Best GPU for 2012

[wonder44]

Hello,

I have a problem.

I currently have a XFX GTX 285 1GB running along side my Q6600 @ 2.90GHz. I have not seen the performance i thought i was going to get with this card. So my question is what GPU would be best for Gaming with my Q6600? I have already overclocked my CPU from 2.4GHz to 2.90GHz, i cannot go any higher as i have a passive heatsink. Also would it be best to go with SLI or just get a new GPU altogether? ATI or Nvidia i dont mind. I will be playing BFBC2, GTA IV and maybe some others not sure yet. I have 1600x900 monitor. I have not played GTA IV with this setup yet however BFBC2 runs at average of 40 fps and dips down to 35 at times. So this leads me to believe that GTA IV will run poorly. If i overclocked the GPU clock to 660MHz & memory clock to 1270MHz would i get better performance? Also i need a card that wont cause any bottlenecking.

Thanks for help.

 

[monsta]

Its a tough one GTA IV is a pain in the butt.
You could get a better cooler for your cpu to overclock it more but I believe it may not be enough to elleviate a bottleneck.
Depends on your budget also, a 560 may do the trick. I think a 7850 may be ok for an upgrade of your gpu, but it might get bottlenecked.
Adding more ram may also help.
Problem is spending all this money may not be enough to justify it , you may be better off saving up some money and upgrading to a newer system with an i5 2500K and a better gpu, these are just my thoughts as I said its a tough one to decide whats best for you in this scenario.
Whats your budget?

 

[wonder44]

$400 is all i can do at the moment. I was thinking of maybe getting a H60 and overclocking to 3.4? Then maybe get another GPU so i have one for physX and one for graphics?

 

[baebi]

GTX 670. I haven't looked since this morning but they might still be available.

 

[monsta]

If you go with the H60 and get a good overclock you might be able to get away with a GTX560ti or a 7850.
I believe they will work well in your system.
How much Ram do you have?

 

[wonder44]

i only have 4GB ddr2 800MHz. I have win 7 ultimate x64 if it means anything

 

[monsta]

Ok thats good , you can add more ram if your motherboard supports it.

 

[wonder44]

Im not sure how much it supports. I think its 8 or 16. Its XFX 780i 3-way SLI mobo. il have look.

 

[thently]

Gonna be a hard choice here.. I would suggest getting a i5 2500 and mobo with the 400 hmm will need ram too. reuse everything else for a while then replace the video card down the road. 285 is not wonderful but assuming nothing is wrong with it will get you by till you save up another 300 or so for a killer video card. Just my 2 cents

Thent

 

[dish_moose]

I say GTX670 - When you upgrade the rest of your system you will keep ypur kick-A$$ gpu.
-Bruce

 

[wonder44]

What if i overclocked to 3.6GHz? Would that give me sufficient increase in performance till the end of the year. Then i can upgrade to a i7. Untill then if i OC to 3.6GHz would be a decent card to give me a 10-20 fps increase.

 

[monsta]

Yup if you manage that overclcok , throw in a 560ti or 7850 you should be good till your next upgrade.

 

[wonder44]

But would'nt you think a Quad Core running @ 3.2 or 3.4GHz be enough for atleast next two years? I do understand that architecture is important as well but Considering games will soon start supporting all 4 cores so... But yea il try that. I would have to go watercooling for that idea wouldn't i?

 

[monsta]

Grab a H60 that should do the trick.