Looking for Graphic Card Advice on my Computer

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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Hi,

I build a my computer about 4 years ago. I was just considering if upgrading my current video card would give me any noticeable boast in performance. I don't expect to be able to run any really demanding games or anything, I was specifically look at Guild Wars 2, and maybe Knight of the Old Republic.

I don't want to spend a whole lot of money. I've been out of the loop on new hardware for a few years, so I don't even know what's out there right now.

Here is the spec.

EVGA Nforce 750I SLI
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB x 2
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core
OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready
LG G-H20NS10 Black DVD+RW
EVGA GeForce 8800 GT


Thanks for any help provided. I do live in Canada as well, so if you could suggest sites that are based in Canada would be great!
 
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hokies83

Senior member
Oct 3, 2010
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I think you can get away with 1 Gtx 670 if you over clock the cpu a little.
 

Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
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I am not going to recommend sites since I only know a few Canadian sites but, its just going to come down to what kind of a fps boost you want and what you are willing to spend.

You might see some decent fps by upgrading the entire computer but, I dont know how much. I went from an Intel C2D E6400 to a i5-2500k and it was a pretty big performance difference. Anyways, doesnt sound like you wanted to do that anyways.

Your memory is on the low side, 2GB is pretty low. Most people run with 4-8GB for gaming....

In terms of video cards, again, pick one that you want in the price area and go with that. An 8800GT is pretty old now and sucks quite a bit of power. Those were great cards back then but, pretty outdated now. The lowest upgrade to that in the nvidia line would probably be a GTX 550ti or the GTX 460(if those are even still made). On the AMD side, it would probably be a 7770 or 6770.
 

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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Sorry, when I copy it, I missed adding I have 4 GB of RAM. I have 2 sticks of the RAM listed. I will edit the post to reflect that.

I don't have any plans to build a new computer yet. I was just wondering if a new video would give me enough of a boost to justify the cost.
 
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hokies83

Senior member
Oct 3, 2010
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If that was an 8800 Ultra id be interested in buying it to hang on my wall... lol working on getting one off [H] atm lol.
 

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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I don't really have a price point per say. I was more just wondering how much would I have to spend to get a performance increase that would justify the price and before the rest of my system would just bottle neck it.

If I would need a card that would cost $400 plus, it probably wouldn't be worth it. But if I could get one for $150-$250, it might be worth it at that point.

Also, on a side note, I don't have any brand perference, but considering my motherboard, wouldn't it be better to get an nvidia card?
 

Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
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I run an AMD 5770 right now that I got used for $60, but its also the first time ive owned AMD card in the last 10 years. I prefer nvidia for sure, they have better drivers after using AMD for a while. AMD is still good though.
 

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
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You could get a lot of something up to the HD6870 - that's about $150. I'd cap it at that for your system, especially if you don't have an overclock on your CPU. For reference, an HD6870 has about 2.5x the processing power of an 8800gt - whether you are able to harness all of it depends on how CPU-limited you are. In some games, you would be very CPU-limited at the stock 2.4GHz of your CPU. Don't know about GW2 or KOTOR.

By the way, nVidia does not have any compelling cards under $300. Maybe the GTX560, which is usually slightly slower and slightly more expensive than the 6870. Avoid the 550ti at all costs. It's incredibly overpriced. In that price range the HD7770 is much more compelling.
 

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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You could get a lot of something up to the HD6870 - that's about $150. I'd cap it at that for your system, especially if you don't have an overclock on your CPU. For reference, an HD6870 has about 2.5x the processing power of an 8800gt - whether you are able to harness all of it depends on how CPU-limited you are. In some games, you would be very CPU-limited at the stock 2.4GHz of your CPU. Don't know about GW2 or KOTOR.

By the way, nVidia does not have any compelling cards under $300. Maybe the GTX560, which is usually slightly slower and slightly more expensive than the 6870. Avoid the 550ti at all costs. It's incredibly overpriced. In that price range the HD7770 is much more compelling.


I've had a few people suggest the ATI HD7770. Would that card be worth it? The prices seem simliar between the 6870 and HD7700.
 
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Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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I've had a few people suggest the ATI HD7770. Would that card be worth it? The prices seem simliar between the 6870 and HD7700.

