Uphrading my Graphics card, recommendations please?

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pistolonmyside

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Hey guys, so I've been having that Kernel Mode driver crash for like 2 years now and finally im 99.9% sure its my PSU not being able to handle my current two GPUS. so i was thinking about upgrading my GPU to a better and more efficient one.

I was thinking of the nVidia GTX 750 TI. It has much less power consumption then even one of my current GPUS (Current GPUS = nVidia GeForce GTS 450's, in SLI mode)

Considering it out performs my current two, (even with them being in SLI mode), it having less power consumption (much less) And the price only being $120, would this be a good idea, or is there something better on the market for around $100-130? (Btw, i prefer nVidia, but I would be fine with an AMD)

My Specs
CPU = Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHZ (4 cores)
PSU = 500W Thermaltake (i know, not the best thing around as ive found out)
MotherBoard = Intel DX59SO Extreme Series
RAM = 8Gb . dont know what brand or if its ddr3 or 4.
GPU = 2X nvidia geforce GTS 450.
(also, My gpus are PCI-E, not 100% sure what that means, i mean i know its a different connector, but just adding that)
Thanks for any help guys.
 
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KarlKarrlander


Okay I see, then 750 Ti should suffice like the other guy mentioned. Dunno how much 2 would cost for you (prices vary from country to country) but a single one on Amazon costs around $120 so 2 of them in SLI would be cheaper than a single 970. But I think this would require a new psu as well unfortunately. Haven't checked though, use the wattage calculator if you want a clearer answer :)
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pistolonmyside

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Thanks! I think i might just go with the 750 ti as its nice and cheap, and doesn't have a lot of power consumption and id have some extra money to spend on a PSU if, soon i decide i wanna upgrade that. Sounds like itd be a pretty good choice. the 950 is in my price range too, which would you recommend out of the two?
 
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pistolonmyside

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Good card, but not really looking to upgrade my psu. also sort of out of my price range from what im seeing.
 
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KarlKarrlander

KarlKarrlander

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Okay I see, then 750 Ti should suffice like the other guy mentioned. Dunno how much 2 would cost for you (prices vary from country to country) but a single one on Amazon costs around $120 so 2 of them in SLI would be cheaper than a single 970. But I think this would require a new psu as well unfortunately. Haven't checked though, use the wattage calculator if you want a clearer answer :)
 
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thebest21445

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depends on your budget. $80-$120 gtx 750Ti
$150-GTX 960 used
$200- AMD Radeon r9 380x
$250- used GTX 780 3gb
 
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pistolonmyside

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Hey guys, I purchased and installed a EVGA GTX 950 (135mhz boost) and I can already tell a definite performance boost, so far within the hour I've had it, no crashes and definitely as I said a huge performance increase. Thanks for the recommendations guys!
 
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KarlKarrlander

KarlKarrlander

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Congratulations! It's a good card for the price tag and I'm glad that you've noticed the difference. That's the beauty of building and upgrading components, you get to see the changes and improvements happen before your eyes!
 
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pistolonmyside

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Thanks man ! I still have a Kernal mode crash, which sucks.. at least i know its not my GPU now.
 
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KarlKarrlander

KarlKarrlander

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That's unfortunate because a Kernal mode crash most likely directly related to Nvidia and their drivers. Is the 750 updated to the most recent driver and is their any Nvidia program running in task manager?

If there is, then try disabling it. Search for a potentially newer driver in the geforce experience application.

If none of the above works out then have a look at the nvidia control panel and see if anything seems to be out of place. There's nothing physically wrong with your card, this is a software issue.

And if nothing works, then I'm out of ideas for now. Nvidia is aware of the Kernal mode crashes but have decided to ignore it in many cases where the user has windows 8 or 8.1. Windows 10 has seen less crashes so Microsoft obviously tinkered with the software and driver routines a bit more to suit Nvidia gaming. Dunno how optimized 10 is for AMD but I'm sure it works fine.

Which OS do you have btw?

Sorry for incoherent reply haven't had my morning coffee yet ;)
 
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pistolonmyside

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I popped the CD that came with my GTX 950 into my computer and it downloaded the latest drivers from the internet. prior to installing this new GPU i uninstalled all old drivers with DDU.

My OS is a "non-genuine" Windows 7 Professional.

Also, i'm almost 99.9% sure now that its my PSU. its only crashed once on this new card, on my old cards i couldnt play for more then 15 mins without a crash. So it makes sense in my mind that, since this card is only using 90w where-as my other cards used 212, that its a PSU issue. people have told me that my PSU is known to have issues and limit hardware and doesnt really provide enough power. (its a thermaltake tr2 500w).

Also, Ive tried every single fix known to mankind.. only thing left really is the PSU. ive replaced the gpu, extended TDR delay, preffered max performance over energy in windows and nvidia control panel, changed appearance to old theme, underclocked, different monitors, uninstall reinstall windows, and all drivers. nothing fixes it.. PSU'S thankfully arent even that expensive, so if i get a 800w i think i should be fine..never kno tho, it could be something else.. also, your good, your answer was fine haha..

P.S, since ive installed this new card, i cant put my computer to sleep, when i try to wake it up it freezes and shows nothing no harddrive activity or anything, i have to hold the power button off, then turn it back on.. it then resumes windows with all my programs still running.. it only came back out of sleep mode normally once. also, 2 times, i couldnt just hold the power button until it turned off then turn it back on, i had to turn the psu off/unplug the computer, plug back in turn psu on then boot the computer.. it then resumed windows with my programs still running.. odd.
 
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pistolonmyside

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Update, i just spent $130 on a Corsair 800W PSU, Super nice PSU, Quick install etc etc, but my problem still persists.. I dont know what else to do.. ive tried EVERYTHING you could possibly think of now, unless its my ram or something stupid - ugh, i just dont know what to do..
 
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pistolonmyside

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It's a corsair CX 850M. Im thinking for the long run too, im not planning on getting rid of this computer any time soon, if anything ill just use these parts again with another build. so the extra wattage isnt really a big deal or anything, it was worth it.. my main concern now is why is my driver still crashing?
 
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pistolonmyside

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but still, even if i bought that im 100% sure id still have the crash. other people use this PSU and dont have the crash.. my computer doesnt even need that much wattage i just bought it because i didnt want any problems.. returning the one i just installed would be, pain in the butt. The issue occurs for people who have any type of psu anyways.. this is getting to be a huge nightmare.
 
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