Do I need a new graphics card?

[thetuna]

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?

 

[cmdrdredd]

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.

 

[Sable]

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

edit:

To clarify, with the overclock you've got on the 760 I don't think that will limit you. Not for Skyrim anyway.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

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

 

[Schmide]

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

??? 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.

 

[SolMiester]

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

LOL

 

[RussianSensation]

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

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.

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.

 

[thetuna]

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)

 

[cmdrdredd]

For skyrim an overclocked 670 or 680 is superior to a 7970.

 

[Agent-A01]

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

edit:

To clarify, with the overclock you've got on the 760 I don't think that will limit you. Not for Skyrim anyway.

a 670 is not twice as fast as a 570, not even close. its limited by vram

 

[BallaTheFeared]

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.

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

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.

 

[Schmide]

For skyrim an overclocked 670 or 680 is superior to a 7970.

Considering they don't make a 3gb 680, at the resolution the OP wants, not so much.

 

[Pandora's Box]

modded skyrim + 2560x1600 = 7970 3GB

 

[thetuna]

modded skyrim + 2560x1600 = 7970 3GB

Looking at your sig, we have almost the same CPU setup.
Do you find that most games can push your 7970 all the way? Or do you hit a CPU wall?