Help me spend my money! (template filled out)

[Justinat0r]

System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU:

i7-860 Processor (8M Cache, 2.80 GHz)


II. Current Graphics Card:

ATI Radeon 5770 1GB


III. Display Resolution:

1920x1080


IV. Power Supply Unit Specification:

600W Thermaltake Purepower W0121ru


V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent):

Dell Studio case, moved around parts inside to allow for 13" x 5" x 3" clearance


Purchase Details:

I. Budget?

$400 - I prefer shipping with Amazon as I have Amazon Prime, but I am not adverse to purchasing from other places when Prime Shipping is not available on the product I am interested in.


II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)?

My current case has awful cooling and indeed I plan on upgrading it and swapping out parts at some point in the future, but as for right now I'm stuck with it so I was looking for a card with two fans / exceptional cooling. Right now I have a reference 5770 which barely cools me GPU, I've seen it run as high as 95C during heavy gameplay.


III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI?

No, I have a Dell system which only supports single-GPU


IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs?

Going back and forth between a GTX560ti 1GB 448 core and a Radeon 6950 2GB, although I am extremely interested in being future proofed so I could be talked into going higher than that so long as I don't have to buy another GPU before I need to upgrade my CPU. Also I am eager to see the 7870's performance when it releases.


V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play?

Skyrim, BF3, Kingdoms of Amalur, Just Cause 2, TF2, MW3


VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?

No, I have a Dell mobo which doesn't allow overclocking


Additional Notes

A little over a year ago I bought a Dell Studio SX8100-1986NBC, because I wanted to get into PC gaming. So far the system has served me well and it has played every game I've thrown at it, but I am starting to get graphics lag in the newest games (BF3 mainly). I decided that I'd upgrade a few components, I upgraded the PSU to a 650W, and right now I'm debating on a graphics card and possibly a case upgrade. (Although, I'm clueless as to if Dell has any proprietary parts which will make changing out cases a nightmarish task)

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Ahh dell case. What kind of length do we have to play with?

Also, I know it isn't elegant, but in the mean time you might just want to run the computer with the side panel off.

Dell internals almost certainly will not transfer to a standard ATX computer case. I'm quite surprised the PSU mounts are standard. Best case scenario: you'll need to drill holls and make stand offers for your motherboard. Worst case: The motherboard is oriented so ass backwards weird that you can't mount it at all.

Actually, from the pictures I found of that Dell model, everything looks pretty standard on the inside. You may be in luck as far as the system being transferable to a standard case.

ATX layout so you can see if your motherboard follows this spec:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk/11008/pic-2.png

 

[billbobaggins87]

so just a GPU?.... nothing is future proof..its just a matter of time and how much your looking to spend. that should depict your options.

single gpu and your looking to spend 400 i would say grab a used GTX580. However, wait till the new Kepler chip is out.That will hopefully make the graphics card market change and adjust the prices. After that card is released there will be a different resulting answer.

The only issue to all of that is when the card is released? do you wait? that's your choice and how long..

 

[Justinat0r]

Ahh dell case. What kind of length do we have to play with?

Also, I know it isn't elegant, but in the mean time you might just want to run the computer with the side panel off.

Dell internals almost certainly will not transfer to a standard ATX computer case. I'm quite surprised the PSU mounts are standard. Best case scenario: you'll need to drill holls and make stand offers for your motherboard. Worst case: The motherboard is oriented so ass backwards weird that you can't mount it at all.

Actually, from the pictures I found of that Dell model, everything looks pretty standard on the inside. You may be in luck as far as the system being transferable to a standard case.

ATX layout so you can see if your motherboard follows this spec:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/techtalk/11008/pic-2.png

I took a look and honestly, I'm still not sure... This is my motherboard if it helps (0T568R also referred to as the T568R), I found the model with CPU-Z

http://www.notebookparts.com/products/description.php?II=53027

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-XPS-8100-MotherBoard-T568R/dp/B004BH5JP4

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Motherboard atx compatibility aside, are there any length restrictions? That is really the only factor holding you back.

I wouldn't recommend much in the 400 dollar range. That puts you in gtx 580 range, but not quite a 7950. A new gtx 580 is a bad buy, but a used one might be a great buy. Significantly faster than your 5770 and should be well under 400 used.

