Upgrading hardware, need help.

[xie97]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum, I usualy dont post much on forums etc so excuse me if i'm not very good at it, also english is not my first language but i think it will do.

I am thinking of upgrading my hardware but i find it a bit difficult to know what to buy. so i'm here hoping you good people can guide me some

Anyways this is my computer:

Asus Rampage Motherboard (Some version of Asus Rampage i am not sure which one exactly)
Intel Core I7 980X
ATI Radeon HD 5970
6GB DDR3 Corsair Vengeance RAM
2X 2TB standard HDD's and a 120GB SSD

I don't know what else there is so tell me if you need more information. Oh and the case is Antec Twelve Hundred (which i had some problems with, the front bottom fan broke and i cant figure out how to access it so that i can replace it. The wires are so short i cant pull the bay out).

The computer is somewhat old and I am not getting good FPS in games such as Crysis 3 or even Skyrim with some extra graphics mods installed, i get around 20 FPS or less on medium settings on Crysis 3.

What i was thinking of upgrading was ofcourse the graphics card, I had my eyes on the GeForce GTX 680 as the 690 is so very very expensive.
How much better is the 680 if it's better at all, and if so would you recommend it.
Also thinking of upgrading the RAM by 12GB.
The CPU should still be pretty good i hope.
I tried overclocking my GPU somewhat with catalyst control center that didnt help my FPS at all and i got bluescreen a few minutes later.

So thats it : )

Also how do i know crossfire is working on my 5970? Cause i dont think it should be giving me all these bad FPS feels like something is wrong with it. Is it possible to get another 5970 to work with the one i have now?

Edit: I just read that GTX 590 is better than GTX 680. So i am getting confused now.. Why are they making it so complicated, Can you guys please point me in the right direction and recommend a card i should buy, Thanks.

 

[vmem]

you'll mainly need a graphics upgrade. give us the exact make and model of your PSU (power supply unit) and we can help you make a more informed decision. oh, and what resolution you want (I'm assuming 1080p?)

aside from that, something like a gtx590, or anything from Nvidia with a 90 at the end means it's a dual-GPU card, meaning there are actually two GPUs on the card, which is why a 590 beats a 680, but a 690 will kick a 590's butt. ideally, people want to stick with single card solutions as often as possible unless you don't mind teaking settings and clocks a bit.

All in all, I recommend a GTX670, which is only SLIGHTLY slower than a 680 and is sufficient for all gaming at 1080p

 

[Chairman Ray]

If you are getting less than 20 fps on Crysis 3 on medium on a 5970, then something might be wrong. A broken graphics card is a likely cause, but there are numerous other things as well. The easiest way to find out is by borrowing a graphics card from somewhere else and check out the performance. If the other graphics card performs like it should, then I would recycle the 5970 and get a new graphics card. Don't bother crossfiring it because it's broken. If the issue is not with the graphics card, then it could be with your drivers, OS, or CPU. You can do a clean removal of your drivers with Driver Fusion, and then install the latest drivers. If this doesn't fix it, run a CPU benchmark and check the results. If the benchmark results are fine, then reinstall your OS.

For a new graphics card, I would recommend the Radeon HD 7970GHz. That is the best graphics card within a reasonable spending limit. I would not get 12GB more RAM if you are just playing games, you 6 GB is more than enough.