I've also seen the gtx 460 suggested.

If the 7770 and 6870 are the same price, buy the 6870. If the 7770 is less expensive, it becomes a better buy potentially.

The 460 is no longer manufacturered. A crippled version of the 460 was released late in the production cycle - best to avoid the 460 all together to make sure you don't end up with that version.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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Good to know about the 460. I've only really found this one:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...05627&csid=_61

Also, is the 6870 better than the 7700? For some reason I thought the opposite.

6870 is marginally faster, but uses more power. For that reason some recommend the 7770 for those with less beefy PSUs.

Personally, I'd bump up to a 7850, as you may find yourself with a better CPU/mobo, and it's a pretty big jump over the 6870 or 7770.
 

Termie

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Good to know about the 460. I've only really found this one:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...05627&csid=_61

Also, is the 6870 better than the 7700? For some reason I thought the opposite.

That's actually the original 460, probably leftover stock, but it's terribly overpriced.

6870 is marginally faster, but uses more power. For that reason some recommend the 7770 for those with less beefy PSUs.

Personally, I'd bump up to a 7850, as you may find yourself with a better CPU/mobo, and it's a pretty big jump over the 6870 or 7770.

Unless he has imminent plans to upgrade his system, I disagree. The 7850 is approximately 50% more expensive for a 10-15% or so improvement at stock speeds, and even so, he'd be on the edge of cpu-bottlenecking in most games. Not worth it. While you can find games like Skyrim where the VRAM would make a big difference, that also happens to be a game where his CPU will slow things down long before the VRAM matters.
 

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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That's actually the original 460, probably leftover stock, but it's terribly overpriced.



Unless he has imminent plans to upgrade his system, I disagree. The 7850 is approximately 50% more expensive for a 10-15% or so improvement at stock speeds, and even so, he'd be on the edge of cpu-bottlenecking in most games. Not worth it. While you can find games like Skyrim where the VRAM would make a big difference, that also happens to be a game where his CPU will slow things down long before the VRAM matters.


Yeah. This would be a minor upgrade until maybe a coule of years down the road when I start from over and build a new one.

This is my current power supply: OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply. Would you recommened the 7700 or the 6870?
 

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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Yeah. This would be a minor upgrade until maybe a coule of years down the road when I start from over and build a new one.

This is my current power supply: OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply. Would you recommened the 7700 or the 6870?

Your PSU can handle either card. I'd recommend the 6870 unless the 7770 is significantly cheaper (~20%). That's about the performance difference, especially in older games: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=536


OP is in Canada, so that used US card won't work.
 

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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Couple more things. Since my motherboard is made by nvidia, will buying ATI card matter?
Also does it matter is it's from Sapphire, or Power colour or any of the others? Or are they all about the same?
 

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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Couple more things. Since my motherboard is made by nvidia, will buying ATI card matter?
Also does it matter is it's from Sapphire, or Power colour or any of the others? Or are they all about the same?

Buy this card: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=62756&vpn=HD687AZHFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1088

XFX HD6870 for $135AR can't be beat.

Will work fine in your nVidia motherboard. What matters is the PCIe spec, and that board is new enough (2.0) that it shouldn't be a problem.
 

ChaZz182

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Aug 24, 2012
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Sorry for asking so many questions, and thanks for all your help. I was looking at the benchmarks between the HD6870 and the GTX 560 Ti, it seems like the GTX 560 ti is a bit better. Would it just be wasted on my system?

The price seems comparable:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60642&promoid=1088

I figured I would just ask for the hell of it and this isn't the right place but what is the abilities to upgrade a cpu? I remember something about need the right socket. Would that even be possible in my case?
 
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Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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Sorry for asking so many questions, and thanks for all your help. I was looking at the benchmarks between the HD6870 and the GTX 560 Ti, it seems like the GTX 560 ti is a bit better. Would it just be wasted on my system?

The price seems comparable:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60642&promoid=1088

I figured I would just ask for the hell of it and this isn't the right place but what is the abilities to upgrade a cpu? I remember something about need the right socket. Would that even be possible in my case?

The 560ti is definitely a bit faster than the 6870, but it's usually quite a bit more expensive. Either will be fine in your system, although your cpu will limit them to very similar performance, unless you overclock.