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General discussionPossible GPU upgrade - help, please.(172 posts)(172 posts)
(172 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 01, 2016
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mike_cesara: I say wait for a few weeks more, prices will drop : )
But I could wait for years and prices would drop even more!

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_Slaugh_: The <span class="bold">Asus Strix GeForce GTX 960 OC</span> would be a good candidate.  Its TDP is slightly higher than your current GPU, but nVidia recommends a <span class="bold">400W power supply</span> for a GTX 960 and a Core i7 3.2 GHz.
It is an owl, even though the url calls it an eagle, I can hardly resist; but multiple, slightly varying replies are confusing my simple mind. Appreciate the straight-up answer, though!

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OneFiercePuppy: (PSU snip)
I know, that was boring. It's important, though, because it means not all 400W PSUs are created equal. Am anfang, dort war elektrizitat, or something.
Not boring, it's just that, like I said, I'm a bit of an idiot, so I don't really understand it. I get that quality PSUs give better results/power, but that's about it.

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Antimateria: They are just releasing those new cards.. Even if you had to upgrade psu a bit I still would buy 1070 than 970. If you are bit patient more I think you can be proud of yourself.
I'm never proud of myself, but I get what you're saying. But, as indicated above, I could wait years, accumulate more dispensable money, and buy something even better - probably. Available hardware always improves.
Posted June 01, 2016
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Crackpot.756: On a serious note, is this PSU really low quality? I thought it wasn't. You live and learn, I guess.
Usually you just pick a Corsair or in the US we have EVGA. I would never buy anything below Gold but Bronze is better than no levels at all. For wattage, 550w is pretty safe for a minimum. The better the quality the more power you deliver. A 400w cheapo might only have an effective 280w delivery that fluctuates. But a Platinum level will be in the 96%+ range. This is why you don't go by the raw numbers for the cheap ones, or why vendors recommend getting 100w+ more than you need. They calculate for the cheapos.

The graphics upgrade will be best done when NVIDIA and AMD's new lines come out. They say AMD's 480x will be around $200. That means a 470 will be less with much better performance to modern cards.

And NVIDIA partners might be around $50-$100 cheaper than the NVIDIA reference cards (called Founder's Editions) that are out now or in a couple of weeks, so a GTX 1060 should run you around $150-$200 if you need to upgrade soon. They also use less power.
Posted June 01, 2016
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Antimateria: also 1070 wil be like cost of 970
I wish, here in Australia, and from what I've read, the 1070 will be about $750.

You can pick up a 970 for about $450.
Posted June 01, 2016
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Antimateria: also 1070 wil be like cost of 970
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Kleetus: I wish, here in Australia, and from what I've read, the 1070 will be about $750.

You can pick up a 970 for about $450.
it seems that 750 money would be 1080.. we don't get it cheap also in eu but 750 sounds a bit too steep for 1070
Posted June 01, 2016
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MaximumBunny: Usually you just pick a Corsair or in the US we have EVGA. I would never buy anything below Gold but Bronze is better than no levels at all.
I should at least try and start to understand these things.

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MaximumBunny: The graphics upgrade will be best done when NVIDIA and AMD's new lines come out. They say AMD's 480x will be around $200. That means a 470 will be less with much better performance to modern cards.

And NVIDIA partners might be around $50-$100 cheaper than the NVIDIA reference cards (called Founder's Editions) that are out now or in a couple of weeks, so a GTX 1060 should run you around $150-$200 if you need to upgrade soon. They also use less power.
I don't need to upgrade, I'd just kinda like to. Less power sounds good, though, and I suppose it's not really urgent - maybe I'll just ask again in a few weeks, then. o.0


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Kleetus: I wish, here in Australia, and from what I've read, the 1070 will be about $750.

You can pick up a 970 for about $450.
Australia, where prices are high and nature is trying very hard to kill you.
Side note, you forgot to advertise in your post, I think.
Posted June 01, 2016
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Crackpot.756: I should at least try and start to understand these things.
Bunny's laid it out quite well, but the bottom line is just make sure the PSU is 80+ Bronze, Silver, or Gold certified. You'll be fine with that as a guideline.
Posted June 01, 2016
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Antimateria: also 1070 wil be like cost of 970
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Kleetus: I wish, here in Australia, and from what I've read, the 1070 will be about $750.
o.O WTF? Might as well try and import one from the US then.
Post edited June 01, 2016 by mistermumbles
Posted June 01, 2016
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mistermumbles: o.O WTF? Might as well try and import one from the US then.
Keep in mind the exchange rate. 750AUD is about 550USD, which keeps the prices relatively competitive.

Of course, Kleetus may have already accounted for the exchange rate; I have no idea. I don't shop in Oz XD
Posted June 01, 2016
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mistermumbles: Might as well try and import one from the US then.
I did that with my 780, but the exchange rate was far more favourable than it is now.

And more importantly, not all that many manufacturers have a global warranty.

Or if they do, you still have to send it overseas, making it a risky purchase.

