Selecting a new gpu for old but still strong build.

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cody4721

cody4721

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So here goes , my system specs @ the moment:

Intel core 2 quad q6600 @ 2.6Ghz
Transcend 4 GB RAM DDR2 @800mhZ
Asrock G31m-vs2
Xfx HD 4850 1gb @690/1050
250gb wd hdd
Corsair cx 430
Some generic Chinese case.
DVD drive.

My screen resolution is 1366x768.

I wouldn't like to toss this away as it does most of the stuff pretty nice. All parts except CPU has been replaced 2 years ago.

The graphics card is no longer giving me desired performance in games like battlefield 3 , 4.

I was wondering what graphics card would be good enough for this system and resolution so that bottlenecking does not occur and does not burn a hole in my pocket. I was looking at the $150 price range.
No I do not wish to change the screen.

Thanks.

 
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mapesdhs
Calculagator writes:
> ... You will not be able to maximize performance of any new GPU without a new high-end cpu, ...

That's too simplistic a statement (and hence not sufficiently accurate), because it depends very much on the game, resolution, detail, etc. These issues vary wildly. It's a mistake to say a particular config *will* bottleneck. Some games need very little CPU power and will run just fine on older hardware, such as Call of Juarez. Also, modern cards are optimised for higher resolutions; people playing at 1300x700-ish will observe quite different behaviour to that shown in site reviews which test at HD upwards. Note cody's screen res, he's in exactly this situation. I've tested these scenarios a lot, GPUs don't behave the...
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mapesdhs

mapesdhs

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You'll start to bottleneck pretty much with any newer card, even back to the 400 series. For that sort of spec, I'd be looking at a used GPU to get the best value, though not sure how the PSU would cope. For decent play in BF3/4, I'd be looking at a newer build entirely, otherwise it's only going to be a repeating tale of mistmatched components. Having said that, if you did get something reasonably decent like a 750 Ti, you could at least move it over to a newer build in the future & at the same time take advantage of the speed bump from a newer platform.

Hmm, yes, I think if you can get one, a 750 Ti would be good. It would certainly run fine with your existing PSU as it uses not much power. I bought the EVGA GTX 750 Ti SC 2GB (1176MHz core) for my HTPC; it has roughly the same 3D speed as a GTX 580, but is extremely quiet.

Ian.

PS. My site has some relevant test results, but I've not yet benched my Q6600 or other S775 CPUs.

 
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TropicoSuarez

TropicoSuarez

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Feb 4, 2014
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If you're not looking to play on ultra, and because you have a lowish wattage power supply, I'd go with Nvidia, their graohics cards use alot less power. The GTX 750ti will easily get the job done with a bunch of extra headroom if you eventually want to upgrade to a 1080p monitor later, for about 120 USD. The 750ti also runs much cooler and quieter than its AMD competitors, and is probably your best option at this price range. It will easily run Battlefield 3 and 4 at 60 fps even on high and ultra settings.
 
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mapesdhs

mapesdhs

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Hehe, looks like we're all reckoning the 750 Ti is the best option. :D

Just checked my data; I've tested a 4870 with an oc'd Athlon II, and I've tested a 750 Ti with a
Pentium G3258. Rough guess, I reckon a 750 Ti would be at least 2X faster than a 4850.

Ian.

PS. TropicoSuarez, I've benched 7970 CF and a GTX 980, you may be interested in how they compare.




 
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Calculagator

Calculagator

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While this is true, it is also misleading. You will not be able to maximize performance of any new GPU without a new high-end cpu, but you will be able to have much improved gaming performance. Running with a q6600 may cut back 30% of the GPU performance, but having 70% of the new GPU performance will still be much better than what you have. You can get playable performance without breaking the bank.

Also, a 400w PSU should be able to handle any mainstream GPU and not just low power ones like the gtx 750ti. For your budget an R9 270 will give you the best performance for your money. It will work just fine in your system since it doesn't use any more power than your current hd 4850.
 
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mapesdhs

mapesdhs

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Calculagator writes:
> ... You will not be able to maximize performance of any new GPU without a new high-end cpu, ...

That's too simplistic a statement (and hence not sufficiently accurate), because it depends very much on the game, resolution, detail, etc. These issues vary wildly. It's a mistake to say a particular config *will* bottleneck. Some games need very little CPU power and will run just fine on older hardware, such as Call of Juarez. Also, modern cards are optimised for higher resolutions; people playing at 1300x700-ish will observe quite different behaviour to that shown in site reviews which test at HD upwards. Note cody's screen res, he's in exactly this situation. I've tested these scenarios a lot, GPUs don't behave the same at low res, to the extent that older cards like the GTX 280 can be surprisingly strong at older resolutions, though of course they collapse as soon as one moves up to HD & beyond.

However, for titles that do need a decent degree of CPU power, yes indeed, a Q6600 will lose a chunk of potential performance, though for some games it's a lot more than 30% (varies). Though I've not run my main tests with a Q6600 yet, I have done them with all the Futuremark tests and so have already seen this effect (I have a Q6600, E8400, QX9650 and a bunch of other S775 CPUs, using an ASUS Striker II Extreme and an EVGA 790i SLI).

I wouldn't recommend the 270 though; the 750 Ti is a much better card for the system he has now.

To the OP, if you want to boost your system's general performance, replace the old 250GB HDD with an SSD. I've done this to numerous older systems with SATA2, it makes a big difference, even though such systems can't exploit the full speed of a modern SATA3 SSD. The SanDisk X300 256GB is well priced, though there are numerous relevant used SSDs on ebay which would work nicely too (EDIT update Jun/2015: now I'd just get an 850 EVO 250GB).

Ordinarily I would comment about oc'ing the CPU, but I don't think you have the right type of mbd for that. On a decent board, a Q6600 can run at 3.4, though I suppose one could hunt for such a board, S2Es might be reasonably cheap these days. Remember though, beyond a certain point, it doesn't make sense upgrading an older system, but for the moment you'll do well with a 750 Ti replacement.

Ian.

 
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