Upgrade a GTX 550 Ti - mid range

[Malladine]

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.

Already am

thanks man, i'll encourage the GPU upgrade i think he's already on board.

 

[I/O]

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

That's pretty crap performance plus was Physx even used ... That would make the framerate plummet.

 

[Deders]

That's pretty crap performance plus was Physx even used ... That would make the framerate plummet.

They are still optimising it, it was only a beta test. I'd be happy with 40fps if the visual reward warranted it.

 

[I/O]

They are still optimising it, it was only a beta test. I'd be happy with 40fps if the visual reward warranted it.

Even today with the Witcher 2 on max with Uber Sample AA on its real not that playable even with high end hardware. Not trying to be a downer but I am just exited to see the first game in a long while to come around that is actually going to really push the PC platform to the limits graphically speaking, for the looks of the game it will seem to be drop dead insanely beautiful and Uber immersive experience. Remeber playble is up to the descression of the player so your mileage may vary.

 

[Techhog]

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.

The real world difference between PCIe 3.0 x16 and x8 is pretty much 0 for current graphics cards. You're just looking at numbers without actually knowing what you're talking about.

 

[I/O]

The real world difference between PCIe 3.0 x16 and x8 is pretty much 0 for current graphics cards. You're just looking at numbers without actually knowing what you're talking about.

PCI-E lane speed must be sycronized example x16/x16 being optimal and x8/x8 being good enough. Boards with x16/x4 are largely unusable and cause massive stuttering because the GPUs can't talk properly.

 

[Techhog]

PCI-E lane speed must be sycronized example x16/x16 being optimal and x8/x8 being good enough. Boards with x16/x4 are largely unusable and cause massive stuttering because the GPUs can't talk properly.

You don't need to spend $300 to get x8/x8 on a good looking board, as proven by the board I just linked. Cheaper than that is possible too.

 

[I/O]

You don't need to spend $300 to get x8/x8 on a good looking board, as proven by the board I just linked. Cheaper than that is possible too.

X8/x8 is not optimal but ... good enough. You forgot to link the board you are talking about though I hope it's not some blue PCBed monstrous abomination LOL. The PLX chip is the bets thing since sliced bread but the price premium is steep.

 

[nurturedhate]

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.

You are purposely requesting that someone prove you wrong by asking for a board based solely on the subjective that it is not "ugly". This alone sets up a situation where it does not matter what the person responds with you will just claim that it is subjectively "ugly". This type of "argument winning" usually does not work on a technical forum where a large part of the population has some basic form of education and critical thinking skills.

Information and links were provided to motherboards that met the requirement of SLI/CF support for far under your $300 mark.

 

[I/O]

You are purposely requesting that someone prove you wrong by asking for a board based solely on the subjective that it is not "ugly". .

Not ugly alone just that most Intel mobos that have the good features are expensive and not ugly. How many not ugly 1155 boards are there ? You have to go with some shit tier Asrock low cost brand which is a cheap mobo with less features but it looks decent. On AMD you can get an ultra high end sexy ass Asus board with all the featuers and great chipset for near the same price but with not PLX chipset for SLI/CF.

 

[Techhog]

X8/x8 is not optimal but ... good enough. You forgot to link the board you are talking about though I hope it's not some blue PCBed monstrous abomination LOL. The PLX chip is the bets thing since sliced bread but the price premium is steep.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813132125

And here are a few bonuses.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131979

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813132116

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157502 (Though I admit that this doesn't explicitly say what the slots run at,they have a lower-end x8/x8 board, so I'd assume that x8/x8 is at least possible with the board.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157500 (the lower-end board in question, verified x8/x8 by a review on this very site)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118 (sub $150)

Hm. That's enough for now. Now, why don't you show my some of those ugly blue PCB boards you were talking about?

 

[EliteRetard]

Totally nothing wrong with a PHII quad, especially if you can moderately OC it. Even just bumping the CPU-NB to ~2600MHz can add a real world 10%+ for gaming. Add a good cooler like a CM 212+ or 212 evo for ~30$...the PHII definitely liked running cooler (less than 50c if possible, MAX 60c full load).

Even an older card like a 6970 will easily double the speed over a 550ti (which competed with a 5770). They can be had for ~$100 brand new (at Newegg right now). A 2GB GDDR5 7850 would be slightly better than a 6970, and I have seen them occasionally on sale around $100 as well. A 270x would be a good bit faster, but cost a lot more (less performance per dollar).

Why 12GB? 3x4GB? What speed/CAS? You may actually be better off with 2x4GB and better RAM settings + OC (might not run good with 3 sticks).

Edit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202113
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131578

 

[Denithor]

What's the deal with ugly boards? It's inside a case under your desk...who cares what it looks like?!?

 

[I/O]

What's the deal with ugly boards? It's inside a case under your desk...who cares what it looks like?!?

My case is on top my desk and has a window. I often have the side panel off because I upgrade, tweek and clean my PC often.

