Upgrade a GTX 550 Ti - mid range

[Malladine]

I have a friend with a 550 Ti on an AM3 mb with a Phenom II 965 (w/12GB RAM which I told him he doesn't need more of). He doesn't want to pay big(ger) money (>200) for a video card so I advised either a 750 Ti or, if he is OK with a bit more $, with AMD and with a louder card: an R9 270X.

For CPU I gave him two options (and explained he wouldn't see 100% out of either of the GPUs without a faster CPU):

1) Get an FX 8350 and keep the MB (AM3+ runs on an AM3 mb right?) (~30% CPU boost?)
2) Go Intel for superior gaming performance at least mid range with a Core i5 3470 and a Asrock Z77 mb.

Thoughts?

 

[Attic]

If sticking with AMD platform, the 8350 and an R9 270 with an OC on both. No need for 270x. The 750ti is an option, but too slow for serious gaming from what i've seen. R9 270's are basically silent when gaming IME. I've used Asus 270, MSI 270, Sapphire 270. Prefer Asus for this card based on experience.

Used R9 270's are dropping all over the place for ~$100 shipped to your door.

 

[Denithor]

One suggestion - upgrade the GPU first and see if that takes care of his needs before even messing with the CPU. The 550 Ti is a really crappy card for gaming, even when launched it wasn't a serious contender.

If you are looking at used parts, look into a GTX 660 Ti or 670 or a 7950/7970, should be options available in the $150-200 range. If looking at new cards, I would aim at the GTX 760 or the R9 280, the lower end cards just don't pack enough power to push games properly.

 

[I/O]

The 8350 is an extremely high TDP part and will melt most motherboards jk. You need a great high end mother board if you want to be OCing the FX 8350.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

1) Get an FX 8350 and keep the MB (AM3+ runs on an AM3 mb right?) (~30% CPU boost?)
2) Go Intel for superior gaming performance at least mid range with a Core i5 3470 and a Asrock Z77 mb.

Not necessarily. AM3 CPUs are forward compatible with AM3+ boards, but not the other way round. You might be lucky depending on the specific board in question, but check the manufacturers webpage for CPU support. Also, you can be unlucky that it only supports first generation Bulldozer/Zambezi, but not 2nd generation Piledriver/Vishera.

If you decide to change CPU and mainboard, there is absolutely no reason not to get something Haswell-based at this point. Actually the H81 has more-or-less feature equality with the Z77.

 

[I/O]

If you decide to change CPU and mainboard, there is absolutely no reason not to get something Haswell-based at this point. Actually the H81 has more-or-less feature equality with the Z77.

The only reason I can think of is that feature rich and quality motherboards from Intel and partners are really expensive.

 

[AtenRa]

What games does he play and what resolution?? Phenom II 965 will be fine for the R9 270X at 1080p in the vast majority of games.

 

[Techhog]

One suggestion - upgrade the GPU first and see if that takes care of his needs before even messing with the CPU. The 550 Ti is a really crappy card for gaming, even when launched it wasn't a serious contender.

If you are looking at used parts, look into a GTX 660 Ti or 670 or a 7950/7970, should be options available in the $150-200 range. If looking at new cards, I would aim at the GTX 760 or the R9 280, the lower end cards just don't pack enough power to push games properly.

Seconded.

The only reason I can think of is that feature rich and quality motherboards from Intel and partners are really expensive.

Read the second sentence of what you just quoted.

 

[I/O]

Seconded.



Read the second sentence of what you just quoted.

Crap quality and ugly mobs . The only Mobos to consider from Intel cost north of $300.

 

[Techhog]

Crap quality and ugly mobs . The only Mobos to consider from Intel cost north of $300.

Lol. Well, that's your opinion. Not everyone is a PC snob. In fact, outside of LGA 2011, you're completely alone in that opinion.

 

[Deders]

To be honest my friend upgraded from an overclocked 965 to an 8350 and overclocked that. he doesn't really see much of a difference. He may in the future if games can make use of more cores.

 

[Malladine]

Thanks guys, good advice esp. on the Haswell chip. Just looked at benchmarks for that and it has a fairly comparable price with a MASSIVE increase in gaming performance. Really impressed.

For right now I think i'll keep an eye on R9 270 prices for him when he's ready to buy. Glad to hear it isn't as loud as I'd read, i quite like AMD graphics cards myself.

What games does he play and what resolution?? Phenom II 965 will be fine for the R9 270X at 1080p in the vast majority of games.

A variety anything from WoW to Skyrim to probably the upcoming Witcher 3. 1680x1024 res. I mentioned that because i've heard the geforce experience app report (cleverly i thought, if it's true) that "gaming performance is cpu limited" on a core i5 760 with a gtx 750 Ti and the phenom II 965 is slower than that so I assumed the same would be true...unless geforce experience is wrong of course

 

[I/O]

Lol. Well, that's your opinion. Not everyone is a PC snob. In fact, outside of LGA 2011, you're completely alone in that opinion.

You have to get the absolutely high end boards from intel to get proper CF/SLI support. I am not a snob but thanx for putting me down asshole.

