Upgrading GPU, is new PSU required?

SymTax · 23 Sep 2014 at 00:21

Currently looking at the NVIDIA deals going on and have been tempted to buy a new GPU. Eyeing up the 770's, but unsure if my current 500w PSU can handle it. It's a good 2-4 years old, and wasn't exactly a high quality one when I bought it.

Oh, also using an HD 7850 right now as my GPU. I want a the best upgrade possible for around the £200 mark.

Any help is greatly appreciated. My budget isn't massive, so be gentle.

DaleTheWhale · 23 Sep 2014 at 00:27

What PSU do you currently have, a 970 would be a good option if you can stretch.

SymTax · 23 Sep 2014 at 00:32

Honestly don't know the actual name. It came with my case when I bought it. All I can tell you is it's a CoolerMaster 500w :/

Depends on the price of a 970 aswell, what we looking at here?

Edit: Stretch also depends on if I need a new PSU or not.

DaleTheWhale · 23 Sep 2014 at 00:37

I'd upgrade if it's a PSU that come with a case, normally not the greatest.

YOUR BASKET
1 x KFA2 Geforce GTX 770 EX OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Retail (77XPH6DV6KTZ) £185.99
1 x NZXT Hale Power 90+ 550W '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £43.99
Total : £243.48 (includes shipping : £11.25).

GPU is quite power efficient, also comes with Borderlands: Pre-Sequel which you could keep or sell to recover some money.

SymTax · 23 Sep 2014 at 00:39

Oddly enough that was the GPU I was eyeing up. Any reviews or your opinion on how it would compare against a 7850? I'd want a noticeable upgrade

DaleTheWhale · 23 Sep 2014 at 08:12

What FPS ar you getting currently in games you play?
What monitor do you have and what CPU?

You should expect a nice bump on performance overall, more taxing games will be smoother and high FPS, the 7850 is a good card but you'll be very happy with a 770.

My GTX 680 is still fantastically powerful, (haven't needed SLI that much for games) which is equivalent to a 770 + 10%.

SymTax · 23 Sep 2014 at 09:44

Currently sitting on an i5 2500k and anAsus VN247H 24". FPS isn't too bad, but it's starting to struggle in new games if I want it to look good. Currently trying to play Arma 3, and it just can't cope with it very well.

pastymuncher · 23 Sep 2014 at 11:42

If the psu came with the case then it's a good chance it's the abysmal Elite power 500w that only actually has 360w on the 12v rail so it needs replacing.

Why are people recommending NZXT psu's all of a sudden? Yes Superflower is the oem so it's a quality unit but NZXT has no support in the UK or Europe (see here and here) so if it breaks after a year you are screwed.

DaleTheWhale · 23 Sep 2014 at 15:04

They're a good price for a decent unit that I would expect to last way over a year, however with the crisis of warranty I guess it wouldn't be unreasonable to avoid and grab a superflower for the peace of mind.