Possible GPU upgrade

[Myth121]

So i just got a new desktop about 3 weeks ago and its all great for general use but its weakest point is that it only has a nvidia GT220 and im seriously thinking of upgrading for Christmas. It was a great value for money and i bought it knowing it would need some immediate attention to satisfy my compulsion for a great computer

My previous desktop had a pair of gt9800's in SLI and didn't really hold up to my expectations since i expected to see much better results from going 6800s>9800s.
This time im looking at ATI cards, specifically the 5870, however the 6900 series is just out and only $50s more so why not go bigger if its better.

Heres the specs:
cpu: i7 950 @ 3.07GHz
motherboard: MSI X58M (this thing pissed me off from the start)
ram: 12GBs DDR3
interface: PCI-E x16
power supply: unfortunately its all inside the box, it does say 230v on the back panel if thats relevant. if its really necessary i can open it up and check.
currently using dual monitors, one VGA one DVI (both have DVI inputs however)
If there is other info i missed tell me and ill post it up.

as a final note i am concerned about the size of the ATI cards, will they fit?

Any helpful suggestions would be much appreciated

 

[Relic]

Hi Myth :wave:,

What exactly are you planning to do with the video card? Since you're talking about higher end cards I'm assuming you plan on doing some gaming. If that's the case, what resolution do you plan to game on? Also it would be good if you could tell us what power supply you have, if you are unsure take a picture and show us the tag. It's likely that you will need a new power supply with whatever card you get. So what type of budget are you working with?

as a final note i am concerned about the size of the ATI cards, will they fit?

If I'm not mistaken this should be your board, and unless you want a high end/enthusiast card I'd imagine you'd be alright. You could show us exactly how much room you have by showing us a picture.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

You'd need to take a pic of the sticker on the PSU, or if there's a brand name and model listed, just post it here and we'll tell you if you need to upgrade it.

Also, the HD 6800 series is the only one out; the HD 6900 has apparently been delayed. FYI, the HD 6870 is NOT an upgrade from the HD 5870 or the HD 5850 for that matter. Performance is slightly below that of the HD 5850, and inferior to the HD 5870. The only real advantage is lower power consumption.

 

[dividebyzero]

HD 6970 and 6950 launch tomorrow.
Might want to see how pricing looks and how it shakes out regarding cards already extant in the market.
@Rage
The HD 6870 sits between the HD 5850 and 5870 in performance.
Performance scaling would be:
6850<5850<6870<5870<6950<6850CF~5850CF~6970
This should hold true regardless of game, screen resolution and game IQ for the most part. Expect the 6970 to have an edge over the two crossfire solutions in heavy tessellation scenario's and higher (8+ AA) IQ.
I'm guessing you'll most likely go with a single card judging by the motherboard layout ( a second dual-slot card looks problematic with front panel/USB headers)

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Hmm interesting, thanks dividebyzero. The 6870 has around a 10% performance lead on the HD 5850 then, overall? Not bad considering that the new card has a lower number of transistors and shader processors!

 

[dividebyzero]

Pricing of the HD 6970 and 6950 look very good indeed if there is any truth in this report

 

[rockyjohns]

Back panel says 230v? Hope you are in Europe or that label is by a button that says 120v on the other side. 230v is the standard power in Europe and will not work in US. Hopefully the button can click over to 120v for use in US.

You should be able to check with the computer manufacturer to find out the PSU size, although it is not always posted. Otherwise you will need to open up the case and look inside as suggested above. If so, you can go to upgradevideocards.com for some helpful information about PSU labels:

I should hope any manufacturer selling a CPU with an i7-950 CPU and 12 MB of memory will provide enought power to install one or two fair sized graphics cards.

Also, you ask if the cards will fit but provide no info about case. What case is it, or what is the computer make and model?