex. So there are at least some cases where upgrading will offer benefits. It's also quite possible that the averages would follow the same trend if the games weren't GPU limited by the 7870.

Still, it might not be worth spending money on the upgrade. I'd definitely take a "wait and see" approach. Put in the new GPU, and it it doesn't perform like you think it should based on benchmarks, then look into possible CPU bottlenecks.