GPU upgrade for older computer (~5yrs)

S

SILVR 6

Gawd
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Messages
559
5 Years ago I built a computer around an OC'd i5 660, ended up giving it to my parents, they no longer need it (moving to a Surface Book) so I've got this computer back. Looking to possible repurpose it to a HTPC/Light Gaming.

Specs

i5 660 @ 4.5ghz
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2
Corsair H70
8GB GSkill DDR2 800
Radeon 6670 1GB
2x Kingston 64GB SSD
Seasonic 400W PSU

I'm looking to get an HDMI 2.0 Compatible GPU so I can run it with my Samsung 4K TV. Games i'm looking to play are nothing too serious, TF2 TFC, the odd time I play Train Simulator.

I"ve been taking a look at the GTX 950 and 960's. I could probably get away with the 950 without getting a PSU upgrade, possibly the 960 as well.

Anyone have any experience with 4K and the above cards.

Thanks in Advance.
 
Geforce 950 or 960 (there is not a big difference), it doesn't need a bunch of power. If you're looking a bit cheaper a Geforce 750 TI wouldn't be terrible either. AMD I wouldn't recommend because they don't have anything that will work with a 400W power supply that performs similarly to the cards I recommended.
 
Well if you are going to run with your 4k tv, amd is pretty much out of the game anyway. Also the 750ti can do 4k60, but only at 4:2:2 and not 4:4:4 so you might get a very odd picture. I have seen 950's in the 124 range AR HERE so I woudl say go with that.

Also for a little cheap upgrade you could upgrade your cpu from that 660 to a i7-860 or something fairly cheaply on ebay to get a little more out of your platform.
 
I've tried a 750 Ti with my 4K TV and it just couldn't play games remotely playable at 4k. If I dropped it down to 1080P then it was fine but who wants to do that?

Which Seasonic 400W PSU do you have? You'll most likely have no issue running a 970 on it.
 
Last edited:
Still haven't decided yet, CPU upgrade is out as I don't want to take apart the system.

The PSU is Seasonic SS-400HT. Obviously its getting a little bit older and does NOT have PCI-E connectors.

I like the idea of going with a GTX 970, I might just end up getting a slightly better power supply.
 
That PSU is ancient. Replace it. It can only handle 350w on the 12v lines, which means you can't go above a GTX 960, and even thern you'd have to provide a PCIe power adapter. Also, I have trouble trusting electronics after 10 years service.

Lickily, a good replacement is not that expensive:

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-BRONZE-Continuous-Warranty-100-B1-0500-KR/dp/B00DGHKK7M

Also, your CPU is plenty for driving a basic single-GPU gaming box. At 4.5 GHz, it's competitive with a Haswell i3, which will get you over 40fps in most newer games, and should breeze though older games.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-intel-core-i3-6100-review
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I concur. Get a new PSU and then go with a 970 GTX.
 
Just did some stress testing and measured some power consumption.

CPU+GPU Under Furmark = 153W

Since my PSU puts out 350W on the 12V rail, in theory I have about 190W of room.

Probably still going to look at a PSU upgrade
 
Just go with that 500W PSU that defaultuser posted. It's got plenty of juice.
 
SILVR 6 said:
Just did some stress testing and measured some power consumption.

CPU+GPU Under Furmark = 153W

Since my PSU puts out 350W on the 12V rail, in theory I have about 190W of room.

Probably still going to look at a PSU upgrade
Click to expand...

No, ten years ago it supplied 350w on the 12v line. After ten years, it's likely less. That's why I say buy a new PSU.

The most powerful card you can safely use on that old thing is a.GTX 960.
 
SILVR 6 said:
Just did some stress testing and measured some power consumption.

CPU+GPU Under Furmark = 153W

Since my PSU puts out 350W on the 12V rail, in theory I have about 190W of room.

Probably still going to look at a PSU upgrade
Click to expand...
Just to back up what defaultluser and Skillz has been saying, HardOCP did a test awhile showing that even a high quality 1000W PSU was only able to provide 750W of power after 7 years of use:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015...1000w_power_supply_7_year_redux/#.VlJhInarSCg

Your PSU may be a Seasonic but age and the fact that it's one of the lower-end Seasonic are huge factors. In other words, it may have lost a lot more than 25% of its output capability after 10 years.

So definitely get a new PSU. If you can buy today, there's a $10 off promo code for this Seasonic-built XFX PSU that drops it down from $62 to $52. Well worth the extra $7 IMO over that eVGA PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7207013&cm_re=XFX_550W-_-17-207-013-_-Product

If you can't take advantage of that promo-code, that eVGA PSU is a decent budget alternative.
 
Ended up going with a Zotac GTX 950 Amp! I got for a good deal on black Friday. No psu upgrade for now.
 
Where did you get it from and for how much?

I'm thinking if it's not enough and you can't return it, at least you can sell it for what you paid.
 
I paid $215 CDN. I'm quite happy with it so far. I don't game much and the 2 games I've tried (Train Sim 2016) and TF2 both at 4K resolution, max details but no AA work just fine.

Power draw for the system with the new videocard is 330 under max gpu and cpu load.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top