GPU Upgrade (What can I run with what I've got?)

[gyrene81]

why does it have to be nvidia? I just crossed over  from a 8800gts to the 5850 and this thing     with my 620w PSU....

He has an Nforce mobo...the Nforce chipsets have been known to cause problems with ATI video cards installed on them.

[Ruler2]

He has an Nforce mobo...the Nforce chipsets have been known to cause problems with ATI video cards installed on them.

It's a conspiracy...

That being the case, the 9800 series or low GTX series would be the best you could possibly do right now with what you got.

[Noir]

cmon guys a 600W power supply, even with 'only' 80% efficiency is WAY enough for a C2D with a single videocard and a regular number of peripherals....and I would bet a 2nd videocard would fit like dady into mummy...

and btw how can you guys still recommend a sub-par nvidia card ? 

[Saurdaukar]

why does it have to be nvidia? I just crossed over  from a 8800gts to the 5850 and this thing     with my 620w PSU....

He has an Nforce mobo...the Nforce chipsets have been known to cause problems with ATI video cards installed on them.

What he said.

I've read enough about ATI and nForce MB's to scare me away.

In any event, apologies for neglecting the thread.  Didnt have a power for a few days due to the global warming-fueled "snow storm of the century" and have been playing catchup since.

I think what Im reading is that anything above a 9800GTX+ would be wasted due to the CPU bottleneck.  That's good to know as it was my primary concern.

My thought following this is that I should just build a new machine since the 9X-series cards are already "old."

Following that thought, I researched the new Intel CPU's.  Wow.  And I thought GPU's were complicated...

Apparently, for gaming (my primary focus), the i7, for all intents and purposes, offers no real increase for the price over a basic C2D since most games dont use the technology anyway - hell - most don't use the second core I have now.

However, a newer MB housing said CPU would allow for far more GPU options (PCI-E 2.0) and not bottleneck the card.

Is it worth me just spending a grand for a new machine instead of $300-400 on a GPU and memory for a relatively out-dated system?  New machines are so damned cheap that it almost feels silly to upgrade what I have... although I suppose its silly to upgrade what I have in the first place since it runs AH at a solid 60FPS, as stated, 95% of the time.

Decisions decisions...

EDIT:  There is also the consideration of whether or not I finally give up XP for Windows 7 (and DX10/11).  I wouldn't even bother with the current machine but DX9-limitations are starting to show their age.

[Ruler2]

Sauda, from everything I'VE heard 7 is as good, if not better than XP. I'm looking to get it as soon as I can.

[gyrene81]

Saurdaukar, you're CPU isn't what I would call a "bottleneck"...anyone that says it is needs their head examined...it's your mobo and power supply...your PCI-X 16 slot is a 1.0 version and what you need is v2.0 to take advantage of the bigger video cards...and you're power supply is a bit weak on the 12v rails to handle much more of a video card than possibly the 9800GTX. There are a number of people playing AH with 9800GTX cards with everything maxed out. The only other consideration is that you could have beaucoup problems trying to use an ATI video card due to the Nforce chipset.

Conceivably, you could replace that mobo with something newer for about $100-$150, then buy a better power supply and new video card...if you stay away from the Nforce mobos your choice of video cards goes way up...and you could go with ATI which appears to be less problematic driver wise at the moment.

[BaldEagl]

I agree with gyrene81.  Your CPU is not a bottleneck.

I'm playing with this:

Nvidia 780i motherboard
Intel E6750 (2.66 Ghz OC'd to 3.2 Ghz)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU cooler
4x1 Gb Kingston HyperX DDR2 800 RAM (@ 4-4-4-12 timings)
Nvidia 8800 GTS 512 Mb (G92 GPU)
Soundblaster XFi Xtreme Gamer sound card
PC Power & Cooling 750W Silencer PSU
2x Seagate 250 Gb AS Series SATA HD's
2x Seagate 500 Gb NS Series SATA HD's
2x Asus SATA Optical drives (DVD burner & DVD player)
1x floppy drive
Coolermaster case
XP Pro
LG 22" LCD (1600x1050)
Klipsh 2.1 speakers
Logitec mike
Saitek AV8R

I run a steady 59 fps (refresh rate) with hi-res textures and all graphic card and game settings turned up (IIRC I'm running 16xAA and 4xAF... I can't tell the difference above that) with the exception of shadows and soft shadows.  I can turn shadows on without affecting frame rate but I don't like how they look without soft shadows which kill my fps.

