Need advice on upgrading my 9800gtx+

[Shaydza]

Hi guys. I currently have my old faithful 9800gtx+ but it is getting a bit long in the tooth. I am considering taking it out and shooting it.

I have been looking at the 7770 or the 7750 but I am a bit unsure whether these would be and upgrade to the card. With electricity prices going through the roof here in South Africa a card that users considerably preceded juice really appeals to me.

I am running a core i3 2100 and would like games to run on high in 1080p at 30+ FPS. Would these cards do this and would they be faster than my current card?

 

[Ketchup]

Hi guys. I currently have my old faithful 9800gtx+ but it is getting a bit long in the tooth. I am considering taking it out and shooting it.

I have been looking at the 7770 or the 7750 but I am a bit unsure whether these would be and upgrade to the card.... Would these cards do this and would they be faster than my current card?

The 7770 and 7750 would be a noticeable upgrade.

 

[moriz]

The 7770 would be an upgrade. The 7750 would be a sidegrade. Not counting the new features, of course.

 

[Ketchup]

I am running a core i3 2100 and would like games to run on high in 1080p at 30+ FPS. Would these cards do this and would they be faster than my current card?

It all depends on what games you play. My 9800 GTX+ runs every game I have at 1080, giving me at least 40 FPS.

 

[kalrith]

I think a 6870 would be a better upgrade right now. I'm not sure what prices are like in your area, but here both Amazon and Newegg have it for $145 AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150561

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...M?tag=at055-20

It's roughly 25% faster than the 7770. They were $140 AR yesterday, but it's still probably your best bet at that price range.

 

[Shaydza]

So the 7750 is approximately the same as the 9800gtx+? That doesn't sound right. they are 5 years apart from each other.

 

[kalrith]

So the 7750 is approximately the same as the 9800gtx+? That doesn't sound right. they are 5 years apart from each other.

I couldn't find a good direct comparison of the two cards. The 9800GTX+ is 30% slower than a 4870, and here's a comparison between the 4870 and 7750: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/513?vs=535

The 7750 would probably be about 35% faster than a 9800GTX+. Some would consider that a sidegrade. IMO something needs to be at least 50% faster to be a solid upgrade.

A 7770 would be about 62% faster than your card, which is definitely a solid upgrade. The problem is that it's the same price as the 6870, which would be about 123% faster than your card :biggrin:.

Here's a comparison between the 6870 and 7770: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=536

It's a big win for the 6870 except in Skyrim. In the US, the 6870 and 7770 are roughly the same price, so it's a no-brainer unless you need the features of the 7770 or play nothing but Skyrim.

 

[fbeckinsale]

I was recently in you position. I have used a 9800 gtx(non plus version) since it came out. I upgraded to an MSI 7850 and couldn't be happier. Currently working on OC'ing, have it up to 1Ghz (from 900 stock, msi preoverclocked it a bit). If you have the extra money for one, its a noticable difference between a 7850 and 7770.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=536

 

[-Slacker-]

An HD7770 should speed up your framerates significantly, but I'd go with an HD7850 instead. That way you can improve both on FPS and visuals at the same time.

 

[kalrith]

While I agree that the 7850 is a nice card, its performance relative to the 6870 shows that its price/performance is much worse. The cheapest price I could find was $257 shipped compared to $145 AR for the 6870.

That means the 7850 costs 77% more but is only 31% faster than the 6870. If you ignore Skyrim (which for some reason the 6870 does very poorly at 1920x1200), then the 7850 is only 25% faster. To have the same price/performance as the 6870, it would have to be priced at no more than $190.

Edit: Just to clarify, I do think the 7850 is a great card. If I were buying a 7xxx card, then it would either be that or the 7870. I think the 7850 is at a better price for performance than the 7770. It's just a hard price to swallow if you compare it to the 6870. Personally I'll pick up a 7850 or Nvidia equivalent once they're down around $200. For now my 4870 will have to suffice.

 

[Shaydza]

Thanks guys... Any chance somebody is gonna bring out a single slot 7770 variant? Also looking at slapping one in my HTPC.

Otherwise I am gonna go 7770 in my gaming PC and 7750 in the HTPC for the missus to jam games on the 46 inch.

 

[happyboy]

If you want to salvage your 8800, my vote is for you to just get another card and use that 8800 as psyhx.

 

[Shaydza]

If you want to salvage your 8800, my vote is for you to just get another card and use that 8800 as psyhx.

Thanks for the advice happy boy but I am trying to move away from needing a personal nuclear reactor to power my PC. As I mentioned before, power prices have gone up significantly and we are looking down the barrel of 3 25% increases In the next 3 years so I don't want an energy hog.

I have already swapped out my light bulbs to LED's and changed my geyser, "hot water heater", to solar. Just my fridge and PC to go efficient as well.

Lol we are going green in South Africa whether we like it or not.

When this is all over we will be paying about $. 25 per kilowatt hour

We are transitioning from some of the cheapest power in the world to some of the most expensive and it is a jarring change.

 

[RavenSEAL]

+1 on the 6870