Best card to get with my current CPU

gagster123

Distinguished
Nov 11, 2011
22
0
18,510
Hi everyone,

I was wondering what would be the best video card to get as an upgrade for my system. I am afraid that my CPU or mobo would bottleneck something like a GTX 690. Would I be better off saving some money and getting a medium range card? I mainly play Starcraft 2, but also occasionally play Crysis 2. Here is my current system:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz
ASUS P5N-D Mainboard
800W power supply
8GB DDR2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Thanks in advance!
 
Just get a gtx680, the gtx690 is so much money and kind of overkill. If you have $1000 to spend on a GPU you ought to consider upgrading the rest of your system first. All it would take is a new mobo/ram/CPU, you could do all that for $400 or less and then get yourself a 670 or 680 and you can be maxing out games for less than $1000...

You could get yourself something like a gtx680 with your current setup. It would help of you overclocked the CPU a little too but the Core2Quads are still really nice CPUs. But like I said, spend about $400 tops on a GPU, thats all you need for stellar graphical performance.
 

gagster123

Distinguished
Nov 11, 2011
22
0
18,510
Thanks for the replies!

I realize I should not have said the GTX 690 in my original post (That card is expensive, wow). What I was really trying to ask is what would be the best video card for me to upgrade to without upgrading my other system parts. For example, would getting a GTX 560 (less than $200) give me a great noticeable improvement over my GTX 260? Let's say my budget is $300, but I'm all for saving money :)

Thanks again!
 


If you got a 560ti you would notice an improvement for sure. Not to mention you would be able to run DX11 too. I think that would be a good solution if you're looking to upgrade. Also think of picking up an aftermarket cooler for your Core2Quad and giving it a mild overclock to give you an added boost.