Graphics card and Processor suggestions.

Swifty

New member
Hey everyone ^_^ another one of these threads, I am looking to replace two main components in my computer at this point, I got really bothered with the fact I can't run Far Cry 3 on optimal settings which is far fetched but I am a stickler when it comes to these kinds of things. I am looking for the suggestions of the community at this point on which graphics card and processor I can get the best bang for my buck and the best performance with.

Currently I have the Radeon HD Sapphire 6950 I paid roughly 300 bucks for it at a pawn shop brand new about 6-8 months ago, and the second thing is the processor which is an i5-2500 which I paid roughly the same as the graphics card and then the price dropped right after I bought it.

As well additionally I would like to replace my mouse and keyboard for something else I have had my mouse for about 6 years its a razer death adder and the mouse is wearing. Suggestions for that as well would be fantastic thank you very much and have a Happy New Year :]
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
Well im no gfx expert so im not even going to go there but as your only talking cpu and not mobo then i take it your sticking with the LGA1155 (?P5Q Pro) socket so depending whether your board supports 22nm gen 3 ivy chips or not will be a factor and then your price limited to what you want to get but IMO thats not a bad processor and cant see it limiting you in games but if you are going to change it then its how much you want to spend and if you want to step up to i7
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Pauly Special
OS
Win7 Ultimate X64
CPU
Intel i5 3570K
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z77X-DS3H
Memory
8GB DDR3 1600
Graphics Card(s)
Onboard
Sound Card
Onboard
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 Evo SSD (OS)
1TB Spinner (Data)
PSU
800W Arctic
Case
Cooler Master
Cooling
3x120mm Fans
Keyboard
MS Wireless
Mouse
MS Wireless
Internet Speed
20M
My budget is open to suggestions, my motherboard has been changed recently so I don't have the most up to date on my spec sheet at the moment I have a Asus P8H77-V now.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
Just had a look at your mobo specs, which look good by the way, and it says it does support ivybridge chips but if not already done it will definately need a bios update to run one (think you will need 0701 min maybe later), so if you do change your chip make sure you update bios before removing your old chip as the new one wont work a few of us have been caught with that scenario lately, another bonus if you do upgrade to ivy chip your mobo will run PCI 3.0 so consider that when looking at new GPUs
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Pauly Special
OS
Win7 Ultimate X64
CPU
Intel i5 3570K
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z77X-DS3H
Memory
8GB DDR3 1600
Graphics Card(s)
Onboard
Sound Card
Onboard
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 Evo SSD (OS)
1TB Spinner (Data)
PSU
800W Arctic
Case
Cooler Master
Cooling
3x120mm Fans
Keyboard
MS Wireless
Mouse
MS Wireless
Internet Speed
20M
Thanks for the heads up, I certainly will take that into consideration when looking for a graphics card. Although I do agree I have run into the problem more or once where I had to completely reinstall my operating system :P.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Me
OS
Win 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
FX-8350 @ 4.6 GHz so far
Motherboard
Asus M5A97 EVO
Memory
ADATA XPG V1 Series Black 8GB DDR3 1600
Graphics Card(s)
Sapphire R9 270x Dual-X
Sound Card
Xonar DGX w/ Corsair Vengence 1300
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer S232HL Abid
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
120 GB OCZ Vertex 3
500 GB Seagate 7200.12
PSU
Antec Earthwatts 650W Green
Case
Antec Three Hundred
Cooling
Cooler Master 212 EVO
Keyboard
Logitech G510
Mouse
Logitech G500s
Internet Speed
35000/3000
Can you tell us exactly which Sapphire 6950 you have? There are a few different models.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Built
OS
Windows 7 Professional 64bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core i5-3570K @ 4.5GHz
Motherboard
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Memory
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4) @1866MHz CL 9-9-9-24 1T
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GTX 750 Ti FTW
Sound Card
Onboard Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2309W
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 830 128GB SSD - OS
(4) Seagate 5TB HDD
(1) Seagate 2TB HDD
PSU
Seasonic X750 80+ Gold Full Modular
Case
Antec Eleven Hundred Super Mid Tower
Cooling
Intel Liquid Cooler
Keyboard
Max Nighthawk X8 Mechanical keyboard
Mouse
Mionix Naos 7000
Internet Speed
50 Mbps Down / 10 Mbps Up
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials/Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Browser
Chrome/Firefox
Other Info
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's
Asus RT-N66R Wireless Router

