New PC Build In Progress

MBentz

Golden Member
Jun 8, 2005
1,049
0
0
It's has been a really long time since I've upgraded my desktop. We are talking Opteron 165, 4GB DDR memory, a Radeon 4870 512MB and a small hard drive. I'm currently in Afghanistan, but not for much longer, and I've been buying the parts for a new build as good deals come around. This is what I've purchased already:

Case: NZXT Phantom
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD4-B3
CPU: i7-2600K
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14
Memory: 16GB PC10666
SSD: 64GB Crucial M4

IIRC, that's what I've got so far. Obviously I'm still looking for good deals on Win7, a HDD, Blu Ray drive and some other odds and ends. I'm fairly certain what PSU I'm going to get, but my question is regarding the video card.

I'll be playing the usual FPS games, Flight Sim X and various sports games. Do you think it would be wise to stick with the Radeon 4870 for the time being, upgrade to a 560 Ti, 570, 6950 or wait for the 7000 and 600 series? The resolution I use is 1920x1080.

Thank you for your help!
 

fffblackmage

Platinum Member
Dec 28, 2007
2,548
0
76
I would definitely upgrade the graphics card. Which one will be determined by how much you're willing to spend.
 

MBentz

Golden Member
Jun 8, 2005
1,049
0
0
I'd say about $400 would be the highest I'm willing to go. I'm not brand loyal either way. But you think upgrading the GPU now would be better than waiting for the next series of graphics cards? (I admit I don't know how long that wait would be.)
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
Waiting will always get you more bang for the buck. IF you don't think that any games you want to play right now will stress the 4870, then it's fine to wait. However, the 4870 is going to be a huge bottleneck in newer games. A good value right now is the 6950 2GB.