Here's my situation. I purchased a Dell Studio XPS 8100 about 2-3 years ago. I know I should have either built it myself or had it custom built but this was an absolute steal of a deal. Anyway, I also purchased a new PSU for it and a GPU since the stock ones were no where near gaming capable.
Years have past and I find myself tweaking and lowering settings more and more. At the time of purchase, the card was awesome but even then, it was medium range at best. I believe it is time for a new card, something that packs a punch but won't knock out my wallet.
My problem is my CPU, as you can see below, it isn't the best. Or is it? I'm not even sure if it's the CPU or GPU that's holding the system back. How do you go about finding this out? So, ultimately, I ask this, will upgrading my GPU give me the performance I seek, or I have to seek out a new CPU as well?
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: No set date, it can be any time actually.
BUDGET RANGE: At most, 350 USD. This cost is strictly for the card, not factoring shipping and such.
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming is priority, with coursework second. Movies and such aren't a priority.
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: ATI Radeon 5770 Sapphire Vapor X, OCZ Fatal1ty 550W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS:
CPU: i5 750 2.7GHz
MoBo: Unknown. I wish I knew but Dell doesn't even have this PC for sale anymore...
RAM: 8GB, also, unsure of specifics
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S): Newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: I don't really care at all.
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have always went with Sapphire for ATI cards and have never had a problem. I am not versed in Nvidia's card types at all. I would like to switch it up to Nvidia for a round though. ATI kinda pissed me off with the last three driver sets.
OVERCLOCKING: No, I don't trust my cooling for this.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No, not enough slots/not supported.
MONITOR RESOLUTION:1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like a card that is a large upgrade from a 5770 but an Nvidia card. I was informed that a new 660ti will be released very soon and I should wait to see how that holds up. That is pretty interesting but like I stated before, I don't know much about how Nvidia does their number system so... I'm not too sure on how well that stacks up.
My CPU is my main concern. I've never upgraded one before and don't even know if it's feasible at the moment. I would prefer to get the best card this system can handle, within budget.
Thank you for your time!
Years have past and I find myself tweaking and lowering settings more and more. At the time of purchase, the card was awesome but even then, it was medium range at best. I believe it is time for a new card, something that packs a punch but won't knock out my wallet.
My problem is my CPU, as you can see below, it isn't the best. Or is it? I'm not even sure if it's the CPU or GPU that's holding the system back. How do you go about finding this out? So, ultimately, I ask this, will upgrading my GPU give me the performance I seek, or I have to seek out a new CPU as well?
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: No set date, it can be any time actually.
BUDGET RANGE: At most, 350 USD. This cost is strictly for the card, not factoring shipping and such.
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming is priority, with coursework second. Movies and such aren't a priority.
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: ATI Radeon 5770 Sapphire Vapor X, OCZ Fatal1ty 550W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS:
CPU: i5 750 2.7GHz
MoBo: Unknown. I wish I knew but Dell doesn't even have this PC for sale anymore...
RAM: 8GB, also, unsure of specifics
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S): Newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: I don't really care at all.
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have always went with Sapphire for ATI cards and have never had a problem. I am not versed in Nvidia's card types at all. I would like to switch it up to Nvidia for a round though. ATI kinda pissed me off with the last three driver sets.
OVERCLOCKING: No, I don't trust my cooling for this.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No, not enough slots/not supported.
MONITOR RESOLUTION:1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like a card that is a large upgrade from a 5770 but an Nvidia card. I was informed that a new 660ti will be released very soon and I should wait to see how that holds up. That is pretty interesting but like I stated before, I don't know much about how Nvidia does their number system so... I'm not too sure on how well that stacks up.
My CPU is my main concern. I've never upgraded one before and don't even know if it's feasible at the moment. I would prefer to get the best card this system can handle, within budget.
Thank you for your time!
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram