Cheapest GPU to run BeamNG at +60fps with a CPU that won't bottleneck it, and Low Profile GPU option

My title might be a bit long so I'll repost it if all of it doesn't show up:
"Cheapest GPU to run BeamNG at +60fps with a CPU that won't bottleneck it, and Low Profile GPU options"

I'm new to the forums, so if there's anything i wasn't aware of, anything I left out, any facts I got wrong, please don't 'flame' me and just correct me or point me in the right direction.

Good Morning (at my location at this moment in time),

I've tried the techdemo on my computer (amazing), which is an AMD Athlon64 II 270 overclocked to 3.81GHz with a HD7770 and 4GB of memory. I'm definitely going to buy the game when I get a new computer, probably around June-September 2014 with a budget of under $500, as cheap as possible. On my current setup I get around 30fps on the techdemo, which is not good in my opinion. My motherboard is AM3+ but it has defects so I'm buying a new one anyway. My options for components are limited to the Athlon64 II X4 750K, FX-6300, A8-5600K/6600K, 4th gen. Pentium (not pentium 4!) , and the i3-4130 for the CPU, and the GPU I will need some help choosing-I searched a little and found that the 7770 was inadequate (according to user Bubbleawesome)

http://www.beamng.com/threads/3145-Will-my-computer-run-BeamNG-DRIVE-Alpha
"My hd 7770 struggles with all mediums at 1280x1024. Resolution is a huge factor."

So, should I keep the 7770? It seems that the above user gets around 25fps maxed out, but I probably will be running the game on a low-resolution monitor (SVGA~XGA), and I don't want to spend too much. I'm also confused because many similar 'will this run BeamNG' threads are concerned with the 7xxx series of GPUs, and AMD has rebadged the GPUs. The R7 260X, 270, GTX 650 Ti (and Boost) are all within my reach, but if I must I probably can stretch the budget for the GTX660, R9 270X, etc. So how will cards like this run BeamNG? I need at least 50fps but would like 60 or more. And if I manage to get a good GPU, will any of the above CPUs mentioned above bottleneck it? I would also request a recommendation for the most fastest low-profile GPU that can run BeamNG as I may be getting a case with low-profile slots; however, this is not very important at the moment. Thank you for your patience in reading this long post. BeamNG is basically the only game I play (not because of the crashes)

Also,
This is unrelated to the above, and might be posted in the wrong section but is there an age limit where you can't buy BeamNG when you're under a certain age or something? Or is something else limited? Because of all the 11 year olds who are spamming the forums while using incorrect grammar, etc? I swear I'm not one of them and I'm older.

Thank you

 

I don't think a cheap GPU will give you the performance that you're looking for. This game is processor heavy. Invest some extra cash and build yourself a system that you can enjoy worry free for 5 years. A 500 dollar build will have you kicking yourself especially if you're interested in demanding software like BMG Drive.

 

I guess it's obvious that I should save up for the most powerful components, but that isn't possible right now... My current computer was $360 and I'm getting around 30-50fps in the techdemo, I just need something at least better than that.

Current computer is:
Dual-core 3.81GHz AMD K10 (AthlonII)
4GB RAM
AMD HD7770

What I plan to upgrade to:
AMD Quad/Hexa/Intel Core i3
8GB RAM
AMD R9 270

How big will the difference be and what is the most significant factor that caused the difference in performance?

 

I recently used a new version of BNGD and now;
Medium-no AA or AF;
(imported from here)
Medium-AA and AF;
(imported from here)
High-AA and AF;
(imported from here)
Maxed- AA, AF, and Post FX;
(imported from here)
And this is underclocked slightly. If you can I would upgrade to an i5 processor then go for a 270 once you have the budget. The 7770 can push a lot of frames with a memory overclock. My card was golden and clocked to 1300/1444 and could max the game pretty well.

 

Eh, I don't think I could get an i5 anytime soon, would a FX-6300 or LGA1366 quad-core Xeon be sufficient enough to not bottleneck the 260X or 270? I'm trying to keep it as cheap as possible, so what do you think about the AMD quad-core processors? Will they cause a bottleneck?

 

I am personally rather biased against AMD processors, but I do not think a quad core will push 60fps. If you can find a 1156 mobo and an i7 875k or 870 it will do well. A 1366 i7 will do great, but I think the xeons were clock speed limited. If you do upgrade the videocard either go for the 270 non-x or wait for the next 28nm refresh. It will not be high end parts, but it might drive down prices. 20nm is coming late this year or early next, and then "14/16" nm is just 20 with finfets. 28nm will be the best price/perf for a while in my opinion.