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OneFiercePuppy: I don't shop in Oz
Lucky you, everything here in Oz these days is a rip-off.

We call it the Australia tax.

Even when downloading software from US/overseas servers we still get ripped-off with prices.

So much for all these worthless free trade agreements.
Posted June 01, 2016
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rtcvb32: Here's a good place to start.
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Crackpot.756: Many choices, much ignorance on my part. :<
That's the most likely choices, if you don't want to get a different PSU then low power is the ones you want, assuming there was a checkbox for that (which i didn't see).

As things stand it's highly recommended to wait until the new GPU's come out since older cards will get heavily discounted to get rid of stock.

Another option might be the Open Box option, where it's a bit of a gamble but i got a $400 card for $250, although i still had to get a 700Watt or so power supply with my computer rig to run it.

I'd personally say wait, or if you have to, get the best one you can that doesn't require an upgrade for a power supply. Don't expect to play things on high at HD levels. As for specific card recommendations? Not sure. I have only had 2 experiences with video cards that were 'higher end' which was the ATI Rage 128 (back in 2000-ish), and now the AMD Raedon 6900.
Posted June 01, 2016
Wait a month and get a Radeon RX 480 for $199.

They still need to release more details, but evidently for the price for performance will be pretty amazing.
Post edited June 01, 2016 by MikeMaximus
Posted June 01, 2016
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Crackpot.756: So, I may want to swap out my current GPU for a better one in the near future. Unfortunately, I know fuck all about hardware, software and computers in general, so I'm gonna need help with that. Here goes.

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7770
MOBO: ASUS M5A78L-M LX
CPU: AMD FX-6300 @3.5 GHz (+ Scythe Samurai ZZ cooler)
RAM: 2x 4GB DDR3 RAM
HDD: 500GB WD5000AAKS-60WWPA0 (o.0)
PSU: 400 Watt be quiet! Power Non-Modular 80+ Bronze

No additional coolers in case, though I suppose I could, if possible and necessary.

What sort of GPU could I feasibly upgrade to without having to get a new PSU, MoBo or some-such nonsense, which I cannot afford?

I'm not expecting anything that would enable me to play current gen games at high setting; however, if I could play something like XCOM 2 or Dark Souls 3 (shoo, nightcraw1er) at medium or low without anything bursting into flames, that would be a plus.

Let's not talk about budget until I get some suggestions that would go with my current set-up. Like I said, I don't want to replace any other parts for the moment (unless absolutely necessary for a reasonable upgrade, in which case I shall stop spending money on food for a week or so).
lolz @ the nightcraw1er comment :D

I have a 400 or 450 Watt PSU myself ( same brand, even ), along with a Core i5 and a GTX 960 and Dark Souls 3 runs just fine. Even more demanding games like Witcher 3 also work pretty well.

I think the 950 draws even less power and should also be enough for those games.

Edit: I should add, I'm running Dark Souls 3 at Max settings, Witcher 3 at High/Max. If you're content with lower settings, a GTX 950 or even GTX 750 ti might do the job for you.
Post edited June 01, 2016 by CharlesGrey
Posted June 01, 2016
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Crackpot.756: ...snip
or Dark Souls 3 (shoo, nightcraw1er)
...snip
Your safe, its only the first one I have played :o)
Posted June 01, 2016
As others said already: Wait for the new AMD cards. They'll be out in one month, will be pretty cheap (compared to current cards with similar performance) and will be way more efficient than current cards with similar performance.

The RX 480 is said to have a performance somewhere between the GTX 970 and 980, which is quite a lot for someone who says "I'm not expecting anything that would enable me to play current gen games at high setting". So, if you want to keep the budget low and to be on the safe site with the power supply, you could pick a smaller and cheaper one of the new AMD cards.

We don't know a lot about them yet, but there were some rumors about a card that doesn't need any extra power (it runs with the 75W it gets over the slot on the mainboard) and has the performance of something between a R9 380 and R9 380X. But I didn't follow it very closely, so I don't know if it was confirmed or denied. Just so you know what we're talking about here: The R9 380 runs XCOM 2 in maximum details @1080p with 40 frames per second and Dark Souls 3 (max details, etc.) with 44 frames per second, which is quite playable. So if anything of this rumor was true, this could be exactly what you're looking for.
Posted June 01, 2016
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nightcraw1er.488: You're safe, its only the first one I have played :o)
:p
A simple precaution, sir.

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CharlesGrey: I have a 400 or 450 Watt PSU myself ( same brand, even ), along with a Core i5 and a GTX 960 and Dark Souls 3 runs just fine. Even more demanding games like Witcher 3 also work pretty well.
Hm! Good news.
I don't mind lower settings, as long as I can still see what's going on. I'm certainly not one to insist on 120 FPS, even 30 is fine - better than a non-constant 60, anyway.

So, general consensus is to wait, it seems, which I shall do as I'm not exactly in a hurry to spend large amounts of money.

Thank you all kindly for the replies, suggestions and attempts to make me understand.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionPossible GPU upgrade - help, please.(172 posts)(172 posts)
(172 posts)