Need input on upgrade to AH-IPS (what GPU/MB upgrade needed if any)

[UmbraSprite]

Current System:
Monitor: ViewSonic VP912b (19")
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 @2.67 GHz
MB: ACPI x64
Memory: 6gb
GPU: 2 x GTX 260 (SLI)

I am thinking to upgrade to a 27" AH-IPS at 1920 x 1080.
(such as http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-ips,3385.html)

I mostly use the system for gaming. I don't play a ton of FPS games, at least not enough to base my purchase on it. I tend to play MMO's mostly (Eve Online, WoW, SWTOR) as well as League of Legends, Batman: Arkham, Diablo and RPG's (such as Skyrim).

My questions are:
1. Will the current GPU setup support this config?
2. If not what should I upgrade the GPU to?
3. Will I need to upgrade my MB to accommodate said new GPU?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TheBigTroll]

grab something like this instead. wouldnt buy such a monitor if it wasnt 1440p or higher
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009V8F700/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

[UmbraSprite]

Not sure going with something like this is the way I want to go. Can you explain the need for 1440p? I am upgrading from a 19 inch so even at the lower resolution it would be a huge jump for me.

Also this really doesn't address my concerns around the compatibility of my current GPU setup and what I should expect to need to power a new display.

Thanks for your input however!

 

[TheBigTroll]

i wasnt exactly suggesting a 1440p screen. im talking about the fact that there isnt much of a reason to get a 27inch 1080p screen when a 23 inch 1080p has just as many pixels but looks sharper.

if you were to ever get a 27 inch screen, you should be getting 1440p is what im trying to get across

 

[UmbraSprite]

So essentially you are saying that the picture may actually be degraded over the 23" unless I would bump to the higher resolution?

If I were to go 23" what would you opinion be regarding my GPU hardware's ability to power it?

 

[TheBigTroll]

yep

there is no change in the requirement of GPU power. you are driving the same amount of pixels compared to the 27 inch monitor you picked out

 

[UmbraSprite]

Yes but currently I am running a 19" at 1280 x 1024 but I am hoping my current SLI setup is overkill for that and will run the higher resolution as well. It's what I get for having hardware a few years dated.

 

[TheBigTroll]

2 260s isnt very powerful anymore. you can probably run stuff at high/medium settings though. you will need a upgrade if you want to play ultra

 

[UmbraSprite]

Ok...then for the sake of argument lets say I went 27" at 1440p. Would I be better off with a single high end card or another SLI setup and what would you recommend?

 

[TheBigTroll]

you will need at least a 7970 to drive one of those. maybe 2 if you want consistently high fps

 

[huilun02]

It would cost a lot to upgrade to a 1440p solution...

To begin with, you risk getting performance bottlenecked with a 2.67Ghz CPU if you get a graphics solution for 1080p, let alone 1440p.

The 27" 1080p monitors you were considering are not actually bad at all if you sit back far enough to not notice the large pixels.

The PSU you have is probably not good enough to power a new graphics card for 1080p.

So considering the parts you need to change to get good 1080p performance, it's as good as a complete system overhaul (making a new PC). Which is already a costly deal, and you'd have to spend a few hundred bucks more for 1440p performance.

Depending on your budget, you can look a these for reference:
$600 > http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pc-gaming-overclock-build-a-pc,3443.html
$800 > http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-a-pc-overclocking-gaming,3440.html

Stuff like your hard drive, optical drive can be brought over to save on cost, but with a new motherboard you will need a new copy of Windows. And then that monitor you want to buy...

 

[UmbraSprite]

Thanks to both of you. It seems I am really looking at a full system upgrade. The article I linked got me thinking I might be able to get away with a GPU upgrade only. Thanks!

 

[UmbraSprite]

Huilun,

One more question. Given my current setup do you think the 19", 1280 x 1024 is the best I can handle when running things at optimum settings (keeping in mind I am not playing some of the shooters that require super powerful hardware)?

 

[TheBigTroll]

if you dont play the lastest games, the 260 SLi is fine for the most part

 

[UmbraSprite]

Yep...I really don't have any issues running at top settings now. I was hoping to upgrade to a larger monitor though. Not sure I can do that at all even with these games given our discussion.

 

[huilun02]

What frames are you getting in your games now? You'd have to power 58% more pixels if you use a 1080p monitor.

Some simple calculation shows you'l be getting about 63.3% of your current frames if you switch to the bigger monitor.
It's not accurate but is a rough gauge.

 

[UmbraSprite]

It's been a while since I have run any benchmarks. What would you suggest I use?

 

[huilun02]

If you're getting 60fps average on the games you are playing now, you might stay within playable performance at 1080p.

I've no experience using 260 SLI, so have no idea what frames per second you should get on a larger monitor. For me I play fast paced FPS games like Battlefield 3 and Far Cry 3, so an average of higher 60fps and DX11 is an absolute must for me. If I were in your shoes, I'd make a new PC before getting a larger monitor, because if I experience annoying lag the larger monitor is just a liability and money wasted.

 

[UmbraSprite]

Using the evga precision x tool it looks like I get ~45-55 FPS in Eve Online and 55-75 in FarCry2. I am trying to think what I have that might push it harder.

I seem to drop $2k everytime I upgrade to a new system so I might just need to live with 19 inches for now.