Feel like it's time to upgrade

C

Clownfetus

New Member
Hey all,

I've recently been playing some new games that have come out (Deus Ex / BF3 beta) and it seems that my computer is not performing like I want it to.

I bought this rig back in May of '09 and I have been kinda out of the computer hardware loop as of late and was wondering if you guys could help me get it to where I want it without spending toooo much money(would rather it not be over $500-600). (i.e. running these games (such as upcoming releases Rage/Skyrim) on full specs with no worries).

So here are my current specs:
CPU:
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz Quad-Core Processor

GPU:
ASUS Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express

MB:
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM:
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 (PC3 12800)

HD:
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM

PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2

OS:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Soundcard:
Onboard sound


I know that I desperately need a new Hard Drive and I was thinking about getting a solid state drive (I wouldn't need anything too huge) and I'm guessing that I probably need to re-up on my GPU... Problem is I don't really know what's good anymore and was hoping that's where y'all would come in. As always, I really appreciate the help, you guys always have an answer.

Thanks
 
claptonman

claptonman

New Member
Seems like the weakest point is the GPU, yes. There are many options. In the $200-300 range, there's the Nvidia 560ti or ATI 6950. That would max out those games. Or $300-400 would get you the 6970 or 570. I have a 570 and its very nice. Still got to get a decent CPU to see what it really can do. Other than that, at the $400-500 range is the 580, which would be the best of the best.

An SSD is a good choice. Any reason why you desperately need a new hard drive? That's a pretty fast drive,
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
would say go for the 570 on the high end or the 6950 on the lower, then i'd say for 100 you can get a 60gb ssd and then for 60 a 1tb samsung f3 which everyone loves, or a wd caviar black 750gb for 65 which may be a little faster, and who needs 1tb, which you'll have 1.05 really with the 2 (prob 1 since they never have the stated amount of memory.)
 
Shane

Shane

Super Moderator
Staff member
You still have quite a decent system there,What i would do to give it a boost..
(Depending on budget of course)

Buy a new GPU,like mentioned a GTX 560 or HD6950,Your current Power supply is more then enough for either of those cards.

Is your i7 920 still stock clocked?,If so you could buy an Aftermarket cooler and overclock for a free performance boost.

As for SSD drive,From a quick look on the Asus website it appears your Motherboard only supports SATA 3 Gb/s ports.

So you could look into getting something like a OCZ Vertex 2 or something similar,Just make sure its Sand force controller based.
 
C

Clownfetus

New Member
Thanks a lot for the quick responses;

As I assumed, it is time for a GPU upgrade, and I would rather go for the high end just so I don't have to worry about it anytime soon...

Is there any obvious headway in the market at the moment when it comes to ATI vs. nVidia? I feel like one is always one step ahead of the other at any point in time (or I should wait a month or two for the next best thing to come out?)

I haven't touched my i7 920, so I should look into that...

And as far as the SSD goes, I guess I should have looked further into that, my apologies, but it looks like I still have some options.

thanks again
 
Perkomate

Perkomate

Active Member
There is a new AMD GPU range coming out sometime soon. Some say 2012, but it's definitely going to be ahead of NVIDIAs. At the moment, in the high end there's actually a fair bit of staggering between GPUs in regards to price and performance.
 
claptonman

claptonman

New Member
The 580 is the best of the best, won't find a faster single card. The 570 and 6970 are pretty close to the same performance. I also have a 570 and I love it. Up to you if you wanna spend that extra 140 for a performance gain. Although I have yet to encounter a game where my 570 struggles, so I would go with the 570.
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
570 unless you want to try maxing a game at 1080p on 2 monitors if not 3, although i don't think the 580 can do 3 at once, i know the amd eyefinity can though.
 
C

Clownfetus

New Member
Thanks for the quick replies

Yeah I guess at the pace these video cards progress, there is no point in getting the best one if all I really need it for is single monitor gaming...

And it looks like the votes are for the 570 over the 6970 so I guess I'll be going with the 570.

Thanks again guys
 
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