Graphics card compatibility concerns (I'm an awful eejit, please help me...)

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Blokeman

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May 3, 2017
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Good evening folks,

I'd appreciate your help in helping me understand what the best GPU I could get for my computer. I don't wish to buy any other new components if possible, so I'm hoping people can advise me of the most powerful GPU my current build could accommodate. I was planning on buying an AOC AG352QCX but worried it might be too much for my GTX 970.

I've listed my specs below. Forgive the manufacturer's fancy names- I rifled through my old receipts to find and copy the names to ensure I wasn't inadvertently bamboozling people with misnomers. I can attempt to provide additional information as requested. Apologies if I have neglected to include salient information.

Specs-

RAM:
16GB (DDR-3)

CPU:
AMD FX(tm)-6350 Six-Core-Processor 3.90 GHz

GPU:
GTX 970

PSU:
EVGA Supernova GS 650W "80 Plus Gold" Modular Power Supply

Motherboard:
Gigabyte 970A-UD3P

Heatsink:
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo - 4 Heatpipe, Tower CPU Cooler

Thank you in advance.
 
Solution
Karadjgne
That's a very large monitor at 35" UWD, for 1080, you'll be sitting quite far back or it'll look grainy.

That said, the monitor size and resolution isn't an issue, the 970 is quite capable for that. The issue will be the 200Hz refresh rate. That's going to take some horsepower, the likes of which the 970 doesn't have. They a few games that even a gtx1070 can struggle with at 1920x1080 with a 144Hz refresh, at 200Hz possible, that's just going to be more pronounced.

As it is, the 970 isn't what's really going to hurt, it's your cpu. That aged fx6350 is going to be a limiting factor, and while I'd normally say a gtx1060 6Gb or rx480 8Gb would be about at its limits, you need more gpu. You'll be looking at the gtx1070/1080/1080ti range...
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maxalge

maxalge

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May 31, 2012
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not worth upgrading anything on your current setup


it's already well beyond it's capabilities gpu wise to keep up, and all the other cpu's compatible with your mobo are not a upgrade


so in short, you are already at max, get a simple 1080p 60 hz monitor

save your money for a rebuild

 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Dec 26, 2012
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That's a very large monitor at 35" UWD, for 1080, you'll be sitting quite far back or it'll look grainy.

That said, the monitor size and resolution isn't an issue, the 970 is quite capable for that. The issue will be the 200Hz refresh rate. That's going to take some horsepower, the likes of which the 970 doesn't have. They a few games that even a gtx1070 can struggle with at 1920x1080 with a 144Hz refresh, at 200Hz possible, that's just going to be more pronounced.

As it is, the 970 isn't what's really going to hurt, it's your cpu. That aged fx6350 is going to be a limiting factor, and while I'd normally say a gtx1060 6Gb or rx480 8Gb would be about at its limits, you need more gpu. You'll be looking at the gtx1070/1080/1080ti range and that cpu will not handle gpus of that caliber, that well.

For that cpu/gpu, if you really want a decent ultrawide, this would be my suggestion.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: Dell U2917W 29.0" 2560x1080 60Hz Monitor ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $299.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-03 15:46 EDT-0400

The 29" ratio puts it right at the same height screen as a 24" 1920x1080 (1080p), just wider, and the 60Hz cap will mean it'll refresh on average, slower than what your gpu/cpu can reproduce, so stuttering is almost non-existent, meaning things just run smoothly. Being an IPS monitor is a bonus they get fantastic color reproduction, and the Dell monitors are extremely good for the money.
 
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Solution
D

dontlistentome

Glorious
Sep 5, 2016
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The info I see on that monitor is that it's free sync, which is an AMD supported feature. A 970 is still a very capable videocard and can handle anything your computer will ask of it. I don't see the gain in spending all that money on a monitor that has elements(high refresh rate/freesync) that you can't use unless you buy a new videocard too.

If it was me I'd look in to getting a Gsync capable monitor, not high refresh rate but high image quality, UWD if you like that. It's important to keep screen height around 24" 16:9 equivalent, because that's the sweet spot for best image quality with 1080p in height. If you need a bigger screen size then you need 1440p which means the videocard will of course struggle at that point.

I guess what it comes down to is this: You do not have a powerful enough computer to just add a new videocard and expect it to solve the problem. Computer performance is dependent on multiple factors, videocards are just one of those factors.
 
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