Thinking of upgrading from a GTX550 ti (Intel DG33FB), Should I?

[arzbhatia]

Hey guys,
I was thinking of upgrading from my GTX550Ti to a GTX 560 or a Radeon 6870, should I do it? My computer is REALLY old though, here are the specs -

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 - 2.33 Ghz
Intel DG33FB Mobo
nVidia GTX 550 Ti
700W Cooler Master PSU
8GB DDR2 RAM

Do you think it will be able to handle any of the 2? (GTX 560 or Radeon 6870)

Waiting for your reply,
Thanks in Advance.

 

[claysm]

Both of the cards will work, and you will see a nice improvement, but you're right, the age of the computer will hold you back. The only way to get a large improvement would be to start over will new parts.

Why did you want to upgrade?

 

[Pennanen]

Probably easier to start and build a whole new pc. That is if you cant run games you want to play.

 

[esrever]

looks to be about time for a new start if you need an upgrade.

the old cpu you have there will seriously cripple a new card.

 

[claysm]

Well it depends somewhat on the games you are trying to play, but yes, anything modern will probably require a new build. Doesn't hurt to get a 6870 and try it out first though.

 

[El Tigre]

The HD 6870 will work, but it will not be utilized to it's maximum potential because your aging CPU and RAM will bottleneck the card. It would be best to build a new computer.

 

[arzbhatia]

I'm actually 17 right now, and I'm not able to convince my dad I have some money in PayPal (Web designing, Android Theming Donations) through which I can buy a card. I know my computer won't give maximum power but I'll be happy if it gives me good FPS.

I wanted a new card cuz right now, I'm not able to play games like GTA (IV) with graphic mods like ENB, and games like Max Payne 3 stagger a lot. I'm on 1680x1050 resolution therefore the current GPU isn't able to render good I guess.

Here's what I've shortlisted -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161389
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121446
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161396
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130685

Which one would be the right choice?

(Sorry for posting so many options, I hope you don't get irritated)

 

[El Tigre]

I would suggest the HIS HD 6870 as it's faster than the GTX 560 you linked and it runs cooler over most of them too. OC your CPU will help mitigate the bottleneck and will give you a few more FPS in games too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161389

 

[arzbhatia]

I would suggest the ASUS HD 7870 as it's faster than the GTX 670 you linked and it runs cooler over most of them too. ASUS makes great cards and are one of the best brands to go for. OC your CPU will help mitigate the bottleneck and will give you a few more FPS in games too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121446&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Video+Cards-_-ASUS-_-14121446

Both the 7870 and 670 are extremely expensive for me. I can't go over 190$ !

 

[El Tigre]

Oops, I was typing way too fast and my GF called me thus distracting me, lol

I meant that the HD 6870 is faster than the GTX 560 that you linked.

Go for this one instead as I noticed that the ASUS card was a GTX 560 DCII, lol

/end noob moment, lol

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161389

 

[claysm]

For $190, the 6870 (from any board partner) will work great.

 

[arzbhatia]

Wouldn't this be a better choice? - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161396

 

[arzbhatia]

Or this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130685 ?

 

[claysm]

Wouldn't this be a better choice? - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161396

The GTX 560 and Radeon 6870 are remarkably close in terms of performance. So I guess my true recommendation would be to buy whichever one is cheaper for the games that you want to play.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=543

 

[El Tigre]

Both cards perform around the same with the HD 6870 being a bit faster, but the GTX 560 will be a bit faster in most games as most games tend to favor Nvidia cards.

The GTX 560 will have the advantage of PhysX as AMD cards do not have that feature. Both cards OC well too. But it will be futile as your CPU will bottleneck any performance gained from OC.

 

[arzbhatia]

Okay, final decision!

6870 or GTX 560?

(Or any other?)

 

[claysm]

Again, they're so close it hard to tell. The XFX 6870 does come with a copy of Dirt3 and a limited lifetime warranty, so that's what I'd get. Actually that's what I'm using now, so I may be a little biased.

 

[arzbhatia]

Again, they're so close it hard to tell. The XFX 6870 does come with a copy of Dirt3 and a limited lifetime warranty, so that's what I'd get. Actually that's what I'm using now, so I may be a little biased.

How is it?

 

[claysm]

I've had no issues with it for 8 months now. Works great for all games

 

[arzbhatia]

I've had no issues with it for 8 months now. Works great for all games

Do you have the double D (dual fan) version or the normal one?

 

[claysm]

The single fan model. Full load, temps hit around 75c.

 

[arzbhatia]

I got these 2 options too -

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-PCI-E-Video-HD695XZNFC/dp/B004LB5AT0/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343808623&sr=1-7&keywords=radeon+6950

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclocked-Mini-HDMI-Warranty-01G-P3-1563-AR/dp/B004KZHRAM/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343808623&sr=1-13&keywords=radeon+6950

 

[El Tigre]

Get the GTX 560 Ti, it's faster than the HD 6950.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-gf114,2845-7.html

 

[amuffin]

Best option would be waiting for either the 650TI or the 660TI.

 

[El Tigre]

Yeah, if the GTX 660 Ti sells for $250, that will be THE BEST card to get for under $300 PERIOD, lol

It's only a bit slower than my GTX 670, it whomps an HD 7950 and can dance with an HD 7970 in a few games. lol