A great graphics card for next-gen gaming on a budget? (PC Upgrade)

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Ok, so i already know that i posted a question about this a while back. But however, I've been researching this for a while now and i want to know if what I've currently chosen for my new rig will do well with all of next-gen and play Far Cry 4 at max with 60fps:

New CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core

New GPU: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation

New PSU: XFX 550W ATX12V

Bonus: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer

Bonus: Cooler Master JetFlo 95.0 CFM 120mm

My current specs:

PowerColor PCS+ HD 7850 2gb

AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz

Corsair Vengeance 8gb RAM

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

Ultra 650 Watt PSU

Western Digital 1TB Hard Drive (Caviar Black)

MSI 970A-G46 Motherboard

Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid-Sized Tower

Now, i'm gonna wait for sales such as Black Friday or After-Christmas to upgrade. But i just wanted to know if there is an even better graphics card within a budget of $450 to $500 (accounting for rebates), that'll ensure that i'll be able to run all or most next-gen games at max settings, 1080p at 60fps on my rig. I am aware that i will need to update the BIOS on my motherboard in order for it to support the CPU correctly, but i know that i have to be careful with that as well. Unless it's fine as is, what do you guys think i should do? Also, will this card fit inside my case?

P.S I will not Overclock. I see no need to do that. And due to a previous thread, i was told that this current PSU will do fine.

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 18, 2014

Yes, that current setup will run next-gen games just fine. I would suggest a 650w XFX or SeaSonic PSU, though, due to the high TDP of the CPU. But if you can squeeze an i5-4460 and an H97 motherboard into your budget, then do it. Intel is always better.

rockie_ · Nov 18, 2014

GTX 970 is better . R9 280X is not worth the money .

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 18, 2014

rockie_ :

A GTX 970 is out of his budget range.

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Joseph DeGarmo :

Well, we shall see what the price comes down to during a big sale. Is there anything else?

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

Make the investment for the 970. It's MUCH better in the long run, already pretty cheap for it's capabilities, and with the upcoming sales I would highly recommend looking into it.

If you are thinking of adding significant power to your system (like SLI/Crossfire) then that PSU won't do.

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Anencephalus :

No, i am not going to run SLI/Crossfire. If that's the case, am i good then?

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

I would get 650w, but 550w is fine for bare minimum. Even if you do upgrade to SLI or any other power consuming upgrades you can always upgrade PSU anyway.

Get the 970. If you can put a lot on your GPU go ahead and get the 980.

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Anencephalus :

Alright. I have just one more question though. Will the FX-8350 bottleneck the GTX 970 and will they be compatible? (It sounds like a silly question i know, but i just want to be sure)

rockie_ · Nov 18, 2014

GTX 970 is 2.37x faster than HD 7850
R9 280X is 64% faster than Hd 7850

FX 8350 is 20% faster than FX 6300 in games

i think he want see more than 64% boost in games but is going to spend $500 . i would get GTX 970 now and later on i5 .

i5 4690 outperforms FX 8350 in games by 35% .

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

No but I would highly recommend getting an Intel CPU. I switched from AMD to Intel and it is so much better. The i5-5690k will be fine for all next-gen games, you could get an i7 but it really just has hyper-threading which barely has anything to do with gaming.

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Anencephalus :

Actually, i heard that my mobo is an AMD board but it does support Nvidia GPU's. Just not Intel CPU's.

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

Sorry didn't even check your mb. Forgot you were upgrading and not building a new system.

Then yes that will work fine. I was in your same position but I sold my AMD build so I could buy an intel build. Great investment and well worth it.
But your build will be fine.

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Anencephalus :

Ok then. I just want to know what brand you recommend for the GTX 970, and if it'll fit inside my case?

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

I personally would go with this

If it will fit on the mb it will probably fit in your tower. As for height just check the dimensions of your tower, but there should be enough room.

rockie_ · Nov 18, 2014

inexpensive
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/zotac-video-card-zt9010110p
otherwise
MSI GTX 970 Gaming

A side note : Of course i5 needs a new motherboard .
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($327.85 @ B&H)
Total: $590.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-18 21:21 EST-0500

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

rockie_ :

I forgot to mention that i am not looking for a new mobo. I'd rather have this one last me as long as it can before replacing it. I'm sure it will do fine with this build as long as i update the BIOS.

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

Then just get what was said above. No need to switch everything up. Your CPU is fine I was just saying if you ever do upgrade your mb/system then switch to Intel.

crysisman546 · Nov 18, 2014

Anencephalus :

Ok then, thank you very much!

I'm now looking forward to playing Far Cry 4 at Ultra in 1080p. I'm sure that this card will eat that game up!

Also, i calculated the amount of wattage i'll have left with these parts. I will still have 186w left. Of course without overclocking anyways.

Anencephalus · Nov 18, 2014

Have fun! I've not yet played but that's the game I've been looking forward to playing all year!!!

Joseph DeGarmo · Nov 19, 2014

I'd recommend waiting a while to get Far Cry 4 until the game is patched. That game has several bugs right now.

Anencephalus · Nov 19, 2014

With the upcoming sales I would get anything and everything. Every cyber Monday/black friday I get all the ganes I want super cheap.

It will be patched eventually. No point i waiting when its $20-30 now

A great graphics card for next-gen gaming on a budget? (PC Upgrade)

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