450 GTS to a Zotac 550 ti Amp overclocked edition

[aceking22]

Before anyone replies with "go with a 460 instead" please understand i am planning to build a gaming PC about 6-9 months from now. Replacing my psu in my &^%$ gateway desktop is not a option for me at this point.

As for the question, I currently have a 450 gts http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130663 and looking to go with a Zotac gtx 550 ti AMP overclocked edition http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500194&Tpk=550%20ti%20amp. Is it realistic to expect a 10 fps increase with this new card or am i looking at a minimal gain of 4-5 fps ?


The only games I will be playing for the next several months or so are, in order

1. Star Wars the Old republic ( This is the most important)


2. Battle field 3


3.Skyrim

 

[Sunius]

It won't be much of an increase. I'd rather save the money for now, and then use the extra for your new gaming pc in 6-9 months.

 

[aceking22]

So gaining 10 fps more is not a possibilty with this card because that is what I was aiming for. Right now I am hitting mid 30's in most games at my selected setting and would like to be in the mid 40's.

 

[megamanx00]

Not much of an increase. Wait for the Radeon 7xxx series and Geforce 6xx next year. It's rumored the Radeon cards will come out a few months earlier so we'll see.

 

[megamanx00]

If you really wanted something now though I'd say go with a Radeon 6850 instead

 

[aceking22]

If you really wanted something now though I'd say go with a Radeon 6850 instead

Like i said before replacing my psu is not really a option for me at this point so it would have something that my 400 watt psu can handle. Currently i have had no issues with the 450 gts and my current psu.

 

[Sunius]

You basically have the 2nd best nvidia GPU your PSU can handle, upgrading the GPU would be a huge waste of money. Either save up, or don't upgrade. Trust me on this one

 

[megamanx00]

Actually, the GTX 550 Ti uses more power than the 6850 1GB. Just Google GTX 550 Ti power consumption and see for yourself. The 6850 is about the same as the GTS 450 ti though it seems the consumption from non reference boards vary slightly.

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_550_ti,8.html

 

[aceking22]

Actually, the GTX 550 Ti uses more power than the 6850 1GB. Just Google GTX 550 Ti power consumption and see for yourself. The 6850 is about the same as the GTS 450 ti though it seems the consumption from non reference boards vary slightly.

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_550_ti,8.html

Is the 6850 a superior card over the 450 gts and would it provide me with the 10 fps increase I am looking for ? Where does it stack up with Nvidia , what Nvidia card is it on par with (460?!) ?

This card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150515 shows a recommended PSU of 500 watts despite only requiring 1 6 pin connector which is odd. Most higher end cards with a 500 watt psu requirement usually list 2 6 pin connectors. Could i get away using this despite my 400 watt psu ?

 

[aceking22]

According to this chart http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=631&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=13 I would only be drawing roughly 25 more watts from the 6850 at full load. I'm no expert on this subject but if my current 450 gts is drawing 115 watts than this shouldn't be that big of a deal going to 140 watts with the 6850, no ?

 

[megamanx00]

The 6850 is as fast as a GTX 4601GB. Of course it depends on the application as to which comes out on top. Keep in mind that furmark is a bit of an unrealistic test in that it represents the worst case. 25W matters when you don't have much to work with, but a resonable build with a single 6850 isn't going to stress out a decent 400W PSU unless you try to stress it with both Prime 95 and furmark at the same time. My system with a single 5870 (which uses alot more power) and my 955BE at stock drew 400W from the wall testing it with furmark and prime 95 on 3 threads and far less the rest of the time

 

[megamanx00]

I'm curious, what's the rest of your system?