Upgrade

Jesus Mobile

Posts: 6   +0
Hello everyone,

------- I would like some insight on what I should upgrade to.

------- I am upgrading because I would like a solid FPS on any game I play. I tried to play Crysis 3 on ultra and plooped.

(I would also like to run Skyrim with a bunch of mods, including graphic enhancing mods.)

-------SPECS

System Information
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[LEFT]Processor - AMD FX-8150 AMD FX(tm) Eight-Core Processor[/LEFT]
[LEFT]Motherboard - CrossHair V Formula[/LEFT]
[LEFT]RAM - 16G DDR3[/LEFT]
[LEFT]Graphics - ATI Radeon HD 6970[/LEFT]
[LEFT]Not upgrading PS[/LEFT]
[LEFT] [/LEFT]
[LEFT]I am willing to upgrade or build a new rig.[/LEFT]
[LEFT] [/LEFT]
[LEFT] [/LEFT]
[LEFT] [/LEFT]
[LEFT] [/LEFT]
[LEFT]Thanks!![/LEFT]
 
What is your budget?
What FPS are you getting with your system on Crysis 3 in Ultra settings? You say it plooped, but didn't give a current FPS.
How many monitors are you trying to play games on (One / Two / Three ...)?
Have you thought about overclocking to possible increase performance? You can overclock the CPU and possibly the GPU to gain a couple more FPS. What do you have for a cooling system on your CPU (air cooled / liquid cooled - and what is it)?
With the system you already have, you should be getting Crysis 3 to run pretty good. I do not think that you will have to upgrade much because the system you have is a good one already. You will have to upgrade the graphics card if you are looking for better FPS (but this falls under budget).
 
You have a high end CPU and GPU, so upgrades should be fairly minimal, but pricey. What is your budget? What is the wattage on your PSU?

I think if you want to stay AMD (Intel is better for pure performance, but this matters on if your budget allows for Intel), this should be your upgrade path:
1) Upgrade the 8150 to a 8350 (same socket, just make sure you update your BIOS).
2) Upgrades your GPU to a 7970.
3) Add an SSD.

I highly recommend going Intel if you are a performance freak. What resolution are your running at also?
 
Check the Crysis 3 benchmark on this site to see what you need to run Crysis on maximum, at your nominated resolution.

A PC upgrade or completely new build isn't recommended, because the performance difference won't be very significant. This is, assuming single-GPU and mainstream Intel i7 rig.

..If you look at the benchmarks and see that you actually need a titan or some dual-GPU stuff to run Crysis on max at 60fps, you're gonna need complete overhaul and more like $2000 budget. Still not recommended.
 
Crysis 3 on ultra needs dual GPUs like Stick said. Maybe with driver enhancements over the past few months, you may be able to run C3 @ ultra with a 780. Not sure though.
 
Spy - My budget is pretty high. I got about 20 FPS on ULTRA in Crysis 3. I am playing on one monitor but running two. I am air cooled (Stock CPU fan, 3 200MM, and 4 120MM.) I would like to eventually implement water cooling.

Stick - I am currently running an 250 GB SSD. I am running 1920 x 1080. Wouldn't switching my system from AMD to Intel be hard?

JC - I'm not that into Crysis, I just want a system that can play next gen games. Crysis is 10 years ahead of its time, haha.

I will most likely just upgrade my CPU and GPU. Intel is apparently the way to go.
 
Can't upgrade CPU to Intel unless you change mobo. As mentioned before, even this will be a very small, mostly sideways, 'upgrade'.

Your options if you've got any sense of money management:
1. Sell current GPU, purchase one or two GTX780's or 7970GHz's. Overclock CPU.
2. Wait.
 
Ah, you are correct. I don't know why I thought I could use a Intel on a V. Anyways, I'm scared about OCING my GPU. I'm currently running 68C on idle. On a load I run at about 80-89, I have never breached 90C. I heard that 6970 did get hot at times and 90C was not so bad. Is this true? Also, do you think I should start investing into water cooling?
 
7970GHz edition or the new 780's don't need overclocking. However, buying a nice CPU cooler and overclocking it will give you some nice boosts.

Water cooling - no. Unless you have $500+ to blow, top-end air coolers out-perform.
 
