Re-posting my previous question once in better format.
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming.
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: GTX 760 2GB and 500W power supply.
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: I7 4770 3.4 GHZ, 8 GB RAM ( will probly upgrade to 16.)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or Amazon.
PARTS PREFERENCES: None, I am told the brand name doesn't matter as much as pricing.
OVERCLOCKING: Never done it. Is it safe?
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080.
I've never upgraded my graphics card before and am thinking about doing so this XMAS. I am comparing the GTX 970 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ) and the R9 390 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... .)
My main questions are;
1.
What is the best buy? I am not very PC savvy but the r9's big advantage is teh 8GB of memory as far as I can see and the 970's main advantage is more performance (faster) for an amount of VRAM that might possibly, seemingly be more than I will need. However, I do mod out my Skyrim with 2k and 4k texture mods, and high grade ENB which mostly max out my 760, I of course don't use max settings. I would love to crank up the settings and use even higher grade ENBs. Would it be best to get the 4 GB VRAM with more performance or 8 GB VRAM with less?
2.
Will either work for my PC? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... . I read some tutorials and watched a video and all they ultimately say is you just unplug the old card and plug the new one in after powering the system down, unplugging it, grounding yourself, etc. I tried to unplug my graphics card to see what type of connectors I had but could not, it seems to be screwed in or something. Bear in mind, I am not very tech savvy. So when the graphics cards say they need a power connector 6 pin / 8 pin, when I finally manage to unplug my graphics card, on the plug in I unplug it should be either 6 or 8 pins, correct?
3.
Do I need to find out if my motherboard is compatible or anything else?
4.
My current power supply is apparently enough for the 970 but I will probably upgrade it eventually to unlock the full potential of whichever card i get. What would be optimal voltage to get which would make sure I never run short and is replacing your power supply a straight forward and simple thing to do?
5.
Finally, can anyone provide simple, basic steps of changing your graphics card and power supply in a nutshell.
Example; 1. Turn off and unplug power. 2. Ground yourself. 3. Unplug old card. 4. Plug in new card. 5. Update drivers. (Almost certainly wishful thinking, but hopefully it will be that simple.)
6.
On a side note, I think I recall someone saying you should remove all traces of your old graphics drivers before you exchange cards, is that true? I assume my Nvidia GeForce Experience wont update my MSI or EVGA card drivers, will the card come with a driver installation program or is there a free one that does all teh brandnames?
Greatly appreciate any info, I won't be changing my card for a few months, so late replies are fine. Thanks.
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming.
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: GTX 760 2GB and 500W power supply.
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: I7 4770 3.4 GHZ, 8 GB RAM ( will probly upgrade to 16.)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or Amazon.
PARTS PREFERENCES: None, I am told the brand name doesn't matter as much as pricing.
OVERCLOCKING: Never done it. Is it safe?
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080.
I've never upgraded my graphics card before and am thinking about doing so this XMAS. I am comparing the GTX 970 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ) and the R9 390 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... .)
My main questions are;
1.
What is the best buy? I am not very PC savvy but the r9's big advantage is teh 8GB of memory as far as I can see and the 970's main advantage is more performance (faster) for an amount of VRAM that might possibly, seemingly be more than I will need. However, I do mod out my Skyrim with 2k and 4k texture mods, and high grade ENB which mostly max out my 760, I of course don't use max settings. I would love to crank up the settings and use even higher grade ENBs. Would it be best to get the 4 GB VRAM with more performance or 8 GB VRAM with less?
2.
Will either work for my PC? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... . I read some tutorials and watched a video and all they ultimately say is you just unplug the old card and plug the new one in after powering the system down, unplugging it, grounding yourself, etc. I tried to unplug my graphics card to see what type of connectors I had but could not, it seems to be screwed in or something. Bear in mind, I am not very tech savvy. So when the graphics cards say they need a power connector 6 pin / 8 pin, when I finally manage to unplug my graphics card, on the plug in I unplug it should be either 6 or 8 pins, correct?
3.
Do I need to find out if my motherboard is compatible or anything else?
4.
My current power supply is apparently enough for the 970 but I will probably upgrade it eventually to unlock the full potential of whichever card i get. What would be optimal voltage to get which would make sure I never run short and is replacing your power supply a straight forward and simple thing to do?
5.
Finally, can anyone provide simple, basic steps of changing your graphics card and power supply in a nutshell.
Example; 1. Turn off and unplug power. 2. Ground yourself. 3. Unplug old card. 4. Plug in new card. 5. Update drivers. (Almost certainly wishful thinking, but hopefully it will be that simple.)
6.
On a side note, I think I recall someone saying you should remove all traces of your old graphics drivers before you exchange cards, is that true? I assume my Nvidia GeForce Experience wont update my MSI or EVGA card drivers, will the card come with a driver installation program or is there a free one that does all teh brandnames?
Greatly appreciate any info, I won't be changing my card for a few months, so late replies are fine. Thanks.
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