Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

Need help on GPU upgrade

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
Share

Hi guys,

So I want to upgrade my XFX 5770 to a 7970, but I don't know which one to go for. I've reduced my choices to these two:

XFX Radeon Double D BE:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

Gigabyte Ghz Edition:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

I know people will suggest going for the XFX because of the 3 games you get with it. But factors such as Temps @ half/full load and @idle are things I want to consider when buying the card. I will also likely to overclock although I am not an PC enthusiast or an avid overclocker. I would like to play an array of games like BF3, COD: BO2, Crysis 1-3, NFS: MW, etc. on max settings without the worry of lagging.

My PC specs are:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4ghz (Stock)
Cooler: CM-212 EVO
MOBO: Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 5770 1gb (Stock)
PSU: Corsair TX650W
RAM: G. Skill 4gb (2gb x2) F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM
CASE: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Mid-Tower)
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F2 1tb, Maxtor 200gb


My budget is $500 and I do want to stick only with AMD 7000 series. Any suggestions besides the two cards (within AMD 7000 series) I've mentioned are appreciated and will be taken into consideration.

Thanks!

More about : gpu upgrade

Register or log in to remove
Graphics card Master

jsagaga02 said:
Oh can't believe I missed that one. Thanks for catching that. So are you siding with the Gigabyte Ghz Edition?

Not really since I am a fan of XFX lifetime warranty which has given me a couple of upgrades in the past like a HD6850 for a failed fan on HD4890. At std clocks both have sufficient cooling but if you want to go to max overclock the Gigabyte looks better.
Related ressources
Ask the community

rolli59 said:
Not really since I am a fan of XFX lifetime warranty which has given me a couple of upgrades in the past like a HD6850 for a failed fan on HD4890. At std clocks both have sufficient cooling but if you want to go to max overclock the Gigabyte looks better.



Hmmm....well I think I will go with the XFX which is a bit more, but it will be close to the Gigabyte's price after the mail-in rebate. I came across a post here on Tom's which was about whether or not the AMD Phenom II 965 will bottleneck the 7970, some people have posted their opinions or actual experience saying that it will. Do you agree that my CPU (AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition) along with my PC specs will in any way bottleneck the XFX 7970 Ghz Edition that I will be getting?

rolli59 said:
At std clock there will be bottleneck that can be minimized with overclock.


So to be totally free of any bottlenecks if I wanted everything to be running at std except for the GPU (For the one I am planning to get) since it's factory overclocked, I would have to upgrade the cpu correct? But of course if I do that then a new motherboard would be required as well (If I go intel that is). I'm not saying that I'm going to replace my mobo or cpu, just trying to understand on what is needed if I wanted to completely eliminate any bottlenecks instead of minimizing it. Do you think any of the bottlenecks is noticeable or only when I absolutely focus in trying to find the small flaws when gaming? I thought I should also mention my monitor (well an LED TV actually) which is the Samsung SyncMaster TA350 LED TV @1920x1080 (60p).

prototype18 said:
Gigabyte is way better. Cooler/Quieter. And can OC really high.

And about the CPU. You surely will need to OC it to reduce B/Neck.That is a good Phenom.

And the 7970 Ghz will max out any game on that res.

Good Luck !


I have seen videos for the fan noise @ different loads for both cards I mentioned, but the XFX's lifetime warranty is quite tempting even though I haven't had the chance to use it since I have it on my current card (XFX 5770). Do you by any chance know when the next time the prices for the 7970s will drop? I was thinking that about upgrading the cpu not now but maybe sometime early to mid next year, so that I can be ready when better gpus come out in the future or even get another 7970 later for crossfire.
Graphics card Expert

jsagaga02 said:
So to be totally free of any bottlenecks if I wanted everything to be running at std except for the GPU (For the one I am planning to get) since it's factory overclocked, I would have to upgrade the cpu correct? But of course if I do that then a new motherboard would be required as well (If I go intel that is). I'm not saying that I'm going to replace my mobo or cpu, just trying to understand on what is needed if I wanted to completely eliminate any bottlenecks instead of minimizing it. Do you think any of the bottlenecks is noticeable or only when I absolutely focus in trying to find the small flaws when gaming? I thought I should also mention my monitor (well an LED TV actually) which is the Samsung SyncMaster TA350 LED TV @1920x1080 (60p).




At stock all amd processors will bottleneck.


Overclocking is highly recommended, as at stock an i3 3225 is better in games than even the newest FX's.


In bf3 online at least you could lessen it by jumping to a FX 8320.



If you want to not bottleneck either of those cards you would need to eventually jump ship to a 4 core i5 intel.








Graphics card Master

jsagaga02 said:
I have seen videos for the fan noise @ different loads for both cards I mentioned, but the XFX's lifetime warranty is quite tempting even though I haven't had the chance to use it since I have it on my current card (XFX 5770). Do you by any chance know when the next time the prices for the 7970s will drop? I was thinking that about upgrading the cpu not now but maybe sometime early to mid next year, so that I can be ready when better gpus come out in the future or even get another 7970 later for crossfire.


Well you must go to pcpartpicker.com / video cards and check them everyday. You need to get a good deal though.
Register or log in to remove
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Graphics & Displays categories
!