Upgrading from 460 GTX ... Suggestions?

[Tomana]

I have a eVGA 460 GTX, AMD Athlon II x3 440 CPU, 4GB memory, Raptor HDD, MSI mobo. I want to upgrade the graphics card so I can play current games similar to, say, Call of Duty MW4 with the 460 GTX @ 1920x1080

Cost is a major factor so the less expensive the better ... Any suggestions?

 

[Termie]

I believe the limiting factor for you in every new game will be your CPU. The GTX460 is still a very capable video card, but your Athlon is quite outdated. Most new games need four cores, and your three cores are quite slow.

You may want to post in General Hardware for upgrade advice. It's possible you can get a decent CPU/motherboard upgrade for the same amount you were going to spend on a video card.

 

[toyota]

with that cpu I would not bother with anything more than a 2gb gtx650 ti boost. and only 4gb of system ram will be an issue in some upcoming games if not a couple now especially if you dont close down other programs while gaming. and what is the exact operating system you are using?

 

[ocre]

with that cpu I would not bother with anything more than a 2gb gtx650 ti boost. and only 4gb of system ram will be an issue in some upcoming games if not a couple now especially if you dont close down other programs while gaming. and what is the exact operating system you are using?

+1

agreed

 

[Mastercommander]

Platform upgrade

If you have money, add cheap 7950 until next year's generations

 

[RayTheKing]

I don't think I've ever heard of a CoD MW4... I think you're referring to CoD Ghosts, and if you are, your setup is fine. CoD games aren't very demanding, so you should be able to get good FPS at medium settings.

If anything needs upgrading, it's your CPU/mobo.

 

[Fastx]

I think he is referring to COD 4 Modern Warfare I still play that game at times.

Edit Ok after reading it again looks like he is referring to the future COD Ghosts game coming out.

 

[Tomana]

thanks for the replies. I was referring to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare but wan to play Apocalypse series and upcoming Ghost.

I see a Gigabyte GV-R795WF3-3GD HD7950 online, used but with almost full warranty for $225 OB, tempting.

I've ran a Phenom II x4 965 in my machine and saw no difference in performance with COD4, Mass Effect Series, etc so I figured a CPU/ Mobo upgrade would not do much so I have been focusing on a graphics card upgrade. Also, the current Athlon II x3 I have installed can be unlocked to run four cores and OCed to 3.4GHz so that's not an issue for me in the near future. I use a memory monitor and have never maxed out system memory in the past 10 years of gaming.

I hate hype, don't you?

I run Windows XP x32 but will be upgrading to Win7 x32 Home Premium soon. I also can run Ubuntu and STEAM has compatibility and, they sell the COD series. I wonder if STEAM will have a Ubuntu version of Ghost?

 

[Fastx]

Low cost solution for your system and COD Ghosts.
You will need a 500w ps 7870/7950.
Also COD Ghost min req is 6GB of system ram. http://www.geforce.com/games-applications/pc-games/call-of-duty-ghosts/system-requirements

Edit better deal -$139.00 ar
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131484

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/548?vs=542

But a 7950 would be better if and when you upgrade your system so also watch Newegg 7950's dual fans can range from $179.00 -199 at times on sale new with 3 free games you could e-bay

 

[escrow4]

thanks for the replies. I was referring to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare but wan to play Apocalypse series and upcoming Ghost.

I see a Gigabyte GV-R795WF3-3GD HD7950 online, used but with almost full warranty for $225 OB, tempting.

I've ran a Phenom II x4 965 in my machine and saw no difference in performance with COD4, Mass Effect Series, etc so I figured a CPU/ Mobo upgrade would not do much so I have been focusing on a graphics card upgrade. Also, the current Athlon II x3 I have installed can be unlocked to run four cores and OCed to 3.4GHz so that's not an issue for me in the near future. I use a memory monitor and have never maxed out system memory in the past 10 years of gaming.

I hate hype, don't you?

I run Windows XP x32 but will be upgrading to Win7 x32 Home Premium soon. I also can run Ubuntu and STEAM has compatibility and, they sell the COD series. I wonder if STEAM will have a Ubuntu version of Ghost?

