Next upgrade suggestion?

J

js1974

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
122
My specs are below and I've been upgrading this system over the last few months. Currently I'm at a ppoint I'm pretty happy with it but I'm starting to wonder about a few changes. The majority of my gaming is FPS and MMO style games. I feel like if the current system has a bottleneck it's the video card but at the same time I just can't see a $300 upgrade pulling that much weight.

I know my Video Card is solid but the biggest complaint about it is the amount of RAM on the Card. So upgrade to a stronger card, cross fire my current setup or just wait for the next video card release?


MB : ASRock X79 Extreme6
CPU : Intel Core i7-3930K
Cooler : Noctua NH-D14 SE2011
GPU : SAPPHIRE HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB
HD : OCZ Technology 120GB Agility 3

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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js1974 said:
My specs are below and I've been upgrading this system over the last few months. Currently I'm at a ppoint I'm pretty happy with it but I'm starting to wonder about a few changes. The majority of my gaming is FPS and MMO style games. I feel like if the current system has a bottleneck it's the video card but at the same time I just can't see a $300 upgrade pulling that much weight.

I know my Video Card is solid but the biggest complaint about it is the amount of RAM on the Card. So upgrade to a stronger card, cross fire my current setup or just wait for the next video card release?


MB : ASRock X79 Extreme6
CPU : Intel Core i7-3930K
Cooler : Noctua NH-D14 SE2011
GPU : SAPPHIRE HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB
HD : OCZ Technology 120GB Agility 3

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Replace your card with this,

Done.
 
I just bought a MSI 7950 Twin Frozr OC and would recommend it but it's just over the $300 mark.

Faster, cooler and quieter than stock 7950.
 
So there really is no in between from the 5870 the next step is up to the 78 or 79 series? Not sure I want to drop $300 on a video card at the moment but I'll certainly keep the cards in mind and watch for any deals.
 
for a smaller step up, you could get a 7850 for around $200. The nicer OC versions run about $240-250 though but at that point it's hard not to recommend spending the extra $60 for a 7950 OC.
 
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Right now there isn't much competition in the $200-$300 range, so the 7850 and 7870 haven't had significant price drops like the 7950 and 7970 have had. The 7950 seems like the sweet spot for value right now since its in the low $300 area.

Things may change once Nvidia release GTX 660 Ti which is $299 on Aug 16th.
 
With the price of the 660ti falling between $299-345, not sure it will shake down the prices in the $200-250 range as there still isn't much competition there.

The only caveat being if the 660ti is a higher performer than expected or if it quickly falls in price.
 
Video card prices need to go on a lineup wide 50% off sale permanently.
 
I am really surprised the 5870 isnt getting you by, the good news is that 5870's are worth good money right now. Probably get around $150+ on ebay for it, Are you getting choppy game play ? maybe its overheating and causing the card to throttle down -- my last 5870 was having a similar issue until i took the heatsink off and replaced the thermal paste.

I think the 7950 is an excellent choice as well.

I have two 7970's and never gamed on them, i game either on my laptop (which is a llano chip) or an asus 5450, but then again im not driving three monitors either and play lighter titles like counter strike source and world of warcraft.
 
buttons said:
I am really surprised the 5870 isnt getting you by, the good news is that 5870's are worth good money right now. Probably get around $150+ on ebay for it, Are you getting choppy game play ? maybe its overheating and causing the card to throttle down -- my last 5870 was having a similar issue until i took the heatsink off and replaced the thermal paste.

I think the 7950 is an excellent choice as well.

I have two 7970's and never gamed on them, i game either on my laptop (which is a llano chip) or an asus 5450, but then again im not driving three monitors either and play lighter titles like counter strike source and world of warcraft.
Click to expand...

The 5870 is getting me by I don't need to upgrade but want to :)
 
js1974 said:
The 5870 is getting me by I don't need to upgrade but want to :)
Click to expand...

Your HD 5870 will fetch you 130 bucks if you sell it. Spend 200 bucks more and get a HD 7950 OC. With a little bit of voltage tweaking you can get the card to run at 1100 Mhz. Since you mention playing FPS games the HD 7950 OC will be a much faster card in the latest DX11 games like BF3, Crysis 2, Batman AC. HD 7950 OC (1100 Mhz) will be 1.8x - 2x the perf of a HD 5870.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5476/amd-radeon-7950-review/18

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_7950_Flex/31.html

I have a HD 6950 running at 860 Mhz and i played BF3 at Ultra 2x MSAA at 1080p. It was generally playable but the fps would dip to 25 fps in intensive firefights. I played only the DX9 versions of Crysis 2 and Batman AC. But the DX11 version can bring the HD 6950 to its knees at max settings in DX11.
 
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