Want to upgrade, but not sure if I "should"

[JJ24]

My system specs are in my signature but here it is again for posterity...

CM Storm Scout2 Case
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard
Seasonic X650 Gold 650w PSU
Intel i5-3570k
G.Skill 8gb DDR3-1600
MSI R7950 3GB TF3
Crucial M4-256Gb SSD
Monitor = Gateway FHD2400 24" 1920x1200 ... I have had this monitor for like 6+ years now through 2 different PC's and have been feeling like I would love to update to a 1440p monitor.

I'm not sure my 7950 can handle 1440p res with games I enjoy playing. Currently I play a lot of Grand Theft Auto 5, World of Warships, Rocket League... really looking forward to Fallout 4 and Overwatch.

So if I upgrade I would wait for Black Friday/Cyber Monday next month and look for deals on something similar to the following:

Monitors I like:
BenQ GW2765HT 27" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014383
Asus PB258Q 25" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236453
Acer H257HU 25" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009740

For GPU I'd be looking at a
GTX 970 or a R9 390x
or if there is a really good deal on a 980 I would look at that.

So basically my question is multipart...
1) Could my current graphics card MSI Radeon HD 9750 power a new 2560x1440 monitor in games like GTA5, Fallout 4, Overwatch, etc
2)If I upgrade a new GPU what would be the better choice for the future between the 970 or the 390x since I know the 980 would be better if it had a good deal.
3)Should I just keep what I have and wait until when?

*** edit to add I would keep my current monitor as a 2nd monitor running off the new card if that effects the choice at all... Current monitor is a Gateway FHD2400 24" 1920x1200

 

[Elixer]

So basically my question is multipart...
1) Could my current graphics card MSI Radeon HD 9750 power a new 2560x1440 monitor in games like GTA5, Fallout 4, Overwatch, etc
2)If I upgrade a new GPU what would be the better choice for the future between the 970 or the 390x since I know the 980 would be better if it had a good deal.
3)Should I just keep what I have and wait until when?

*** edit to add I would keep my current monitor as a 2nd monitor running off the new card if that effects the choice at all... Current monitor is a Gateway FHD2400 24" 1920x1200

1) Not with all the eye candy turned to max.
2) For the future? The 970 is a partitioned card, it has 3.5GB + .5GB of VRAM, and I don't see this card having much longevity (or support).
The 390 has 8GB, so, no issues with VRAM there.
If you can find a Fury or 980 for cheap on Blackfriday/cybermonday, then, those would be at the top of the list.
3) I say wait, and see what kind of deals pop up for holliday shopping. Heck, I can also see monitors getting cheaper as well, so, you can save some $$$ there, and then apply the savings toward the GPU.

 

[Mondozei]

AMD does better at higher resolutions in DX11. Recent DX12 benchmarks only extend that lead. I wouldn't recommend the 980 as of now unless you either get it used(like I did) or B-stock from EVGA for ~350 dollars or so.

As for your GPU choice, you play games which are not terribly GPU-bound with the sole exception of GTA V in (some cases). And if you plan to stay at 60 Hz, it becomes an even lesser issue.

So I'm with you in the sense that I'm not sure if it's worth upgrading as of now. I'd actually say, no, it's probably not worth it if you play games like Fallout or Rocket League.

If your appetite changes, then I'd go for a 390/390X during black friday perhaps, but I'd actually say it's better to hold off for now and possibly upgrade to the midrange GPU next year to either Pascal/Artic Islands which will give you a much more noticeable boost. If those are your main games going forward, I'd say an OC'd 7950 with a 60 fps target is decent enough as long as you tweak carefully.

 

[JJ24]

3) I say wait, and see what kind of deals pop up for holliday shopping. Heck, I can also see monitors getting cheaper as well, so, you can save some $$$ there, and then apply the savings toward the GPU.

If your appetite changes, then I'd go for a 390/390X during black friday perhaps, but I'd actually say it's better to hold off for now and possibly upgrade to the midrange GPU next year to either Pascal/Artic Islands which will give you a much more noticeable boost. If those are your main games going forward, I'd say an OC'd 7950 with a 60 fps target is decent enough as long as you tweak carefully.

Thanks for the info on the cards, I am planning on waiting for Black Friday/Cyber Monday anyway so maybe there will be some good deals on a R9 Fury or 980... but if there isnt I might bite on a well priced 390x anyway....

As for the monitors I mentioned any input on those? I have had a 1920x1200 for so long and love that resolution over 1080p anyday... so I thought going upto 1440 would be logical.

 

[Majcric]

Op, I say go for it. Even though you might have to turn down a few settings the 1440p rez alone is worth it.

Here is another monitor in your price range that I can vouch for being a great monitor, very minimal backlight bleed, no dead pixels, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Asus+PB278Q

As for the GPU between the Gtx 970 and 390/x, I say just pick the one youre the most comfortable with. There won't be enough difference in performance worth talking about to matter when its all said and done. The only thing I will mention if you go with the 390 leave the x off as price performance isn't worth it. (excluding good special deals)

 

[MongGrel]

The 390X seems very popular atm, especially for the larger amount of VRAM.

I have no experience with one personally, but just hanging out here and reading things they sound pretty nice.

 

[RussianSensation]

As for the GPU between the Gtx 970 and 390/x, I say just pick the one youre the most comfortable with. There won't be enough difference in performance worth talking about to matter when its all said and done. The only thing I will mention if you go with the 390 leave the x off as price performance isn't worth it. (excluding good special deals)

At 1440P, when 390 wins, it wins by a lot more than when 970 wins:

This data is also valuable since it's easy to see how 390X or 980 aren't worth the asking price over the $285 R9 390 unless either of those drop in price more. I think 980 is worth considering at $360-370 such as EVGA B-stock but at $450+ it's a rip-off. I would be better to buy a $280 R9 390/290X (or a $240 B-stock 970) and save the rest of the $ towards a 16nm GPU upgrade. 390X or 980 do not have the necessary raw GPU horsepower to be that much faster on average at 1440P. For that moving to a 980Ti level GPU is basically necessary.

For the monitor choice, I'd prefer 27" 2560x1440 over 25".

Monitor choice is always tough since G-Sync/Free-Sync 2560x1440 keep coming down in price.

 

[DooKey]

I wouldn't upgrade at this point. Keep that 7950 and buy a Pascal/Artic Islands gpu next year.

 

[tweakboy]

That is a crummy CPU i5 ? your framerates will suffer and the tru performance of the card wont show until you upgrade to a i7 thx gl

 

[JJ24]

I wouldn't upgrade at this point. Keep that 7950 and buy a Pascal/Artic Islands gpu next year.

Is there any confirmed or solid info from AMD or Nvidia on when the next generation of cards are coming about?

 

[Denithor]

My two bits: upgrade monitor first, see how the 7950 holds up in your games. Upgrade GPU only if it's significantly lacking at the new higher resolution.