Require Advice. Regarding GPU upgrade

[louisbs]

I currently own a ATI HD 4870 and notice its starting to be too little for the latest games.
It is on a ASUS P5K PREMIUM motherboard which is only pci-e 1.1.
I wish to squeeze out the most performance from this antique as I cannot afford to overhaul the machine.

Specs..

Asus P5K premium
Intel Q6600 G0 o/c to 3.2Ghz
8Gb DDR2
Etc.

Would it be a waste of money ?
I do notice a lot of mobos would goto 8x PCI-E v2 when 2 are in crossfire. Is 16x PCI-E 1.1 the same speed? Meaning a better GPU will still run well?

Thanks for your input,

Louis

 

[Tamz_msc]

8x PCIE 2.0 = 16x PCIe 1.x.BTW what resolution do you play at?

 

[louisbs]

I can either do 1680x1050 or 1920x1080.
I have 2 monitors so can pick
Would prefer 1920x1080 though.

 

[Tamz_msc]

Then the GTx 460 1GB is best suited for you.

 

[wolfram23]

You might consider a new motherboard (with PCIe 2.0 or 2.1) and then a second 4870. That would get you by for at least another year or two - and you could also do some OCing.

 

[borisof007]

I'm not quite sure on what your real question is. If your question is "would it be a waste of money to upgrade the GPU because I have a PCI-E x16 v1.0 slot", then I would say yes, that's a waste, buy a mid range motherboard that has v2.0 slots and transfer all your hardware over. Cost should be about $100 bucks. Yeah, you won't notice much of an increase in speed if you maintain your current GPU with a new mobo, but it'll be cheaper than a new GPU, and you can upgrade your GPU later and still be OK.

If your question was relating to the bandwidth comparisons, tamz got that for ya : )

 

[borisof007]

Dangit Wolfram, I type too slow.

 

[wolfram23]

Not too slow, just too much!

 

[louisbs]

I just dont want it to be a waste of money for the age of hardware i have.
Ill investigate changing mobo, but being in UK ill need to do lots of research into the best value for money.
Whether to change to ddr3 or not, etc.
If I can upgrade gradually itll be perfect. I just cant afford to do the full thing at once.

 

[louisbs]

I did it lol
Suitably impressed for the price.
Can now play r.u.s.e @ 1920x1080 with every graphic option on high with 4xAA at a smooth 47fps.
Happy bunny.
Now to try dirt 2

 

[louisbs]

A lot cooler than my old ati too
This gtx 460.. 31 degrees C idle
ati.. 64 degrees C lol
Think the heatpaste needs redoing.