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What would be a good upgrade?

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  • RAM
  • Crossfire
  • HD
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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July 15, 2014 11:06:11 AM

Have crossfired hd 6950's 1g of ram. What would be a good upgrade (crossfire or not) that wouldn't cost to terribly much? (500 dollar range would be ideal can go higher and would love to go lower.)

More about : good upgrade

July 15, 2014 1:38:19 PM

Those are fairly old cards, what's the rest of the system like, mate?
And if you say 'just as old' or something similar I'll come round your house with a bat. ;) 
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July 15, 2014 1:59:58 PM

I-5 sandy bridge 2500
ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
Patriot Viper Xtreme 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000

lol ya it is a couple years past due for an upgrade have a ssd in it and a new case are the only real things ive upgraded

been bored at work all day thinking i might just start from scratch and build one from the ground up. just been avoiding that with all the hype i have heard about broadwell. was thinking though if i were to upgrade now by the time broadwell comes into an affordable way it might just be time to upgrade again
July 15, 2014 2:48:40 PM

That's a far from shabby build...Better than mine anyway. ;) 
If you can/will overclock the CPU it'll be a bonus but right now the only probable issue is the cards limited 1Gb VRAM, which, I'm guessing is causing some stutters and forcing lower settings.
Either a GTX780 or R9 290 look good, they perform similarly: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/
Big advantages of the R9: Lower cost, bigger memory.
Big advantages of the GTX780: Better/more AA modes, PhysX, Shadowplay, lower power consumption, tend to run cooler and quieter.
I'll leave out Mantle (AMD) and Gsync (Nvidia) because right now I don't think either will be a concern for you.
Being an avid, rabid, AMD fanboy I'd go for either the Sspphire Tri-X or MSI Lightning R9 290, but be aware they're both VERY large and may not fit inside the system case.

Oh yes, a fruit bat. ;) 
July 15, 2014 4:15:41 PM

coozie7 said:
That's a far from shabby build...Better than mine anyway. ;) 
If you can/will overclock the CPU it'll be a bonus but right now the only probable issue is the cards limited 1Gb VRAM, which, I'm guessing is causing some stutters and forcing lower settings.
Either a GTX780 or R9 290 look good, they perform similarly: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/
Big advantages of the R9: Lower cost, bigger memory.
Big advantages of the GTX780: Better/more AA modes, PhysX, Shadowplay, lower power consumption, tend to run cooler and quieter.
I'll leave out Mantle (AMD) and Gsync (Nvidia) because right now I don't think either will be a concern for you.
Being an avid, rabid, AMD fanboy I'd go for either the Sspphire Tri-X or MSI Lightning R9 290, but be aware they're both VERY large and may not fit inside the system case.

Oh yes, a fruit bat. ;) 

Already have CPU running at 4.0 i believe i know ive got something extra runnin on it

Ya its still doing me right but Im the kinda guy that is obsessed with always having the best XD i have the NZXT phantom 820 so room isnt an issue was looking at the R9 290 as well as http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... crossfire two of those lost the build for one i was thinking about starting from scratch on at work cause it didnt save cart on account will post see what you think later
July 15, 2014 5:39:40 PM

coozie7 said:
That's a far from shabby build...Better than mine anyway. ;) 
If you can/will overclock the CPU it'll be a bonus but right now the only probable issue is the cards limited 1Gb VRAM, which, I'm guessing is causing some stutters and forcing lower settings.
Either a GTX780 or R9 290 look good, they perform similarly: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/
Big advantages of the R9: Lower cost, bigger memory.
Big advantages of the GTX780: Better/more AA modes, PhysX, Shadowplay, lower power consumption, tend to run cooler and quieter.
I'll leave out Mantle (AMD) and Gsync (Nvidia) because right now I don't think either will be a concern for you.
Being an avid, rabid, AMD fanboy I'd go for either the Sspphire Tri-X or MSI Lightning R9 290, but be aware they're both VERY large and may not fit inside the system case.