 

How is your performance with more than 2 cars and what is the most important factor in the performance when there are multiple cars? Thanks

 

I've got an FX-6300 and an Asus GTX660 and I run the game max settings no problem, I'm not sure exactly how many frames though.

 

I can use up to 6 derbied cars, 3 normal ones before it takes a dump. The H45 and moonhawk are not kind to it either. I think core count and core speed are both important, but I would go for a 875k (Unlocked quad) before a locked 6 core of the same gen. (If there were any.) An unlocked 990x at 4.2 will blow the game away.

 

After some more digging, I just found out on Ebay, the LGA1366 processors (some of them) were affordable but there was almost no motherboard that I could afford. Not just that, but looks like used motherboards are generally expensive

I know someone who can sell me an i5 750 system at a low price, but that's also when he upgrades his computer, and I would have to replace the low quality Intel motherboard.

It seems people are using i5's most for mainstream gaming. Sadly I'll have to sacrifice another component of the build to buy that, but the FX-6300 also seems to be good value for money. (AMDs are like Hondas)

 

Slow and cheap. Seriously, just save up for the i5, or i7, becuase your performance will be MUCH better than with a 6300.

 

if i may, i currently run on the i5-3330, which, while definitely isn't the best i5 you can get, but its a great starter cpu, should get you at the very least 60+ fps on most games, when paired with a powerful enough gpu obviously, and its only about $72.7 more than the fx-6300, obviously you'll still need to get an LGA 1155 MB that supports ivy-bridge out of the box, but i imagine that shouldn't be too hard (couldn't really tell you there, i've never been good when it comes to motherboards (price part is in the us, and on amazon, if you live somewhere else, and prefer something else, then no idea what prices are)


and while the fx-6300 is 9% more powerful(actually probably not, because the website i use also compares with the ghz, which has nothing to do with performance the majority of the time) than the 3330, most games should still run better, because of architecture type stuff and all that, including beamng drive(the beamng thing i'm actually sure of, i have a friend with an fx-6300, and a gtx 570, physics wise, my pc eats his for breakfast, lel)

 

If you have a microcenter. http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx i5 3570k+non-oc mobo=$204. New 4770k+oc mobo= $339.

 

Wow. Such response. Much quick.
This was typed before Bubbleawesome's message.

Thank you everyone for your input so far, I know you're trying to get me the best gaming experience, but I don't really need something that powerful. I'll try to get an i5 if I can, but as I said, very limited budget. What are your thoughts on the first-generation i5 750, i3-4130 and the Xeon E3 v2/v3? And these GPUs:
Current GPU is HD7770 and my monitor's resolution is 1280x1024.

ATI 6850/6870//4850/4870/R9 260X

Anything better than the 7770 in nVidia's 2xx/4xx/5xx series?

The i5 means that I may only be able to afford ~$130 cards or stick with my HD7770

Since this is a budget-minded question would you please advise me on the cheapest card that can perform at my requirements, not the card that will give me the best performance? Thanks

Also, that last question in my original post, can anyone answer that please?

- - - Updated - - -

I unfortunately don't live in the United States...

So, at my local computer store, I can get the i5-4440 for $212, the i3-4130 for $136, or the FX-6300 for $139 and a decent motherboard for each for about $80, so would any of these processors run slower than 60fps?.

 

The 650ti boost and 7790/260x (Same card) are both mildly more powerful than a 7770, but not much. I think an i5 and overclocked 7770 would be perfect but YMMV.

 

Would you please enlighten me as to the meaning of 'YMMV'? Sorry, I'm not well acquainted with internet language yet.

 

YMMV = "Your mileage may vary".

 

well, if you're going for a basic gaming cpu, that can't really overclock, but isn't too expensive, as i said, the i5-3330 is a good mid-range intel i5 cpu (if whatever store you prefer has it, and its pricing is still whatever it would be translated from US $ to your currency, otherwise, ignore this)

 

Will I see an increase in performance when the processor has more than 4 threads?

EDIT:
@Stormdrain Oh, I see. You overclocked your processor to 4.8GHz, sorry for not noticing.

 

I am a stupid stupid-butt. I just posted the car test on the Drive forums. I will just post the screen here too. I got it up to 24 cars at 10 FPS, but my computer crashed. I got a screen at 12, with 10 FPS, oddly.