 

[Techhog]

My case is on top my desk and has a window. I often have the side panel off because I upgrade, tweek and clean my PC often.

I still want to see these ugly Z77/87/97 boards you're talking about.

 

[I/O]

I still want to see these ugly Z77/87/97 boards you're talking about.

It's in the eye of the beholder. One man's garbage is another man's gold.

 

[Techhog]

It's in the eye of the beholder. One man's garbage is another man's gold.

So, basically, that other guy was right and if anyone tries to argue that a sub $300 board with x8/x8 support looks good, you'll just say that it's ugly. Well, I guess the ignore list exists for a reason. Grats on being the third to get this honor.

 

[Malladine]

Totally nothing wrong with a PHII quad, especially if you can moderately OC it. Even just bumping the CPU-NB to ~2600MHz can add a real world 10%+ for gaming. Add a good cooler like a CM 212+ or 212 evo for ~30$...the PHII definitely liked running cooler (less than 50c if possible, MAX 60c full load).

Even an older card like a 6970 will easily double the speed over a 550ti (which competed with a 5770). They can be had for ~$100 brand new (at Newegg right now). A 2GB GDDR5 7850 would be slightly better than a 6970, and I have seen them occasionally on sale around $100 as well. A 270x would be a good bit faster, but cost a lot more (less performance per dollar).

Why 12GB? 3x4GB? What speed/CAS? You may actually be better off with 2x4GB and better RAM settings + OC (might not run good with 3 sticks).

Edit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202113
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131578

Good stuff thanks, i had no idea about the 6970. It sucks the power but he has a 500W so should be OK.

Not sure on the 12GB but good call i hadn't considered that. He's on the "more RAM is better" boat

i'll see what cooling he has and take a look at oc'ing it a bit. I usually don't go for that but might be worth a shot since several here are recommending it.

 

[I/O]

So, basically, that other guy was right and if anyone tries to argue that a sub $300 board with x8/x8 support looks good, you'll just say that it's ugly. Well, I guess the ignore list exists for a reason. Grats on being the third to get this honor.

Because of the way a motherboard looks I am on your ignore list ? Doesn't make allot of sense but all the best to you my friend.

 

[EliteRetard]

Good stuff thanks, i had no idea about the 6970. It sucks the power but he has a 500W so should be OK.

Not sure on the 12GB but good call i hadn't considered that. He's on the "more RAM is better" boat

i'll see what cooling he has and take a look at oc'ing it a bit. I usually don't go for that but might be worth a shot since several here are recommending it.

Yeah 6970 is last gen, but performs well for cheap. If you can find a 7850 on sale, it performs similar with less power use. The 270/270x are based on the 7850/7870...but typically go for 140-160$. The 270x is probably 25-30% faster than a 6970 but is 50-60% more expensive.

As long as you have a good quality 500w a 6970 should be OK.

I myself pretty recently got a PHII system setup with a used 6950, I think it's a great combo I put together super cheap. And my system is a crap OC'er. I run 1920x1440 CRT, if you got the 6970 on 16x10 (~50% lower res) it should run noticeably faster than mine.

Example for Tomb Raider high setting w/ TressFX I get near 40 FPS avg. Metro LL high DX10 I also get near 40FPS. Minimums just under 30 FPS on both. Older/less demanding games I can run pretty much maxed out.

As for overclocking, it can be pretty easy. You don't need to push it to the limits. 3.6-3.7GHz on all cores at 1.4-1.45v (start low add to stabilize). Biggest boost will come from the CPU-NB (not HT link which needs to stay at 2GHz). 2.5-2.6GHz should also be fairly easy to get with an extra .05 to .1v.

With a lot of tweaking/testing people get these chips to 3.8-4GHz and 2.7-2.8GHz...but that's a lot more work and wear/tear for little gain over a modest OC.

 

[EliteRetard]

Oh and stock I think the 965 runs RAM at 5.33x or 6.66x, meaning 1066 or 1333MHz RAM. That's usually low for modern RAM, so you can boost the speed and/or lower the CAS timings while in the BIOS.

1600MHz CAS 9 is pretty normal, so you could potentially run 1333MHz CAS 7 or 8.

Instead of just using the multi to OC you could use the "FSB" too, but the HT link speed needs to stay within +/- 100 MHz of 2GHz. 10 x 200, 9 x 222, 8 x 250 etc.

YAY MATH!

 

[Leyawiin]

OC the X4 965 to about 3.8 Ghz (easy as falling off a log) and get something like a GTX 660 or R9 270. He'll being do fine at 1680x1050. My second PC has a Phenom II X4 980 BE @ the stock 3.7 Ghz (somewhat cramped case - don't want to generate too much heat) and an HD 7850 2GB @ 1050/1350. The monitor is 1680x1050. It still plays modern games quite nicely on good quality settings.

 

[tweakboy]

Grab a 760 or 770 if you have the money for it.