Advice for new AMD cpu

[maets]

Hello everyone!

Im looking to upgrade my cpu in a month or so to improve my fps for games.
Specs: MB: Asus Crosshair III Formula - CPU: AMD II x4 955 (3.2ghz) GPU: ASUS GTX560ti - 8gb 1600mhz ram.

Do I have to upgrade the gpu aswell, or is it o.k?
Price for the cpu doesnt matter, the AMD processors are quite cheap imo.
I think my motherboard got socket AM3, but I see that alot of the AMD processor need AM3+, will my socket handle AM3+?

Thank you for help

 

[JackALope52x]

Hi maets and welcome!

Honestly that is a pretty good processor you have there and should still be able to keep up with most things you throw at it. Instead of getting a new CPU I would recommend getting a new GPU instead. I would look at a GTX 660 or GTX 670, that is if Nvidia is the way you want to go. Hopefully this helps and let us know if you have any more questions.

-JackALope

 

[maets]

Thanks Jack
Well, Im playing csgo wich Ive heard needs more cpu power than gpu, and I think that the 560ti is fine, or should I buy like a 2gb card instead? How are the GTX 660 or GTX 670 compared to 560ti? I just want the game to run more smoothly for my 120hz monitor you see.

Again, thanks

 

[VivaLaMikey]

To be completly honest your setup should work just fine with CS:GO my mate has almost the exact same setup and he plays Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with a good fps and source games are not that demanding.

If you feel you MUST upgrade be aware that none of the AM3+ Cpu's will work with your motherboard so you cant run AMD FX processors, your best bet is to find a second hand PhenomII 1090t or 1100t. GPU wise i would recommend a gtx570 or even a 580 with the release of the 700 series the 5 series are getting dirt cheap even the 6 series are affordable.

 

[maets]

To be completly honest your setup should work just fine with CS:GO my mate has almost the exact same setup and he plays Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with a good fps and source games are not that demanding.

If you feel you MUST upgrade be aware that none of the AM3+ Cpu's will work with your motherboard so you cant run AMD FX processors, your best bet is to find a second hand PhenomII 1090t or 1100t. GPU wise i would recommend a gtx570 or even a 580 with the release of the 700 series the 5 series are getting dirt cheap even the 6 series are affordable.

Thanks for replying me back man.
So I if you think that I should rather upgrade my gpu I would need some advice for that. I really want more fps ingame to make the game run more smoother than now - and a better graphic card should do that right? Wich graphic card should I buy that my MB can support? Price doesnt really matter, just not too much you know. I think that the 560ti got 1gb? So I should buy a new that got like 2 or even 3gb? Also, it would be great if I could use the 560ti as a second gpu, like SLI or something?

Thanks for your help.

 

[VivaLaMikey]

Unfortunately your motherboard doesnt support SLI either, you could always buy a higher end card say a gtx580 or gtx670 and run the 560ti as a physx card but you will only see fps increase in games that support physx, which to say is not many.

If i were in your shoes i would sell the AMD 955 & gtx560ti and buy a used PhenomII 1090t and a GTX670, i have owned a PhenomII 1090t and i dare say its great price for performance and 670's get very good reviews.

But like i said source games are not extremely demanding so it wont take much to cap out CS:GO then anything else is just a waste of money if you dont play any other games, im still surprised your having issues running CS with those components.

 

[JackALope52x]

As Mikey has already stated, your system should be able to run CS:GO without any problems. He also makes a good point about getting rid of your AMD 955 and GTX 560ti and getting a Phenom II X6 1090T and a new GPU. Honestly though, I don't see you getting a major boost from a new CPU because, as mentioned earlier, your current CPU is still decent. If all you play is Source games then you really won't need a GTX 670, I would recommend the GTX 660 or maybe something lower, but I would make sure it's a 2GB card or higher.

 

[bobkn]

I can't speak to the wisdom of a CPU upgrade, but Asus has a compatibility list for that motherboard:

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- CPU Support Crosshair III Formula&os=30&hashedid=2Y4dQFaJ6gPN18cQ

As others have remarked, the most powerful CPUs that this boards supports are Phenom II X6. They're hard to find at new retail on my favorite US online sources.

SLI support is rare on AMD motherboards, but nVidia has licensed it to some, like this one:

CROSSHAIR V FORMULA-Z - Motherboards - ASUS

 

[VivaLaMikey]

Can I suggest something before you head out and sell/buy anything, I've been pondering why your current system has trouble running it at high fps as I'm convinced it should that maybe your system is running lots of background processes.