COD 4 and the Mass Effect series are basic console ports that won't choke your [creaky ancient] hardware. Anything modern will - Crysis 3, Metro Last Light, BF4, upcoming CoD if its really a next gen port etc. So will titles like Far Cry 3 and Hitman Absolution. Modern games/OS's want a pile of RAM - at least 8GB+ and a modern quad (Sandy or higher) with a decent GPU like the 7950+ at 1080p for decent settings @50FPS. That and XP won't have as good support as modern hardware as 8 will, plus you lose DirectX 11+11.1+2. And it dies next April, you are on your own.

Bottom line, you want a full rebuild.

 

[frozentundra123456]

thanks for the replies. I was referring to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare but wan to play Apocalypse series and upcoming Ghost.

I see a Gigabyte GV-R795WF3-3GD HD7950 online, used but with almost full warranty for $225 OB, tempting.

I've ran a Phenom II x4 965 in my machine and saw no difference in performance with COD4, Mass Effect Series, etc so I figured a CPU/ Mobo upgrade would not do much so I have been focusing on a graphics card upgrade. Also, the current Athlon II x3 I have installed can be unlocked to run four cores and OCed to 3.4GHz so that's not an issue for me in the near future. I use a memory monitor and have never maxed out system memory in the past 10 years of gaming.

I hate hype, don't you?

I run Windows XP x32 but will be upgrading to Win7 x32 Home Premium soon. I also can run Ubuntu and STEAM has compatibility and, they sell the COD series. I wonder if STEAM will have a Ubuntu version of Ghost?

COD games have always been known for quite low system requirements. However, the new Ghosts is apparently much more demanding. The requirements for 6gb of system ram is particularly suprising. I would assume that is also 64bit OS.

For better or worse, depending on one's viewpoint, the long life of the last console generation kept system requirements quite low. Newer games are apparently much more demanding. For sure I think you will need to move to a 64 bit OS to play the latest games. You video card and cpu might hold you for a year or so *if* you can unlock to 4 cores and overclock to 3.5ghz or so.

 

[frozentundra123456]

COD 4 and the Mass Effect series are basic console ports that won't choke your [creaky ancient] hardware. Anything modern will - Crysis 3, Metro Last Light, BF4, upcoming CoD if its really a next gen port etc. So will titles like Far Cry 3 and Hitman Absolution. Modern games/OS's want a pile of RAM - at least 8GB+ and a modern quad (Sandy or higher) with a decent GPU like the 7950+ at 1080p for decent settings @50FPS. That and XP won't have as good support as modern hardware as 8 will, plus you lose DirectX 11+11.1+2. And it dies next April, you are on your own.

Bottom line, you want a full rebuild.

As for the OS, he said he is upgrading to Win 7 32 bit. However, I dont see that as a useful upgrade really. If he is going to upgrade, definitely it should be to 64bit, and as much as I dont like the interface, probably to Win 8, since it allows the latest version of DX, which seems to have some benefits.

 

[Fastx]

He sounds like he has no interest in upgrading his whole system to me but just wants to play COD games including Ghosts for the cheapest he can with a better video card. For COD Ghost he will just need to upgrade from 4gb to either 6gb min, make sure he has a 500w ps if going with a 7870 or 7950 and he said he is going to Win 7 so if you goes upgrade version he will get both W-32 & W-64 disc so he should be set for the COD games including Ghost per above on the cheap.

 

[frozentundra123456]

He sounds like he has no interest in upgrading his whole system to me but just wants to play COD games including Ghosts for the cheapest he can with a better video card. For COD Ghost he will just need to upgrade from 4gb to either 6gb min, make sure he has a 500w ps if going with a 7870 or 7950 and he said he is going to Win 7 so if you goes upgrade version he will get both W-32 & W-64 disc so he should be set for the COD games including Ghost per above on the cheap.

I agree, but it depends on how well he can overclock that CPU and if he can unlock the fourth core.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

thanks for the replies. I was referring to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare but wan to play Apocalypse series and upcoming Ghost.

I see a Gigabyte GV-R795WF3-3GD HD7950 online, used but with almost full warranty for $225 OB, tempting.

I've ran a Phenom II x4 965 in my machine and saw no difference in performance with COD4, Mass Effect Series, etc so I figured a CPU/ Mobo upgrade would not do much so I have been focusing on a graphics card upgrade. Also, the current Athlon II x3 I have installed can be unlocked to run four cores and OCed to 3.4GHz so that's not an issue for me in the near future. I use a memory monitor and have never maxed out system memory in the past 10 years of gaming.

