• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Do I need a new graphics card?

T

thetuna

Member
What I have now:

i5-760 @ 4GHz + GTX 470 @ 850/1850MHz

The problem is I recently went from a 1440x900 monitor to a 2560x1440, and I can't max out things like Skyrim with HD textures anymore 🙁

So, the question is, would I be able to MAX out at this resolution with any new card I can get for under $500?
Or would the processor be holding me back and I have to upgrade that too?
 
Maybe an overclocked 7970 or GTX 670 would work at that resolution.

I haven't seen any real numbers using mods and HD texture packs in skyrim at that resolution though.
 
Nice overclock on the 760. And see above.

A 670 is around twice as fast as a 570 nevermind a 470.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga/13

46441.png


edit:

To clarify, with the overclock you've got on the 760 I don't think that will limit you. Not for Skyrim anyway.
 
Last edited:
You won't get 100% increase like with a 2600k or 3930k. But instead of 100% you will probably get 60-70% out of every 100 for example. In short, it is worth upgrading though to fully use a 670 I recommend a 2600k or above
 
aaksheytalwar said:
You won't get 100% increase like with a 2600k or 3930k. But instead of 100% you will probably get 60-70% out of every 100 for example. In short, it is worth upgrading though to fully use a 670 I recommend a 2600k or above
Click to expand...

??? He has a 4.0ghz overclock? A 760 default operates at 2.6 (a 17% deficit) to the 3.4 of a 2600k.

It scores 10-30% lower on average at stock clocks.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/191?vs=287

At 4.0 he has a 17% clock advantage over a 2600k stock.

Yes the 2600k can overclock too (4.2+), but I really really doubt you're going to see a 30% advantage over a 760 at 4.0.
 
Last edited:
aaksheytalwar said:
You won't get 100% increase like with a 2600k or 3930k. But instead of 100% you will probably get 60-70% out of every 100 for example. In short, it is worth upgrading though to fully use a 670 I recommend a 2600k or above
Click to expand...

Name 1 game other than BF3 multiplayer at 2560x1440/1600 where 3930K significantly increases performance over i5 760 @ 4.0ghz? You realize that Sandy Bridge/IVB is just 15% faster per clock than Lynnfield is? 4.0ghz i5 760 is about as fast as a 3.4ghz 2500K. At 2560x1440, unless you are playing strategy games, you are going to be almost entirely GPU bottlenecked with a single card.

Also, at that resolution, GTX670 isn't the best card either. HD7970 will be noticeably faster.

20_797-1_vs_68_big.png


thetuna, your best "value" upgrade is HD7950 for $320 with an overclock to 1.1ghz+. For top single-GPU at that resolution I'd buy an HD7970. If you want to completely max out games at 50-60 FPS, then you'd want 2x HD7950 Oced in CF.

I think GTX670 is an outstanding card for 1080P and 1200P but 2560x1440 is 78% higher number of pixels than 1080P and GTX670 starts to struggle (but honestly even GTX680/7970 also do).

Here is a review that includes a wide variety of games:
http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/grafikkarten/2012/test-amd-radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition/4/

If you don't care to overclock, HD7970 Vortex II with 1100mhz clocks will be about 20-25% faster than GTX670 at your resolution for $450.

skyrim_2560_1600.gif
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the replies!
This is very exciting, I thought I was going to have to replace my CPU too...

How do you guys think a 670/680 with 4GB of vram would stack up against a HD7970?

(And I guess I should have put in the OP, I'm a bit leery of AMD, and against dual-GPU altogether)
 
You need a new card because of a lack of vram for the settings you wish to run.

At 850Mhz you're almost as fast as a 580, which is about what, 30% slower than a stock 7970?

I'd get a 3GB or 4GB card since your biggest load will be video memory.

At 1080p the 580 was faster (at least in this review) than the 7970.

Skyrim%20AA%201080.png


However even without HD texture mods the 580's 1.5GB of vram was not enough to allow it to run 3x1080p.

Skyrim%20AA%205760.png


I can run 5900x1080 but not with a HD texture pack, only a few weapon texture mods and other game play mods with FXAA only.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top