Upgrading my GPU?

mskc33

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Dec 8, 2012
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Hey there,
I've been thinking about upgrading my PC for a while and I could use another opinion on this:

My current setup:
Code:
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz (4 Cores, 8 Threads)
RAM: 12GB DDR3 - 533.3 MHz
GPU: NVidia GeForce GTX 295
HDD: Hitachi HDT721010SLA360 (932 GB capacity)

More in-depth info:
http://pastebin.com/sXz6ALJA

I though about getting an GTX 680 and an SSD for Windows and my games. I'd like to record Fraps movies in 1080p FullHD and with my current setup the framerate drops to or below 30 FPS which makes playing shooters impossible for me. I need atleast 60 (better 90) FPS to feel comfortable. My budget is around 300€ to 400€.

What can you recommend me? I could really use your help on this guys! :)

Greetings
 

melikepie

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Dec 14, 2011
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Your i7 just is not strong enough. That is a older generation CPU. They really did some changes with sandy bridge in 2011 and since then there has been a major improvement. I would guess %40 of your FPS would be cut down with that CPU which is bad. This setup is gonna be much faster then what you have. Another thing is that the CPU is good enough that you can get a GTX 680 when you can afford it and run without bottlenecks.
 

mskc33

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Dec 8, 2012
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Okay thank you.
Im still struggling with the decision, maybe you can help me. (If you don't mind :))
I bought the PC as a whole so i didn't add any components yet. Since about ~6 months after purchase the video card started to cause problems. It gets relatively hot (77-79°C while I'm working, 88-90°C while playing BO2) and I have had problems finding a fitting driver. I have been using an old driver from 2009 I think because its the only one working for all my games (MW2, MW3, WoW, D3, TL2). If i try to update to the latest version, most of the games don't work anymore. Because of Black Ops 2 I was forced to update to a beta version of NVidia drivers (I had no red reticle) and now I can't play Diablo 3 and MW3 anymore. I've had nothing but problems with this video card. Is there anything else (CPU maybe?) that can cause those problems or is my hate on the video card justified?
 

melikepie

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Bad drivers, just get a new graphics card.
 

mskc33

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Dec 8, 2012
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So a new graphics card it is. Btw is there a program to check the graphics card for errors (like a benchmark, but not for stress testing) like there is for RAM?
 

melikepie

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Just stress test it and look for artifacts. It's most likely the drivers causing the issues but the graphics card is so old I'm not surprised.
 

mskc33

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Dec 8, 2012
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Well I tried a stability test using Furmark and after 5 minutes it fried my graphics card. BSOD and I had to restart the PC.
 

melikepie

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What graphics card did that happen to?
 

mskc33

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Dec 8, 2012
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The one Im using, Nvidia GeForce GTX 295. Well its not "fried", but it got hot pretty fast (> 100°C after 2 min) and the emergency shutdown activated.
 

melikepie

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So you just ran a stress test and it overheated?
 

melikepie

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Ok, get a new graphics card as soon as you can.
I recommend what I sent you although if you mostly do games you may be able to get away with an i3 and a better GPU.
 

melikepie

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He would see a major bottleneck.
Do your research.
 

mskc33

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Dec 8, 2012
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What exactly do you mean by bottleneck? The GTX 680 won't run slower than my current GTX 295, but it will improve when I get the CPU you suggested?