Help with much needed upgrades with a very little budget.

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ajlchase

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Feb 17, 2009
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I'm having either some video card issues or a power supply issue with my current setup. I ran a 3dmark test and the graphics cards held up during the whole test and I didn't notice the random restarts ,hangups or severely degraded performance like I have dealt with recently during regular game playing. This is why it leads me to believe I may have a power supply issue, again. This would be the 3rd time I'd have to replace a power supply on this setup.

Unfortunately I don't have the funds to build a whole new computer, as the one I have now is currently 5 years old. But I may be able to *persuade* the wife into getting some cost effective upgrades, dependent on what my actual issues are at the moment. I'll tell you my specs and hopefully that'll help with trying to figure out what path I should pursue.

The monitor is showing it's fair share of wear too and a new one probably wouldn't hurt, but it'll be dependent on how much everything else tallies up to.

Intel i7 920 Processor
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5P Mobo
Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler
12 GB OCZ Gold 6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x2
Thermaltake SMART M Series SP-850M 850W ATX12V PSU
1TB HDD
27" Hanns-G 1080 P Monitor

 
Solution
cin19
If you have $500 for upgrading, then get the new GPU + new PSU. I read the gtx260sli maybe = gtx470 somewhere, if you buy the gtx760 for $250 or HD7870 for less than $200, plus a good 550W PSU for $70. You should see the good improvements.
gtx 760 http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=85679&vpn=GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1363
HD 7870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605&clickid=Wl7SXqUTS3GUwaKQ84S2i3jGUkTUzj3WtyKbWA0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na
PSU http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1363

Also if you have more budget, you can upgrade the cpu/Mb ( i5, Z87)...
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ajlchase

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Thanks for the response! I would say roughly around $500, give or take. The one thing I'm wondering is the PSU is only a couple years old and should be under warranty. Haven't sent an item back into the manucturer before and am not sure if it's worth the hassle to be honest.
 
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ajlchase

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Feb 17, 2009
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The reason why I wondered if it were the PSU was because I've tried different configurations with my two graphics cards. Run both in SLi, run one in 16 and run the other as just the Physics processor and finally run each one by themselves. I will sometimes have my game crash/freeze on me and have to restart or sometimes the whole rig restarts on its own or locks up. I haven't tried inserting another graphics card in there, as I have none, nor have I tried installing a different PSU, as I don't have another, either.

Ultimately I know I need a graphics upgrade, but dependent on how much I should spent for that and whether or not I need a new PSU will determine what other addons I can get.

Hope this makes sense? If I came off rambling, I apologize.
 
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cin19

cin19

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Mar 14, 2011
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If you have $500 for upgrading, then get the new GPU + new PSU. I read the gtx260sli maybe = gtx470 somewhere, if you buy the gtx760 for $250 or HD7870 for less than $200, plus a good 550W PSU for $70. You should see the good improvements.
gtx 760 http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=85679&vpn=GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1363
HD 7870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605&clickid=Wl7SXqUTS3GUwaKQ84S2i3jGUkTUzj3WtyKbWA0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na
PSU http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=59615&vpn=P1550SXXB9&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1363

Also if you have more budget, you can upgrade the cpu/Mb ( i5, Z87), and you can reuse the DDR3 RAM, the new GPU, new PSU, HDD too.
 
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Solution
CTurbo

CTurbo

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Aug 27, 2013
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I think your psu is fine. If not, check that warranty.

You obviously need to upgrade your entire platform sooner or later. You could go cpu + motherboard now, and gpu + monitor later.

I say upgrade the video card now, and also get a ssd and do a clean install of windows. I think a ssd alone will give your system a big boost in performance.
 
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ajlchase

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Feb 17, 2009
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Thanks, I think what I'll do is order the GTX 760 a new MOBO and CPU and see how the PSU acts around those parts. Then if it's not better I'd then replace it. With the i5's are they good to OC with? Just trying to squeeze as much life out of anything I purchase, for down the road. Also, would it be a good idea to buy a 2nd GTX 760 down the road when they're about to be phased out?
 
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