Graphics card upgrade help :-)

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jamie045

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May 22, 2013
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hi guys im looking for a cheap upgrade to my powercolour 7870 2gb im looking to spead no more than 100 pounds. is this even possible? thank for any help in advance.
 
Solution
Barty1884
You're thinking of what's commonly referred to as a "bottleneck".

Throttling is what a card (or CPU for that matter) will do when it hits a certain temperature threshold.
Clock speeds will drop, you would probably experience stuttering or freezing in-game etc.

Yeah, clean and re-apply paste, and see how it looks then. The card is over 5 years old at this point.
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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A 7870 is still a reasonable card, but very much in the "budget" category in 2017.
Performance-wise, it's in the same (very general) ballpark as a GTX 1050 or RX560, which are, at their cheapest points, 100GBP.

It's a little better than a 1050 (within a few %) and a bit worst than an RX560 (<10%)

To me, the fairly minimal performance gain, isn't worth the outlay.


I'd look to the used market.
A GTX 770 is definitely an improvement, approx 20% in "relative" performance..
https://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/1856/geforce-gtx-770

Given the abundance available, you should be able to net one for well below 100quid.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xgtx+770.TRS0&_nkw=gtx+770&_sacat=0


A 780 would be even more of a step up (roughly +40%), and, provided you're prepared to bid etc, should be obtainable for less (or right around) 100.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=gtx+770&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xgtx+780.TRS0&_nkw=gtx+780&_sacat=0


A 780TI would be even better than that (approx +70%), but, while there are listing available less than 100GBP, i'd be extremely surprised if they sold for that.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=gtx+780&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xgtx+780+ti.TRS0&_nkw=gtx+780+ti&_sacat=0
 
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jamie045

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May 22, 2013
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thank you for your help. the issue is that my current GPU is running at 90 Celsius while playing PUBG ive tried MSI afterburner to adjust the fan ive tried cleaning it to no avail any ideas?
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Are you experiencing throttling at that point? I *think* Radeon cards in the 7000 series were relatively "safe" up to about 95'C.... .but don't quote me on that.

The fans are still spinning? How did you 'clean' it? Just blowing out some air? I'd definitely disassemble, clean the old thermal paste & re-apply.... if you haven't done so already.
 
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jamie045

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May 22, 2013
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The cpu i have is the i5 4690 3.5 ghz with turbo boost so throttling shouldnt be an issue and i cleaned it with compressed air the fans are spinning freely ill getsome new thermal paste put on it asap too
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Apr 16, 2015
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You're thinking of what's commonly referred to as a "bottleneck".

Throttling is what a card (or CPU for that matter) will do when it hits a certain temperature threshold.
Clock speeds will drop, you would probably experience stuttering or freezing in-game etc.

Yeah, clean and re-apply paste, and see how it looks then. The card is over 5 years old at this point.
 
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M

mpc007

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May 13, 2016
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I myself am also looking for a 2nd hand card at 100 GBP, I'd consider the Tahiti XT parts, like the HD7970 / R9 280x / R9 380. Around 50 percent faster than your 7870 and you can get one for around 100..
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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I haven't looked at used AMD cards too much recently, as even some of the older cards, miners were still picking up.
Looking at it now; you're right - there's definitely some value in them at the <100GBP pricepoint.

That being said..... I wouldn't look to a non-GHz7970 or R9 380....... R9 280X, 290, or 290X would be great buys though.

In order:
GTX 780TI > R9 390 > R9 290 > GTX 780 > 7970GhzEdition/R9 280X* > GTX 770 > 7970nonGHz/R9 380/R9 280*

*The R9 280X is rebranded 7970 Ghz Edition
*The R9 280 is a non-GHz edition 7970.... with the R9 380 being an OC'd version of the 280/7970.
 
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jamie045

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May 22, 2013
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thanks for all the answers guys i wont be buying anew card if mine can still pull its weight. all i want is to play the games even if its on the lowest settings i dont mind. :)
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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What is the make/model of your case?
What are your cooling fans?
Take the case covers off and see if that reduces your temperatures.
If it does, look to case cooling solutions.

Still, a gpu upgrade is always nice.
I think you are not going to find a upgrade for your budget price new. used, possibly.
You probably can find a GTX1050ti which is a tad stronger for not too much more.
Really though, if you want an upgrade, make it a significant jump or you may be disappointed ifyou do not see big results.
Think GTX1060 or better.
 
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