Need Help with Graphic Card Upgrade

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J

JFaTaL

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
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I Currently have a GTX 970 FTW and do a lot of streaming and playing pc games. Please let me know if you think an upgrade isn't required, but any recommendations for a better card that wont bankrupt me but will at lease show improvement. Thank you
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Apr 16, 2015
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Where are you experiencing issues? If it's streaming related, your "best" upgrade may well be in a CPU (depending on what you have).

What are your full system specs? And what do you quantify as "bankrupting" you? (ie budget?)

As for a GPU upgrade, the minimum I'd recommend from a 970 would be a 1070...... even then, I'm on the fence as to whether that "upgrade" in itself would be a ~$500 improvement (given the inflated GPU prices at the moment)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($479.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $479.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-14 16:46 EDT-0400

Considering a 1070 will set you back ~$500, the XLR8 1080 looks much more appealing at $550
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: PNY - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB XLR8 Video Card ($549.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $549.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-14 16:47 EDT-0400
 
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J

JFaTaL

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
52
0
1,630


Hey, i have a i7 4790k , DDR3 Ram 16 gb, and tbh thats all i really know. Budget, i would say $500
 
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feelinfroggy777

feelinfroggy777

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Dec 13, 2016
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Dont buy anything right now. The GPU market prices have skyrocketed due to mining. The other question is what resolution do you play at? If you are playing at 1080p @ 60hz, then I would not get an upgrade. But if your wanting 1080p @ 144hz or if you want 1440p or higher than you will need a new card.

I would recommend the 1070 as a jump from the 970 if you ware wanting 1440p or high fps on 1080p. But I would wait a few months and buy a 1070 in the $300 range. Or you may be able to get one cheap cause you will have miners trying to sell there hardware, could get a used one for under $250.

If your happy with 1080p @ 60hz, then dont get anything and wait.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Apr 16, 2015
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Ok, you're not going to see much improvement in streaming from a CPU upgrade from a 4790K..... perhaps additional RAM might be useful, but you'd need to monitor your usage (just in task manager would be fine).

Before you pursue a GPU upgrade, I'd recommend a better understanding on the hardware you currently have (specifically PSU and motherboard).
The PSU moreso, can play a large part in any upgrade. While a 1080 shouldn't draw a whole lot more power than your current 970 (180W vs 145W).... that 35W difference could be the difference between stable & crashes.
 
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J

JFaTaL

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
52
0
1,630


I Already play at 1080p @ 144hz. Seems fine
 
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J

JFaTaL

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
52
0
1,630


i know i have a 850W Power supply. That i do know
 
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feelinfroggy777

feelinfroggy777

Glorious
Dec 13, 2016
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Then dont get a new GPU. If the streaming is an issue, then you need a new CPU. For $500 you might be able to get a Ryzen 1700, mobo, and 16gb of RAM. You would probably be a little over.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Apr 16, 2015
22,250
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And the make/model? The fact it has an "850W" label on the side means nothing from a lot of brands unfortunately. Quality is what matters, much moreso than a labelled wattage.

As to my original question though; what are you trying to improve? Where are you experiencing issues?
A 970 is still a strong card.
 
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J

JFaTaL

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
52
0
1,630


i thought the i7 4790k was one of the best and any upgrades show minimal effect. (what i heard from other users)
 
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J

JFaTaL

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
52
0
1,630


I Might be tripping and this might go outside your field (no offense) but i kinda jumped the horse. The problem i have is high cpu usage when i play CSGO No stream i have a 40% CPU Usage and when i try streaming CS:GO I get a weird stutter glitch, some say that has to do with the HZ of monitor. Yeah see very hard to explain your probably confused up the a** now
 
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