Oh yes, a fruit bat. ;) 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... x2
July 16, 2014 4:25:17 AM

Not sure a platform change is really needed right now, the existing CPU/mobo is enough for current games/applications, the big holdup is almost certainly the graphics subsystem, so I'll suggest you hold on to the current system and see what develops in the Intel and AMD lineups as both should be releasing further updates by years end.
The cards are a different matter and I'll stick with my R9 290/GTX780 upgrade suggestion for now, maybe going CF/SLI later when you change platforms.

The Azza PSU is something I'd drop right away, read the top critical Newegg review: The 'platimum' rating is only for efficiency, not build quality. Consider something of similar output from: Corsair (not the VS or CX series), Seasonic, Silverstone, Antec, FSP (Aurium series) or Fractal Design.

The memory is overkill for now, 8Gb is enough and it's easy enough to upgrade so you could drop 8Gb of memory and divert the money into a better quality PSU.

Nice mobo if a little OTT for my tastes-but then again it's not my money. ;) 

Right now the i7 isn't really needed for gaming, not many take advantage of its Hyperthreading but for a new build I'd say it's a better choice than an i5 because games ARE becoming more threaded so its a far more 'future proof' option.

Slightly odd choice of GPU for a new build but I can see your reasoning.
Personally, I'd look at a single R9 290 or GTX780 for now, with the option to go CF/SLI later but the optimal choice really depends on your display/s. As things stand any of the options here will run a single 1440 display or dual 1080 displays easily enough.

July 16, 2014 6:19:41 AM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

750w should be good with an sli/crossfire down the line right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

that is still gunna out perform or at least be on par with my two 6950's right?

that build is sooo pretty though haha would have to get rid of my phantom white and get a phantom in black XD

running one 1080 as of now have the second laying around just not plugged in

July 16, 2014 9:45:39 AM

If you're going to go CF with R9 290s I'd put at least another 100W on the PSU, the R9 290 can draw close to 320 Watts at peak load (this one is slightly overclocked): http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_290X_Tri...
Had to say about the performance, simply put the HD6950 is so old that reviews of them don't use the same games as reviews of the R9 290, all I can suggest is that you run some benchmarks on your system and compare them with review figures for the R9 290.
And here's a handy CF review for the stock R9 290, expect slightly higher numbers, lower temperatures and few throttling problems with better cooling.
July 16, 2014 10:43:41 AM

awesome well you rock and youve kept me thoroughly entertained at work the past few days haha last question do i need to mark this post as fixed or close it some which or way?
July 16, 2014 11:45:52 AM

As the OP you should have a box to select the best reply, just select one ;)  and the Mods should close the thread later.
BTW, your earlier idea of dual R9 280Xs has plenty of merits, lower power consumption, less heat and lower cost, it's not going to have the raw power of dual R9 290s but it's an option I think you should consider, particularly if you're going to stay with 1080 display/s.
Do plenty of other research before making a final decision, I know it can be hard to hold fire when the upgrading bug sinks its little fangs into you but you're talking about a substantial financial outlay, so take a little time and make the right one: "The hasty stroke oft goes astray" Gandalf, LOTR.
July 17, 2014 9:23:54 AM

lol ya ive got a nasty habbit of making rash decisions =p arnt there downsides to duel gpu setup like microstuttering or stuff like that? the main thing that got me wanting to do it was certain games while frapsing drop pretty bad never really had a prob with running anything on max graphics aside from that. well dayz but thats doomed for the time being.
July 17, 2014 11:01:19 AM

I'll guess you're seeing those large frame rate drops due to the 1Gb memory of the HD6950s currently installed, after all 1Gb isn't really that much by current standards so it's just as well they have a solid CPU/memory to back them up.
Check you have the latest drivers available installed, I know its something everyone goes on about,but if you are using older software now is a good time to update.
Always found large, sudden frame rate drops ruin a game, I can tolerate low quality graphics, poor voice acting and a laughable plot but not that kind of stutter.
And as for DayZ, what is going on with all this 'early access' stuff? I don't expect to have to PAY to be an Alpha tester!
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