Recommended GPU upgrade for mobo

[Banzai_Joe]

Hi all,

been getting loads of BSODs with my existing rig (see sig). Most point towards ATI or DX drivers. I've uinstalled ALL catalysts and reinstalled just the 10.4 drivers. Still getting BSODs.

I'm actually thinking its a hardware issue, as i had some issues prior to uprgading the mobo, ram and hdd** on the pc. The only thing that's common is the HD4870.

So..the long and short of it is, please recommend me a cost-effective upgrade from the 4870. I originally wanted to buy another 4870 to crossfire them and save money, but if mine is faulty then that's a no-go!

So....would the P6X58D benefit more from nvidia or AMD? Or does it not matter? I'll probably go for a single gpu as i'm not made of money.
I did think of getting 2 cheaper cards that working together would give me a better fps than the single 4870, but i'm open to advice.

I play games like BFBCD2, COD:WAW and Splinter Cell: Conviction, all on 1920x1080, with settings as full as i can get them. SC:C struggles a little with everything on high, but even turning them down, i can play for a while then get the BSOD.

**The other thing to mention is that when i changed my mobo and ram over, i did have a new ssd but it was installed on the previous mobo (for a couple of weeks), yet when i upgraded it booted up all fine. All i did was install the new drivers for the mobo (as required). I'm just wondering if a reformat may be in order before condemming the 4870.

However, when i look on various auction sites i only tend to see 'faulty' ATI cards listed, which makes me wonder if they are prone to being dodgy after a year or so.

Advice would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Marine-RX179]

**The other thing to mention is that when i changed my mobo and ram over, i did have a new ssd but it was installed on the previous mobo (for a couple of weeks), yet when i upgraded it booted up all fine. All i did was install the new drivers for the mobo (as required). I'm just wondering if a reformat may be in order before condemming the 4870.

Well, it's commonly agreed that when you change motherboard, you should reinstall Windows to minimise the chances of problem arising. If you have not already done so, you should start from there...

As for graphic card, upgrading from your 4870 512MB is pretty much a MUST, as for res of 1920x1080p your 4870's 512MB won't be enough. I guess you should upgrade to either a 5850 or 5870 depending on your budget.

 

[Banzai_Joe]

Thanks, the 4870 has eaten most everything that i've given it so far. I play BFBC2 on 1920x1080 with overall quality on medium (High was a little too laggy online). It has no problem with COD:WAW with ALL settings on high too.

I think i'll start with the reformat, then if it still BSODS, i'll look for a change, maybe to a 5850, with a view to crossfire it in the future.

No nvidia options anybody? Does the Asus chipset not favour one over the other?

 

[Devrij]

I would try this one thing before you go throwing money at the problem (I wish I had). Test your rig with only one stick of RAM in, if that fails try the other stick. If problems persist, you know your RAM is either: fine, or faulty on both counts. I had big BSOD/driver crash problems that were all related to one bad stick of RAM, so if checking that helps you, rock on. Give it a shot. Also, are you sure your OC is stable? Maybe try reverting to stock settings (save your current settings as a profile first!) and see if that fixes it. Just want to make sure you've checked everything in case you buy a new card and find it wasn't the problem!

 

[harryohh]

I think if a reformat solves your issues you should go with the second 4870.It'd offer a nice boost in performance without breaking the bank.I don't really know though how much a 4870 goes for now.

 

[Banzai_Joe]

I would try this one thing before you go throwing money at the problem (I wish I had). Test your rig with only one stick of RAM in, if that fails try the other stick. If problems persist, you know your RAM is either: fine, or faulty on both counts. I had big BSOD/driver crash problems that were all related to one bad stick of RAM, so if checking that helps you, rock on. Give it a shot. Also, are you sure your OC is stable? Maybe try reverting to stock settings (save your current settings as a profile first!) and see if that fixes it. Just want to make sure you've checked everything in case you buy a new card and find it wasn't the problem!

Yeah, thanks, it is common sense i guess. However, i tested the ram last week and it all passed with no errors.

I reformatted last night and re-installed SC with only the windows drivers installed for the 4870. It didn't crash once, in 2 hours of playing. Slightly stuttery at times, which i'm guessing is the lack of decent catalyst drivers. I also returned the rig to stock levels in the bios, so no oc'ing.
So, tonight i will install the 10.4 catalysts (latest) and see how it goes. If it's fine, then i'll re-apply my overclocks, then see again.

harryohh, i agree mate, i'd prefer another 4870 right now as it gives quite a huge performance boost for about £100, at least until the DX11 games really start rolling out, then i'll buy a better DX11 card at that time.

edit: another reason i thought the 4870 was on the slide was that connecting it via hdmi to my 24" Acer tft, sent everything blurry. No amount of tweaking would fix it. This was before the reformat when i had catalysts installed, so tweaking options were available. Its just nowhere near as clear as the dvi connection. It also shrinks the screen and leaves a half inch border all around!