SSD or Better GPU?

AnalBear

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Apr 20, 2013
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I cant decide whether to get:
120GB + saphire 7950 vapour x OC
, or
No SSD + saphire 7970 vapour x GHz edition
 
Solution
G
"meh this is good enough and i don't really feel like reinstalling windows and all my games"

Most new SSDs that aren't "bulk" or "OEM" come with software that clones your old hard drive over to the new SSD. The whole process takes about 40 minutes. No need to install the OS and do all the updates and intall everything else. Even if the SSD doesn't come with cloning software, there are several freeware programs that you can get online. I have used Samsung's cloning program and have also used the freeware EaseUs. These programs will save you hours even days depending on how many programs and games you have.

faster23rd

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Oct 11, 2011
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Decide if you want faster boot and load times or more fps, eye candy, and higher resolutions.

Although the 7950 is already a good card that will play a lot of games high-max @1080 p with smooth framerates.

My personal choice would be the 7950 and the SSD

 
G

Guest

Guest
Depends on what you are using the SSD for. I'm guessing that you will be installing the OS on it and some programs. A 120 GB drive formatted under NTFS and normal allocation size will only give you about 110 GB of usable space. Then, after installing Windows and doing all the updates, you'll have about 90 GB free. Unless this is the very last upgrade and the last bit of money you are willing to spend on your PC, I would get the the better 7970 GPU and then wait until I had enough to buy a 250 GB SSD. I recently picked up a 250 GB Samsung 840 for $160. If you are trying to make your games run better and faster, getting a 120 GB SSD won't really help as much as a top of the line GPU unless you have all your games installed on it. With only 90 GB free for games, you can probably fit 10 modern games on it. And, even then, the difference between a regular 7,200 RPM HDD and a SSD won't be very noticeable. The game will load a bit quicker, but once the game loads you will see no difference. Same thing in multiplayer, the maps will load a bit quicker but that is about it.
 
Yeah , Buy a better GPU , As later on you can buy a SSD ( if you want to ) and you will have no loss. But if you buy a SSD + 7950 , Later on you will feel to get a better GPU , and will end up buying a better GPU 7-9 months later and selling that 7950 VaporX ( If you want to play Games on the Best Settings ) If I were you I would have bought a 7970 GHz VaporX as I already have a SSD LOL
 

slicedtoad

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Any build over $750 without an SSD is a joke. SSDs change everything. They make windows feel snappy in ways a fast cpu cannot. It's not just boot time (though that's awesome too, especially when ocing) it all the little changes it makes.

The difference between a 7970 and a 7950 at 1080p is not that important. So go with the SSD.

That said, jman was right about 120GB being kinda small. If you could up that to 256GB, that'd be ideal.
 

slicedtoad

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How is a 7950 going to be obsolete in 7-9 months?

And upgrading to an SSD later is not as practical as everyone makes it to be. It's more likely that you just decide, "meh this is good enough and i don't really feel like reinstalling windows and all my games".
 
G

Guest

Guest
"meh this is good enough and i don't really feel like reinstalling windows and all my games"

Most new SSDs that aren't "bulk" or "OEM" come with software that clones your old hard drive over to the new SSD. The whole process takes about 40 minutes. No need to install the OS and do all the updates and intall everything else. Even if the SSD doesn't come with cloning software, there are several freeware programs that you can get online. I have used Samsung's cloning program and have also used the freeware EaseUs. These programs will save you hours even days depending on how many programs and games you have.
 
Solution

AnalBear

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This guy just made my decision with less than 5 sentences, you are the king of kings. But seriously knowing that there helped me greatly <3
 

slicedtoad

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No. Windows (7 and 8) installs differently on SSDs than on HDDs. Cloning from an hdd to sdd is never recommended as it leads to: decreased performance and possible compatibility issues. Sometimes it works fine and sometimes you can use a utility to fix potential issues (alignment and such) but very often you run into problems.
 


Did you even read what I said , I said that buy a 7970GHz if you want to play on highest settings , My 7950 gives only max 26 FPS on Ultimate settings in Tomb Raider. But my Friend gets 37FPS on same settings and same rig.
I forgot to mention he has a 7970GHz

 

slicedtoad

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That's not normal, the difference between those two cards should be ~20% in tomb raider. That near 50% increase you're seeing means something is wrong or your friend is ocing (past the default GHz).
If thermals permit, slide the power limit bar in ccc over to +20%. Most cards can handle this and it should show a significant fps boost. Basically it stops throttling when a certain amperage is hit.
 


Sorry , I forgot to mention that he gets 37-55 FPS on a 7970GH.