GPU for i3-4330, 5770 upgrade

[Danrr]

Hi to all,

I'm new to the forums but I have been lurking the threads from time to time, currently I'm updating my current PC:

AMD Phenom II X2 555 (X3) 3.2 ghz
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
4 GB A-DATA DDR3 1600 RAM
AMD 5770 XFX
500GB Hard drive
600W PSU

With the following parts:

Intel Core i3-4330 3.5 Ghz
ASRock H97M Pro4
8GB RAM Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600
GPU goes here
Crucial MX-100 SSD 128GB x2
600W PSU

I have a budget of $100-$150 currently, I have to deal with import taxes and the freight to Mexico, if the deal is good I can spend $200 max.

What could be the best upgrade/replacement for my old 5770?

 

[Red Hawk]

I'd look for a good deal on a Radeon R9-270. They sit right at $150 USD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600481061&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=30

If the extra costs you mention make that a bit too much, then go for an R7-265.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600489396&IsNodeId=1&name=Radeon%20R7%20265&Order=PRICE&Pagesize=30

 

[Burpo]

Buy used.. You can get a mint R9 280X w/3gb for around $150 on ebay..

 

[SPBHM]

for the i3 is much safer to go with nvidia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQzLU4HWw2U

GTX 660 or GTX 760 if you can find

 

[Danrr]

I'd look for a good deal on a Radeon R9-270. They sit right at $150 USD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600481061&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=30

If the extra costs you mention make that a bit too much, then go for an R7-265.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600489396&IsNodeId=1&name=Radeon%20R7%20265&Order=PRICE&Pagesize=30

Thanks for your reply, I saw a some reviews and I think I will aim for the 270.

Buy used.. You can get a mint R9 280X w/3gb for around $150 on ebay..

Normally I don't buy at eBay, but I will search there too, thanks.

 

[Danrr]

for the i3 is much safer to go with nvidia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQzLU4HWw2U

GTX 660 or GTX 760 if you can find

Mmm... but that's just 1 game, in most reviews I saw the AMD cards performs better in the price range.

I will search for those cards too, thanks.

 

[Red Hawk]

Most reviews probably test with quad core processors rather than dual core. SPBHM does have a point. Really, the best thing would be to have a quad core processor. A dual core processor is going to increasingly fall short with modern games.

 

[Danrr]

Most reviews probably test with quad core processors rather than dual core. SPBHM does have a point. Really, the best thing would be to have a quad core processor. A dual core processor is going to increasingly fall short with modern games.

Well I not consider my self to be a hardcore gamer, I'm more a casual gamer. And since I already bought the parts I will have to stick with the i3 for the moment.

Also the GTX 760 is selling around $200-$250 which is out of my budget.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[SPBHM]

yes basically all reviews are made using i7s, it's not just one game, from other CPU bound gaming tests from gamegpu/pclab there is a clear pattern, Nvidia GPUs seem to have lower CPU overhead.

if you have an i5 I don't see a problem with the AMD cards, but for an i3 I would be worried, and from my years of using i3 + AMD (but older stuff) I always had worse CPU bottlenecks than reviews (using NV GPUs) would lead me to believe I should have,

and on another new title, "The Crew" they noticed the same problem with i3 + AMD

"On the face of it, The Crew's GPU requirements are relatively light for a great experience. However, similar to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare we found that performance on AMD cards (we tested the R9 270X and R9 280) was considerably impacted in city areas when paired with a Core i3 CPU, whereas the Nvidia GTX 760 - which sits in the middle of the two AMD cards generally - worked just fine on the dual core processor. Once again it seems that AMD requires a better CPU to get the most out of the graphics card. Switching to a Core i5 saw the frame-rate drops we saw all but disappear."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-the-crew-face-off

GTX 660 is a fine card and easy to find for less than $150, slower than the 270 but with the i3, on CPU bound situations I think it would deliver a better experience.

 

[96Firebird]

What games do you play?

 

[Danrr]

yes basically all reviews are made using i7s, it's not just one game, from other CPU bound gaming tests from gamegpu/pclab there is a clear pattern, Nvidia GPUs seem to have lower CPU overhead.

if you have an i5 I don't see a problem with the AMD cards, but for an i3 I would be worried, and from my years of using i3 + AMD (but older stuff) I always had worse CPU bottlenecks than reviews (using NV GPUs) would lead me to believe I should have,

and on another new title, "The Crew" they noticed the same problem with i3 + AMD

"On the face of it, The Crew's GPU requirements are relatively light for a great experience. However, similar to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare we found that performance on AMD cards (we tested the R9 270X and R9 280) was considerably impacted in city areas when paired with a Core i3 CPU, whereas the Nvidia GTX 760 - which sits in the middle of the two AMD cards generally - worked just fine on the dual core processor. Once again it seems that AMD requires a better CPU to get the most out of the graphics card. Switching to a Core i5 saw the frame-rate drops we saw all but disappear."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-the-crew-face-off

GTX 660 is a fine card and easy to find for less than $150, slower than the 270 but with the i3, on CPU bound situations I think it would deliver a better experience.

Well... now I can't decide which one to buy lol, will have to research more to pick one.

Thanks for your reply, I maybe upgrade the CPU to an i5 in mid 2015 so getting a bottleneck with a vid card now could pay off.

What games do you play?

Currently:

Skyrim
CSGO
Heroes & Generals
DAYZ

and
GTA V (when it comes out)

 

[SPBHM]

I can see GTA V working a lot better with 660 + i3 than 270 + i3, but we will have to wait to be sure;

Skyrim and CSGO are not all that demanding, Dayz performs poorly in any hardware, Heroes and Generals is sponsored by Nvidia, but I don't know the game well enough, and the i3 should handle it fine with the radeon.