Advice needed on upgrading GPU.

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dirtyblacksocks

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Jun 27, 2013
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So I'm currently running this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121775

With the following hardware:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL

OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Seagate Barracuda STBD2000101 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Retail kit

MSI Z77 MPOWER LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

and an h100i intercooler on the CPU - with Noctua fans replacing all fans in the system for better air flow and a more quiet system.

I'm looking to upgrade the GPU - for maximum results with regards to improvement, without spending more than $500 (give or take)

My questions are - in the next few months is technology going to release that will cause a price drop in current cards that are better than what I'm running, by anywhere from $50 or more.

What card should I get, and should I wait for that new technology to release before getting it to save a few bucks.

Please note it must be an NVidia card, I run Nvidia 3D glasses, and have a BenQ 120 Hz monitor with built in NVidia 3D projection.

Thank you for your advice. I am looking for the best there is at $500 in the NVidia line - when taking into consideration the rest of my computer specs.
 
Solution
cookybiscuit
Ti is about 15% quicker, with you being at 1080p I wouldn't bother. All the 780's will be as quick as eachother, cooler is what you are buying, MSI Gaming Edition is currently the best that isn't stupid expensive.

Sandy processors are probably more expensive because they haven't been made in a while and can still draw sales from people who have a compatible motherboard but want a new CPU, no reason to knock the price down, same as last gen GPU's generally hold their price because of SLI/Crossfire. Sandy/Ivy/Haswell are seperated by a 10% performance bump, not really worth it.
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cookybiscuit

cookybiscuit

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Too bad it doesn't look like your motherboard supports SLI, that would have been the cheapest option. Since you are running 3D that changes things a bit. I was in the same boat, I had a 670 (pretty much a 760), moved to a 780; 2D performance went through the roof, 3D performance went unchanged, or in some cases went down. I'm not sure if it was a driver problem or something, since Nvidia has pretty much forgot about 3D maybe they didn't bother working on the drivers for 3D, that or the 3D software is just bad, I have no idea.

Either way, the only real step-up is a 780, a 770 isn't worth it. If or not it will actually make a difference in 3D is kind of hard to say, from my testing it didn't really do anything, despite 2D benchmarks showing the 780 was nearing twice the speed of the 670 I had.
 
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dirtyblacksocks

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It supports SLI as far as I know - but I'm giving the other card to a friend to help them with a new build.

So essentially I was looking for help with getting the most out of an upgrade.

If there is a specific 780 model made by a manufacturer that is showing better results than the rest, please let me know about it - or if there is any tech about to hit the shelves in the next few months that I might be interested in, or that will cause a price drop as I said, I'm interested in it.

Overall I just want to make sure my friend gets this old card put into her system that we're building for her, and that I get the best card I can since I'm taking the time and money to swap out something that really doesn't need to be swapped out yet.
 
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dirtyblacksocks

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Jun 27, 2013
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Here's a link to the tech specs on the motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130660

Also, if there is RAM out there that will provide a decent increase in overall system performance from the RAM I've got installed - let me know, as it's just another peice of hardware I can give to my friend for her build.

In fact if any of the hardware listed is something that can be upgraded for a significant increase, aside from the motherboard, I'm all ears.
 
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cookybiscuit

cookybiscuit

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Theres nothing really to wait for other than Maxwell, thats not for another 4 months atleast. The 290 and such are cheaper and as fast as the 780, but are super loud and no good since you need 3D.

MSI Twin Frozr and Asus DirectCUII are two of the best, either of those is a solid pick.

EDIT- My mistake, so it does support SLI. Cheapest option would be to add another 760 but like you said you can't really do that. Theres nothing you can upgrade in your system to make a significant difference, other than the GPU. Just overclock the CPU if you haven't already.
 
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dirtyblacksocks

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Yeah, already overclocked to 4.6 GhZ with liquid cooling (obviously) - didn't bother overclocking the GPU or RAM as I don't know enough and don't care to learn about it any further. Although the video card is the ASUS that's already overclocked and has the software to tweak the settings if I wanted to...I just leave it alone.

So you think this is my best bet - like benchmark tests you've reviewed etc. show it to be the superior card?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121779

Do you think getting the Ti will buy me a serious amount of extended gameplay before having to upgrade to another GPU - or are the differences minimal? (I.E. does the 780 Ti by ASUS warrant spending another $180).

Thanks again.

If you have the answer, I'm noticing all of the Sandy Bridge processors I've been looking at are actually more expensive than the Ivy Bridge processors, why is that? In the long run, I'm debating on if it's worth it to upgrade to an Ivy Bridge processor and give my friend my Sandy Bridge based on the sheer fact that she may end up spending more on a new Sandy Bridge than I would on a new Ivy Bridge.
 
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cookybiscuit

cookybiscuit

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Aug 31, 2012
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Ti is about 15% quicker, with you being at 1080p I wouldn't bother. All the 780's will be as quick as eachother, cooler is what you are buying, MSI Gaming Edition is currently the best that isn't stupid expensive.

Sandy processors are probably more expensive because they haven't been made in a while and can still draw sales from people who have a compatible motherboard but want a new CPU, no reason to knock the price down, same as last gen GPU's generally hold their price because of SLI/Crossfire. Sandy/Ivy/Haswell are seperated by a 10% performance bump, not really worth it.
 
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