Need help deciding a new GPU.

[MissDazzle]

Always hear of this site and just now decided to check out and see if you all can help me out on what GPU I should buy next. I would like to say my price rang is anything $300 but if its worth it I'll go $400ish. I have had both ATI and Nvidia. I come to a conclusion I like them both pretty much equal lol So I'm not picky there. Right now I'm looking at the ATI 5970 and the Nvidia GTX580, but I just cant decide. If anything else you guys can recommend that would be great I need to start keeping up with the new GPU's that come out XD I'm always somewhat lost when I'm ready to upgrade. Here are my specs to help.


Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 630 Processor (4 CPUs), OC'd 3.3GHz
Memory: OCZ AMD black edition 6GB DDR3 1600
Video Card: XFX 5870 1GB Eyefinty overclocked.
Motherboard: ASUS EVO/U23S6 SLI USB 3.0
Power supply: Roswill 650watt.


Also I did the measurements and the 5970 will fit just fine. And If anyone knows if the AM3+ socket will work with AM3 socket? I would like to upgrade to a 8core but see they have a AM3+ socket now so I was like "uuuuhhh when did that happen o.0" And
If you could pick upgrading CPU or GPU first ? lol My CPU is still running strong so I don't believe I need to upgrade it yet. Hell my whole PC is still going strong still maxing everything out, but I just feel the need to upgrade something XD

 

[Frizzo]

where did you plan on buying a 5970? ebay? i don't think retailers stock them anymore. wait until january 31st and buy a 7950.

 

[Maziar]

I had 5970 and had to sell it and got a 580 and I'm extremely happy with it.
5970 is a great card but the driver support isn't great,as a result in games that don't benefit from CF,you'll experience low FPS.So I'd recommend getting 580.It maybe slower in some games(not notable) but at least you have proper driver support and also it runs cooler,quieter and is less noisier

 

[sunnk]

it will be better to get an hd 6950 or 6970 instead of hd 5970 and it will be good if u wait until 31st january because of the hd 7950 it will be under $400 and it is made up of new architecture of 28nm.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-radeon-hd-7950-hd-7990-gpu,14500.html

 

[esrever]

get another 5870 in crossfire if you can.

 

[refillable]

Wait for 7950... It should bring you much better experience of graphic card at ~$400.

 

[MissDazzle]

I found the 5970 on newegg lol. I could wait I'm in no rush to upgrade. If the 7950 is under 400 then That sounds pretty awesome. Maybe someone will have benchmark's for the 7950 and 580 someday then I can see how they both do.

Anyone know about the AM3+ socket CPU working with AM3? Bought a AM3 motherboard cause I thought AMD's 8 core would be AM3 but I see they are AM3+.

 

[dharmenparikh]

If you don't need the new card urgently then wait for Kepler as well...see which card is best at $300-$400.

My suggestion is to get another 5870...if you can get a second hand one for $150-$200. the reason being that your CPU is weak and will bottleneck a top end GPU. You need a 2500k or you can wait for Ivy bridge 3500k (should be available around May/June). None of the current Amd processors can match 2500k once its overclocked to 4.2ghz+...this is in gaming..they are good for other stuff but for gaming 2500k rules

 

[alvine]

well gtx 580 is old comparing to 7970. 7970 will be faster, why not wait till nvidia comes out with the 600 series and see the prices drop? 7970 is $550 atm

 

[MissDazzle]

I may wait and see what comes out in the next few months my 5870 is still going strong. I'm a little lost, what do you mean by "2500k"? lol If the new CPU are a different socket that means a new motherboard lol I hate buying new motherboards -_-'

 

[joedjnpc]

7950, defintely, don't crossfire your 5870, performance scales very badly.

 

[Goldengoose]

2500k is the intel I5 2500k CPU.

 

[jjb8675309]

really now is just not a great time to buy a gpu, however 2-3 months from now will be a great time with all the new releases/aftermarket versions of them will come out

 

[mike789]

Your issue looks a bit like mine, I have an i5 750 oc'd at 4ghz on an asus evo p7p55 m/b with 8 gb ram at 1600 and want to change my current 5850 to a newer one. I got various respomses, as you did, from the community, a guy suggested I should get 2 560 with SLI. I also hate the fact that to change cpu you have to change mobo as well, and the term bottleneck really hits my nerves... For the time being I stick to what I have and maybe will consider the 7950, or see what nvidia will bring out ... Sli and Xfire I dont really trust (power consumption, microstuttering.. etc.)

