Upgrading Graphics and maybe more?

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

I currently have

AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 960T Processor
OCZ Stealth XStream 600W PSU - SLI Ready ATX2.2 12cm
LG GH22NS50 22x SATA DVD±RW Dual Layer & RAM Black Bare Drive - OEM
Sapphire HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics Card
MSI 785GM-E51 785G Socket AM3 DVI VGA HDMI Out 8 channel audio mATX Motherboard
Kingston DDR3 2GB 1333MHz i5 Memory Module CL9 1.5V - Qty: 2
And a 2TB HDD

Should I consider upgrading? I was thinking about investing in a new graphics card to tide me over for a bit longer.

I asked here
https://forums.ebuyer.com/showthread.php/79945-Ugrade?p=1378158#post1378158
But got really varying opinions.

I quite like the look of this
http://www.ebuyer.com/491560-sapphire-hd-7790-oc-version-1gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-11210-01-20g
Especially as it comes with Bioshock for free.
Will I gain much more by ignoring the freebie and spending more on a 7850?

wanderer11 · Apr 11, 2013

The 7790 is really pretty close to the 7850. I think you will be satisfied with it. Double check on the game deal, I thought it ended a few days ago. One more suggestion I have is adding another 2 GB of RAM. Have you tried to unlock the 4th core on that cpu? It might help, depending on the games you play.

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

wanderer11 :

Ok thanks, I will get that GPU then. Regarding RAM I am unsure about what to do, it seems my motherboard requires overclocking to use 1600 DDR3, should I skip it then? I haven't done any overclocking before but I am pretty comfortable fiddling with the PC.

Games I play at the moment are mainly DotA2 and Battlefield 3 and the Total War Series. Will be playing Bioshock Infinite and more new single player stuff.

oddlyinsane · Apr 11, 2013

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7790-bonaire-performance,3462-3.html

That's roughly how much difference between the 7790 vs 7850.
Of course, the 7790 is always going to be better value, but what you have to consider is if the extra performance of the 7850 is worth it. If not, then the 7790 is a great deal.
There are other reviews out there that benchmark the card with different games, and that should lead you to the right direction.

You might want to upgrade your CPU and mobo as well, however I would order the 7790/7850 and then see if your CPU is going to bottleneck.

Regardless of what other people say, there is nothing wrong with upgrading the CPU later (if at all), as opposed to buying it together with the GPU purchase.

Hope this helps.

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

oddlyinsane :

I got that processor about a year ago I think, it seems pretty good and I might just unlock another core if I need to stretch it. I think I would rather save getting a new MOBO for when I build a whole new PC. From what I can see hardware demands on games are kinda slowing down a bit so I could probably wait a couple of years before doing a full new build. Does that sound about right?

jessterman21 · Apr 11, 2013

You want a GTX 650Ti 2GB or a 660 if you can afford it - better bang for your buck than the HD 7790 or 7850. You really do not want to be investing in a 1GB card right now - various site reviews confirm this.

And definitely get at least 2GB more RAM if you're playing games on that thing.

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

jessterman21 :

Thats an Nvidia card, surely I would need a totally new setup if I wanted to go that way.

jessterman21 · Apr 11, 2013

getalifebud :

No - either brand works with any build. Highly recommend one of these two.

freshbakd · Apr 11, 2013

No, graphics cards work in all pcie 16 slots...Anyway i remember going from a 5770 to gtx570 and it was a like night and day. The only real question here is whats your budget?

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

freshbakd :

This has blown my mind, how did I not know this?

I want to spend about 120-150. The GTX650 even has assassins creed 3 for free with it. It has better specs all round. I don't know what to think any more.

jessterman21 · Apr 11, 2013

getalifebud :

Really try to stretch it to a GTX 650Ti Boost 2GB for $175. The plain old 650 isn't an upgrade to your current card, and the 650Ti isn't a whole lot better, and you'll be glad for the extra VRAM a year down the road.

Also: sound advice - you will never regret spending a bit more in the budget space.

lolplanet · Apr 11, 2013

Nvidia def is the way to go these days

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

jessterman21 :

Like this one?

http://www.ebuyer.com/407220-evga-gtx-650-ti-supersuperclocked-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-mini-hdmi-pci-e-02g-p4-3653-kr

jessterman21 · Apr 11, 2013

getalifebud :

No, that's a regular 650 Ti - you want one with the Boost name on the end, like this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-palit-gtx-650-ti-boost-28nm-pcie-30-%28x16%29-6008mhz-gddr5-gpu-980mhz-cores-768-dport-dl-dvi-hdmi

Cheapest one I could find for UK^^^

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

jessterman21 :

Thanks, looks like I will go for that, or the OC? I don't know if those are worth it but its a few quid i am happy paying.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-palit-gtx-650-ti-boost-oc-28nm-pcie-30-(x16)-6108mhz-gddr5-gpu-1006mhz-cores-768-dport-dl-dvi-hd

I can't really see the difference though, it actually looks like this boost one has a slightly lower core speed but more memory clock? It can be tricky when the two sites show differently labelled parameters though.

jessterman21 · Apr 11, 2013

getalifebud :

jessterman21 :

Thanks, looks like I will go for that, or the OC? I don't know if those are worth it but its a few quid i am happy paying.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-palit-gtx-650-ti-boost-oc-28nm-pcie-30-(x16)-6108mhz-gddr5-gpu-1006mhz-cores-768-dport-dl-dvi-hd

I can't really see the difference though, it actually looks like this boost one has a slightly lower core speed but more memory clock? It can be tricky when the two sites show differently labelled parameters though.

Yeah the real difference is the OC version has 2 fans, which may make the card quieter. Go for it.

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

jessterman21 :

Ok so that one is gone... How about this?
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-msi-gtx-650-ti-boost-tfrozr-iii-oc-28nm-pcie-30-(x16)-6008mhz-gddr5-gpu-1033mhz-cores-768-dport-

Or this?
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-palit-gtx-650-ti-boost-oc-28nm-pcie-30-(x16)-6108mhz-gddr5-gpu-1006mhz-cores-768-dport-dl-dvi-hd

The differences are getting fiddly now, It looks like I will be paying £5 for 10 MHz with this stuff.

Thanks for your perseverance by the way man!

EDIT: I think I might be screwing up the URLs, basically looking at a £141 Palit card and £144 MSI card, is either brand better? The MSI is 1033 while Palit is 1006 but i dont know how much it matters

jessterman21 · Apr 11, 2013

Yep, pretty fiddly - the MSI one has one of the best coolers - it may be your best bet. Just know that those ones have not been known to overclock as well as other brands for some reason. But any of these cards will be fine, not too hot, not too loud, with about the same performance.

getalifebud · Apr 11, 2013

Ordered the MSI, thanks again to everyone for their advice!

Upgrading Graphics and maybe more?

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