I ran two of those video cards for a short time in SLI but in SLI I couldn't enable vsync so went back to a single card.  280 fps on an LCD is not pretty.

Your bottlenecks in order of importance are your PSU, motherboard and video card.

You might be able to just add 2Gb of RAM and OC your CPU to about 3.4-3.6 Ghz and solve all your short term problems depending on what you have for a CPU cooler.  Even if you have to upgrade the CPU cooler your total investment is still well under $100.

[Saurdaukar]

Liquid cooled so OC is an option.

[BaldEagl]

Liquid cooled so OC is an option.

If you're considering that and aren't familiar with doing it PM me and I'll walk you thought it.  It's not that hard but it can be a bit time consuming so set aside a 2-3 hours and you'll need a few free tools to test the OC and monitor the system.

[Buzzard7]

I have a p5ne-sli running a GTS250 from BFG tech. The GTS250's are actually 9800GTX chips with some bells and whistles added. The card is limited by the 1.0 slot but it runs fine in the 75-85FPS range with vsync on. My machine is limited by its slow RAM clock and the single core P4 at the moment. Tax check will correct that soon.
I plan on getting a board that has a 2.0 PCIe setup and maybe DDR3 RAM slots. That should let this 250 card run a whole lot faster.


I am running a Corsair TX650 PSU that is certified 80plus. It will provide 80% of rated power under load and temp.
100 bucks at BestBuy.

[Masherbrum]

Ok, it appears my choice for the 9800GTX+ seems to have struck a nerve.   IIRC, he did NOT really wish to "upgrade his PSU" and the risk of running a GTS(X) 2 series on the current PSU leaves little to no room for Amperage allowance. 

All I did was provide a "stop-gap" upgrade from his current GPU.   Yes, there will be a difference.   My head doesn't need examining, it's just fine and there is no sense on dropping $300 on a GPU.    As Mazz has already stated, he'll consider upgrading in the near future.

[gyrene81]

Mash...no one said you needed your head examined...although it might be a good idea 

Even if he did get a 9800GTX...the PCI-E x16 slots on his mobo are v1.0 or 1.1 and in order to get maximum benefit from the 9800 or any other PCI-E x16 2.0 video card is to at a minimum...replace the mobo.

[Saurdaukar]

Yeah, that's whats picking at me... Using a 2.0 GPU in a 1.0 slot seems like a waste... but I dont know what the true impact would be.  I cant seem to find any benchmarks where one of the cards in question is tested in both slots.  I dont know if performance potential would be harmed by 5% or 50%.

Beyond that, if I go through the trouble of replacing the PS, MB, etc, etc, the bill gets up there pretty quickly. 

What I fear is going through the process of upgrading the problem parts (MB, PS, etc) prior to adding a GPU and more memory - and then looking at the final cost estimate and finding it more practical to simply buy a new machine.

BE - thanks much for your offer.  I may well give that a shot.

[gyrene81]

Well, supposedly according "standard specs" the PCI-E x16 slot is roughly 1/2 the data transfer rate of the PCI-E x16 2.0. Trying to assimilate that into actual performance...maybe akin to running that new 9800GTX like your old 8800GT.

[Masherbrum]

Yeah, that's whats picking at me... Using a 2.0 GPU in a 1.0 slot seems like a waste... but I dont know what the true impact would be.  I cant seem to find any benchmarks where one of the cards in question is tested in both slots.  I dont know if performance potential would be harmed by 5% or 50%.

Beyond that, if I go through the trouble of replacing the PS, MB, etc, etc, the bill gets up there pretty quickly. 

What I fear is going through the process of upgrading the problem parts (MB, PS, etc) prior to adding a GPU and more memory - and then looking at the final cost estimate and finding it more practical to simply buy a new machine.

BE - thanks much for your offer.  I may well give that a shot.

I think getting more out of your CPU, will be more beneficial.