 

[refillable]

Well I don't think it's a good Idea to get bulldozer, since the performance of bulldozer is not that great in games that utilize only two core. Get a Phenom II X4 980, an AM3 socket and in those games it should be at least the same or better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103935&Tpk=x4%20980

Use your old cooler (AM3 cooler are compatible with another AM3 cooler, just you need a thermal paste).

Then buy a 7950 when it comes out, good luck.

Also, make sure you have a motherboard that support more than 125W. It would be nice if you show me your motherboard.

 

[MissDazzle]

My next rig will be Intel but that wont be for another 5-10 months when I'm out of the academy and make real money XD Until then I stick to AMD/ATI cause they cheap and get the job done rofl. So I'm trying to make this rig last me as long as it can. But yeah I'll think I'll wait and see what the 7950 has to hold when it comes out, and look up benchmarks comparing it to Nvidia's upcoming series.

Until then think I'll just buy a new PSU, this 650 one has lasted maybe 6 years XD,But its time for a 750/800watt. then a new CPU maybe i'll get a new GPU last so it gives me time to see how the upcoming ones preform and see peoples feedback on them.

 

[jjb8675309]

Quoting MissDazzle:

"Until then think I'll just buy a new PSU, this 650 one has lasted maybe 6 years XD,But its time for a 750/800watt. then a new CPU maybe i'll get a new GPU last so it gives me time to see how the upcoming ones preform and see peoples feedback on them."

-how about a real psu, rosewill is absolute garbage and you will be able to run your system on a quality 500W unit... SMH

it will do you no good to buy another junk 750-850W psu you will be much better served by a corsair tx650 or something along those lines, if anything in the mean time you should at least get a reliable PSU

 

[MissDazzle]

I don't know much on what brand is better, I just figure rosewill is fine. It has lasted 6 years or more so I'm happy with that XD But I'm thinking I'll go with atec or something.

 

[jjb8675309]

yeah lets just say you got lucky but also realize that you actual system draw for these past years was likely no more then 300-400 Watts and I can almost guarantee your PSU is/was not delivering proper wattage/amperage and voltage regulation.

As a rule of thumb I usually buy Antec, Corsair, XFX, or Seasonic, IMO those are all good names. Yes most companies have a high and a low end but at the end of the day these are the brands I trust.

I have a backup rig running an oc'ed amd quad (955) and a oc'ed 6850 with a 380W Antec Earthwatts PSU, it has 28 AMPs on the 12v rail which is more then enough for my system. My point is that you do not need big sloppy power supplies... they can lead to crying and ultimately ruining your components if you are not careful.

Buy a PSU that fits your system, not the other way around and from the specs you are talking I do not see the need for you to have more then a quality 600w unit

 

[MissDazzle]

I'll keep that in mined jj thanks for the info from everyone.

 

[MissDazzle]

Looking at this PSU, its a Antec and 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371056

 

[refillable]

You don't need platinum, More watts is actually better to much less watt platinum .

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371050

For $10 more you can get this and should be fine with your desired consideration.

 

[MissDazzle]

Red and black, I'm sold already! lol

 

[jjb8675309]

a quality 650w for over a hundred is a shite deal imo, besides all those psus are absolute overkill for you needs...

The psus you guys listed are dope but just not needed for the OP, a quality 500-600W unit will more then do the trick and the antec 650w unit that was listed is a ripoff imo... I got my XFX 650W XXX Black Edtion PSU which is a seasonic for 80 bucks and I felt that was a decent deal given its modular design and reliability... with that exact PSU, I currently run the rig in my sig with no issue which happens to be GTX 560ti SLi (oc'ed) and a i52500k oc'ed to 4.5ghz... (just for a frame of reference) in comparison your system draw will be a lot less, so I'd say even a 650W would be more than fine for you (the OP)... that is if its a quality unit which it seems that you have developed a keen eye for those types of products, now you just gotta find a deal... good luck; just start trolling some sites for a few days and something good should pop up...

 

[refillable]

You are right jjb8675309, but in my opinion there is no such thing as 'overkill PSU' in my opinion, because PSU is the part you would change least (Beside the Drives or maybe case), so the PSU will bring you a big upgradebility .