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Some advice on if to upgrade GPU and to what?

Nighthaunt

Nighthaunt

Nighthaunt

Associate
Joined
1 Apr 2011
Posts
19
Hi guys,

I'm now upgrading my PC as my current AMD package (emergency buy from Maplins when my I5 760 set died suddenly and OU work due in) has gotten very slow. I'm looking to re-use some bits to save where don't fancy upgrading immediately.

What I'm going to (and ordered) is this:

I5-6600K
Gigabyte Z170XP-SLI motherboard
16GB Hyper Fury DDR4 2400 MHZ Ram
And decided to replace my venerable ~HAF 912 case with NZXT H440 (will pick up external DVD drive)
OCZ 500w bronze power supply

using onboard Audio which leaves me with the graphics card - Currently using a Sapphire Dual-X R9 270X 4GB card which seems alright (bottleneck was CPU).

I tend to play RTS (Xcom 2 and Homeworld Dessert of Kharak on order), some MMO's (Star Trek Online), World of Tank and World of Warships and Starcraft 2, DOTA, and the most graphical demanding is X3 / X Rebirth / Elite and other space empire building games and have been able to get very good quality settings.

So not massively graphics intensive but I like to be futureproof (hence 4GB version) - my question is should/do I need to be looking at upgrading the graphics card immediately or should I wait for the next major updates to AMD and Nvidia's ranges - and if so what's a good midrange choice for a budget of £150-£250 (Would rather spend towards lower end unless major performance boost for going higher).

Any advice / Help much appreciated as I'm not sure if I would see a significant improvement to justify the cost of upgrading? Running on a 26" Samsung monitor at 1920 x 1200 resolution if that helps?

Alex
 
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They can be a hit or miss; if you find someone trust worthy great; if not......

390 would possibly be best upgrade if you need to upgrade right now. Test with games and if they're getting sluggish......

Also what res do you play at??
 
Monitor is 1920 x 1200 Samsung SyncMaster T260 26" LCD bought in 2009 - done 7 years sterling service but definitely think its time to think about an upgrade - not planning on upgrading in near future (mind you its 7+ years old) but may well do if a decent deal on replacement 27" + monitor for stunning price pops up.

Alex
 
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390 will be faster out of 970 at that rez......

just depends on if you want to spend now; or wait for Polaris which should be hitting shortly.....at least small....

Honestly I'd take look how games play; if they aren't what you want then go for 390....
 
meldarthx said:
390 will be faster out of 970 at that rez......

just depends on if you want to spend now; or wait for Polaris which should be hitting shortly.....at least small....

Honestly I'd take look how games play; if they aren't what you want then go for 390....
Click to expand...

Very good advice - will see what comes about - I know Company of Hero's 2 really struggled - but think that's more about the 2 core 4 logical thread processor that GPU. I've included the link to graphics card which was a good mid range last year so think it may well be more than adequate for now. link here to graphics card technical specification
 
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Another vote for the 390 here. It will last you quite a while, since it has 8GB of VRAM for future games. It can't be beaten price/performance wise and will be a good match for a 27" monitor at 1440P.
 
That 970 @ £216 is a good deal.

If both are priced the same I'd go for a 390.

I would never personally buy a b grade, or second hand unless it was from the members market from someone with good trust.
 
I would, what have you got to lose. They'll come with 90 days warranty and more often than not the remainder of the manufactures warranty. At that money, the card I linked is a bargain.
 
I think people here are missing the point.
He's got low end card but he's currently playing his games fine and he's happy with it.

Don't upgrade now if you don't have to. If it plays what you need it to play smoothly then don't throw £200-300 on an upgrade just for the sake of being able to put some extra AA, especially not now when all the cards available are quite old and new stuff is around the corner.

If it plays the games you want fine, keep it, that's my advice.

I can't however, see an SSD in your spec, if you don't have one, GET ONE NOW!
 
PhoenixUK said:
I think people here are missing the point.
He's got low end card but he's currently playing his games fine and he's happy with it.

Don't upgrade now if you don't have to. If it plays what you need it to play smoothly then don't throw £200-300 on an upgrade just for the sake of being able to put some extra AA, especially not now when all the cards available are quite old and new stuff is around the corner.

If it plays the games you want fine, keep it, that's my advice.

I can't however, see an SSD in your spec, if you don't have one, GET ONE NOW!
Click to expand...

I agree with Phoenix OP. If you're handling games okay at the moment then it's probably worth waiting it out a while longer for the next gen of GPUs sometime later this year so that you can hopefully get a lot more bang for your buck. Also, as Phoenix also said, get an SSD in the meantime if you don't already have one.
 
Fear not on the SSD front, current spec:

Kingston SSDNow V series 128GB (SATA 2) OS drive
Samsung HD103SJ 1TB (SATA 3) games and data drive

New setup:

Kingston HyperX Fury 120GB SSD (SATA 3) OS Drive
Kingston SSDNow V series 128GB (SATA 2) Steam drive or ???
Samsung HD103SJ 1TB (SATA 3) bulk drive and larger games

Think it's probably sensible to wait from what I'm hearing until next gen is out and either grab a current gen 970 or 980, or 390 at discount prices or upgrade to the new generation depending upon performance comparisons.

I don't like AAA FPS on PC (use Xbox One for Battlefront, Battlefield and Titanfall etc...) So PC is space empire building sims or RTS / 4X so not hyper demanding upon graphics.

Many Thanks to everyone who's replied - all advice and help really appreciated.

Alex
 
Get a 250gb or 500gb samsung evo 850 and put literally any kind of software on it. You'll get a much better overall experience from your PC. The only thing you want on a mechanical drive is static files like photos, music, movies, pdfs - anything that doesn't require fast access.

Nowadays I'd even be tempted to ditch mechanical drive completely if you don't need a lot of space.

Also, as you have already pointed out - even if the new GPUs turn out to be a flop, the prices of current tech will drop massively and you'll be able to get a bargain if you decide that you need it later.
 
Why I said; check to see how games place first; if he doesn't like it .....then get the 390 over 970......AMD's GCN will age far better than Nvidia's Maxwell......
 
Well as a quick update - managed to bag a very cheap S/H R9-290 )not X variant) but a large part of the attraction was the XFX DD design with the lit up XFX logo (which in white will match the NZXT logo in H440 lighting).

Certainly not the most powerful card - but cheap enough that I don't mind losing it after a year or so and a solid step up from my R9-270X.

Now got to source a 750W power supply form reviews I've been reading - looking at Corsair CX750M (semi modular).

Regards and thanks for advice - got me at least looking at second hand but 390's and 770's going for too much for me and this 290 seemed a step up for not serious money.

Alex
 
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