Add a GPU or replace the CPU?

[beyond_amusia]

I am looking at getting another 5770 for an xfire setup in my rig but my CPU is getting old and idk if it's worth adding another card using the Phenom 9950 CPU - GTA4 is pretty laggy sometimes while I play it (1680x1050) and I hate it when games drop frames - I know AMD is launching 6 core CPUs soon, but I'd have to replace my mobo and RAM to use one and that's not an option at the moment.
So another 5770 or a Phenom II 965?

[crazyeyesreaper]

id go with the cpu honestly the 5770 is close to a 4870 and if overclocked it gets close to a 5830 / 4890 and that means its enough for 90% of the games out there i say if your motherboard supports it grab a 955 overclock it to 3.8ghz for 24/7 usage and just hold out with the gpu you have if your looking for a cheap 5770 theres one for sale on the forums here for $130

[jellyrole]

CPU, GTA4 is a CPU dependent game. While the GPU does some work, the CPU is where most of the load goes to.

[beyond_amusia]

Would my board even support xfire??? Asrock says yes, AMD says no.

[jellyrole]

Looked at user reviews on Newegg, seems to be quite a few saying Crossfire is a go!

[crazyeyesreaper]

check the PCIe lanes x16 x4 or x8 x8 or x8 x4 etc if its x8 x4 it wont make a big difference overall but its one of those get a better cpu sell the 5770 and grab a 5850 and overclock it if i remember right crossfire had NO impact on GTA IV period frame rate stayed the same

[beyond_amusia]

Well, I am confused - AMD says the 780G chipset won't support Crossfire - Asrock says yes, but does not mention the 5xxx series at all (page is old) - I don't want to buy another card just to find it will not work in crossfire mode.
With 2 cards installed the PCIe x16 slots will both go to x8.
The reason I am looking at another 5770 is because two 5770 cards in crossfire are roughly the same as a 5870 with less power consumption and less $$$ spent.

[crazyeyesreaper]

well a 5850 overclocked will use less power then 5770 crossfire and out performs it its why 5850 is the minimum recommended buy usually and the overall most recommended gpu purchase 155 watts used single card and can hit 5870 clocks on stock voltage ie it gets to within 3% of a 5870 and uses 50 less watts to do it eitherway performance would improve noticeably. but id still get a 955 if i was you and just bump the multi up 2 for 3800mhz along with the NB to 2400-2600 since to be honest the extra cache makes a noticeable improvement at at those overclocks your cpu is gonna spank your old one pretty damn hard over all

[ASRockIQ]

i have the same board dude. yes, they will CF man. i have two 4850s CF so i don't see why 5770s wouldn't

[jmcslob]

Yes it does CF and but I tink it's x8 with x8 and not x16 with x8 like Asrock states which is just fine

[ASRockIQ]

yews, it's only 8x which is perfectly fine. not that many boards do 16x all together in all PCIe Slots

[sandiegoborn32]

Originally Posted by beyond_amusia

I am looking at getting another 5770 for an xfire setup in my rig but my CPU is getting old and idk if it's worth adding another card using the Phenom 9950 CPU - GTA4 is pretty laggy sometimes while I play it (1680x1050) and I hate it when games drop frames - I know AMD is launching 6 core CPUs soon, but I'd have to replace my mobo and RAM to use one and that's not an option at the moment.
So another 5770 or a Phenom II 965?

You should definitely go with the CPU upgrade. The Phenom II's are faster, run on cooler temperatures, have HyperTransport, and are cheap (in a good way).

Nice hat by the way, Slipknot is awesome.

[HossHuge]

Before you buy another CPU, I would overclock that 9950 and see if that takes you where you wanna be. You should be able to get to 3.0/3.1.