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
I don't see why you cannot run it with what you currently have. Maybe go to the link that Stormy gave you and see if there is an issue there. I know for a fact that your CPU is fine, and I'm willing to bet your video card is more than fine........sounds like there is either a driver issue or the game is buggy. I would look into that before shelling out for new parts.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Built
OS
Windows 7 Professional 64bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core i5-3570K @ 4.5GHz
Motherboard
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Memory
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4) @1866MHz CL 9-9-9-24 1T
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GTX 750 Ti FTW
Sound Card
Onboard Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2309W
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 830 128GB SSD - OS
(4) Seagate 5TB HDD
(1) Seagate 2TB HDD
PSU
Seasonic X750 80+ Gold Full Modular
Case
Antec Eleven Hundred Super Mid Tower
Cooling
Intel Liquid Cooler
Keyboard
Max Nighthawk X8 Mechanical keyboard
Mouse
Mionix Naos 7000
Internet Speed
50 Mbps Down / 10 Mbps Up
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials/Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Browser
Chrome/Firefox
Other Info
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's
Asus RT-N66R Wireless Router
I don't see why you cannot run it with what you currently have. Maybe go to the link that Stormy gave you and see if there is an issue there. I know for a fact that your CPU is fine, and I'm willing to bet your video card is more than fine........sounds like there is either a driver issue or the game is buggy. I would look into that before shelling out for new parts.

I can run Far Cry 3 no problem what I am bothered with is the fact on system requirements lab it is telling me my two components are not optimal to play the game, I know it sounds stupid but I guess at the least upgrading my CPU would put me at ease.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
point is, your current processor is around on par with the best gaming processor around (i5 3570k), and if overclocked it can even be better than it (the 2500k is a very good overclocker, but you seem to have the non-k version).

Anyway I think the main gripe about your stuff is the board. If I'm not mistaken its H77 chipset does not allow you to overclock the CPU. Yes even the non-k can be overclocked to decent levels if the board has some features.
Boards with z77 chipset usually have a feature called "multicore enhancemnt" or "no-k oc" or whatever, that allows you to run all the cores of the processor at its Turbo Boost clock, which is 3.7 Ghz for the 2500. Then again in z77 (and z68 I think) boards you can raise the Turbo Boost max clock by around 4 bins, up to a total clock of 4Ghz or so.
Check your BIOS options anyway.

If you want to upgrade, take a 3570k, and possibly a mobo with chipset z77. Nothing stops you from buying stuff in socket 2011, but atm it's more or less the same.

While it's new and whatnot, PCIe 3.0 is kind of unnecessary for the hardware you can find around atm. I've seen benchmarks of modern cards on 8x and 16x PCIe 3.0 and on 16x PCIe 2.0 and they show little if any difference (PCIe 3.0 is double the bandwith of the 2.0 so a 8x 3.0 slot is equivalent to a 16x 2.0 slot. For one-year old stuff and modern mid-end, the performance hit is still unnoticeable when on a 8x PCIe 2.0 slot.

Btw, who bleep cares of what system requirements lab thinks? If it runs at max it runs at max, there is no way around that.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom built
OS
Win 7 Pro 64-bit 7601
CPU
AMD Phenom 9650 QuadCore, revision DR-B3
Motherboard
ASUS M4A78
Memory
5 GB yes I run 2x 2GB and 1x 1GB, different brand, spank me.
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 512 Mb, unknown manufacturer.
Sound Card
Crappy Realtek Integrated Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Fujitsu Siemens P19-3P
Screen Resolution
1280 x 1024 x 32 bits @ 60 Hz Oh yeah, 4:3 rocks!
Hard Drives
(1) MAXTOR S TM3320613AS SATA Disk Device (2) STM35004 18AS SATA Disk Device (3) TOSHIBA USB 2.5"-HDD
PSU
whatever, around 450w
Case
Scavenged from old company PC, 10+ years old
Cooling
CPU fan, GPU fan, case fan, nothing fancy
Keyboard
Microsoft, PS/2, white.
Mouse
Optical, logitec.
Internet Speed
effective max speeds: 70-ish kB/s down 30-ish kB/s up
Antivirus
Avira, free edition.
Browser
Firefox with FXChrome to make it look like Google Chrome :P
Other Info
Was discarded by previous owner due to "horrible performance".
Was running Win Xp from a IDE drive. Yeah. Was a pain.
SATA II drive and Win7 and it zips away! Yay!
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