Is my computer powerful enough for an Ati 6850?

[n-ster]

His CPU WILL be a bottleneck in many games IMO, at least many games which warranty the 4850 to 6850 upgrade

 

[brandonwh64]

KKSlider1337, please fill in your system specs so we can figure out the best course of action to get you rocking on a new 6850

 

[NdMk2o1o]

if his CPU can handle the games now, raising the resolution wont change much. higher res doesnt use much more CPU power (it can/does however, increase system memory usage a bit)


If his CPU can play the games at 1680x1050: it will play them at 1920x1080

His GPU, is another story.


and a lowly athlon can play many games out there, but not all. if he tried playing supreme commander 1/forged alliance, sins of a solar empire, bad company 2 or any other CPU intensive game then he'll find himself very lacking in CPU power, regardless of resolution or video card he has.

Sorry you have just repeated everything I said, his CPU isn't the factor for 1080p gaming, his athlon will play MOST games, yes I know the likes of supcom require a shedload of CPU power hence I mentioned most.

His CPU WILL be a bottleneck in many games IMO, at least many games which warranty the 4850 to 6850 upgrade

I disagree, most games need only 2 cores and if he optimises his system so not many background tasks are going on then the GPU upgrade will allow him to turn up in game settings and AA and the likes.

 

[Mussels]

Sorry you have just repeated everything I said, his CPU isn't the factor for 1080p gaming, his athlon will play MOST games, yes I know the likes of supcom require a shedload of CPU power hence I mentioned most.

nice of you to misinterpet again.

I did not say it WONT be an issue - i said that if its an issue for him now, it will still be an issue after a GPU upgrade. only he knows what games arent performing well for him.

I disagree, most games need only 2 cores and if he optimises his system so not many background tasks are going on then the GPU upgrade will allow him to turn up in game settings and AA and the likes.

Most is not all. it depends what he wants to play. Bad company 2 on a dual core is not pleasant (and please dont go hunting for benchmarks, everyone tests the SP game - MP is where it hammers the CPU due to the physics engine used)

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Most is not all. it depends what he wants to play. Bad company 2 on a dual core is not pleasant (and please dont go hunting for benchmarks, everyone tests the SP game - MP is where it hammers the CPU due to the physics engine used)

I agree though we don't know either way

nice of you to misinterpet again.

Where did that come from, I didn't say that and I think I am going to walk away from this now

 

[n-ster]

he probably meant to add it to his post?

I'm not convinced a 2007 processor is not the bottleneck with a end of 2010 GPU and a 2010 game in at least 20% of the games if not 30~40%?

 

[NdMk2o1o]

he probably meant to add it to his post?

I'm not convinced a 2007 processor is not the bottleneck with a end of 2010 GPU and a 2010 game in at least 20% of the games if not 30~40%?

Again it depends on the games he is referring to so theres no point all of us assuming until the OP clarifies ninja edited after re-reading!!

 

[KKSlider1337]

Hi guys, sorry I went away for a while, I didn't expect this level of responses! Thanks Here's a copy paste of my specs from Xfire:

Manufacturer:
Custom Built by Arbico Computers
Processor:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5600+ (2 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
Memory:
4096MB RAM Kingston DDR2 800mhz
Hard Drive:
750 GB
Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb
Monitor:
LG 20" HDTV 1680x1050 - may be upgraded to 23/24" 1920x1080
Sound Card:
Asus Xonar D1
Speakers/Headphones:
JVC MX-GT88 Stereo / Goldring NS1000 / Sennheiser PX100
Keyboard:
Belkin N52TE Nostromo Speedpad, Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
Mouse:
Logitech MX518 Gaming Grade, Razer Lachesis Blue, Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch, Xbox360 Controller for Windows
Mouse Surface:
Razer Sphex
Operating System:
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Motherboard:
Asus M2N-MX
Computer Case:
Black with shiny blue lights

And PSU specs were earlier in the thread, of course.

I want my PC for all sorts of games - WoW, Dirt 2, Civ5, Batman: AA, GTA IV complete, Starcraft 2, just to name a few. Play Supcom 1/2 sometimes. I've got BF:BC2 on PS3 so that's not a concern.

 

[Gjohnst4]

If you are looking for a cost effective upgrade, I think the previously mentioned plan isn't a bad idea.

Grab a decent AM2+ board off ebay (50$)
Grab a used Phenom II 720 BE (60ish)
Buy a trusted PSU (65$)

and when you can, get your card.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

well a new gpu wont help you much on GTA IV that games performance seems to scale with better cpus and more cores. That said its already good enough for WoW Dirt 2 Batman etc SupCom is also a game that benefits from better cpu in terms of core and speed but you need the tool to make it better use cpu cores to get that performance.

In most situations your CPU is enough even for BF BC2 ive seen it played at 30fps on a P4 and 9800gt but overall if your going to upgrade your better off with a full rebuild

triple to quad core cpus are under $100 now with the X3 440 being a sweet deal at $65-75 with the small chance it unlocks to a quad better up to date mobo like the Asus 785 Evo 4 gigs DDR3 can be nabbed for around $80 and i think gskill had an 8 gig kit for $85 on newegg recycle the 750gb HDD sound card gpu monitor etc then grab a better gpu like the 6850 / 6870 a bit later on

 

[GSquadron]

If you upgrade your processor you will notice improvements

 

[Tyrael]

My advice is to halt on your upgrade and buy all of the required parts for better gaming experience.

Edit: I would recommend you to upgrade these area...

Manufacturer:
Costume Built

Processor:
Intel i3 - i5 - Quad AMD processor
Memory:
2 x 2GB RAM Kingston DDR3
Hard Drive:
500GB x 2 @ 7200rpm (Its better to get a new HDD)
Video Card:
ATI Radeon 5700 Series / 6000 Series
Motherboard:
ASUS Motherboard for Intel i3-i5 or AMD Quad CPU.

I hope it helps...

 

[brandonwh64]

Well Kslider, you need a new motherboard and CPU to reduce the bottleneck of a 6850. If you live next to a microcenter, you can get a Phenom II x2 560BE for 99$ and get a free 785G board with purchase