Video card upgrade advice

faetal on 8/4/2013 at 13:49

I currently have a GeForce GTX460 with 1GB of DDR5 memory ((http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510) THIS.

I want to future-proof myself for a bit basically and the 1GB is starting to show when I'm running Skyrim with mods. However, I have been out of the loop with PC tech since I started my PhD and I don't have a feel for what is good for the money anymore, so would greatly appreciate any tips at all.

bikerdude on 8/4/2013 at 16:08

Afternoon

Can you give me the following info and I'll recommend a gfx card to upgrade too.

Powersupply - make/model.
Motherboard - make/model.
Computer case - make/model.
And lastly - your budget.

:cool:

faetal on 8/4/2013 at 20:50

I knew I could rely on you Bikerdude :)

1) OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU - 120mm Fan SLI Ready ATX12v v2.2
2) Asus COMMANDO P965 Socket 775 Onboard Audio ATX
3) AKASA 120mm Amber series 3pin Ultra quiet case fan

For budget, let's say £300

bikerdude on 8/4/2013 at 22:54

Quote Posted by faetal

* How long have you had that PSU, those GXS units have a rep for dying. But if it aint died yet you may have a good'n.
* I was about to slate the mobo for being old, but it has impressive specs for its age, so should last you a while longer.
* Whats the make and model of the pc case though, will it take a a full length gfx card?

For that budget I recommend the same card as I have ((http://www.businessdirect.bt.com/products/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-670-980mhz-2gb-pci-express-3-0-hdmi-overclock-82X8.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product%20search&utm_content=QE00) Gigabyte GV-N670OC-2GD), the 670 will be a lot faster than your old card, will use power and will run cooler as it comes with a vapor cooler and 3x90mm fans.

voodoo47 on 9/4/2013 at 07:25

looking at the motherboard, his cpu is probably going to be a bit older as well - can't say for sure before he posts what kind of cpu he has, but I would say a 670 is an overkill for pretty much anything Socket 775 based, unless he has one of the top "extreme" models.

faetal on 9/4/2013 at 07:40

I forgot I'd upgraded my PSU more recently:

PSU: OCZ GameXStream 850W PSU - Silent 120mm Blue LED Fan 4x PCI-E 6x SATA
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66GHz Socket 775 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache Retail Boxed Processor
RAM: 2 x Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Memory Kit CL5 1.8v

I was wondering if the CPU might be a bottleneck as I bought the board in 2008.

voodoo47 on 9/4/2013 at 08:00

correct. anything over gf660 (non-ti) is a waste of money.

faetal on 9/4/2013 at 08:57

Ok, so any suggestions for a 2gb card which isn't going to be held back by my CPU?

EDIT: HOw about (http://bit.ly/10J15uB) THIS?

EDIT 2: Or maybe even (http://www.ebuyer.com/435085-evga-gtx-650-superclocked-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-mini-hdmi-pci-e-graphics-02g-p4-2653-kr) THIS?

voodoo47 on 9/4/2013 at 09:56

I would go for the (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006662&IsNodeId=1&Description=660&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20) cheapest 660 you can find, that card should provide a nice last performance boost before you retire the pc completely. the 650 is too slow to be considered an upgrade for a 460.

faetal on 9/4/2013 at 10:53

Ok, (http://www.ebuyer.com/396967-gigabyte-gv-n660oc-2gd-660-gv-n660oc-2gd) THIS is the cheapest one I can find from my preferred supplier. The other option of course being eBay, but a quick look tells me I won't save enough money for it to be worth it.

Thanks for the advice. I'll go with the one I've linked here I think. I'll probably build a new machine in a year or so, just need the extra GB of memory to get more out of my heavily modded games (Skyrim, Fallout 3).