Future upgrades for my PC

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Woody1999

Woody1999

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Jan 3, 2015
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So, I'll be building this PC bit by bit over the coming months: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/pdy4mG

I've been looking at future upgrades for the PC, as my R7 260X won't hold out against most new games at 1080p, which is what I want to achieve for at least another 5 years. The GPU is obviously going to be a weak link in my new system, so that will be the first upgraded part. I need a video card that will run modern games at 1080p with ease, but has little enough power draw to work with my 550W power supply, and costs between £150 and £175. I also need to have a card that runs extremely quiet, as the PC will live in my bedroom and I will have to remove the sound dampening material from my H230 when I modify it and add an acrylic window.

My first idea was the GTX 960 - it's a brand new card that has all the technology for future games, and will be actively supported by Nvidia for a long time. It's also very power efficient and right in my budget range. Would this be a good card to go with and also which model should I go with?

Woody
 
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plywrlw

plywrlw

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The GTX 960 will be quiet and cool

The Radeon R9 280X is more powerful and has 3Gb of vRAM which will benefit future games *probably* but runs louder/hotter

If your PSU is a good quality 550W then it will be OK with an R9 280X

My suggestion - save more money and get a GTX 970, much more "futureproof" (if such a thing exists)
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Jun 2, 2007
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The little Alpine isn't much better than the stock Intel cooler, if you can, return it under the revised Distance Selling Regulations.

Cheapest option that matches your requirements is probably this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-072-KF&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=2379 Which is reviewed here: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/kfa2_geforce_gtx_960_exoc_review,1.html
Others like MSI, Gigabyte and Asus have equally chilly, quiet cards but they're about £20 more expensive.
It's VERY hard to say how long the 2Gb GTX960 will be viable, games are already using 2Gb or more of memory at the higher settings but the first impressions of DX12 look extremely good, which should balance things out a bit.

Main fly in the ointment is the time period, it's very unlikely a GTX960 will be able to cope at 1080 res in 5 years time without turning the settings down a long way, even a GTX970 is going to struggle five years from now so my suggestion is: Hold on and wait until you can afford a GTX970, the CPU is fine with such a potent card, the PSU will run one easily and it'll last much longer.
 
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Woody1999

Woody1999

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I already own the Alpine 11 Pro - it arrived yesterday. I'll install it onto my current system when I get the H230 after I order it some time this weekend. I've heard good things about it, being super quiet, I of course have no need to overclock.

61wjad8.jpg


On the idea of getting a GTX 970, it's simply out of my budget range, whichever way I look at it. £270 is the average price of a 970 compared to the £170 of the GTX 960, and I'm hardly looking for Far Cry 4 Ultra 1080p 60FPS, I just want to be able to play BF3 at 1080p. Are there any other cards in my price range? A 280 Twin Frozr looks really good but I'm not sure I should risk it with only 550W, I've had a bad time so far with a CX430 and a 260X!

Woody
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Just an idea with the cooler but now it's installed you might as well use it.
I suggested the GTX970, not for now, but for later on, your first post says you're planning on a 5 year lifespan and I really doubt a GTX960 will be capable of that kind of longevity at 1080 res, but only time will tell, DX12 does look very good so hopefully when games begin to exploit its features that'll even things out a bit.
Apart from an extra 1Gb of memory the R9 280 is actually a slower card than the GTX960 overall, and by a reasonable margin so I think that you would be better served with the Green Team.
The card I linked isn't a top NAME maker but it's received some very good reviews, it's only drawback is its relatively limited 2 year warranty.
 
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Woody1999

Woody1999

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If I get a GTX 960 within, say, 6 months after me finishing my build, which should equal out at around January 2016, would it be worth getting a GTX 970 after that or should I wait for something newer?

Also thanks of having the by far better plane in your avatar than the overrated Spitfire.

Woody
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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@ Woody1999: Wait until January, there's a whole host of developments coming between then and now, mate besides, I can't see the GTX960 getting too obsolete in a few months, but it's going to depend on what turns up between now and then.

Prefer to think the other way round: The Hurricane is underrated and under appreciated but thanks for noticing. :)
 
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Woody1999

Woody1999

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This is a bit of a daft idea, but it could be worth a shot. About 2 years ago I was given a Radeon HD 6990 by a friend. I wasn't particularly tech savvy at the time and took it to a local PC shop for them to install. They ended up taking away the 6990 and replacing it with a HD 5450, then charging me for the 5450. At the time I knew nothing.

If I told the PC repair guy exactly what had happened, do you think I could possibly buy back the card at a discount? That's assuming he still has it, of course.

Woody
 
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