gtx 760 2gb card vs gtx 960 4gb vs gtx 970

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tartmann

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Dec 19, 2014
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I need to upgrade my gtx 760 2gb card. I am maxing out the memory. I want to find out if i would be better off getting a gtx 970 or a gtx 960 4gb. I am only gaming at 1920x1080. I am getting this monitor in the future too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313
I will be using that monitor as the main monitor and then using a regular 1920x1080 60hz monitor as a secondary. I will list a link to pcpartpicker for my specs. [PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Lm9qgs) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Lm9qgs/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad860kxbjabox) | $81.98 @ Newegg
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $34.99 @ Newegg
**Thermal Compound** | [Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-silver-thermal-paste-as535g) | $8.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [ASRock FM2A88X PRO3+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fm2a88xpro3) | $72.55 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [PNY Optima 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pny-memory-md8192kd31333) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $51.99 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx760dc2oc2gd5) |-
**Case** | [Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-cc9011051ww) |-
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20850xr) | $152.98 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) | $18.98 @ Newegg
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700578) | $122.98 @ Newegg
**Monitor** | [Dell ST2421L 24.0" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/dell-monitor-st2421l) |-
**Headphones** | [Razer Kraken Pro Headset](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/razer-headphones-rz0400870100r3u1) | $62.98 @ Newegg
**Speakers** | [Logitech Z506 155W 5.1ch Speakers](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-speakers-980000430) | $100.98 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$774.39**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-04-10 18:06 EDT-0400 |
 
Solution
Kitt Sue
The GTX 960 is a very small upgrade from the GTX 760. Get a 970 or stick with your 760 for awhile.
However there is a good chance that a GTX 970 would be held back by your Athlon 860K... hell in more CPU hungry games your GTX 760 is probably being held back.
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Kitt Sue

Kitt Sue

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Apr 8, 2015
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The GTX 960 is a very small upgrade from the GTX 760. Get a 970 or stick with your 760 for awhile.
However there is a good chance that a GTX 970 would be held back by your Athlon 860K... hell in more CPU hungry games your GTX 760 is probably being held back.
 
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Solution
M

Max_Damage

Reputable
Apr 10, 2015
5
0
4,510
For play at Full HD you could use your gtx 760 until the new graphic cards arrive. The gtx 960 is only better in less power consumption than your actual card, the 970 is better in performance but maybe you can buy one at lower price when the r9 390 comes or even a gtx 980.
 
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iam2thecrowe

iam2thecrowe

Glorious
Jul 4, 2010
10,591
21
44,965
how do you know your maxing out the gpu memory? I second the cpu bottleneck that is the problem. A gpu upgrade isn't going to do anything.
Way to tell cpu/gpu botleneck:
- Run game at desired detail settings and monitors native resolution and check FPS in the games problem area
- Now drop resolution by half or more and check FPS.
- If fps goes up significantly with reduced resolution then you have a GPU bottleneck. If no real gain from dropping the resolution then you have a CPU bottleneck. Its also going to be game dependant so test with games/sections of a game that are causing lower than expected FPS.
Its important to only change resolution as this only has performance bearing on the gpu. Changing in-game settings may affect cpu and/or gpu. Having said that, you may find an in-game detail setting you can lower that gives a significant boost, shadows are a common one that affects CPU.
 
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T

tartmann

Honorable
Dec 19, 2014
138
0
10,690
I know the gtx 760 is holding me back because my amd athlon 860k only hits about 80% to 90% The only game to max my cpu is starcraft 2. A big reason I want to upgrade to a 4gb card is the i am maxing out the vram. I play skyrim with some texture mods and it stutters like hell. That and i will be getting the monitor mentioned above. I plan on upgrading my cpu and motherboard after the gpu. I will be getting a i7 4790k and a z97 motherboard. Even if i don't get the maximum performance out the the new gpu now i will later.
 
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