Can anyone see any potential problems if i upgrade to a GTX 1070?

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 15:46

I've been out of the GPU loop for a while and was wondering if, with my current setup, I'd have any problems/bottlenecks if I put a GTX 1070 into my system.

Current specs:

Intel i7 - 2600 @ 3.4GHz
16GB RAM DDR3
Radeon HD 6950 2Gb (currently)
Motherboard ... unsure exactly, i think its a Sandybridge Intel P67
600w

Thanks peeps.

kalniel · 23 Jun 2016 at 15:51

Well you've got to have a bottleneck somewhere, or you'd produce infinite frames per second

I would ask the usual important questions about amperage of your PSU on the 12V rail and whether it's a quality unit, but if you're running a 6950 you should be fine with a 1070.

Maximum frame rate in low demand situations might be held back by the CPU, but it's an irrelevant measure - the difference between 100 and 140fps is really really hard to spot

karik666 · 23 Jun 2016 at 15:52

You should be fine mate,should be a massive upgrade.
You could also wait until next wed 29th,as the new amd rx 480 is released,at roughly half the price of the 1070.

~>Dg<~ · 23 Jun 2016 at 15:55

oc your cpu to atleast 4ghz and id get the latest MB bios update on for the new gpu.

Raviolay · 23 Jun 2016 at 15:55

What resolution and monitor refresh rate do you game at?

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:00

Raviolay said:
What resolution and monitor refresh rate do you game at?

Well at the moment I'm only running @ 1080p as i think my 6950 would melt if i tried any higher but as soon as get my GTX 1070, I'll be looking to buy a new monitor so I can have 1440p at least.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:03

karik666 said:
You should be fine mate,should be a massive upgrade.
You could also wait until next wed 29th,as the new amd rx 480 is released,at roughly half the price of the 1070.

What will it's performance be like though?

My goal here is to run games @ 1440p, over 60fps at least and be pretty good if I pick up a Vive or Occulus.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:04

kalniel said:
Well you've got to have a bottleneck somewhere, or you'd produce infinite frames per second

I would ask the usual important questions about amperage of your PSU on the 12V rail and whether it's a quality unit, but if you're running a 6950 you should be fine with a 1070.

Maximum frame rate in low demand situations might be held back by the CPU, but it's an irrelevant measure - the difference between 100 and 140fps is really really hard to spot

What kinda frames should I expect @ 1440p? Am i good for VR?

karik666 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:05

We dont know the performance of the 480 yet,some say 970,some say 390x and 980.
Reviews will be out on the 29th for the 480 though,so only 7 days to wait

Although Amd did show the 480 running hitman at 60fps 1440p a few months ago,but didnt say what the graphic settings were.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:07

karik666 said:
We dont know the performance of the 480 yet,some say 970,some say 390x and 980.
Reviews will be out on the 29th for the 480 though,so only 7 days to wait.

Would I be better off Crossfiring 2x480's rather than having 1x1070?

karik666 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:09

gtw1212 said:
Would I be better off Crossfiring 2x480's rather than having 1x1070?

I dont know mate,not every game works with crossfire.
But if you are not in a rush to buy a 1070,just wait until the 480 reviews are in,then make up your mind.
At the moment 1070s custom cards are in very short supply.

razorpakk · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:11

IMO you'd be putting too much money in the GPU, I would feel more comfortable moving forward with the platform and saving up for the GPU afterwards - a non Oc 2600 is going to hold back most modern cards.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:12

karik666 said:
I dont know mate,not every game works with crossfire.

True but in the long run? Which would be the better option do you think? The Zotac 1070 cards have 5 yrs warranty.

karik666 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:14

If you have the money buy the 1070 im sure it will be a nice upgrade for you.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:15

razorpakk said:
IMO you'd be putting too much money in the GPU, I would feel more comfortable moving forward with the platform and saving up for the GPU afterwards - a non Oc 2600 is going to hold back most modern cards.

How much will it hold it back by?
I know my current setup isn't cutting edge but I've never seen my CPU get anywhere near to maxing out.

karik666 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:24

What ever card you decide to buy,the 1070 or 480 will be a massive upgrade over your 6950.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:25

karik666 said:
What ever card you decide to buy,the 1070 or 480 will be a massive upgrade over your 6950.

That's what I'm counting on.

If i can get 1440p @ 60+fps and can run a Vive or Occulus well, I'll be a happy man.

razorpakk · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:48

gtw1212 said:
How much will it hold it back by?
I know my current setup isn't cutting edge but I've never seen my CPU get anywhere near to maxing out.

That's not how it works, those things are unrelated.

Anyway in some games you're losing 20-30%, others nothing as they don't care much about CPU.

Overall if that's the budget, the GPU will be the biggest perceivable upgrade if you're still comfortable on that platform.

gtw1212 · 23 Jun 2016 at 16:52

razorpakk said:
That's not how it works, those things are unrelated.

Anyway in some games you're losing 20-30%, others nothing as they don't care much about CPU.

Overall if that's the budget, the GPU will be the biggest perceivable upgrade if you're still comfortable on that platform.

OK cool, thanks. Hoping to get a Zotac when they're available as they have the longest warranty.

madmonkey · 23 Jun 2016 at 17:15

might sound silly, but make sure your case is big enough for the card you want, some of these new cards are massive.

I've just had to order a new case to fit my Inno3d 1070 in because the card was too long.