Need a graphics card upgrade but have been out of the loop for the past three years!

alexrosethrows · Nov 25, 2015

I have the following in my rig-
Core i7 2600 3.4
8gb ram
Radeon HD 6800

I'm pretty sure my graphics card is the biggest issue. I don't need anything ridiculous, but I would like to be able to play newer games(Battlefront, Fallout 4, GTA5, Just Cause 3) on high settings(not Ultra).

What kind of graphics card would I need for this, and would it be under $200?
Do you suggest getting additional RAM?
Is my processor outdated significantly?
Could the graphics card I aquire play in Ultra HD?

Finally, if I wanted to be able to run on highest settings without any framerate issues, would I need to essentially get a new rig, or merely ram/GPU?

Thanks for the help. It's been a long time since I've lurked around in the forums!

turkey3_scratch · Nov 25, 2015

I'd just get an R9 380.

timeconsumer · Nov 25, 2015

For $200 the best performer would be the R9 290: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100362sr
But that's if your PSU can handle it. Otherwise a GTX 960 would fit the bill. I think your CPU can probably last a couple more years.

RobCrezz · Nov 25, 2015

Your CPU and RAM are still decent.

Depending on what PSU you have, I would go with either the r9 380/380x or GTX 960 4gb

glamdringfh · Nov 25, 2015

You could still upgrade the GPU with your current specs and play current AAA titles just fine.

For $200 you won't get all AAA titles on Ultra, closer to the medium/ high settings.

In the $200 range the GTX 960 would be a very good choice and is able to handle all current games at a good FPS:

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 4GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $209.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-25 10:58 EST-0500

If you want ultra at 1080p you'll need to jump up to the $300 price range and either get a GTX 970 or R9 390. For 1080p the GTX 970 is slightly better than the R9 390, at 1440p the R9 390 is the best choice:

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $309.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-25 11:00 EST-0500

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($294.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $294.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-25 11:02 EST-0500

alexrosethrows · Nov 25, 2015

I have a Raidmax 730W, would I need to upgrade?

alexrosethrows · Nov 25, 2015

timeconsumer :

I have a Raidmax 730w, would I need to upgrade?

alexrosethrows · Nov 25, 2015

glamdringfh :

You could still upgrade the GPU with your current specs and play current AAA titles just fine.

For $200 you won't get all AAA titles on Ultra, closer to the medium/ high settings.

In the $200 range the GTX 960 would be a very good choice and is able to handle all current games at a good FPS:

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 4GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $209.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-25 10:58 EST-0500

If you want ultra at 1080p you'll need to jump up to the $300 price range and either get a GTX 970 or R9 390. For 1080p the GTX 970 is slightly better than the R9 390, at 1440p the R9 390 is the best choice:

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $309.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-25 11:00 EST-0500

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($294.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $294.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-25 11:02 EST-0500

I have a Raidmax 730w, would I need to upgrade?

turkey3_scratch · Nov 25, 2015

Please don't ask the same question three times! That power supply seems like a low quality unit to me, but should be fine.

glamdringfh · Nov 25, 2015

That could run a GTX 960 just fine. I wouldn't recommend plugging a more power hungry card than that into it though, it isn't a particularly good unit.

jerdle · Nov 25, 2015

Not going to win any awards for worlds best PSU but it will handle an R9 290 fine

alexrosethrows · Nov 25, 2015

turkey3_scratch :

Thanks! Sorry about that, it took me a few tries to figure out how to reply, and I couldn't find the delete button.

probably in the forum guidelines.. Thanks for your help!

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Need a graphics card upgrade but have been out of the loop for the past three years!

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