Suitable GPX upgrade for this oldish setup!

[OCdude]

I'm looking to get a new (preferably AMD) graphics card to extend the life of my ageing PC, but I need something that won’t be overkill and end up underutilised due to my ancient CPU.

The sort of games I'm looking to play are things like L4D2, Killing Floor and some newer generation games (Battlefield 4 I guess?) preferably at 1920x1200 (don’t really care much about crazy amounts of AA/AF)

I'd appreciate any recommendations, I'm thinking perhaps a 7950? Or maybe AMD 270 series? Asus Radeon R9 270?

FYI, my current spec is:

Intel e5200
Asus P5N7A-VM Mobo
4 GB RAM
Samsung 830 SSD
Onboard nVidia 9300 graphics (lulz)

Thanks!

 

[teppic]

Stuff like LFD2 only needs a cheap card to perform well, but you've got no realistic chance of BF4 running very well. Older games will be fine with a 7850 or 270X though. The latter can be had including BF4, so it's quite a good deal.

e.g.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-093-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=2750

 

[OCdude]

Thanks

Thinking about it - I don't think my PSU could handle that, so I think I might scale my plan back a bit, and stick with something cheaper.

Would a 6670 card provide me with a decent enough boost (coming from onboard nVidia 9300) to be able to play Steam games and newer games at medium settings?

£50 seems a decent enough price, but I won't bother if the difference is negligible!

 

[flinco]

The 6670 has been £50 for the last 2.5 years, which I would call bad value. You'd be better of with a 7750. Twice as fast and £15 more.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-294-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1699

 

[OCdude]

Ah right - didn't realise that, thanks for the heads up

 

[teppic]

What PSU do you have? I've run a 7850 on a 350W PSU without any problems.

 

[OCdude]

I've got a 460W, so that should be okay.

Just looking at the various 7750s now... is there much of a difference between them? I might be tempted by an Asus, seeing as i've had good experiences with them in the past.

 

[teppic]

Yeah, a 7850 is miles better than a 7750 - different league. The minimum I'd go for is the 7790, but it's very close to the 7850 in price.

 

[OCdude]

Tempted by the Sapphire 7850, although will that need additional power input? Not sure my PSU has any free!

 

[teppic]

My MSI 7850 had just 1x6pin power connector, not sure about the others. You can use a 2xmolex adapter though, they normally come with the card.

I wouldn't spend more than £120 or so on a 7850 because you can get a 270X inc BF4 for £155.

 

[OCdude]

hmm okay

Given my ancient CPU, would I still see a benefit if i chose a 7850 over a 7750?

 

[teppic]

In most games, yes.

 

[humbug]

hmm okay

Given my ancient CPU, would I still see a benefit if i chose a 7850 over a 7750?

When BF4 gets Mantle your CPU will be less of an issue.

 

[OCdude]

Currently looking at the MSI 7850 - think that might be the sweet spot for me! £110