Just out of curiosity, Is it my Core I3 that is holding back my radeon 7870? In most games I'm getting lower framerates than what I have seen from beenchmarking sites. I'm thinking of upgrading to a 3770k, would that greatly improve my framerates? I am also using 12gb of G.Skill ram clocked at 1600mz, so i figured that would not hold anything back.
i think it is.
If you're thinking about up grading WATCH LOGANS Benchmark video with the 8350
You have to be careful in comparing benchmarking sites results vs your system, usually they have top tier high end kit to remove any possible bottleneck. What kind of FPS are you getting and in which game? You will gain some FPS from switching from the 2100 to say a 2500k or any of those quad cores, but let us first make sure your scores are not in the normal range for a regular system with a 7870.
i5 3750k has nearly same benchmarks as the 3770k
So does the FX 8350. It is on par or a few frames faster then the 3770K, 3570K and the 3820
If you're going to upgrade you should go for an i5 cpu. An i7 is overkill for gaming, and switching to an FX is a waste of money as you have to buy a whole new motherboard. Anyways, I doubt your i3 is bottlenecking your 7870. Try doing this test to check: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/294760-33-bottlenecking-graphics-card