Need advice on GPU upgrade

[longmachao]

I need reconmendation on an upgrade on my current graphic capablity. I want to know which is the better plan. Either buy the same graphic card again to run cross fire or get a better card ($200-300 range). I mainly use my Pc for gaming, it serve me well but i want something that give me higher FPS on crysis2 on max.

Here are the specs: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227386

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz

MOBO:
Manufacturer: ASRock
Model: P67 Pro3 SE
Chipset: Intel Sandy Bridge

Graphic interface
PCI-Express
Link Width: X16 Max. Supported X16

Graphic (GPU)
Radeon HD 6850
code name Barts
Technology 40nm

PSU: 700W

PS: let me know if my MOBO is capable of running crossfire in the first place.. i been searching online last night and coulnd't find an answer. Also, i know most the thing i ask could be found reading up on the subject online, but i'm at work atm. Thx in advance.

 

[bigcyco1]

MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $279.99 $259.99 after mail in rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662#top

 

[azed3000]

My suggestion would be 7870, that would run crysis on max no problem. My 6950 runs it on max dx11 and it performs slightly lower to the 7870. So go for that. Its within your price range =)

 

[azed3000]

If you wanna go nvidia then wait for the gtx 660. Other than that if you had your mind set on crossfire then i would suggest reading benchmarks and comparing it to the latest cards in terms of how they perform. A single card running at 65fps is better than a crossfire or sli running at 65fps.

 

[longmachao]

As you guy can already tell i'm still an amatuer when it come to hardware... Are these reconmendation compatible with my MOBO/PC spec etc etc.?

 

[dalmvern]

Well for starters, you dont want to run a crossfire setup with that mobo. It does have two PCIe 2.0 x 16 lanes available, but one is 16x and the other is 4x, which if you did crossfire would downgrade both cards to 4x speeds.

On top of that, the 6850 does not crossfire well, it is one of the cards that has major issues with microstuttering, but then again, microstuttering does not bother some people.

As for a recommended card...I would recommend that you wait a few weeks if you can until the GeForce 660Ti comes out. That is supposed to be priced right at $300 and even if you dont want to go with the 660Ti, it will drive prices down for the rest of the cards.

edit: Your 700W PSU should be able to handle any of these cards easily, if you would list the make/model we can check just to be sure.

 

[azed3000]

Well for starters, you dont want to run a crossfire setup with that mobo. It does have two PCIe 2.0 x 16 lanes available, but one is 16x and the other is 4x, which if you did crossfire would downgrade both cards to 4x speeds.

On top of that, the 6850 does not crossfire well, it is one of the cards that has major issues with microstuttering, but then again, microstuttering does not bother some people.

As for a recommended card...I would recommend that you wait a few weeks if you can until the GeForce 660Ti comes out. That is supposed to be priced right at $300 and even if you dont want to go with the 660Ti, it will drive prices down for the rest of the cards.

Exactly! I suggest waiting for the gtx 660ti as well =)
Then make your decision based on new prices. Buy a new graphics card when crysis 3 comes out, that way you can test your new card out on a new game.

 

[azed3000]

And yes your motherboard will support it no problem

 

[Gate9er]

Hi

First of all yes your mobo can support CrossfireX as well as SLI. Do you have any recommendations in terms of GPU manufacturer or brand?

Thanks

 

[revro]

i myself am planning a motherboard which has pcie 3.0 16x and 8x, and i red that performance loss on such motherboard is just 1-2%, in case of16x and 4x its like 7-8%. also i would never buy a previous generation, if i had to make a new pc i would rather wait a month or two as to save the money

also 3570k cpu would be better then 2600k, they are the same price

 

[longmachao]

Best answer selected by longmachao.

 

[longmachao]

i myself am planning a motherboard which has pcie 3.0 16x and 8x, and i red that performance loss on such motherboard is just 1-2%, in case of16x and 4x its like 7-8%. also i would never buy a previous generation, if i had to make a new pc i would rather wait a month or two as to save the money

also 3570k cpu would be better then 2600k, they are the same price

Not planning to put together a PC. All the spec came with the PC i bought a couple month ago.

 

[longmachao]

thx for everyone help, but i'm ma go with mvern. He cover pretty much everything i wanted to know.