System power for new GPU

[LMAC89]

Just to say, hi all. First post on here, I'm a noob when it comes to the building of computers even though i've done a bit of reading. Right; details:

AMD
Athlon 64 FX
4.4 Ghz Processor
Socket AM3
Quad Core Bulldozer CPU

8GB RAM
DDR3 SDRAM

Current GPU: ATI RADEON HD 2GB 6670 HDMI , VGA, DVI

These were copied directly from the website i purchased from:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007SNNLQC/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

My issue is; games such as Skyrim, Day Z etc when run at higher settings tend to lose FPS and become slightly jittery so I always lower the settings to 'low', so that i can play as smoothly as possible. I play in 1920x1080, and in this resolution, games always seem to be a problem when i'd like to play with the better settings.

Which leads me to assuming I need to buy a more capable graphics card; which I am fine with doing and willing to spend at a maximum of £300. My only worry is that the power supply on the desktop is 500W...

Thus if I were to upgrade my GPU to a more recent one would the power of desktop be able to cope with it?

As a result of this question, I have not looked specifically into any particular GPUs incase I would need to increase the power first. If this is not the case, feel to suggest potential GPU candidates

Thanks in advance for any of you that can offer advice.

 

[darth pravus]

a gtx 670 needs 500w minimum and it's a great card for about £300

 

[darth pravus]

Although you might bottleneck it with your CPU.

 

[LMAC89]

I assume i'd only be able to find out if my CPU will bottleneck it if I get the GPU. Which is a bit annoying if that is the case.

 

[darth pravus]

It probably will as it's not the fastest CPU.

Even if it does an upgrade to a faster chip in the future will be even more worth it to release even more power.

 

[MC_K7]

The GTX 670 might be too much for the CPU, I'd be afraid of bottleneck. Not that the FX-4170 is a bad CPU, but it's not the best either. If you haven't ordered the card yet, you could settle for maybe a 660-Ti or 7950 or 7870, it might give you a better balanced system with less risk of bottleneck. But no matter what card you pick you should see major improvement in your FPS because right now the weak link in your system is the video card. After the upgrade, the weak link will become the CPU, but it shouldn't bottleneck your card so much to become a major concern.

My main concern is with your power supply. It says 500W but it doesn't say what is the brand and model and more importantly how many 6-pin or 8-pin PCI-E power connectors it has? It's very important you check this before ordering the card otherwise your PSU might not support it. If you don't want to replace the PSU as well you might have to settle for a lesser card, but check your PSU specs first.

 

[darth pravus]

The GTX 670 might be too much for the CPU, I'd be afraid of bottleneck. Not that the FX-4170 is a bad CPU, but it's not the best either. If you haven't ordered the card yet, you could settle for maybe a 660-Ti or 7950 or 7870, it might give you a better balanced system with less risk of bottleneck. But no matter what card you pick you should see major improvement in your FPS because right now the weak link in your system is the video card. After the upgrade, the weak link will become the CPU, but it shouldn't bottleneck your card so much to become a major concern.

My main concern is with your power supply. It says 500W but it doesn't say what is the brand and model and more importantly how many 6-pin or 8-pin PCI-E power connectors it has? It's very important you check this before ordering the card otherwise your PSU might not support it. If you don't want to replace the PSU as well you might have to settle for a lesser card, but check your PSU specs first.

I did say it would bottleneck but if he has £300 to spend it's the card to get. When he has cash for a CPU upgrade the difference will be amazing. NO point getting a lesser card if you can afford more.

I 660ti has a super gimped memory bus so fail's at AA.

I agree about the PSU though.

 

[LMAC89]

Thanks for the answers.

I have no problem changing the PSU CPU and GPU. Total overhaul, i guess. It feels like I should just build a new PC from scratch to purely game on. Although that would mean buying all the other parts, so I don't think I will go down that route.

So if I were to replace and improve the PSU, CPU and GPU; would an upgraded motherboard be required too? I'm trying to educate myself as much as possible, as I find all pretty interesting but also confusing, so these answers from you guys are food for thought

 

[darth pravus]

Thanks for the answers.

I have no problem changing the PSU CPU and GPU. Total overhaul, i guess. It feels like I should just build a new PC from scratch to purely game on. Although that would mean buying all the other parts, so I don't think I will go down that route.

So if I were to replace and improve the PSU, CPU and GPU; would an upgraded motherboard be required too? I'm trying to educate myself as much as possible, as I find all pretty interesting but also confusing, so these answers from you guys are food for thought

You would only need to replace the motherboard if you wanted an intel chip as all new amd chips fit AM3 motherboards. You have lots of upgrade paths before you need to do a new system.

 

[LMAC89]

Ah perfect!

Well, in that case, these answers have brought about the idea of upgrading to the following;

1 ) CORSAIR CMPSU-750 HX Professional Series 750W Power Supply

2) AMD Phenom II X4 965 - 3.4 Ghz AM3 Black Edition CPU

3) GTX 670 for the GPU

Links are;

1) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-750HX-Professional-Series-Supply/dp/B002FJ47IA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

2) http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-HDZ965FBGMBOX-Phenom-II-965/dp/B002SRQ214/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1354018960&sr=1-1


My understanding is that this should all work with one another. And I assume the PSU would be more than enough to host the upgrades. Am i along the right lines or do my ideas seem a bit off point?

Bare in mind, price I am not overly worried about, but that's not to say I'd want to totally break the bank if there are other options that would produce the same results.