Need a recommendation ....

Phaetos

Senior member
Jan 27, 2005
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My current setup:

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820313433
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128571
PS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139026
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129186
APU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113331

Running Win7 Pro 64bit, all latest updates, latest Catalyst drivers for the APU, and I added an older Creative SB X-Fi card to offload the sound duties from the mobo Realtek that sounded horrid.

My original intention for this build was for "low-end" gaming, playing Diablo3 and POE primarily. It works great for them, though I kinda wonder why I can only hit around 30fps in D3.

I have recently starting toying around with "standard" MMO's again, WoW, the new ArcheAge, and recently a friend got me to try out the trial for Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn. I like the game, but it is HARD on graphics. Even at some of the lowest settings and still maintain the appearance of good looking graphics, it kills my rig. Last night while adjusting the settings to try and alleviate the stuttering and lag I was getting, I managed to get the FPS to a whopping 16!! I want to play this game, but will not plunk down monthly money for an experience that irritates me.

So, with my current setup, what card can I get to replace the GPU portion of the APU, without needing a new case, full size mobo, or larger powersupply? Is this possible ? And will it actually make any huge difference in playability? Should I just pop-in the new APU's such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...36&SID=ShopAMD ?

It's the same socket type, and there is a BIOS update to support them.

Which would be the better solution?
 

SoulWager

Member
Jan 23, 2013
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The better solution is adding a discrete GPU. What's your budget?

I'd suggest you go with either the R7 260X or a GTX 970(one of the ones with an 8 pin power connector instead of 2 6 pin power connectors).
 

Phaetos

Senior member
Jan 27, 2005
391
27
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The better solution is adding a discrete GPU. What's your budget?

I'd suggest you go with either the R7 260X or a GTX 970(one of the ones with an 8 pin power connector instead of 2 6 pin power connectors).

Well, since the other half of my finances will toss a fit probably, let's try to keep it under $150?

Will I need a larger PS with either of those cards?

Edit:
Also would it be beneficial to keep it within the same family? Meaning since I have an AMD APU, stick with an AMD/ATI card?

Edit:
Nevermind, looking at the R7's on Newegg, those would be more in my price range. Brand? I see I can get some with 1GB RAM, but then see some with 2GB RAM for $5 less, what's the deal there?
 
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SoulWager

Member
Jan 23, 2013
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Both of those cards will work with that PSU. There's not really any benefit to matching GPU brand to CPU brand. It's mainly a question of features and performance. The options I'd recommend in that price range are AMD's 260x, or Nvidia's 750 Ti. The Nvidia one is a little bit faster, a bit more expensive, and uses significantly less power(it's therefore quieter).

There are some feature considerations too, it's worthwhile to understand what they do before you try to base a decision based on those extra features. There are other video cards in that price range, but most of them are older architectures. In any case, either option is still much better than integrated graphics.
 

Phaetos

Senior member
Jan 27, 2005
391
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Both of those cards will work with that PSU. There's not really any benefit to matching GPU brand to CPU brand. It's mainly a question of features and performance. The options I'd recommend in that price range are AMD's 260x, or Nvidia's 750 Ti. The Nvidia one is a little bit faster, a bit more expensive, and uses significantly less power(it's therefore quieter).

There are some feature considerations too, it's worthwhile to understand what they do before you try to base a decision based on those extra features. There are other video cards in that price range, but most of them are older architectures. In any case, either option is still much better than integrated graphics.

Good info. Digging around on the Newegg options on the R7's, the Gigabyte and MSI cards don't list a wattage minimum for a PS, while an ASUS model lists a 450W minimum.

As far as features go, I guess I just want something that works well, is fairly quiet since the PC sits on my desk about 2.5 ft from my head, and I'm not into overclocking anything anymore these days, it's entirely more complicated than it was 15 - 20 yrs ago when it got started :) From my cursory inspections on the manufacturer sites, they all basically operate the same except for the utility software for them.

Edit:
Looking at the 750Ti offerings, 300W minimum?! That's ALOT less power requirements, that would make me feel a bit more at ease of not overtaxing the system. Does that extra 1GB of RAM on the cards make that big of a difference on performance?
 
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SoulWager

Member
Jan 23, 2013
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VRAM quantity doesn't matter at all unless you run out of it, at which point you go straight to single digit framerates. High quality textures, antialiasing, and high resolutions can chew through VRAM. I'd suggest 2GB at 1080p, but you may get by with 1GB if you have a lower resolution monitor.

Don't pay too much attention to the power supply requirements listed by video card manufacturers. They don't know how power hungry the rest of your system is, or the quality of your power supply. The rule of thumb I go by for a normal system is add 250w to the maximum power draw of your video card(s). I get power draw numbers from techpowerup, as their method measures the power draw of just the video card, without the rest of the system thrown in. Toms is starting to test power draw like this as well, but they don't have that data for nearly as many video cards. This rule of thumb assumes a power supply that can actually deliver it's rated spec. Corsair is pretty safe, but aside from a handful of top brands, you need to check reviews first (not consumer reviews, professional reviews with actual load tests: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page541.htm ).
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Definitely add a discrete gpu. Either of the choices seem fine. I personally like the 750 Ti for its efficiency, but you might get better performance per dollar with AMD. See what kind of performance that gives. WoW and other mmo type games also like fast single core CPU performance, so you could also run into CPU limitations, but it should be a very good improvement.
 

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
10,208
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Kaveri won't work on your motherboard- it requires FM2+, not FM2.

I say go with the Radeon 260X- it will fit fine in your case, work fine on that power supply, and give you the best performance for your money in that price range.
 

Phaetos

Senior member
Jan 27, 2005
391
27
91
Thanks for the info guys(assuming ya'll are both guys :) ) . Now to see how much the other half will allow me to get away with.