GPU Upgrade On "Older" System?

[Venner]

Hey all. I was thinking about upgrading my video card to a single 6870, 6950, or 560ti -- or other, I'm open -- and was wondering
(a) whether my current setup would really benefit,
(b) which you'd recommend, and
(c) whether my PS is still adequate for all of the above. (I figure the answer to c is yes for any given solo card.)

My current desktop rig has been largely unchanged since my last platform upgrade in mid-2006 -- I don't game a lot anymore -- but it'd be nice to be able to play newer titles in full res/detail. A full upgrade / new rig is going to have to wait at least a couple of years, since I just got a new notebook in the fall.

Game Examples:
My de-stressor game is Team Fortress 2, and even that can bog down on the newer maps they've released in the past year -- but I've heard it might be more CPU bound than GPU? (I've heard the same about graphic-modded Oblivion?) Bioshock 2 has serious issues with the legacy drivers ATI/AMD never seem to update, and Stalker: Call of Pripyat is only vaguely playable at lower res & mid-details.

I game at 1920x1200 on a 24" LCD, and would like to go full AS, AA. The computer stays on 24/7, so lower idle power is a plus.

My current setup is as follows:
Intel Core2Duo E6600 @ 2.8Ghz
MSI Radeon X1900 (sometimes x2 in crossfire, but one is about shot.)
MSI 975X Platinum Powerup Ed. mobo
8Gb DDR2 ram
Silverstone Strider 600W SLI PS (4x 12v rails)
Windows 7 x64

Much obliged.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> I game at 1920x1200 on a 24" LCD, and would like to go full AS, AA. The computer stays on 24/7, so lower idle power is a plus.

Then wait a couple of months for fixed motherboards and build a Sandy Bridge system with 2500K CPU and 6950 or 560ti.

A faster CPU like an E8500 would help your current system a bit in some games, but others like Dragon Age do benefit from a fast quad core (not a poky Q6600).

 

[happy medium]

I game at 1920x1200 on a 24" LCD, and would like to go full AS, AA. The computer stays on 24/7, so lower idle power is a plus.

gtx560 has the lowest idle power usage and will play thoses games at max settings very well.

 

[badb0y]

gtx560 has the lowest idle power usage and will play thoses games at max settings very well.

I'd say it's a draw with a number of cards:

 

[Arkaign]

I'd say :

Grab a GTX460 1GB card, oc it a little, and you should see a HUGE performance leap. Then start making plans to back up all of your personal data, sell the whole shebang (minus your 1920x1200 monitor obv), and build fresh with 6950 or GTX560 in a few months. Or, go ahead with the full fledged new GPU, but keep the X1900 to toss back in when you sell the current rig.

To bring your current system up totally to decent spec, you'd have to spend considerable $$ on a Quad Core S775 chip, which should only be considered if you get one for a steal. Your mobo might not even see the 45nm processors correctly anyway (the q8000,9000 series), so if you go that route, check your mfg website for bios and cpu support info. Something like a Q9550 @ 3.5ghz would be a great match for a new GPU like a GTX560 or 6950, but honestly it's a lot of $, and a new build makes more sense when you think of newer versions of PCIE, USB, Sata/Esata, etc, etc.

 

[happy medium]

A more reliable test... and don't forget AMD cards use much more power when watching hd movies.

25 more watts while playing movies for the 6950.

 

[Arkaign]

Hmm, that's odd, the old 5870 uses less juice playing HD movies than the 6950

 

[badb0y]

A more reliable test... and don't forget AMD cards use much more power when watching hd movies.

25 more watts while playing movies for the 6950.

I still think idle consumption is a wash, those HD video power consumption numbers are pretty impressive though.

At your resolution I would buy the GTX 560 Ti, the alternative would be a 6950 2 GB.

If you overclock, both cards are essentially the same thing but if you consider unlocking you can get some free performance with the HD 6950.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

If you plan to go with anything faster than a GTX 460 then you should also plan to upgrade the rest of your system.

My de-stressor game is Team Fortress 2, and even that can bog down on the newer maps they've released in the past year -- but I've heard it might be more CPU bound than GPU? (I've heard the same about graphic-modded Oblivion?) Bioshock 2 has serious issues with the legacy drivers ATI/AMD never seem to update, and Stalker: Call of Pripyat is only vaguely playable at lower res & mid-details.

TF2 is pretty CPU bound, but in these cases you're also GPU-bound. Once you upgrade your GPU then you're bottleneck will shift to the CPU.