Need A New GPU

[techno_smd]

System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU:

Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz Memory: Corsair 8 GB(4x4 G.B.)

II. Current Graphics Card:

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 9800+

III. Display Resolution:

1920x1200


IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications:

Powe & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad/Black

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

Antec 900



Purchase Details:

I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option.

$300

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

Nothing

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

No

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

No

V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?

Call of Duty Black Ops-II
Medal of Honor Warfighter
Crysis 3

Maximum Details possible in Budget

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

No

 

[FalseChristian]

Grab a GTX 660 2GB. It's 70% faster than my GTX 460 1GB and costs around $229.

 

[AustinInDallas]

7950. Plus free games
Edit: only downside is no physx, so borderlands won't look as cool, but everything else will be awesome

 

[Termie]

Welcome to the forums!

With a stock q9550, I'd aim for the HD7850, or potentially the HD7870 if you can get it for no more than $30 extra.

Warfighter is particularly GPU-limited in singleplayer (http://www.techspot.com/review/591-medal-of-honor-warfighter-benchmarks/page6.html), but Crysis 2 (http://www.techspot.com/review/379-crysis-2-performance/page8.html) and MW3 were not, so you'll likely be held back by your CPU in the sequels to those games.

Just for reference, a stock 2500k is over 50% faster than a stock q9550, and while that doesn't come into play in certain games, it does have an effect in most modern games. Unless you also intend to upgrade your CPU in the next 6-12 months, don't spend over about $220 on your GPU.

 

[Shmee]

I agree with Termie. And welcome to the forums!

 

[techno_smd]

Thanks everyone for valuable advice, specially Termie. I am planning an update in 12-18 month period, but will I be able to play current games like Black Ops-2 and Crysis-3 at reasonable frame rate with current hardware by adding 7870 or 7950?

 

[techno_smd]

Keeping in mind I am going to upgrade in a year or so, what will be the best option 7870 or 7950?

As I don't want to buy a GPU just for 1 year and then upgrade again with system upgrade.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Keeping in mind I am going to upgrade in a year or so, what will be the best option 7870 or 7950?

As I don't want to buy a GPU just for 1 year and then upgrade again with system upgrade.

Well if you want the best and afford it, the 7950 will be your best bet. You will not have to upgrade that card for atleast 4 years

 

[Termie]

Thanks everyone for valuable advice, specially Termie. I am planning an update in 12-18 month period, but will I be able to play current games like Black Ops-2 and Crysis-3 at reasonable frame rate with current hardware by adding 7870 or 7950?

12-18 months is a long time. You're talking about the successor to Haswell, potentially.

Think of it this way: for $210 today, you can buy an HD7870 that will not be maxed out in any modern game on your CPU, and use the money saved towards buying a GPU that will be 50% faster for $150 in 18 months.

HD7870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&PageSize=20

Or, you could spend $280 today for an HD7950, get essentially the exact same performance as you would on an HD7870 for 18 months, and then not have saved any money towards buying a new GPU that will be faster for $150.

HD7950: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%207950

Truth of the matter is, you would definitely see the benefits of a GPU upgrade now, but your CPU is right behind it in terms of needing an upgrade. If you have $300 total, spend $210 today on a GPU and put the rest towards a CPU upgrade in the spring. Multiple forum members here have recently upgraded older quad systems (not to mention dual systems) for gaming and found new CPUs to have a significant effect. The HD7870 is no slouch - you're talking 3x faster than your current GPU, versus perhaps 3.5x faster with an HD7950.