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Help with next GPU purchase

B

borngod

n00b
Joined
May 13, 2012
Messages
5
I am currently in the market to purchase a new graphics card. Here is my current setup:

Dell XPS 420
Intel Q6600 Quad @ 2.40 Ghz
8 GB Memory
Geforce 8800GT 512MB
650w PSU
27" Monitor @ 1920 x 1080
Windows 7 Ultimate

This should give you an idea of what i am currently running. I am a huge Diablo 3 fan and we all know that it is coming out in 2 days. When I played the beta, everything seemed to run fine. I was even able to run at max settings with my old graphics card. There is a certain part where there are pillars and you have to fight a lot of mobs. I lag at the spot even at low settings.

What graphics card should I get that would not cause any bottleneck to my old CPU. I don't want to spend money on a card that I will not be able to use at its full potential. I've looked into the Radeon 6870 and the Geforce 560ti. I am not use to using Radeon and I always hear people complain about issues. Maybe you guys can shine some light on this. Let me know if you need any additional information. Diablo 3 will be the main game I play, but I am a gamer. I also plan on playing Guild Wars 2. Which my current card handled during beta weekend. Thanks in advance.
 
You are spot on right now. For Nvidia GTX 560 Ti or 6870. A GTX 460 or even a 6850 would still a huge jump in terms of a performance.
 
i'd say the two cards you mentioned are very good replacement options for your setup. as far as the issues people complain about when it comes to AMD the majority of the problems are related to crossfire or eyefinity problems. their single card support is pretty much on par with nvidia's.


as far as the lag issue in those specific scene's. i'd look at your gpu usage during them to actually see if its a cpu bottleneck instead of a gpu bottleneck since it is using a cpu based physics engine(unlike all the reports diablo 3 is not using the havok engine that it was originally suppose to use but is using a custom in house engine).
 
Do you plan on upgrading your mobo/CPU in the near future? If so it wouldn't be a bad idea to go with a little bigger card so you'll have the extra horsepower there when you can better take advantage of it.

Even if not, it still wouldn't be a bad idea to buy something a little bigger than a 6870. Even tho your CPU is well aged, its still capable and while you will miss out on a few fps vs a new CPU, you'll still get plenty of performance with a faster card. A 6970/Q6600 will still be faster than a 6870/Q6600 so you will see the benefits of a faster card and especially will be worth it if you slap in a new motherboard and CPU combo.
 
That place you're lagging is due to your CPU. No GPU will fix that. You're talking about pairing a 2011 GPU (560/6800 series) with a 2007 CPU. You'll always be CPU bottlenecked. I also have a the Q6600, and it was paired with a 9600GT (similar to your 8800GT). I've since had the HD 6850 and the GTX 560 in my system. I'd recommend the path I took, which was a GPU upgrade now and a CPU/MOBO/RAM upgrade later (IB now or Haswell next summer). Either way, you need to consider the CPU upgrade at some point, because that's always going to be your issue. A new GPU will only further highlight it.

As for which GPU, you seem to be looking at the 2011 mid-range cards, which is where I was. The GeForce GTX 560 (vanilla) and the Radeon HD 6870 offer similar performance at a similar price and with a similar power draw. Under real world usage, the 560 seems to draw a little more power and costs just a tad more (about $10) on average. They seem to split tests nearly 50/50 in terms of 4xAA @ 1080p according to the reviews I've seen. I don't recommend the 560 Ti, but it is an option. In real world use it puts out nearly 10% more performance than the vanilla 560, but costs at least 25% more. You're better off finding a deal on the 7850 or the 560 Ti-448 at that point. As the prices have shifted, the 560Ti doesn't seem to reside in teh sweet spot anymore.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944.html
 
Thanks for all of the responses. I am definitely not going to upgrade my mobo or CPU at this time. I plan on building a new rig. At the moment, I just want to be able to play D3. It didn't seem like it was my CPU causing the issue since I had task manager up during that fight and it seemed to handle it like a champ. The max I was trying to spend on a GPU was like 250 max..I found the 6870 for like 159 after rebates. Just trying to get the best deal. While enjoying Diablo 3 at the same time.
 
Overclock your Q6600 and try again. You should be able to get 400-500mhz out of it. (wait, I see you have a dell. Maybe overclocking isn't an option then?)

Might be the cpu is having a hard time processing all the mobs if you set the graphics to low yet it still lags.
 
Its' weird since my current setup has been able to handle any game I've played. Desus EX:Human Revolution, SkyRim, Dragon Age, Rage, Mass Effect 3, etc.
 
borngod said:
Do any of those games utilize the CPU a lot?
Click to expand...
RAGE will suffer if trying to use texture detail setting with a slower cpu. Deus Ex and Skryim need a fairly decent cpu to keep the framerates up near 60. the original Dragon Age does too on max settings. and thats where the issue will be for you in many cases. a gpu upgrade should allow you to crank more settings but the truth is that most settings besides resolution and AA, also impact the cpu. thats why some people can upgrade their gpu and end up getting little to no better performance if their cpu is a major limitation. and in some cases they could get even worse performance because those additional settings will again have an impact on the cpu too.
 
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Honestly, I would recommend holding off on a GPU purchase at this time and take the 250 for the card and save it to upgrade your system. If you have a Microcenter nearby you can purchase a new mobo and i5 3570cpu for 280$ Ram is dirt cheap and 8GB can be had for 50$. With SSD prices falling quickly a 128gb SSD can be found for 100$ and a storage HDD can be had for 75$. If your Dell power supply is decent you can use that and a decent case can be had for 50$. That is all for 550$ which is a little more than double of what you have saved right now. You can upgrade your GPU and Power Supply later on when you save more money.

Just my recommendation. But if you really want to upgrade the GPU take a look at the FS/FT forum and get a 6850 or 560.
 
Thanks again for all of the suggestions. Climber, you are probably right. I might as well build a new computer. Actually just purchased a ssd for $99 for my current box. I just figured I could probably get another year or two with my current setup and then I can save for a nice rig.
 
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