Poor man's upgrade.

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DaHumanist

Honorable
Aug 17, 2013
17
0
10,510
I am planning a minor upgrade for my desktop. Current configuration is:

Intel E7500 processor, Intel DG-41 motherboard, Seagate 500GB HDD, 2 GB ADATA DDR3 RAM so on and so forth.

I live in VERY hot and humid weather (upwards of 30 deg C throughout the year, becomes 40+ in summer. That's 104 F + for my American friends.

I plan an interim upgrade of only graphics, PSU and RAM now, with plans to further upgrade it to an i7 processor at a later date.

Finally, my questions.

1) I am currently deciding between 4 graphics cards. Which is better for small scale gaming (say Microsoft FSX or Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty etc) or development like blender 2.65 rendering.
Choice A) Asus AMD/ATI HD 6670 1 GB GDDR5
Choice B) MSI AMD R6670-2GD3 2 GB **DDR3** (Preferred, Cheapest)
Choice C) Sapphire AMD/ATI HD 7750 1 GB GDDR5
Choice D) MSI AMD R7750-PMD2GD3 2 GB **DDR3** (priced = to ChoiceC)

Primary concern is heating and power consumption. There is no A/C. Just a ceiling fan.

2) Is it really worth going for the GDDR5 versions for the same model, considering it's priced much higher. (Price is a concern)

3) Is Seasonic Seasonic S12II 520 OR Seasonic S12II 430 (preferred, less expensive) enough to run all of this, keeping in mind I might go in for an i7 processor in a few months?

4) Will upgrading RAM by adding a 2GB better than going in for, say a single RAM of 4G?
 
Solution
Onus
Check your 3D rendering software to see if it can accelerate any of its processing using nVidia's CUDA, ATI Stream, or OpenCL. If only the former, choose the GTX650. If either of the latter, choose the HD7750. If none, I'd probably take the HD7750 if only because I've had a little (all-positive) experience with Powercolor, and no experience with either of the other two. Otherwise, performance will be very similar in general, but may depend on the specific game(s) you'll be playing. Check benchmarks, and choose accordingly. The HD7750 uses less power; only some GTX650's don't need a power connector, most do.
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
37,037
12
89,965
I agree with mi1ez, except to clarify I think he meant that the 430 is enough. I would choose "C" hands down. Do add another 2GB of RAM. If what you have now is 2x1GB, get a 2x2GB kit.
You do realize that getting the i7 will mean a new motherboard as well, and most likely a new Windows license for it...
 
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mi1ez

mi1ez

Splendid
Jul 17, 2007
4,771
1
23,160


Exactly what I meant. Good spot.
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
37,037
12
89,965
Graphics card makers overstate requirements in the attempt (sometimes futile) to account for all the liar-labeled PSU-shaped objects out there.
If you review the recent "$400 Spirit of Mini-ITX" article, you'll see that a system using a Pentium G860 and a HD7750 was drawing something like 112W or 119W from the wall. Their build used a 150W PSU.
 
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Sangeet Khatri

Sangeet Khatri

Honorable
May 26, 2013
2,640
1
13,460
1. 7750 GDDR5 all the way. Though if you live in USA you can get a 7770 for just about the same price after Mail-In-Rebates

2. Yes, GDDR5 is about 20-25 percent faster than the DDR3 version

3. Both would be enough, so get the one which is cheaper (If you live in USA then Corsair CX 600W can be had for just 39.99 after Mail-In-Rebates)

4. Add another RAM, though a single stick would not give problem but it is always adviced to go for two sticks as then both would spread
out the load.

I hope this answers all your concerns. Is there anything else I can help you in?
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
37,037
12
89,965
If you get a Corsair CX, make sure it is a modular one. Although CWT makes them all for Corsair, the non-modular versions use some inferior Samxon capacitors that don't like heat and are known for early failure. I would not use one in a gamer.
 
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DaHumanist

Honorable
Aug 17, 2013
17
0
10,510
So after a bit more of research, I found the following options for the same price. Any picks in these compared to the Sapphire AMD/ATI HD 7750 1 GB GDDR5?

1) Palit GeForce GTX 650 1 GB GDDR5 Graphic Card NE5X65001301-1071F
2) PowerColor HD 7750 1 GB GDDR5 Graphic Card AX7750 1GBD5-DH
3) Forsa Geforce with CUDA GTX650 1GB DDR5 128 BIT PCI EXP w/HDMI

Remember my criterion. Decent enough gaming / 3D rendering for development with very low heating/power consumption.
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
37,037
12
89,965
Check your 3D rendering software to see if it can accelerate any of its processing using nVidia's CUDA, ATI Stream, or OpenCL. If only the former, choose the GTX650. If either of the latter, choose the HD7750. If none, I'd probably take the HD7750 if only because I've had a little (all-positive) experience with Powercolor, and no experience with either of the other two. Otherwise, performance will be very similar in general, but may depend on the specific game(s) you'll be playing. Check benchmarks, and choose accordingly. The HD7750 uses less power; only some GTX650's don't need a power connector, most do.
 
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