What I suggest you do is download Tweak your Game Settings Automatically | GeForce Experience | GeForce and Razer Game Booster and give those a try, basically GeForce experience will set your games to recommended settings and Razer game booster will prioritise your processes and give your games maximum resources. Be aware they are still both in beta (last time I checked anyway) so they might be a bit buggy and don't support a whole lot at the moment but try your luck and get back to us.

 

[maets]

Thanks all for replying back

I will try the boosters, VivaLaMikey. I just downloaded GeForce Experience and hope it supports csgo.

 

[JackALope52x]

Can I suggest something before you head out and sell/buy anything, I've been pondering why your current system has trouble running it at high fps as I'm convinced it should that maybe your system is running lots of background processes.

What I suggest you do is download Tweak your Game Settings Automatically | GeForce Experience | GeForce and Razer Game Booster and give those a try, basically GeForce experience will set your games to recommended settings and Razer game booster will prioritise your processes and give your games maximum resources. Be aware they are still both in beta (last time I checked anyway) so they might be a bit buggy and don't support a whole lot at the moment but try your luck and get back to us.

I second this.

 

[VivaLaMikey]

Thanks all for replying back

I will try the boosters, VivaLaMikey. I just downloaded GeForce Experience and hope it supports csgo.

Have you tested it yet, how'd you get on?

 

[maets]

The reformat of windows and the game booster doesnt seem to give any more fps what so ever. The game doesnt feel any more smooth at all, even though the fps are acceptable. Yes, I do got 120hertz.

hmmm

 

[VivaLaMikey]

Are you running the monitor through a dual link dvi? What sort of fps are you getting with vsync on vs off? And lastly do you run with vsync on all the time?

 

[maets]

I always run with vsync off. Fps are from 100-160, not that high imo. The dvi cable are just a normal one I guess? Does it matter in what port on the GPU I plug it in?

 

[kbrady1979]

I always run with vsync off. Fps are from 100-160, not that high imo. The dvi cable are just a normal one I guess? Does it matter in what port on the GPU I plug it in?

100-160 fps isn't that high? Do you realize anything over roughly 30fps is the point where the human eye can't perceive individual frames?

 

[Solarstarshines]

I always run with vsync off. Fps are from 100-160, not that high imo. The dvi cable are just a normal one I guess? Does it matter in what port on the GPU I plug it in?

100-160 fps isn't that high? Do you realize anything over roughly 30fps is the point where the human eye can't perceive individual frames?

Well I hate to point out the Obvious but V-sync is there to make it smooth and retain a legitimate frame rate which will be constant

you are experiencing bad quality based on that seriously 60 +fps is great and you don't need more then that I mean you sound like you have Supervision or something and people with 20/20 can't tell the difference I doubt you really can either

 

[maets]

I always run with vsync off. Fps are from 100-160, not that high imo. The dvi cable are just a normal one I guess? Does it matter in what port on the GPU I plug it in?

100-160 fps isn't that high? Do you realize anything over roughly 30fps is the point where the human eye can't perceive individual frames?

So you mean it doesnt matter if you play with 31fps or 310fps?
The more fps the smoother game, thats how I see it.

 

[VivaLaMikey]

Not the case, v-sync gets rid of tearing, 60fps locked with vsync is extremely playable.

Example: i play bf3 at ultra on 120hz monitor locked at 60fps with no input lag constant 60fps and it looks very nice. With vsync off at 100fps i cant even notice the difference apart from screen tearing.

Im not sure what my CS:GO runs at without vsync havent really bothered to monitor, i'll have a look after work to see but even with a high-end system frames dont go extremely high, rarely into the 200's

100-160fps on a 560ti is a very good outcome i would only worry if you drop below 30fps which my system does in games like DayZ with poor optimization.

And the reason i asked about dual-link dvi is if you want to use your whole 120hz of your monitors refresh rate you need to have your monitor running dual-link dvi from your gpu, which will in turn enable you to lock your v-sync fps to 120fps

 

[Solarstarshines]

I always run with vsync off. Fps are from 100-160, not that high imo. The dvi cable are just a normal one I guess? Does it matter in what port on the GPU I plug it in?

100-160 fps isn't that high? Do you realize anything over roughly 30fps is the point where the human eye can't perceive individual frames?

So you mean it doesnt matter if you play with 31fps or 310fps?
The more fps the smoother game, thats how I see it.

Not really Drivers make a huge impact too just because you are hitting high frames don't mean it will be smoother it actually is the reverse because to many frames can cause artifacts and all kinds of mumbo jumbo

We have given you the best possible advice ,Pretty much that is the best you will get

you can change drivers or even contact Nvidia they would have driver solutions for you to try as well