Want to upgrade a 3yr old system

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JoeWillie

JoeWillie

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Sep 15, 2013
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I built my computer 3 years ago with the following components:

Intel i5-2500K
ASRock P67 Extreme 6
8GB GSkill Sniper DDR3 1600
80GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSD
WDC Black 1TB
Gigabyte HD 6850
Arctic Freeze 7 Pro
Rocketfish 900W PSU
Windows 7 Pro 64 OEM
Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Mid ATX Case (have been using this case 9 years now with newer Sythe Slipstream fans, whisper quiet)

I actually have had little issue over the years with any components but want to start upgrading to avoid spending the large investment I made all at once when I built it.

Doing research it seems my CPU/Mobo are still solid especially since I have started learning about and playing with OCing.

The only things I can think of that may need upgrading are my CPU cooler and GPU.

I was thinking of going with a Sythe Grand Kama Cross 2 when they are available in the states for the cooler and Radeon 2GB 7850 for the GPU.

I am trying to stay under $300.

Was hoping for some input on my selections and whether or not anyone thinks other components may need replaced. Guess I am pleasantly surprised how well this old girl is holding up against newer games after so long.
 
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kirilmatthew

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Jul 24, 2013
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I'm going to say hold off on the CPU cooler for awhile and focus all that money on GPU. A radeon 7970 would be an awesome upgrade and fit into your budget. The only thing I'd also consider upgrading is your PSU. That brand is not high quality, I'd try to get a corsair, XFX, seasonic or antec. I'd make the GPU my #1 priority though and go with a radeon 7970. Hope this helps!
 
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ddbtkd456

ddbtkd456

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While this would would i think you would honestly be better of getting a h80i (1x120 mm rad), a h100i (2x120mm rad), a Kraken x40 (140mm rad), or a Kraken x60 (2x140mm rad) which the Kraken x60 would be the most expensive at the moment, being about a $120, that way you can O.C. without having to worry about the heat on your processor, and the size of rad all depends on what size of fans your case takes.

Secondly, i would upgrade that card to EVGA GeForce GTX650Ti Boast Graphics card, for about 170.00. That would be the best use of your 300 dollars.

I hope this helps a little bit if you have any questions please feel free to pm me directly and ask me :)
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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quilciri

quilciri

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+1 to almost eveything Kirilmathew said. The 7970 is an excellent card on it's own. However, your situation makes me recommend an Nvidia card, e.g. gtx 760.

Given your motherboard and CPU (and PSU wattage), I imagine you planned on eventually running a second video card.. AMD's drivers are still lagging behind Nvidia's where multiple card configurations are concerned.

the 13.8 beta drivers fix most of the issue with most DX11 games. DX9 games still suffer runt/dropped frames, as do some dx11 games (metro last light).
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/catalyst-13.8-frame-pacing-crossfire,3595.html

Personally, I'm running a pair of oc'd 7850's right now, and I'm looking to swap them for a pair of Nvidia cards because two of the games I'm playing (FFXIV and metro: last light) suffer horribly form frame latency issues, and I'm tired of waiting for AMD to catch up.

Highly recommend replacing that PSU regardless of what video solution you choose.
 
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bumnut53

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I also think you should hold off on the cooler and get a better graphics card, No point in having a heavily OC's CPU with a weak graphics card. You will get the most bang for buck from a graphics card upgrade
 
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JoeWillie

JoeWillie

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I am definently leaning towards putting the bulk of my money into a GPU, didn't realize the issues with AMD cards especially since most of the recommended cards are AMD. I may need to read up on this before I buy. I am confused as to the apparently bad rep of my PSU. It had good reviews when I bought it and I haven't seen any bad reviews. If anyone could clarify that would be great.
 
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quilciri

quilciri

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The 700w model landed on jonnyguru's lemon list (jonnyguru is one of the defacto PSU authorities on the web)

http://www.johnnylucky.org/power-supplies/psu-lemon-list.html

my personal biggest issue is that Huntkey, the actual manufacturer of that PSU, uses chinese capacitors, which are more failure-prone than the Japanese caps the quality PSU manufacturers use. I imagine there are other dangerous corners cut, but that's the first one I notice.
 
