GTX 660, will i experience bottleneck issues?

I've been thinking a lot about upgrading to a GTX 660 instead of the GT 9800 512MB which I've been using for the last four years. There is no doubt that the GTX 660 would be a big step up, but the problem is, will my CPU be able to handle the GTX 660 or will I just get disappointed? I have a Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz. Buying a new PC is unfortunately not within my budget.

Thankful for any help I can get.

 

Its the games that mainly determine what CPU you need.
Modern games need a faster CPU, but you can overclock.

 

Your CPU will definitely limit the performance of the GTX 660. However, you can minimize that somewhat by being able to run higher resolutions and more AA and higher in game settings. Ultimately the CPU runs the show telling the GPU what to draw. There is always going to be a 'bottleneck' in a system. Defined as what ever part(s) is/are impacting performance the most.
Adding a much more powerful GPU is going to bias that performance impact more toward your CPU. You're still going to get a decent increase in performance.

 

Overclock your CPU and you should be fine. 2.33 GHz is awfully low for a C2Q.

 

Yes, 2.33 Ghz is the stock speed for the Q8200. The difference between the Q8xxx and Q9x00 is less cache. They went from 2x6MB on the Q9450 etc, to 2x3MB on the Q9400 etc, to 2x2MB on the Q8xxx series.

The simplest way to overclock that CPU is to change the FSB to 400 (remember to set the memory speed manually so you don't massively overclock it). The higher FSB will help overcome the cache limitations a little. You can go beyond 400Mhz, and even put the multiplier back if required, but then heat etc may start to become an issue. A 400Mhz FSB is safe though

 

No matter how easy it sounds question is will he overclock that CPU at all? If not dont upgrade until you change CPU/MB.

 

i5 3470 and Gigabyte 660 OC
tried to record BF3 game-play with Afterburner and i got CPU bottleneck issues
100% CPU and 80% GPU usage
1080p High/Ultra, AA Off in BF3

 

^wow you have the same specs as my friend's built hehe, except for the GPU brand and PSU brand

 

i5 3470 will bottleneck ?
Which i5 wont bottleneck?

 

GTX 660 Upgrade

I agree with the above statement. Like HeavyHemi said you will see some increase in performance with your current rig. However the performance will be not as good as it can be due to the bottle neck. You can always upgrade the GPU and enjoy better performance till you can save up for a new CPU, Motherboard, Ram etc. In other words do a modular upgrade; I know this is not ideal but in times of tight finances I have resorted to this tactic and as long as you pick your parts very carefully it does the job.

 

Yes your cpu will bottleneck heavily in quite a few games. Yes you will be disappointed.

 

c2q q6600 here with Asus Gtx 660 top , depending on framerate my gpu usage can go up to 109% overclocked the card 20% over the reference model. Q6600 @ 3.2 ghz . Make sure u overclock that Cpu and it should be fine. More then fine, u will be able to play all games maxed out with really nice fps. If you want 60fps locked in games turn on Vsync. Im playing BF3 Ultra/No AA/SweetFXaa 60fps most of times dips to 50 at some points.

 

Overclock the cpu...you need good cooling for it if you gona put it to 3.3Ghz at least. After that you will be fine.

 

Thanks guys. Sorry for late reply.

Guess I better start saving up for better cooling system so I can start to experiment with OCing (currently the average core temp. is about 60ºC). I have no previous experience with overclocking, so I am not completely sure what results to expect. Is there an easy way to see if my PSU is good enough if I'm going to overclock?