PC Upgrade help/opinion

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LeroyHarr

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Hello all,

Finally got some disposable income :D time to splash out a bit me thinks.

My System Specs are as follows:

AMD Phenom ii X6 Processor. (3.2 GHz, 9.0MB cache and is an Socket AM3.) Black Edition.
Motherboard: Asus Crosshair IV Formula 890FX
RAM: 4GB Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600mhz
ATI Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 1GB DDR3
PSU: Arctic Power 700 watt.
HDD: Western Digital Cavier Black 500GB.
Antec 300 computer case.

I have a really low spec graphics card and need an upgrade... badly...

As my machine is AMD - ATI compatible, mainly motherboard am I able to go for an Nvidia? Or should I stick with ATI? I am happy with them but I don't know which is the better make at the moment. Price aint much of a problem.

I was thinking (Nvidia Route): GTX 580

AMD: HD7950

But your opinions would be great!

Would my PSU handle that kind of power?

I am going to go for some more RAM too but I know what I am going to get and what will work.

I am also looking into an SSD. Any recommendations on that? Will that require a new PSU too?

Thanks so much for any help I receive.

-Leroy
 
LeroyHarr said:
As my machine is AMD - ATI compatible, mainly motherboard am I able to go for an Nvidia?
Click to expand...

Yes you can.

Or should I stick with ATI?
Click to expand...

Up to you.


I was thinking (Nvidia Route): GTX 580
Click to expand...

Yes ok.


AMD: HD7950
Click to expand...

No, your motherboard isn't PCI 3 GEN.

Would my PSU handle that kind of power?
Click to expand...

Yes, if you SLI/CF you might need to upgrade.

I am going to go for some more RAM too but I know what I am going to get and what will work.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you are asking or telling us, this would be good: Corsair 2x4GB 1600 1.5V Vengeance Low Profile DDR3 memory

I am also looking into an SSD. Any recommendations on that? Will that require a new PSU too?
Click to expand...

OCZ for speed 90GB minimum, 120GB recommended.
 
LeroyHarr said:
Hello all,

Finally got some disposable income :D time to splash out a bit me thinks.

My System Specs are as follows:

AMD Phenom ii X6 Processor. (3.2 GHz, 9.0MB cache and is an Socket AM3.) Black Edition.
Motherboard: Asus Crosshair IV Formula 890FX
RAM: 4GB Kingston Hyper X DDR3 1600mhz
ATI Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 1GB DDR3
PSU: Arctic Power 700 watt.
HDD: Western Digital Cavier Black 500GB.
Antec 300 computer case.

I have a really low spec graphics card and need an upgrade... badly...

As my machine is AMD - ATI compatible, mainly motherboard am I able to go for an Nvidia? Or should I stick with ATI? I am happy with them but I don't know which is the better make at the moment. Price aint much of a problem.

I was thinking (Nvidia Route): GTX 580

AMD: HD7950

But your opinions would be great!

Would my PSU handle that kind of power?

I am going to go for some more RAM too but I know what I am going to get and what will work.

I am also looking into an SSD. Any recommendations on that? Will that require a new PSU too?

Thanks so much for any help I receive.

-Leroy
Click to expand...

You don't need PCI express gen3 to run a 7950. It's backwards compatible to gen2. That's all you need.

Stay with ATI I say. Look at 6970 or 7950. How old is your power supply? If it's more than 4 years old it may be a good idea to look at a new one.
 
My Budget is... big. I am not coming out of this shopping spree with 2nd best part. I want the best of the best and this very moment :D




My PSU is about a year and a half old.
 
Best of the best right now would be along the lines of
HD7970, 2nd best HD7950, third in line is GTX580. If the HD7950 is cheaper than a GTX580, then the GTX is no longer an option
And a 120/240GB SSD
Your PSU should be fine, but maybe it will be worth while to get a solid 750W PSU (Corsair, Antec, Seasonic)
 
would go for the hd 7950 , it takes less power then the gtx 580 and is faster and overclocks very good!
 
Okay thanks for the help guys.

So there is no need for me to worry about gpu mobo compatibility?

I have decided to invest in a new PSU. Not sure which one yet but will be looking around.

Also going to a HAF-x Case. The card is about a foot long or something and its the only case I like that will house this beast (HD7970)

I do see that Nvidia is bringing out a GTX 590 sometime soon. HD 7970 is better spec and £100 cheaper. Whats that all about? Am I missing something?

Any more tips or opinions on parts?

Thanks!
 
GTX590 is already out.....
You're probably thinking of Kepler, which is due beginning of April iirc. If it beats the top end AMD card, expect it to be priced higher... although there is a chance its priced near the same as the HD7970, forcing the AMD card to drop its price. But as always with electronics, you can wait forever for new stuff/prices to drop, and then never buy anything.
 
Ah right okay thanks. Yeah I can't wait forever, have done that once before.

Also another thing... what is the difference between Asus, XFX, powercolour, sapphire? There is some price difference between them but what is the real difference.
 
On reference graphics cards the difference is the sticker, price and possibly the warranty.
Non reference cards are a whole different ballgame
 
Maybe my specs will help you with ur build:

AMD x6 1090T CPU 3.2ghz (mobo ups it to 3.7ghz at default settings)
Gigabyte Xpower cooler (cpu runs at about 30C at stock)
Crosshair V mobo
900W Huntkey modular psu (I know, not the best)
8GB RAM transcend aXram (2000mhz)
Nvidia gtx590
Antec Lanboy yellow chassis (not as huge as the haf, but everything fits, with room to spare & i wanted a case with handles)
Seagate 2TB (for storage)
OCZ Agility 3 SSD 120gb (for OS & a few games)
 
Not at all... all games run on extreme settings without a noticeable drop in framerate. except for rage & batman arkham city, but I think its those games, and playing not quite "legal" versions. lol. I can play around with the mobo settings, but I decided to leave it at stock. I'm having a lot less hassles since I upgraded from an ATI HD 6970. Nvidia is definitely way better...
 
Fanboi alert ;)

I would assume you would have less hassles upgrading from a 6970 to a gtx590, the thing is more than double the price.

Cannot compare the 2.

I have a 6950 and play some less than legal copies and have no issues at all and can very decent frames as well.
 
The only real problem I had was heat. Those 590's are like space heaters inside the case. lol. But I changed the airflow to 3 intake fans & 5 outlet fans (flipped the psu to use as extra outlet) so its much cooler.
 
ATI has had too many compatibility issues lately... Hence the upgrade to a 590 & not a 6990 or 7 series ATI card
 
Jimmy-Z said:
ATI has had too many compatibility issues lately... Hence the upgrade to a 590 & not a 6990 or 7 series ATI card
Click to expand...

What compatibility issues would those be?? First time I'm hearing of anything of the sort. This sounds like the good ol' "AMD has crap drivers" BS that some people like to sling around
 
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