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kirilmatthew

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I just want to point out that the radeon 7970 is a much beter card the the 760, and the 770 is more expensive. For a single GPU setup like your, AMD is just as good as NVidia.
 
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JoeWillie

JoeWillie

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Thanks for the help. I researched my PSU again and it had good reviews including its manufacturing and components so going to stick with it and get a 7950. Going to save the extra for some possible water cooling if I get into OC'ing more.
 
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quilciri

quilciri

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No argument here, but the 7970 is $300 while the 760 is $250. The budget was $300 and that's the most powerful Nvidia card under $300 (well technically, the 670 is, i guess, but the performance difference between them isn't worth the $50, imho. Then there's the lower power consumption of the 760.)
 
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kirilmatthew

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Actually, the 7970 is $280. Add the free games that you get with the 7970, and its a vastly superior deal. It beats it in both performance and value.
 
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quilciri

quilciri

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Okedoke, well enjoy, then!

P.S. if you're thinking of overclocking in order to get the most gaming performance out of your rig, I'd suggest adding a second 7950 before you spend any $ on overclocking the CPU.
 
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quilciri

quilciri

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The 760 is $233. a $47 difference instead of a $50 difference i didn't think was worth mentioning...http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zotac-video-card-zt7040110p.

As stated before, I endorse single GPU AMD rigs. The OP's rig looks like it was selected to eventually run multiple GPU's, and AMD still has lots of catching up to do there. For me, getting 3 free games doesn't negate the frame latency issue, though I've tried to illustrate where that happens so the OP could make his own decision.
 
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kirilmatthew

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Fine, but it doesn't sound like the OP will be getting another GPU for quite awhile. AMD will be releasing their next drivers to fix frame pacing for eyefinity and DX9/10 at some point, probably in the next few months. Frame pacing is hardly an issue in DX11 with a single monitor. Right now, buy for right now. AMD will fix the issue and their first frame pacing driver is promising. If the OP plays any of the games in AMD's bundle, the value is way better then the Nvidia. So is performance on single GPU, which the OP will use in the near future.
 
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quilciri

quilciri

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I use a single monitor, and for the most part that is true. however, there are still a couple dx11 games that have horrible frame pacing issues with my pair of 7850's (metro last light seems to have another issue with AMD drivers on top of that). Also, many new games are being released that still use DX9 but are graphically demanding (ffxiv in my case)., including some of the free games in AMD's never settle deal.

I hope you're right; AMD has been working on it's frame pacing drivers for at least 7 months now. The original attempt, the 13.5 beta 2 drivers, released in may, didn't do much. Unless their development has some rapid breakthroughs, I fear it might be a little longer than that before the catalyst frame pacing is consistent throughout.

My biggest problem is that because Nvidia has been making constant improvements to it's own frame pacing while AMD works out those issues, I think it will be a long time before the catalyst drivers frame pacing is comparable to Nvidia's. In that regard, I hesitate to recommend AMD GPU's in rig's that can accommodate multiple card solutions.
 
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kirilmatthew

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I don't think nvidia can do much more for frame pacing. It is only marginally worse then a single GPU right now. I believe at a certain point AMD and nvidia will become even. Since AMD has figured out the problem for the majority of users, I think it won't be too long before they figure out the rest. AMD has been on a roll with getting stuff out in good time recently(and surprisingly!). I wouldn't recommend two 7970s either if the OP were yo buy them today, however it could be very different in a few months. AMD's Volcanic Islands are due out soon as well.. Who knows if they could surprise us with better drivers as well, or maybe better CF for volcanic islands! This is coming from a happy nvidia user, but I find it hard to recommend single-card nvidia setups, a lot harder than recommending multi-card AMD. Nvidia's pricing is pretty poor.
 
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quilciri

quilciri

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Agreed on Nvidia's pricing. I'm only looking at used cards for replacing my 7850's, seeing about a pair of 670's for 200 each on craigslist right now :D.

And yeah, AMD could surprise us, and I would love that. I'd like AMD to stick around since they're the only thing standing in front of a de-facto monopoly in two industries. I'm just not as much of an optimist as you seem to be; only basing my thoughts on the development history so far.
 
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