I hate hype, don't you?

I run Windows XP x32 but will be upgrading to Win7 x32 Home Premium soon. I also can run Ubuntu and STEAM has compatibility and, they sell the COD series. I wonder if STEAM will have a Ubuntu version of Ghost?

$225.- is too much for a used 7950. They can be found for less than that brand new with free games.

I would say that this is probably the last video card upgrade for that system though. You are starting to get a fairly large imbalance between CPU and GPU. Spoiler alert: If you are happy with your system and don't believe "the hype" then stop reading here and definitely do NOT click the following link. An i5 using the same 7950 will go 20-40fps faster, on average, than your athlon, while dropping far fewer frames. :whiste:

 

[Termie]

^ this.

The RAM I'm not as concerned about - your CPU, on the other hand, is not up to snuff. It's not hype, it's reality. You went from a slow quad to a slow tri-core and saw little difference. Not too surprising. If you upgraded to a fast quad or hexa-core, you'd definitely notice the difference, even with a GTX460.

 

[FalseChristian]

Get 2 650Ti BOOST 2GB SLI. They're faster than your 460 1GB and 2GB will last longer.

 

[skipsneeky2]

The 650ti or a 7850 2gb should be all you would need,i had a 7850 a while back and this card was pretty ace for Black Ops at 1200p with me hitting the 91fps framecap steady with 8x aa enabled.

Like others said,consider some platform upgrades as well but the 7850 or 650 ti should be plenty with me recommending the 7850.

 

[toyota]

Get 2 650Ti BOOST 2GB SLI. They're faster than your 460 1GB and 2GB will last longer.

yeah that makes a whole lot of sense for the OP...

 

[Fastx]

I agree, but it depends on how well he can overclock that CPU and if he can unlock the fourth core.

I took his below quote as he can unlock the 4th core and oc to 3.4. If he didn't yet these chips oc pretty easy, unlocking the fourth yeah not a for sure thing on X3's ( I had one) if he hasn't already. But for COD series is all he is only interested in playing I think he is fine on a this X3 oc even without the fourth core imo.

Also, the current Athlon II x3 I have installed can be unlocked to run four cores and OCed to 3.4GHz so that's not an issue for me in the near future.

 

[Fastx]

The 650ti or a 7850 2gb should be all you would need,i had a 7850 a while back and this card was pretty ace for Black Ops at 1200p with me hitting the 91fps framecap steady with 8x aa enabled.

Like others said,consider some platform upgrades as well but the 7850 or 650 ti should be plenty with me recommending the 7850.

A 650ti?

650ti vs his GTX 460

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/680?vs=542

7870 vs his GTX 460

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/548?vs=542

 

[skipsneeky2]

A 650ti?

650ti vs his GTX 460

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/680?vs=542

7870 vs his GTX 460

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/548?vs=542

Did you happen to actually check out this 460 vs 7850 chart? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/542?vs=549 How about this 650ti vs 7850 chart? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/680?vs=549

Of course not despite the fact i clearly stated i would recommend the 7850 and i stand by that.

 

[Fastx]

Did you happen to actually check out this 460 vs 7850 chart? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/542?vs=549 How about this 650ti vs 7850 chart? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/680?vs=549

Of course not despite the fact i clearly stated i would recommend the 7850 and i stand by that.

Skip I agree with the 7850 but the 650TI is not even worth recommending/mentioning at all imo as a upgrade for him to his GTX 460..

I also had a 7850 linked for him for $129.00 ar but saw the 7870ar for $139.00.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Skip I agree with the 7850 but the 650TI is not even worth recommending/mentioning at all imo as a upgrade for him to his GTX 460..

I also had a 7850 linked for him for $129.00 ar but saw the 7870ar for $139.00.

I failed to mention it was a 650 ti boost like Toyota recommended,leave it to nvidia to have so many models that something as silly as forgetting the boost in the name makes it one whole other card huh?:biggrin:

 

[Fastx]

I failed to mention it was a 650 ti boost like Toyota recommended,leave it to nvidia to have so many models that something as silly as forgetting the boost in the name makes it one whole other card huh?:biggrin:

lol ok, yeah I couldn't believe you were recommending a 650ti.