If you aren't planning on any upgrades for another three years like you mentioned, this setup should give you pretty solid results. I guess this processor isn't actually much weaker than an FX 6100, though the FX might pull ahead slightly once all six cores are working hard. You could probably even get some easy overclocking out of this board; maybe bump it up to 3.6-3.7GHz without even touching the voltage if you feel like it.
Well... I guess the R9 390 should technically outperform the GTX 980 while coming in a bit cheaper. Plus, it looks like AMD might undercut the GTX 970 by dropping the prices on the R9 380 and 380X—which seem to be nothing more than polished versions of the 290/290X anyway.
btw, there's some talk floating around about HBM cards: the AMD Radeon R9 390X might hit around $700 (maybe $2167) and the AMD Radeon R9 390 could be near $550 (around $1667).
If I were you, I’d start by adding another 4GB of RAM and an SSD. Since you're running a 125W processor, you could probably grab an Intel Core i7-4770K, provided you have a decent cooler to go with it. The motherboard isn't exactly great, but that's really only an issue if you're looking to overclock. If you just want to run one of those cooler Intel Core i7 series chips, it should be fine enough.
It’s honestly a bit strange that the game is stuttering like that. I'd suggest prioritizing the RAM and SSD first before spending more; it might save you from throwing money down the drain.
Timothy Kim60 said:Do you even have a motherboard that actually supports SLI properly (with a second pci-e x8 slot)? Those are usually the pricier models.
It looks like your board is pretty much throttling the second card since that second slot is just PCI Express 2.0 x4. I guess there wasn't much point in getting a second one, was there?
Based on reviews of some similar Corsair models, one rail was dedicated to the PCI Express connectors and the 24-pin motherboard plug, while the other handled the CPU, SATA, and peripheral power.
12V1 rail (solid yellow wire): powers the motherboard and graphics card 12V2 rail (yellow with black stripe wire): covers the EPS12V (CPU), SATA, and SATA/peripheral cables
The LC Power LC-CC-95 CPU cooler—the one with the 90mm fan. It’s pretty vital to grab 4GB of DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11. Maybe consider the AMD Kaveri Athlon II (3.1GHz, 4MB, 65W, FM2+). It comes in a box. ASUS A88M-E motherboard. The Palit GeForce GTX660 2GB graphics card. Corsair CX Series, 430 Watt
Total comes to $2,943.55 or so.$13 Delivery... downtown.
If you can, maybe grab another 8GB stick of that same RAM. It'll probably work out to about...$1067.
I'm not sure if upgrading to an i7 makes sense compared to the i5 given that budget. The i7 is basically twice the price, and I guess the only thing you're really getting is HyperThreading.
Honestly, you're probably better off ordering from an online shop based in NYC. You get free shipping, and most places will actually assemble and test everything to make sure it works before sending it out. 😉
I was just trying to put some parts together at LA for you, but I guess nothing really makes sense—or fits your budget—given what you're looking for.
If I were in your shoes, I’d probably just hold out for the new AMD cards coming in a couple of months. Moving from a 660 Ti to a GTX 970 / R9 290 doesn't feel like a massive leap forward, I guess.
Adam Moore3 said:Whoa, where are you seeing those prices? 😕
Centro / Protis Quote
Jose Ward9 said:Intel Core i5 2500K with a 550W PSU. I don't really need anything beyond 1080p.
Which 550W power supply? 😬
The GTX 970 is a bit more efficient and slightly faster, but I guess it depends on if that ~$167 difference matters to you. If you're running a low-quality PSU, you might be better off grabbing the GTX 970 or R9 290 along with a decent new power supply for about the same price.