Looking to do a Graphics Card Upgrade - Budget about $350

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cosmicrich

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Hi I built my machine about 3.5 Years ago, it's now reaching the point where it will struggle with this years AAA Games. I've recently added a new SSD and doubled the RAM to 16GB, the Hard Drive is likely next as I'm out of space, but then I'm looking for a graphics upgrade that will keep the machine rocking for another couple of years.

The 560ti 448 has been a fantastic card from a price/performance point of view, but I need an upgrade. This might not happen until late in the year, but might happen sooner, so I'd like recommendations, of the currently available cards the Nvidia GTX 970 4GB cards look like a great performance option, I've had good luck with EVGA (never had a card fail yet), but happy to consider other brands. The Case is a little tight, so shorter length is better.

Also, Any thoughts on the processor being the bottleneck and causing problems after the upgrade would be welcome.

My Current Machine:

Intel I5 2500K (Sandy Bridge) Processor
ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN-3 (PCIE- 3) Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600
Corsair 600 Watt GS600 Power Supply
EVGA Nvidia 560ti 448 (Ltd Edition) 1.2GB Graphics Card
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD (Boot Drive)
Seagate ST31000524AS 1TB Hard Drive (Games Installed on this Drive) (Likely Replacing with a 3TB HGST Ultrastar)
Rosewill Challenger Case
LG DVD Re-writer
ASUS 27" LED VS278O Monitor (Max Resolution 1920x1080)

Thanks

Rich
 
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jakegroves
welll straight away i would reccomend the gtx 970 right now, that i5 shouldn't be bottlenecking with that.
get the msi version it is the best one via reviews. It has awesome fan technology, fans don't spin when your idle temperature and start spinning when needed, giving a more silent system but as good cooling as any other.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832 $349. Cannot complain, get free witcher 3 and batman ...
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GTX-970-4G-Graphics/dp/B00NN0GEXQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1432825303&sr=1-2
the other brands of cards have had issues with the backboard, and not as good QC.
your PSU is good, consider upgrading your cpu in future, depending on performance from gtx 970 if you doget...
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jakegroves

jakegroves

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welll straight away i would reccomend the gtx 970 right now, that i5 shouldn't be bottlenecking with that.
get the msi version it is the best one via reviews. It has awesome fan technology, fans don't spin when your idle temperature and start spinning when needed, giving a more silent system but as good cooling as any other.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832 $349. Cannot complain, get free witcher 3 and batman ...
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GTX-970-4G-Graphics/dp/B00NN0GEXQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1432825303&sr=1-2
the other brands of cards have had issues with the backboard, and not as good QC.
your PSU is good, consider upgrading your cpu in future, depending on performance from gtx 970 if you doget it ...
Also it is a fact that the gtx 970 is the best for power per price ratio in the market. So gl!
 
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pjgmaster

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Yeah, pretty much what Jake said.. The 970 will be a very pleasing change from the 560ti.. A 760 would be a pleasing step up from the 560ti. The 970 will definitely give you your money's worth from 560ti to it.
 
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Joshua Martin

Joshua Martin

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Easy. As the others have said, go with the 970. It's an amazing card from a price/performance standpoint and if you get it now you'll also get two free games (Witcher 3 and Batman AK) if you order from the appropriate place. You won't get a bottleneck with the 2500k either, so don't worry about that.
 
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cosmicrich

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I have two concerns about the 970. First the length of the card. Firstly My 560ti 448 FTW is 9 Inches, and while there is a bit more room before it hits the drive cage, its not too much more (the 560 ti has a power connector on the back which uses up a bunch of space lengthwise annoyingly). I will have to look carefully at all the 970 cards lengths.

Secondly, what is the current state of the problems with the 970 cards and the frame-rate drops, If I understand correctly Nvidia hobbled the last 1/2 GB of the 970 VRAM at slow speed to solve a technical problem, and once the 970 hits 3.5 GB of VRAM usage (like it may do with Witcher 3) there are big framerate/performance drops. Is this going to be an issue with gaming at 1920*1080 Rez do you think?

(On an awesome note my wife just told me she's willing to pitch in $250 towards the card as my Wedding Anniversary present)

Rich

 
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jakegroves

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on my rig with fx 8350, with msi gtx 970 i get 60fps on gta5 and witcher 3 1080p.the card is 10.5 inches long at maximum! so take a measure :) and the vram is a bit of an issue ... but incorrect it is not huge framerate drops! You will have awesome power from the card.
 
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cosmicrich

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Thanks Jake.

According to the EVGA site their 970 FTW version is only 9.5 Inches long, and this time they put the power connectors on the top of the card. I may stick with EVGA for the shorter card. I was going to delay buying until I had more money saved, but since my wife is punting in $250, I'll buy it while it still has the Witcher 3 bundle (Since I was going to buy the game anyway). I work at a computer store part time, and I know they have several 970s in stock including the MSI and the EVGA FTW, so I'll drift down there tomorrow and make my final selection. If I'm lucky I might even get a staff discount, although typically the margins are so low on the cards, that it's usually pennies ;-)

Thanks Again Everyone.
 
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jakegroves

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my MSI is 9.5 inches when i measured it, but nvidia says 10.5 dunno why .... and it's up to personal preference which one to use :) and welll its nice your wife is helping out :) good gift! and yer witcher3 runs nicely this card. enjoy the card if you go through with it :)
 
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cosmicrich

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I now have an EVGA Nvidia GTX970 4GB FTW version installed. The Witcher 3 looks great, no slow downs (thus far) in Ultra (with Hairworks turned off ).

Although I was annoyed to find out that my Motherboard will only run as PCIE3 with an Ivy Bridge Processor Installed, so my Sandybridge I5 2500K limits it to PCIE2, but still, a phenomenal difference in graphics quality. The card is so quiet compared to the old 560TI blower as well.

I paid $355 (before tax) for that version of the card (after a price match) and $15 bought me a 2 year warranty at the store I work at which means if it dies they cut me a $355 gift card. :)
 
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