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Upgrade time - GPU the answer?

Operation

Operation

Operation

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24 Feb 2011
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640
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South Yorkshire
Hi guys.

My system is getting old and wasn't very high spec to start with. I'm running an i5 2500K at about 4.2ghz and have a 6950 with 6970 shaders unlocked. I'm getting back into my games after a year or so off and wondered how best to spend up to £200 (or maybe 10% extra) to give me a boost. I'm assuming the GPU is the best bet.

A 280, 280x, 290? A 770, a cheapo 780, or break the bank for a 970? I have no idea where the value lies unfortunately and would appreciate some help.

Thanks
 
Yup, upgrade the GPU, the CPU is still fine for almost anything.

You've already listed all the best candidates for an upgrade, the rest is really up to you and your budget. Aim as high as you can though, 970, 780 or 290 I'd say.
 
A 780 or 290 will give you the best bang for buck, and deliver a very noticeable boost in performance over your current card. You cpu is easily more than adequate for any of the fastest single gpu cards on the market.
 
Cheers. So the 780 is preferable to the 970?
I know there is a major cost difference but is the extra performance good value?
 
If you do not upgrade very often, you would be better off getting the best upgrade you can afford to make it last for sometime.
Get the cheapest GTX 970 {£254} and overclock it up to near 980 speed and that will keep you gaming for quite a while before you need to consider upgrading again.
 
Yes it does seems like the 970 is the way to go. More than I want to spend but seems like a genuine step up over the others that will hopefully delays next GPU upgrade a bit. Thanks for the help guys.
 
I'm in a similar boat as the OP, except my GPU is a GTX570. Found the above discussion useful, but are there any extra considerations when I want to play at 1440p? (being only a casual gamer I can't really justify more than 200GBP, though I might just stretch it if this will tick me over for 3-4 years).
 
FlyingPig said:
I'm in a similar boat as the OP, except my GPU is a GTX570. Found the above discussion useful, but are there any extra considerations when I want to play at 1440p? (being only a casual gamer I can't really justify more than 200GBP, though I might just stretch it if this will tick me over for 3-4 years).
Click to expand...

The general consensus appears to be that a 970 will more than adequately run a 1440p panel.
I don't know about the AMD side of things, ( although I recall the 290 is again very good with 1440p)

Like the others have said, you can grab a 970 for £250ish which is gonna last you a good 3-5 years.

Like me you will turn down the bells and whistles as time goes on and then look to upgrade from there..?

If i was looking at an upgrade now, it would probably be a used ( price dependent) 780ti or a new 970.
 
FlyingPig said:
I'm in a similar boat as the OP, except my GPU is a GTX570. Found the above discussion useful, but are there any extra considerations when I want to play at 1440p? (being only a casual gamer I can't really justify more than 200GBP, though I might just stretch it if this will tick me over for 3-4 years).
Click to expand...

I came from an overclocked GTX570 (great, great card btw :)), and have gone to the card in my signature. The performance boost has been very substantial - about double imo. So, a GTX780 for £194 is the best option for you right now, and will deliver another 20 - 30% more performance on top of what I've got. :cool:
 
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arc@css said:
I came from an overclocked GTX570 (great, great card btw :)), and have gone to the card in my signature. The performance boost has been very substantial - about double imo. So, a GTX780 for £194 is the best option for you right now, and will deliver another 20 - 30% more performance on top of what I've got. :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks. Still not really sure what to do, pay the extra for the 970 or go for the 780 (would that be future proof enough given the 1440p need?). I'm in no real rush but I haven't been following things in the last few years, so is there any expected price drop to be expected any time soon? Or is it more like we have just seen a massive price drop on the high end cards and I might as well goo for it now? (which seems to be the case, from glancing at these forums)
On a side note, Tomb Raider still looks very pretty on my trusted 570! (swaying me towards "why would I actually upgrade after all"?)
 
FlyingPig said:
Thanks. Still not really sure what to do, pay the extra for the 970 or go for the 780 (would that be future proof enough given the 1440p need?). I'm in no real rush but I haven't been following things in the last few years, so is there any expected price drop to be expected any time soon? Or is it more like we have just seen a massive price drop on the high end cards and I might as well goo for it now? (which seems to be the case, from glancing at these forums)
On a side note, Tomb Raider still looks very pretty on my trusted 570! (swaying me towards "why would I actually upgrade after all"?)
Click to expand...

I think as you're a casual gamer, then 1440p with some games at high settings and others not so high should be fine with one 780 or equivalent. If you were intending on pushing standards to a consistent high / ultra, then I'd recommend two 780's / 970's or similar configuration.

As with another thread I was involved in, I should mention that with the 290's you can sell the game codes to make the expense even less, which might well serve you better.
 
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arc@css said:
I came from an overclocked GTX570 (great, great card btw :)), and have gone to the card in my signature. The performance boost has been very substantial - about double imo. So, a GTX780 for £194 is the best option for you right now, and will deliver another 20 - 30% more performance on top of what I've got. :cool:
Click to expand...

Do not rule out the R9 290, it's faster than a GTX 780 in most benchmarks I've come across and comes with 3 games that you can sell making it potentially cheaper than the Nvidia card (was for me).

Still think GTX 970 is the best way to go though if the extra price doesn't matter.
 
One thing to consider is that the GTX 970 is DirectX 12 compatible, the GTX 780/780 Ti is not!!!

While the 780 Ti may have a slight advantage now, that probably won't be the case when Windows 10 and DirectX 12 is released next year....
 
SouthEastBlue said:
Do not rule out the R9 290, it's faster than a GTX 780 in most benchmarks I've come across and comes with 3 games that you can sell making it potentially cheaper than the Nvidia card (was for me).

Still think GTX 970 is the best way to go though if the extra price doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

See post #15.
 
Such a hard decision these days isn't it?
Iv just ordered the 780. Coming from a 7850 i imagine it will be a great upgrade. Those 970's are imo on a £200 budget way out. Thats near 25% extra cost. but is it 25% extra in performance gain. I dunno?
And that 290x after doing some research has a terribly noisy cooler on it.
I feel for you i just made the decision like 2hrs ago :confused:
Saving the money swayed me personally. Plus that cooler on that 290 DAMN! Go Youtube it!
 
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