 

[Fire&Blood]

The one component that would have the most impact on your setup is a video card and you already removed a possible problem by installing a better power supply. What kind of PCIE connectors does the power supply have? Can you post exact details of the power supply? If it has 2 6-pin connectors, your best bet is to wait until Kepler either introduces a new GPU that fits you well or at the very least, pushes the pricing of the 7950 down into your $400 budget, right now it's ~$50 above. Out of all cards out there, the best performing one that doesn't utilize at least one (some do both) 8-pin connector is the 7950. Since you already have an OK video card, you could wait for Kepler and re-evaluate then. Not sure what the cause for the rather high temps of your current GPU is, a non reference card with 2 fans like the Sapphire 7950 OC may be a better choice. The clearance you listed should fit every dual slot bad boy in there.

 

[Borealis7]

with your budget i'd go with a Radeon 7950. its an awesome card that'll last you for at least 2-3 years.

and GPU overclocking (which the 7950 begs for) is not related to the MoBo, it is separate form the CPU and you SHOULD o/c any modern GPU especially the AMD 79XX series.

the other choice would be to wait till April for some Kepler GPUs from nVidia.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

*checks to see if the OP has a nice psu instead of dells OEM* okay. You're good. I would recommend a 6950 2gb...

 

[Justinat0r]

Yeah, I think ultimately I'm just going to wait and see what comes out, is anyone able to eye-ball that link I sent and tell me if it is a standard ATX mobo? I tried to decipher the guide someone posted without any luck. Also an update on my PSU, it looks like I was wrong about the type of PSU/wattage. My friend bought it for me at a computer show and it turns out it's a Thermaltake Purepower W0121ru

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153077

 

[Fire&Blood]

Yeah, I think ultimately I'm just going to wait and see what comes out, is anyone able to eye-ball that link I sent and tell me if it is a standard ATX mobo?

ATX. http://www.aliexpress.com/product-f...oard-tested-ok-free-shipping-wholesalers.html

Your power supply is a bit of mystery, the OEM page is empty under the specifications tab, out of the 3 reviews listed there, 2 sites are out of business, the third one I never liked and the model number they tested is a different than yours.

Comparing current GPU's power draw to the latest cards, it *should* drive a 7950 without issues. A Sapphire 7950 OC with 2 fans sounds like a perfect match, relatively low power draw but just above your budget, (Kepler might change that) good cooling to offset the case oven and 2 6-pin connector (not a fan of 4-pin to x-pin connectors).

 

[gladiatorua]

Spend a bit more and take 7950 with 3gb or wait a bit and get 1.5gb 7950.

 

[Justinat0r]

Spend a bit more and take 7950 with 3gb or wait a bit and get 1.5gb 7950.

I am continuously told by people on these boards that the RAM on the card is only important if you are gaming at resolutions which are 1080p+. I use two monitors but I only game on one monitor in 1920x1080, so I wonder if the 1.5gb would be good enough for me. Or if in a few years 2gb+ will be the required standard

 

[gladiatorua]

1.5gb SHOULD be enough for you.The one game that I know(well, not really know, just heard some claims) of that can utilize >1.5gb video memory is BF3. I doubt you will get significant performance hit/advantage. If you intend to use your card for a long time you might spend a bit more and feel safer whether this investment pays out or not.
You can always buy a third monitor or utilize both monitors in gaming. 50 bucks is not that big of difference.

 

[Fire&Blood]

As for VRAM, I doubt that the price differential between 1.5GB and 2GB version will be significant enough.

There is no ultimate method of future proofing, though there is a little more leeway since SLI/CF introduction. We can't predict exact performance/feature gains that each new generation brings as well as subjective improvements new engines may bring.

The closest to future proofing one can get is to assume that the current launch frequency variable of 1 generation per year from both AMD & Nvidia is a constant, therefore wait just after both AMD & Nvidia release newest generations and allow the pricing/performance of both latest generations to start impacting each other before buying.

I wish I'm wrong but I think even if one OEM designs a GPU that's twice as good as the predecessor/competitor, they won't simply hand it to the consumer, rather expect an elaborate setup to milk the most out of the superior architecture.

 

[Justinat0r]

As for VRAM, I doubt that the price differential between 1.5GB and 2GB version will be significant enough.

There is no ultimate method of future proofing, though there is a little more leeway since SLI/CF introduction. We can't predict exact performance/feature gains that each new generation brings as well as subjective improvements new engines may bring.

The closest to future proofing one can get is to assume that the current launch frequency variable of 1 generation per year from both AMD & Nvidia is a constant, therefore wait just after both AMD & Nvidia release newest generations and allow the pricing/performance of both latest generations to start impacting each other before buying.

I wish I'm wrong but I think even if one OEM designs a GPU that's twice as good as the predecessor/competitor, they won't simply hand it to the consumer, rather expect an elaborate setup to milk the most out of the superior architecture.

Isn't this what Nvidia did with the 8800GT?