Intel core i7 870 bottleneck

so heres the deal.

i have a intel core i7 870 @ 2.93 ghz

it is a 2009 quad core with hyperthreading but it appears my video card isnt running to its potential.

i have a EVGA geforce 680 classified and it tends to run games like gta iv, battlefield, etc. on a very odd framerate of 35 fps. which to mee is a bit unplayable. i also might like to add that these ore on HIGH not ULTRA. 

other games seem to be running fairly well. but i need some help to figure out if the problem is driver issues or old hardware bottlenecking

my specs:

intel core i7 870 @ 2.93 ghz

1.5 tb wdd hdd

12 gb RAM

PCI e 2.0

Nvidia geforce GTX 680 classified

750 w PSU

60 gb kingston ssd

probably, try overclocking it a bit, nothing insane just like 3.5Ghz

its on a air cooler. plus theres no unlock multiplier. i dont see how i could manage

 

unless your motherboard doesnt allow overclocking you should be able to get that 870 to 3.6 easily.

but even at stock that cpu should have more than enough grunt to cope with a gtx 680.

so no it shouldnt bottlenck yes you may get a little more varicance in fps due to the lower core clock speed but 1s overclocked on a decent bord you should be able to run 60 fps on ultra for a game like bf3 all day long...

the only time you may see some mild bottlenecking is if your running a game thats giving you 300 fps. you would likely see massve drops down to 150 if thats the case then you limit the games fps to 120 - 60 and it will smooth out and stop bottlenecking.

 

i dont believe i can OC with this motherboard, i tried to mess with the frequencies on the BIOS and i was only given two options where there should've been more. im running the gateway FX6840 17-c motherboard. if there is a way please do tell

its on an h57 motherboard so there is no overclocking unless you swap it out for a p57 you can pick up an asrock 1 for £35 or around $50

h57 is a locked platform so you wont be able to oc the cpu even though the cpu can be overclocked quite well.

not only that its a gateway formfactor so it will have a stock psu which means it will bareley have enough power to sustain an overclock even in you swap out the board. not only that it definatly wont have enough amps to run a gtx 680... £55/$75 will get you a decent 550w psu that will have enough grunt to run a high voltage gfx card.

as it stands your pc cant be upgraded easily. not only is it deliberatly limited by gateway in the power dept. its likely the case will be very narrow and not particularly deep so even if you sort the psu and motherboard you could well need a new case... so befor you go buying anything check out its internal dimensions to make sure you have enough room to fit the card you want.

 

i dont believe you saw the fact that i came with a 750 watt power supply. it also isnt a H50 motherboard. it is as i listed a stock gateway 6840 17-c motherboard. it matches my computer model. if you want to see the case, google up "gateway FX" so you can see for yourself exactly how big it is.but thanks for letting me know that my motherboard cant overclock and that i need to get a new one. my case isnt that big, (2 expantion bays, 4 hdd bays, etc) any boards that are good quality, small but loaded with features and not eccesively big? 

http://support.gateway.com/s/desktop/2010/gateway/fx/fx6840/FX6840nv.shtml was the first 1 i looked at... it was listed with 500w and 750w as its gateway you gotta go with the lower end as they often try to sell a psu thats just on the requirments so they can charge for upgrades when the client wishes to purchase a bigger gfx or more hdds.

i went off the chipset not the make and model of the motherboard which in the above link is an h57 chipset. i have looked at the other makes and models in the fx range and there all h57 as far as the intel cpu's go they do have the am2+ for the amd setup...

but thats by the by... as for the psu. if its a no name branded 1 you will need to look it up to see if its made by a reputable manufactuere. not all are, so although it says 750w it may only be at the worst 450w at the best a rebranded seasonic. expect the worst but hope for the better.

16.38 x 18.80 x 7.44 inches (420 x 482 x 191 mm) are not the biggest but should be enough to fit most cards under 11 inches long.the absolute max will likley be 11.5 inches and thats only if the power cables come out the side if not you may find you have to sacrifice 2 hdd bays... i had to to get my 5870 in my antec 902. so even the bigger midsize cases can struggle to get the higher end cards in.

the good news is the case is actually quite deep. meaning you should be able to manage a good size cpu cooler if you do decide to rip out the motherboard and replace it with an overclocking 1. so its not all bad.

 

 

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/FSP%20TECHNOLOGY_FSP750-80APG_ECOS%202386_750W_Report.pdf this ise the 750 w that came with my pc. so its above 80% which is good. is this a good psu tho?