Upgrading from Radeon HD 6870

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leatherlips

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Jun 20, 2011
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I have an HD 6870 currently which has crapped out on me. I'm looking to replace it, and upgrade it in the process. I wanted to get some opinion on what would be a good upgrade for the system I'm running.

System:
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge Dual-Core 3.1 GHz LGA 1155 65W BX80623I32100 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics ..

BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT

Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W Continuous Power ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

I was looking at this GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0, 26% Cooler and 36% Quieter Cooling Graphics Card 04G-P4-2974-KR

I see that I'd have to upgrade to at least a 500W power supply (any suggestions for this?)

Is this a reasonable choice to upgrade? (other/better options)?
Will it fit with the rest of the system?

Any concerns with upgrading to this GPU?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and information
 
Solution
RedJaron
The 970 can actually run on similar power to the 6870, so changing your PSU shouldn't be necessary ( provided it has the proper PCIe power cables ). My last SBM I paired an i3 with a 970 ( admittedly, that's a Haswell i3, not SB, so there's a little more precessing power ) and the whole system taxed to the hilt didn't draw more than 276W from the wall ( that's not even 250W draw from the PSU ). An overclocked i5 with a 970 tops out around 280W and it ran just fine on a good 400W PSU.

You can check the gaming benchmarks there as well. The i3 doesn't let the 970 fully stretch its legs, but that's mostly just at lower resolutions and detail settings. Playing games on 1080p and ultra detail is pretty close to to doing so on...
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Gingerbread

Gingerbread

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Nov 2, 2009
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Anything below gtx 750ti/950 will not be an upgrade. Your system can run a gtx 960 with no problem and will be enough for 1080p gaming. This way you won't have to ugprade the psu. But if you are keen on getting the 970 then you will need a new PSU and 550W ones re the sweet spot for price/performance(seasonic are great there).
 
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JasonL265

JasonL265

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Apr 3, 2015
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The 970 is a great card and can play all of the most current games at 1080p and high/max graphics with good frame rates and a 500w power supply will be enough for it.

But I think your CPU might be a little dated and won't allow the 970 to perform at its best.
 
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RedJaron

RedJaron

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Sep 20, 2011
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The 970 can actually run on similar power to the 6870, so changing your PSU shouldn't be necessary ( provided it has the proper PCIe power cables ). My last SBM I paired an i3 with a 970 ( admittedly, that's a Haswell i3, not SB, so there's a little more precessing power ) and the whole system taxed to the hilt didn't draw more than 276W from the wall ( that's not even 250W draw from the PSU ). An overclocked i5 with a 970 tops out around 280W and it ran just fine on a good 400W PSU.

You can check the gaming benchmarks there as well. The i3 doesn't let the 970 fully stretch its legs, but that's mostly just at lower resolutions and detail settings. Playing games on 1080p and ultra detail is pretty close to to doing so on an i7.
 
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Solution
babernet_1

babernet_1

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May 8, 2012
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All your power supply has is one PCIE-6 pin connector. 970s require more than that. Some a single 8 pin connector, others, two six pin connectors. Even some 960's require an 8 pin connector. I'd recommend a 960 that requires a six pin PCIE connector. A 960 is still quite a bit faster than your 6870.
 
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