Hello,
I'm a big PC gamer with a budget build looking for optimal performance in a wide variety of settings. Right now, I have the following setup:
Intel Core i3 2100 CPU
HD Radeon 6850 GPU @ 840/1000
4 GB G.Skill DDR3 RAM, @ 1333? Rated for 1600, need to adjust in BIOS
650w Antec Earthwatts
MSI P67a-G43 MOBO
Using BF3 as an example, at 1920x1080 I can only run the game smoothly on low settings. At that point, GPU usage remains at 70-90%, almost never 99%, and I get a constant 60fps with minor dips. If I turn it to medium, it's still playable, but choppier despite having 50+ FPS and just barely reaching 99% GPU usage, sometimes dipping below.
I've read of folks with a Phenom II x4 955 + an HD 6870 running on High at this resolution, and I'm no where near it with a slightly less powerful card, so what gives?
Similarly, Skyrim runs like crap, even on the LOWEST SETTINGS POSSIBLE; I check my FPS, and it's still capped at 60 or a little below, it's just not smooth! Both games' auto-detect features adjust every setting to high, yet I get crappy performance on low in Skyrim. Is it a software/hardware problem, or is my system just capped there?
If it's capped, I already plan to upgrade to a Core i5 2500k, and either purchase another 6850 for crossfire or go with a 2gb 6950. I want to make sure first, though, that it's entirely necessary, and that I might not have the same lag problems after upgrading!
If we establish THAT, then my next question would be which part I should upgrade first, the GPU or CPU? I am certainly going to overclock both, and I think I'll have enough power for even the 6950 + a 4.5 GHz 2500k.
Any help? I greatly appreciate it!
I'm a big PC gamer with a budget build looking for optimal performance in a wide variety of settings. Right now, I have the following setup:
Intel Core i3 2100 CPU
HD Radeon 6850 GPU @ 840/1000
4 GB G.Skill DDR3 RAM, @ 1333? Rated for 1600, need to adjust in BIOS
650w Antec Earthwatts
MSI P67a-G43 MOBO
Using BF3 as an example, at 1920x1080 I can only run the game smoothly on low settings. At that point, GPU usage remains at 70-90%, almost never 99%, and I get a constant 60fps with minor dips. If I turn it to medium, it's still playable, but choppier despite having 50+ FPS and just barely reaching 99% GPU usage, sometimes dipping below.
I've read of folks with a Phenom II x4 955 + an HD 6870 running on High at this resolution, and I'm no where near it with a slightly less powerful card, so what gives?
Similarly, Skyrim runs like crap, even on the LOWEST SETTINGS POSSIBLE; I check my FPS, and it's still capped at 60 or a little below, it's just not smooth! Both games' auto-detect features adjust every setting to high, yet I get crappy performance on low in Skyrim. Is it a software/hardware problem, or is my system just capped there?
If it's capped, I already plan to upgrade to a Core i5 2500k, and either purchase another 6850 for crossfire or go with a 2gb 6950. I want to make sure first, though, that it's entirely necessary, and that I might not have the same lag problems after upgrading!
If we establish THAT, then my next question would be which part I should upgrade first, the GPU or CPU? I am certainly going to overclock both, and I think I'll have enough power for even the 6950 + a 4.5 GHz 2500k.
Any help? I greatly appreciate it!
Last edited: