Graphics Card Upgrade

Qwedqwed · May 24, 2016

Hello, I am looking to buy a new graphics card. Currently I have an AMD Radeon HD 7790, TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 HDD, and an AMD FX8350 CPU (not sure if anything else is needed). I am willing to go between $600-$800 for the GPU. Suggestions?

Chugalug_ · May 24, 2016

I suggest the GTX 1080 when it releases.
The FX 8350 shouldn't be a bottleneck at stock speeds, even if you do find a bottleneck, you can overclock it significantly.
You should be able to drive 1440p resolution at high frame rates.
If you have a budget of that much, I assume you have a 1440p 144hz or 1080p 144hz monitor?
That is, given that you don't have a 970 chipset mobo, those aren't very good for overclocking.

maxalge · May 24, 2016

Qwedqwed :

gtx 970/r9 390 max on that cpu

anything higher would bottleneck too much wasting the extra money on lost performance even if the cpu was overclocked

that said, with that $800 budget you should upgrade to an i5 setup with a gtx 1070

Qwedqwed · May 24, 2016

maxalge :

Do you have any suggestions for which i5 i should get? And if I switch to intel that means I would have to change mobo/cpu as well right? Recommendations? Also, is there any reason for 1070 and not 1080 as stated by Chugalug?

maxalge · May 24, 2016

Qwedqwed :

1080 = $599

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $327.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-24 02:38 EDT-0400

MSRP for the 1070 is supposed to be $379

a 550w power supply would be the ideal, if you dont have a decent one you would also need to upgrade that

Chugalug_ · May 24, 2016

The reason I say 1070 over 1080 is because your current CPU is still great, similar to the i5, but about 25% worse.
I think if you're set on 1080 performance, it is well worth your money to invest in an i5 6500 or 6600k.
But if you want the majority of the 1080s power with your current CPU, I would suggest getting a good monitor like the XL2411Z or the XB270HU and grabbing the 1070.

Qwedqwed · May 24, 2016

maxalge :

Qwedqwed :

1080 = $599

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $327.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-24 02:38 EDT-0400

MSRP for the 1070 is supposed to be $379

a 550w power supply would be the ideal, if you dont have a decent one you would also need to upgrade that

Last question: Is there a reason to make the switch from AMD to Intel? Would it run smoother with the setup you gave?

Qwedqwed · May 24, 2016

Chugalug_ :

I think I will just get the 1070, maybe switch to i5, and I currently have the Atron Vision AVF240 Monitor.
Thank you for your help and suggestions!

Alan Caldwell · May 24, 2016

Qwedqwed :

maxalge :

Qwedqwed :

1080 = $599

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $327.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-24 02:38 EDT-0400

MSRP for the 1070 is supposed to be $379

a 550w power supply would be the ideal, if you dont have a decent one you would also need to upgrade that

Last question: Is there a reason to make the switch from AMD to Intel? Would it run smoother with the setup you gave?

Intel is much better for gaming compared to AMD. AMD has bad IPC, temps, performance.

Chugalug_ · May 24, 2016

Alan Caldwell :

Qwedqwed :

Intel is much better for gaming compared to AMD. AMD has bad IPC, temps, performance.

Not true.
AMD CPU performance temps are perfectly fine. Its just that AMD choose not to include a temperature monitor in some of their CPUs due to the fact that they assume people will be using third party coolers, since their CPUs are mainly focused at overclocking anyway.

Their mid-range CPUs are good value for money, although its just that the higher end CPUs don't keep up with something like an i7.
I don't like to fanboy over certain components, as it can mean you make a biased choice which could be the wrong one for a specific person.
Keep it to the facts, not straight opinions.

maxalge · May 24, 2016

Qwedqwed :

maxalge :

Qwedqwed :

1080 = $599

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RxXgD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $327.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-24 02:38 EDT-0400

MSRP for the 1070 is supposed to be $379

a 550w power supply would be the ideal, if you dont have a decent one you would also need to upgrade that

Last question: Is there a reason to make the switch from AMD to Intel? Would it run smoother with the setup you gave?

yes in gaming they are not even comparable

an i5 setup will give you a much better experience overall

Chugalug_ · May 24, 2016

maxalge :

Saying they are not even comparable...

They both have very similar performance, and it is not worth upgrading to intel unless you want to get a i5 6600k and overclock it, switching to an i5 6500 would just be throwing money down the drain for little performance increase (20%).
EDIT: OOOH GOD NEVERMIND I THOUGHT I POSTED 1070 ABOVE.
The FX-8350 WILL be a bottleneck on the 1080.
The 1070 gives around 980ti level performance however, and this may cause a VERY light bottleneck at stock speeds, around 5-10%, but I can tell you from experience that this is no issue, and it works well in all games provided it is overclocked a bit.
The IPC isn't great, but the clock speeds are still very good.
I still don't think its worth switching to intel unless you're going the i5 6600k or i7 6700k route.
Sorry for the somewhat aggressive comments I made in the wrong context. <3
Although while Intel is undoubtedly better than AMD when it comes to CPUs, it is not worth OP spending their money on a new CPU and mobo.
If they wanted to spend that 400 extra on a CPU and Mobo instead of a high refresh rate monitor however, I would suggest the Asus H110M K and the i5 6600k.

maxalge · May 24, 2016

Chugalug_ :

LOL

yes they are not comparable in gaming

in fact it is closer to an i3 in terms of gaming performance

the vast majority of online games do not like amd cpu's

in gta5 for example you can easily get a over 20 fps increase by switching

arma 3, any online game, fallout 4...

in cpu bound games the i5 can easily give you over 40% higher fps

in online games, you can easily see a 100% increase in fps

look at arma 3 benchmarks

Qwedqwed · May 25, 2016

Chugalug_ :

maxalge :

Saying they are not even comparable...

They both have very similar performance, and it is not worth upgrading to intel unless you want to get a i5 6600k and overclock it, switching to an i5 6500 would just be throwing money down the drain for little performance increase (20%).
EDIT: OOOH GOD NEVERMIND I THOUGHT I POSTED 1070 ABOVE.
The FX-8350 WILL be a bottleneck on the 1080.
The 1070 gives around 980ti level performance however, and this may cause a VERY light bottleneck at stock speeds, around 5-10%, but I can tell you from experience that this is no issue, and it works well in all games provided it is overclocked a bit.
The IPC isn't great, but the clock speeds are still very good.
I still don't think its worth switching to intel unless you're going the i5 6600k or i7 6700k route.
Sorry for the somewhat aggressive comments I made in the wrong context. <3
Although while Intel is undoubtedly better than AMD when it comes to CPUs, it is not worth OP spending their money on a new CPU and mobo.
If they wanted to spend that 400 extra on a CPU and Mobo instead of a high refresh rate monitor however, I would suggest the Asus H110M K and the i5 6600k.

I kinda wanna stick with the Gigabyte GA-H170 mobo and get the i5 6600k, is that okay? Also, since the 6600k doesnt come with a cooler, do you have any recommendations on one that's fairly silent, able to keep temps low, and fits in the NZXT Phantom (full tower)? And would the TX750M psu be able to run the setup fine?

Alan Caldwell · May 25, 2016

A Cryorig H7/Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO will be good. Get a Z170 mobo, do you have that PSU already?

Qwedqwed · May 25, 2016

Alan Caldwell :

I think I will take the Cryorig H7. Any reason why I should get that mobo (the Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 I'm assuming)? And yes, I already have that PSU.

Alan Caldwell · May 26, 2016

For a 'k' series processors you need a Z chipset mobo to overclock it. So you should get a Z170 mobo. How old is that PSU?

Qwedqwed · May 26, 2016

Alan Caldwell :

Oh, I see. The one I said was the mobo you were referring to right? May I get a link just in case? And the PSU is about 3 years old (probably time to upgrade it lol. Any you would recommend?)

Alan Caldwell · May 26, 2016

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $507.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-26 04:51 EDT-0400

Qwedqwed · May 26, 2016

Alan Caldwell :

Thank you for your help! Btw, any clue on when the gtx 1070 is coming out and its price range?

Alan Caldwell · May 26, 2016

Should be out by June. Which country are you from?

Qwedqwed · May 26, 2016

Alan Caldwell :

U.S

Alan Caldwell · May 27, 2016

Okay. The Founders Edition GTX 1070 will be $449, the 3rd party cards $379.

Qwedqwed · May 27, 2016

Alan Caldwell :

Is it set at $379? I've seen it range from 379-500 over a few sites. And is there a difference between the two?

Alan Caldwell · May 27, 2016

Yes, 3rd party cards will be cheaper. That $449 card is the Founders Edition(Reference card)

Graphics Card Upgrade

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