 

[Techhog]

You have to get the absolutely high end boards from intel to get proper CF/SLI support. I am not a snob but thanx for putting me down [insert word that you'll want to remove here]

You're right that you have to pay a premium for premium features. The thing is that $300 minimum on the consumer platform is an exaggeration.

 

[jacktesterson]

I'm still playing most games on high settings at 1080p with an overclocked 7850 2GB and a 750K Athlon.

Depends on the games, resolution, etc.

People tend to forget about playing the game sometimes vs spending hundreds of dollars to get that last 10-15% of quality.

 

[Burpo]

$129 new on ebay.
GIGABYTE G1 KILLER, G1 SNIPER Z87 GAMING MOTHERBOARD

 

[I/O]

You're right that you have to pay a premium for premium features. The thing is that $300 minimum on the consumer platform is an exaggeration.

You lose to many features for any less money. Plus when paying less you get ugly cheap looking blue boards etc. If you want CF/SLI upgrade paths then you are forced to pay large for a proper X16/X16 board.

 

[AtenRa]

Thanks guys, good advice esp. on the Haswell chip. Just looked at benchmarks for that and it has a fairly comparable price with a MASSIVE increase in gaming performance. Really impressed.

For right now I think i'll keep an eye on R9 270 prices for him when he's ready to buy. Glad to hear it isn't as loud as I'd read, i quite like AMD graphics cards myself.



A variety anything from WoW to Skyrim to probably the upcoming Witcher 3. 1680x1024 res. I mentioned that because i've heard the geforce experience app report (cleverly i thought, if it's true) that "gaming performance is cpu limited" on a core i5 760 with a gtx 750 Ti and the phenom II 965 is slower than that so I assumed the same would be true...unless geforce experience is wrong of course

I can tell you you'll become GPU bound with the GTX750Ti very quickly even with a dual core at 1680x1050. Better get the 270X than CPU + Mobo. You can even try to OC the Phenom to 3.6 or 3.8GHz. It should be very easy, it is unlocked after all.

 

[Attic]

Thanks guys, good advice esp. on the Haswell chip. Just looked at benchmarks for that and it has a fairly comparable price with a MASSIVE increase in gaming performance. Really impressed.

For right now I think i'll keep an eye on R9 270 prices for him when he's ready to buy. Glad to hear it isn't as loud as I'd read, i quite like AMD graphics cards myself.



A variety anything from WoW to Skyrim to probably the upcoming Witcher 3. 1680x1024 res. I mentioned that because i've heard the geforce experience app report (cleverly i thought, if it's true) that "gaming performance is cpu limited" on a core i5 760 with a gtx 750 Ti and the phenom II 965 is slower than that so I assumed the same would be true...unless geforce experience is wrong of course

Witcher 3 is likely worth looking closer at quad core haswell option, the 8350 option, and used 7970, 280x.

Going used will offer a nice boost in options under a certain price threshold vs going new.

 

[I/O]

Witcher 3 is likely worth looking closer at quad core haswell option, the 8350 option, and used 7970, 280x.

Going used will offer a nice boost in options under a certain price threshold vs going new.

A 280x will choke on the Witcher 3. That game will take tri SLI 780tis or Tri CF 290 cards or better and still not maintain 60fps min framerate.

 

[Denithor]

A 280x will choke on the Witcher 3. That game will take tri SLI 780tis or Tri CF 290 cards or better and still not maintain 60fps min framerate.

Okay, just ignore anything further from this poster. Witcher 3 hasn't been released and you already know exactly what it will take to run at 60fps? Seriously?

Anyway, I will re-affirm my post above - focus on a new GPU first, the PhII 965 isn't a horrible CPU even by today's standards. You may be happily surprised at how well games run just by dropping in a modern gaming GPU.

 

[I/O]

Okay, just ignore anything further from this poster. Witcher 3 hasn't been released and you already know exactly what it will take to run at 60fps? Seriously?

Please stop trolling LOL. Even today try and play Witcher 2 with uber Sample on. A 7970ghz can not even max out the Witcher 2 and that's the same GPU as the 280x so .... Logic would dictate what ?

 

[Techhog]

You lose to many features for any less money. Plus when paying less you get ugly cheap looking blue boards etc. If you want CF/SLI upgrade paths then you are forced to pay large for a proper X16/X16 board.

Lol. The ugly part is just BS, and if paying $100 more for a <5% in dual card performance is that important to you, then yes, you're a snob.

Call this ugly: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813132125

A 280x will choke on the Witcher 3. That game will take tri SLI 780tis or Tri CF 290 cards or better and still not maintain 60fps min framerate.

... wat

 

[Deders]

Latest I heard was that a 780TI was getting 35-45fps in the Witcher 3, but you don't have to run it with 8xAA.

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/the-witcher-3-gtx-780ti-could-push-35-45-fps-at-max.html

 

[I/O]

Lol. The ugly part is just BS, and if paying $100 more for a <5% in dual card performance is that important to you, then yes, you're a snob.

Please stop referring to me as a snob. my user name is I/O and that will suffice thanx very much. That said find me a mobo for a 3570K that runs CF and SLI properly with all the other features that's not ugly has hell. You can't so you are forced to upgrade to expensive LGA 2011.