That sounds very hot, my EVGA GTX 660Ti Superclocked idles at 34c, full load temps~75c (@27c ambient), and that's with the reference fan and default fan profile, load temps don't exceed 60c when using an aggressive fan profile. As for performance, here's the Passmark page for your present card - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+6970&id=84
and here's a chart of all high-end video cards showing their relative (stock) performance - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html
I personally would go with a GTX 770 (great performer and a great value for $400), and a decent $100 CPU cooler (air or water) for a safe 20-25% overclock. Then sell the 6970 for ~$200, for a net cost of $300 for an upgrade that should double your frame rate in most games.
 
What do you run for cooling Hood? Also, where could I sell the card? My price range for a new GPU is very high. I could go with the 7970, 780, or the 770. I used to cool my CPU with CM hyper 212 but it didn't fit in my rig. It will fit if I take out the 200MM fan I have running on the side (My case - NZXT Phantom.).
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1. Upgrade your 8150 to a 8350 (upgrade your motherboards BIOS first).
2. Get 2 GTX 760s (1x: $250, 2x: $500) or 2 770s (1x: $400, 2x: $800). Or get a GTX 690 ($1000).

I recommend the 690 since it will cure you of the headaches associated with SLI.
 
1. Upgrade your 8150 to a 8350 (upgrade your motherboards BIOS first).
2. Get 2 GTX 760s (1x: $250, 2x: $500) or 2 770s (1x: $400, 2x: $800). Or get a GTX 690 ($1000).

I recommend the 690 since it will cure you of the headaches associated with SLI.

690 is SLI. :p
 
What do you run for cooling Hood? Also, where could I sell the card? My price range for a new GPU is very high. I could go with the 7970, 780, or the 770. I used to cool my CPU with CM hyper 212 but it didn't fit in my rig. It will fit if I take out the 200MM fan I have running on the side (My case - NZXT Phantom.).
I use a Corsair H100, and it keeps things pretty cool even at lowest fan speed (40% on my fan controller). The newer H100i is even better, and either one easily fits in your case. I think they're much better than air coolers, because water coolers leave you room to access motherboard connectors, and install RAM with tall heatsinks. And it runs quiet compared to an air cooler. In my i5-3570K@4500 MHz system, the difference between 2 (stock) fans on low and 4 AF120s at max speed is about 2c under load, so no need to run them fast except maybe when running IBT or Prime95. This would also let you keep the 200mm fan on the side panel, which helps a lot with GPU cooling.
The old card could be sold on Craigslist locally or online at any number of forums (such as http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/index.php). Or if you have other superfluous parts laying around, you could build a mid-range gamer and sell the whole kit on CL for $300-$500.
 
690 is 2 GPUs on 1 PCB. It still has the same issues SLI has and still splits the VRAM like SLI does. I've owned the 5970 and the 9800GX2 and they all had this behavior as well - not sure it will change any time soon.
 
Yeah, crossfire/ sli is still the same no matter if it's 1 PCB or 2 seperate ones. You'll still encounter any sort of problems you would with a dual gpu setup except heat,noise, and space. That would be much more manageable with these single PCB solutions.
 
Aw dang :(. I guess the Titan is the only single GPU card that will perform well on C3 @ ultra. The 780 is a good option also.
 
Hm.

Upgrade my 8150 to 8350. (Is it worth it?)

Upgrade my 6970 to -
A. GTX - 780
B. 7970
C. 2 GTX 760s
D. 2 770s
E. 690 (IF the performance will be SIGNIFICANTLY different from all of the above.)

I'm going to so some research on all of the cards. I would still like your personal opinions.
 
The 8350 will be a good upgrade, but it is not necessary. I think you should stay away from xfire (AMDs SLI) since AMD cards have a lot of issues with xfire.
 
Two 770s will kill the rest, but please don't use passmark for actual performance numbers. That is a horrible chart to go by and their numbers are almost never even close to real world.
 
Two 770s will kill the rest, but please don't use passmark for actual performance numbers. That is a horrible chart to go by and their numbers are almost never even close to real world.

Yeah, Passmark is fairly inaccurate.
 
Two 770s will kill the rest, but please don't use passmark for actual performance numbers. That is a horrible chart to go by and their numbers are almost never even close to real world.
Thats the problem with benchmarking apps, they measure full potential. Were as real world may not tap into the full potential. As far as Passmark Benchmark goes, they are close enough for me to judge by. What else is there other than posting every real world applications benchmark? Generic advice calls for generic benchmarks.
 
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