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Time for another GPU upgrade

B

BlackThought

Gawd
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
598
My first card was a AMD5770, second HD6850 , and now i want bigger and better for gaming.

Currently i play Skyrim. I have BF3 on PS3 but seeing youtubes of 64 man matches makes me want in on all the action.

But my current card cant max BF3, struggles on Skyrim when i max everything too.

So, im in the market, i saw in this section that the newer cards (7970) are meant for multiple screens,is there some other card i can get that would allow me to max just about anything on a single monitor?

Screen res 1920x1080p

If i can get buy with something cheaper than a 7970 im all for it. But i want to max battlefield and any other game i throw at it.

Budget =550 give or take. was looking at a XFX card with lifetime warranty if i was gonna go thru with that purchase.

Any and all help is appreciated in advance
 
Not exactly good but serviceable I guess. What's the specs of the rest of your PC?

Assuming relatively low power parts, you should be fine with something like the HD 6950 2GB or HD 6970 2GB.
 
A little weak on the CPU side but you should still see a noticeable performance increase with either the HD 6950 or HD 6970 2GB cards. Once you do that, OC the hell out of your CPU.
 
hmm thanks, gotta see how those handle BF on benchmarks.

Would a six core AMD help me get the most out of a higher end card
 
If I had a $550 budget, I would go for an EVGA GTX580 for $479, and then do the Step-Up Program on the Keplar when it is released (GTX 670 for $499??). You would have a card somewhat more powerful than the Radeon 7970 then, without being out more buck$!


Ian
 
txsizzler said:
If I had a $550 budget, I would go for an EVGA GTX580 for $479, and then do the Step-Up Program on the Keplar when it is released (GTX 670 for $499??). You would have a card somewhat more powerful than the Radeon 7970 then, without being out more buck$!


Ian
Click to expand...

whoa, never knew about that.

Will this card be fine with my setup?
 
BlackThought said:
hmm thanks, gotta see how those handle BF on benchmarks.

Would a six core AMD help me get the most out of a higher end card
Click to expand...

With BF3,you might see higher performance:
http://www.sweclockers.com/artikel/14650-prestandaanalys-battlefield-3/5#pagehead

With that said, a few caveats:
- You might not see a performance difference between a X6 and X4 CPU in Skyrim
- The review was basically the "at launch" performance review. As such, by now, the performance differences might have changed.
- The review was not done with the new Bulldozer CPUs. As such, can't say if they actually fair as well as their Phenom II brothers in BF3.
- The pricing and availability for current Phenom II x6 CPUs is pretty bad.
 
BlackThought said:
whoa, never knew about that.

Will this card be fine with my setup?
Click to expand...

You may be end up being bottlenecked some on your CPU, but if you intend on upgrading it at some point, the video cards mentioned should be fine then.


Ian
 
Go for a GPU upgrade. You'll still see a decent performance increase with new cards even with your current CPU. And if you can OC that CPU, that'll lessen the need to upgrade the CPU and limitations on the GPU.
 
Sounds like a good idea.

But i have to loop back around.

Ive i plan on upgrading to a Intel i5 in the future would you still advise me to get a 6900 series or should i continue and get a GTX580 or 7970
 
BlackThought said:
Ive i plan on upgrading to a Intel i5 in the future would you still advise me to get a 6900 series or should i continue and get a GTX580 or 7970
Click to expand...

If you absolutely must have the highest performance possible at whatever the cost, then go for the HD 7970. A cheaper and better bang for the buck choice would be the HD 7950. But if you still want to save more money, the HD 6970 is still a solid choice.
 
4Ghz CPU will be just fine for BF3.. i know cause i've ran BF3 plenty with my cpu at stock w/ turbo at 3.9Ghz with 3 7970s all maxed and playble on 3 screens.

Honestly to me a 7970 overclocked is close to 580 SLI. But.. if you want to max everything and keep the frame rate well above 60 you'll need 2 cards. The 3GB ram on the cards is nice as well.

A 580 now at evga and attempt to step up is no garrenty IF they dont come out with the new cards in 90 days. I'd hate to spend that much on a card soon to be replaced as the resale value would suck.

6990 would be a nice option.. but your PSU is borderline.
 
txsizzler said:
If I had a $550 budget, I would go for an EVGA GTX580 for $479, and then do the Step-Up Program on the Keplar when it is released (GTX 670 for $499??). You would have a card somewhat more powerful than the Radeon 7970 then, without being out more buck$!


Ian
Click to expand...

Problem with that is the GTX670ti is rumored to sell between $299-$399 at release and will easily beat a single GTX580.

Right now is not the time to buy a GTX580. AMD has the better card and value at the $550 price range.


Getting a hot deal on a GTX560ti448 for under $300 then stepping up to GTX 660ti sounds alot smarter if possible.
 
SonDa5 said:
Problem with that is the GTX670ti is rumored to sell between $299-$399 at release and will easily beat a single GTX580.

Right now is not the time to buy a GTX580. AMD has the better card and value at the $550 price range.


Getting a hot deal on a GTX560ti448 for under $300 then stepping up to GTX 660ti sounds alot smarter if possible.
Click to expand...

That is why he would buy the EVGA GTX 580 now, and then step-up to the GTX 670. Per tomshardware, it will release April 12th at $499, and will sport a 20% greater performance over the Radeon 7970.

Link: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Nvidia-Kepler-GPU-GeForce-600-Series,14642.html

I am seriously considering the EVGA program myself, and going for the GTX 570, and then stepping up to the GTX 660, and then the 660 Ti when it comes out.


Ian
 
Step-up is risky.. No telling if they will allow you to step up to it and if it would be available right away in time for you in 90 days. I remember seeing all the people crying about stepping up to the 580 when it first came out. And i believe only certain cards can step up to the newest card. Plus the long wait in line for it as it will be slow right away with shortages as usuall. I'd really check there forums and see if it looks possable first. Hate to see someone stuck with a 570.

I'd feel better just holding onto my money and or selling off parts getting ready for the new cards to hit and buy asap then go through all that.
 
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