Time to upgrade my GPU and Monitor any suggestions?

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BumblesBounce

BumblesBounce

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Dec 2, 2015
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About a year and half ago I built my first computer using recommendations from perusing this site, elite gaming computers, and gamer's nexus. It's a mid range build with:

Intel i5-4690k @ 4.10
Evo Hyper 212 push/pull fan set up
MSI z97 PC Mate
Kingston HyperX Fury 1600 8gb
Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 1600 8gb
(for Hyper 212 clearance)
XFX TS 550 Bronze PSU
Crucial MX200 SSD

I cannibalized these from my old system:

EVGA Gtx 660 SC 02G-P4-2662-KR
Soundblaster X-fi Titanium HD THX SB1270
(My HT Omega Striker 7 died just before my mobo)
2 x WD Black Caviars
2 x Lite-On Lightscrbe Dual Layer DVD +/- RW drives

I still have my old ViewSonic VG2230wm 22" and my trusty still awesome sounding LogiTech z5500's.

So after all that, I want to upgrade my GPU and monitor. I'm looking at 970/960/950's EVGA or MSI and a 24-27 inch 1080p 1920x1080 hdmi/dvi etc monitor in the 150-250 price range. I've always had ViewSonics, but I would not be adverse to Acer/Asus/AoC/Dell etc. Would love a BenQ but they are a little out of my price range.

I just can't decide on the Gfx card and there are so many monitors and geek speak I don't know what the hell I'm looking for. I'm old and retired and I mainly play Skyrim right now with about 250 Graphic/Script/Overhaul mods.

4gb graphic memory is a must with all the mods I use, my 660 is handling it, but it's starting to show it's age, and my monitor is outdated and will be reallocated to browsing duty only.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!




 
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For 1080p nvidia seems to have better performance 1440p on par and 4K amd seem to do better. All depends on the game really.
I do like to pair Intel with nvidia but either will work.
By all means research the 390 it's a good card I personally would go the 970 for performance, noise heat and efficiency.just my 2c
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helltaimer

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Jan 27, 2015
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I suggest you pick up either a GTX 970 or R9 390, the R9 390 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZGF0UAE?keywords=r9%20390&qid=1449117241&ref_=sr_1_1&s=pc&sr=1-1) has 8 gig vram, which is pretty overkill at the moment but is more future proof, as well as it's on par or barely surpasses the gtx 970 on all aspects except on power consumption.

As for the GTX 970 (http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Cooling-Graphics-04G-P4-3975-KR/dp/B00R3NK2LE/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449117507&sr=1-2&keywords=gtx+970) it's a great card and the performance difference with the R9 390 is about 5-10% for either one or another depending on the situation, but the GTX is better power-consumption wise and overclocks better (if you are into that), but only has 4 gig vram, which fullfills your needs at the moment but will not be future proof.

Regarding monitors, i can't help you there sadly, but with the GPUs it boils down to your preferance. Hope I was of a bit of help! =)
 
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Sav4

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Jul 30, 2013
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Gtx970 for 1080p will handle anything you throw at it .
Monitor is hard personal preference new egg and Amazon have heaps of deals on atm maybe have a look and see what appeals to you and short list a few and I can help you decide between them.
What other games do you play ? Fps ,fast paced ?
Matters for response time.
 
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BumblesBounce

BumblesBounce

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Yes you were. I've looked at the 390's. But I thought it was a bad idea to to combine Intel cpu/boards with AMD graphics. Seems I read that somewhere years ago. Times and tech have changed and that may not be an issue anymore. I will look harder at the 390s before I decide.
 
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BumblesBounce

BumblesBounce

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I am leaning toward the 970 at the moment. but Helltaimer's case for the R9 390 deserves some research, but a new power supply would be in order if I went that route I do believe. I am looking at a list of monitors, if I don't decide on just one, I will short list 3 or 4 in a reply to you. Thanks!

-edit- Regarding what games I play. I mainly just play rpg's at the moment. Skyrim exclusive right now it's awesome and massive and I can try so many different play styles. I've logged over 1000 hours on it and still have not completed the main quest or explored/found everything in its game world. It reminds me of the old mmo Asheron's Call. It was a massive open world game and Turbine said at one time that only about 60 percent of that world was discovered.

 
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Sav4

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Jul 30, 2013
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For 1080p nvidia seems to have better performance 1440p on par and 4K amd seem to do better. All depends on the game really.
I do like to pair Intel with nvidia but either will work.
By all means research the 390 it's a good card I personally would go the 970 for performance, noise heat and efficiency.just my 2c
 
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BumblesBounce

BumblesBounce

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Dec 2, 2015
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Thanks Sav4. I went with this 970: MSI GTX 970 GAMING 100ME
I really did want to try the R9 390 (8gb! for future proof) but I can't justify a new power supply (not to mention installing it) at this point in time.
Like you, I prefer pairing Nvidia with Intel. As far as the monitor issue goes, I'll find something.
 
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