upgrade advice needed

[number58]

I'm looking to upgrade from my radeon hd 4890 so I can play upcoming titles without turning down too many settings. I really don't have a brand preference, but 6950s on newegg include a free copy of Deus Ex 3, which I'd really like to take advantage of. My main question is whether to get a 6950 with 1gb or 2gb of memory. Something like this card vs this card.

 

[happy medium]

please list your system specs.....
Resolution,cpu speed and model, psu model

 

[number58]

q6600 @ 3.2ghz
asus p5q pro
8gb ddr2 800
intel 120gb 320 ssd
pc power & cooling silencer 750W
cooler master atcs 840
1920x1080 display

 

[happy medium]

q6600 @ 3.2ghz
asus p5q pro
8gb ddr2 800
intel 120gb 320 ssd
pc power & cooling silencer 750W
cooler master atcs 840
1920x1080 display

2gb 6950, just in case you want to crossfire sometime down the road, when you build a new system. Also the resale value will be much better.

 

[number58]

Cool. I'm weighing the pros and cons of upgrading the gpu or moving to sandy bridge. I think I'm going to buy the msi card and just wait for bulldozer or ivy bridge. None of the z68 boards in my price range have all the features I want, and while some am3+ boards do, there are no am3+ processors to buy yet.

 

[happy medium]

Cool. I'm weighing the pros and cons of upgrading the gpu or moving to sandy bridge. I think I'm going to buy the msi card and just wait for bulldozer or ivy bridge. None of the z68 boards in my price range have all the features I want, and while some am3+ boards do, there are no am3+ processors to buy yet.

The AM3+ socket will be a dead end next summer, while the Z68 board will upgrade to the next Ivybridge cpu. I would just do the Intel upgrade now ,if I had the money.

 

[lifeblood]

Cool. I'm weighing the pros and cons of upgrading the gpu or moving to sandy bridge. I think I'm going to buy the msi card and just wait for bulldozer or ivy bridge. None of the z68 boards in my price range have all the features I want, and while some am3+ boards do, there are no am3+ processors to buy yet.

Upgrade the GPU and wait to see how Bulldozer pans out before upgrading the rest. If BD flops then your way forward is clear.

 

[number58]

Any recommendations for a cheap z68 board with good overclocking potential?

 

[happy medium]

Any recommendations for a cheap z68 board with good overclocking potential?

This one will easily take a 2500k to 5.0. It also has pci-e 3.0, usb 3.0, sli and crossfire support and upgradable to the next generation Ivybridge cpu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128494

 

[hondaf17]

Don't want to thread jack but I'm in the exact same boat. Have a 4890 (which has served wonderfully) and want to upgrade to play BF3. I game at 1920 x 1080 in the sig below. Basically I have an Athlon Phenom II with an unlocked 3rd core, all 3 cores running at 3.6Ghz. In addition to video card have also been considering getting an AM3+ mobo with an X4 965 BE. So, my questions:

1) What video card (have also been looking at 6950, but don't know if it's worth the price premium over 6870).
2) Is it worth a new AM3+ mobo and X4 965 BE now? Will the fourth core really help me? I don't want a fancy new video card to be held back by my 3 cores at 3.6.

TYIA,

 

[happy medium]

Don't want to thread jack but I'm in the exact same boat. Have a 4890 (which has served wonderfully) and want to upgrade to play BF3. I game at 1920 x 1080 in the sig below. Basically I have an Athlon Phenom II with an unlocked 3rd core, all 3 cores running at 3.6Ghz. In addition to video card have also been considering getting an AM3+ mobo with an X4 965 BE. So, my questions:

1) What video card (have also been looking at 6950, but don't know if it's worth the price premium over 6870).
2) Is it worth a new AM3+ mobo and X4 965 BE now? Will the fourth core really help me? I don't want a fancy new video card to be held back by my 3 cores at 3.6.

TYIA,

I would think a 3 core cpu @ 3.6 will be just fine with BF3 @ 1080p.
I would just upgrade the gpu. A gtx560ti or 6950 is a good upgrade from a 4890. Anything less would not be such a good upgrade.
There are some gtx560ti's for about 210$ AR, just overclock that and you set.

 

[number58]

This one will easily take a 2500k to 5.0. It also has pci-e 3.0, usb 3.0, sli and crossfire support and upgradable to the next generation Ivybridge cpu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128494

I've heard bad things about the gigabyte z68 boards. Such as poor fan control, and that cold boot loop business. Have you had a good experience with this board?

 

[bryanW1995]

The AM3+ socket will be a dead end next summer, while the Z68 board will upgrade to the next Ivybridge cpu. I would just do the Intel upgrade now ,if I had the money.

IB will be a process shrink, likely only 5-7% clock/clock improvement over SB. And how much higher than 4.5-5 ghz is IB going to clock, anyway? Not saying that a 2500/2600k isn't a very good option, but I'd at least wait to see what BD has to offer if I were the OP.

Don't want to thread jack but I'm in the exact same boat. Have a 4890 (which has served wonderfully) and want to upgrade to play BF3. I game at 1920 x 1080 in the sig below. Basically I have an Athlon Phenom II with an unlocked 3rd core, all 3 cores running at 3.6Ghz. In addition to video card have also been considering getting an AM3+ mobo with an X4 965 BE. So, my questions:

1) What video card (have also been looking at 6950, but don't know if it's worth the price premium over 6870).
2) Is it worth a new AM3+ mobo and X4 965 BE now? Will the fourth core really help me? I don't want a fancy new video card to be held back by my 3 cores at 3.6.

TYIA,

6950 2gb won't show you much difference right now, maybe 10-15%. But it will probably have more life, and will offer you a possible xfire upgrade option going forward in a couple of years that you wouldn't consider with just a 1 gb 6870.

 

[happy medium]

IB will be a process shrink, likely only 5-7% clock/clock improvement over SB

I'm hearing 15/20% better IPC and a possible 6 core chip. I think its totally possible with the 22nm die shrink. But its mostly just rumor stuff flying around. I do believe the 20% improvement thought,because it is a new design.

 

[happy medium]

I've heard bad things about the gigabyte z68 boards. Such as poor fan control, and that cold boot loop business. Have you had a good experience with this board?

NO, but I did some research on Z68 motherboards and this board comes highly recommended.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Upgrade your video cards first and see how performance goes. If you're still dissatisfied then upgrade the rest of the system.

This one will easily take a 2500k to 5.0. It also has pci-e 3.0, usb 3.0, sli and crossfire support and upgradable to the next generation Ivybridge cpu.

You have to have an Ivy Bridge processor to take advantage of PCI-E 3.0. The board will be stuck at 2.0 with a Sandy Bridge processor. And, let's be honest, if history is any indication Ivy Bridge won't make an overclocked 2500K obsolete; the 2500K will probably outrun most Ivy Bridge models - much like the average gamer was still satisfied with Kentsfield when Yorkfields were released and satisfied with Lynnfields/Nehalems when Sandy Bridge was released. The option for PCI-E 3.0 is really there for people who upgrade a lot, and by the looks of the two people needing help in this thread they don't upgrade that often. By the time their 2500K is obsolete Ivy Bridge will be replaced.