Worth upgrading from GTX 285?

[herpderpathon]

Hey folks, I am somewhat of a components n00b. I get the general idea but am clearly here for help from the experts. I have recently upgraded many of the components from my system to improve things, and am currently beating around the idea of upgrading my monitor/gpu.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Right now, unless it makes more sense for me to make this purchase in 1-3 months.

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: only Gaming. I tend to play more MMO's than anything else. I want to be able to play anything at max.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: I currently have a Nvidia GTX 285 (2 gig ram version), with a 850 Watt PSU. My power supply is still working great even though its about 3 years old. Should this be replaced too?

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Gigabyte z77x-ud3h mobo, i7 3770k cpu, 8 gig ram, etc

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, amazon, microcenter, etc

PARTS PREFERENCES: I tend to lean towards Nvidia, however I do not have any real justification for this other than a long stable history with them

OVERCLOCKING: A little. I know nothing about SLI/Crossfire.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200. I have a 25.5in ASUS monitor. I get screen tearing, so I am thinking about buying a new monitor as well. Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[fantastik250]

Your 850 W is fine. When you upgrade to the current generation cards such as the Radeon 7xxx series and the new 600 series, the power consumption are lower.

 

[herpderpathon]

I forgot to mention, I dont have a specific budget. I just want to make sure that if I buy something its worthwhile. AKA would it be worth it to drop $400 into a card to upgrade from my GTX 285 now, or does it have another 6-12months of life before I should really make the upgrade and spend the money.

 

[shamsmu]

well the major thing that the gtx 285 lacks is the dx11 support. The games actually look a lot better with it and there are plenty of games with dx11 support- battlefield3, crysis 2, dirt 3, batman arkham city, alein vs predator, fear 3 and plenty more. In terms of performance, lets take a look at the difference between gtx285 and gtx580

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/317?vs=305

You can have a gtx 580 for about $300-350 at the moment. But I'd suggest you to get the gtx670 which is about 25-35% better than the gtx 580, I sold my gtx 580 last week for $335 and got a gtx 670 direct cuii for $449.

So it all comes down to what you want, is it worth spending $400 on newer technology dx11 and about 2-2.5x the performance? I think yes.

btw I like your choice of leaning towards the nvidia. They have way better driver support and the current games are better optimised for nvidia.

Technologies will keep advancing every year. gtx 700 series will be better than the 600 series just like the 800 series will be better than the 700. There is no point of waiting right now especially cause the nvidia 600 came out only recently. You should be good for another 12 months.

Grab a gtx 580 or a gtx 670.

I got this one for myself http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ASUS-GTX670-DC2T-2GD5-GeForce-GTX-670-2GB-256-bit-GDDR5-PCI-Express-3-0-/261035645343?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item3cc6efd99f

review of gtx 670 http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_670_Direct_Cu_II/9.html

 

[herpderpathon]

yeah, ive been looking at the gtx 670.

Any recommendations for a monitor? I have been debating between an IPS or 120HZ TN panel. I play mostly MMO's and such, so I dont necessarily need the stupid fast input for FPS games. Since I will clearly be able to run stuff above 60fps with this setup, am I limiting myself with a 60hz IPS or will it still look better than going with a 120HZ TN?

 

[shamsmu]

well it depends on whether you want to go for 3d vision set up or not. I got an 120hz LG 2363D monitor and its awesome. I mostly use 3d vision for watching movies but sometimes I use it to play games(Another reason why I am so fixated on nvidia). But anywho, you should be fine either way. This is a good Asus ips

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236119

and this is a good 3d monitor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005254

What is your preferred size of the screen.

tbh I would attach a hd led tv to my rig if I could redo my system, they look frickin awesome.

 

[fantastik250]

TN will give you faster response times, has higher brightness, and less power consumption, the only downside is viewing angles.

IPS monitors give better reproduction of colors and better viewing angles. It doesn't have as much blacks, especially when using contrast.

120Hz (usually used with 3D gaming) will give you a much smoother experience compared to a 60Hz monitor.

The GTX 670 is a good card if your budget allows.

 

[herpderpathon]

As far as monitor size, I have a 25.5in monitor right now. I would like to upgrade to a 27in or perhaps a 30in.

And I really have no plans on doing 3D gaming at this point. I generally hate the idea of wearing those glasses to do anything, so my plans right now are to wait for this 3D fad to jump the shark.

 

[fantastik250]

I would love to get a 27 inch or above monitor. I, too, do not use 3D. No point for me to get use or get it.

 

[shamsmu]

I'd wait for this

http://www.slashgear.com/lg-dm92-ips-display-ushers-in-new-lcd-range-with-1mm-bezel-22204062/

ips with 120hz, borderless design with 1mm thin bezel, If your in no hurry then its best for you to wait for this 27''. It'd be released in a month or so.