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Upgrading from a GTX 260 OC Edition, need advice.

Unknown
in Hardware

Like the title says, I currently own and have installed a gtx 260 overclocked edition. Got it a few years back for about $100 and it's run everything from Skyrim to Fallout 3 amazingly...though I have just purchased a new tv/monitor and it only has vga/hdmi ports...Which the video card has none of. Only has 2 DVI's....so since I want  1080 I figure it's time just to get a new video card with a mini hdmi port. Though I have not been in the game of building pc's in quite some time now and do not know much about which one to go to...I'm not trying to get the top of the line card or anything. $200 is a max of what I am wanting to spend. I just would like something that is a pretty decent upgrade and not just spending 200 bucks on the card to have and hdmi port... So, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also my other specs are as follow:

i5 2500k,  8gb ddr3, 800w corsair psu, fatality mobo, pretty much about it.

Comments

  • wesjrwesjr Member UncommonPosts: 506
    You can get a GTX 550 TI for around $90 now.
  • CombspeCombspe Member UncommonPosts: 140
    Could you tell me your current budget?
  • FreeakedFreeaked Member UncommonPosts: 53
    A HDMI to DVI cable would be cheaper....
  • GrahxenGrahxen Member UncommonPosts: 19

    Pick up a dvi - Hdmi cable. Connect te dvi male to your video card and the Hdmi male to your tv.

     

    Also what kind of tv is this? Is t 1080p?  Does it support 4:4:4 chroma sub sampling? Either way you don't want to go Hdmi to Hdmi just in case your tv supports 4:4:4.

     

    Check out the link here and educate yourself on 4:4:4 sub sampling and look at the test samples.

     

    http://www.avsforum.com/t/1381724/official-4-4-4-chroma-subsampling-thread

     

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by wesjr
    You can get a GTX 550 TI for around $90 now.

    That's not an upgrade.

    -----

    As others have said, you can get a monitor port adapter.  For example:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882754041

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200551

    Or did you basically just decide that it's time to upgrade anyway?

  • Unknown
    I got the adapter and it works quite well, though yes Quizzical,  I have still decided to probably go and upgrade the video card at least at some point. When I built my rig about 6 to 8 months ago, the gpu was the only thing I did not upgrade because I was told most next gen cards would be releasing and lowering the prices of the others, so I decided to wait. Here I am months later...hoping for a deal :P Games I Mostly play are: Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, Fallout 3...such, though I am a bit of a graphics whore, so I want it to look pretty sexy. Like I said before I am trying to UPGRADE from the gtx 260 oc edition and my budget is between 200 and 300... Though I am not really wanting to breach the 300 mark I would if I felt it was worth the money and longevity.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by Nunez1212
    I got the adapter and it works quite well, though yes Quizzical,  I have still decided to probably go and upgrade the video card at least at some point. When I built my rig about 6 to 8 months ago, the gpu was the only thing I did not upgrade because I was told most next gen cards would be releasing and lowering the prices of the others, so I decided to wait. Here I am months later...hoping for a deal :P Games I Mostly play are: Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, Fallout 3...such, though I am a bit of a graphics whore, so I want it to look pretty sexy. Like I said before I am trying to UPGRADE from the gtx 260 oc edition and my budget is between 200 and 300... Though I am not really wanting to breach the 300 mark I would if I felt it was worth the money and longevity.

    That's reasonable enough, so long as the GTX 260 was cheap when you bought it.  Well then, let's look at your options.  The cheapest is a GeForce GTX 660 that will offer somewhat more than double the performance of your current card:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500270

    A little faster than that is a Radeon HD 7870:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161404

    There is also a GeForce GTX 660 Ti, which contrary to the name, has nothing to do with a GTX 660, as it's a different GPU die entirely:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133466

    GTX 660 Tis tend to be way overpriced, but that one isn't if you regard big rebates as free.  On the other hand, if you won't do the rebate, ther is a Radeon HD 7870 XT:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024

    Contary to the name, this also has nothing to do with the 7870, as it's also a different GPU chip entirely.  In a saner world, it would have been called a Radeon HD 7930, but AMD marketing apparently nixed that idea.  Finally, you could get a higher bin of the last GPU chip:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125414

    Shipping will push you slightly over the $300 budget, though you can also get a cheaper 7950 with a cooler that isn't nearly as good:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131478

    While the GeForce cards both say 2 GB, they mismatch the system memory channels, so you only get the proper memory bandwidth up to 1.5 GB.  The Radeon cards can put all of their video memory to proper use, including the 3 GB on a 7950.  Of course, just because hardware can do something doesn't mean that software will ask it to, so unless you're running very high monitor resolutions, the only way you'd ever use more than 1.5 GB was very high resolution texture packs.

    On a pure price/performance basis, I'd get a card with a rebate if you regard rebates as "free", and one without a rebate if you won't do it.  The 7870 XT and 7950 both use AMD's Tahiti chip, which is substantially worse on energy efficiency than the other cards--including the normal 7870.

    What case do you have, and what power supply?

  • Unknown

    Case: Coolermaster HAF 912    (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233)

    PSU: Seasonic M12 II Bronze 620w (Couldn't find a link to it)

  • Unknown
    Also out of curiosity, my new screen is a 46'', so I was wondering if it was possible to run it at 2560 x 1440 resolution...I'm thinking the screen is probably not even capable as it is a bit of a cheaper 46''. JW.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Your power supply and case should be able to handle any of those video cards without incident.  It's unlikely that your television supports anything above 1920x1080, as most televisions don't, because there is basically no television content for higher resolutions.
  • wizyywizyy Member UncommonPosts: 629

    Tom's Hardware has a monthly "thing" for GPU and CPU for years now:

    Best Graphics Cards For The Money: January 2013

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

    NEW IDEAS that can refresh the STALE state of MMORPGs

  • Unknown

    Thinking about this one

    Let me know what you think, less fans as the one quizzical showed earlier, but looking at the reviews...that one seems to have a high DOA amount compared to the one I linked above.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by wizyy

    Tom's Hardware has a monthly "thing" for GPU and CPU for years now:

    Best Graphics Cards For The Money: January 2013

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

    The card you want to buy today should depend on the prices today, not on prices a week ago.  And if there's only one SKU of a card far cheaper than the others, you can buy that one and not have to worry that the sale might end quickly like Tom's Hardware does.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by Nunez1212

    Thinking about this one

    Let me know what you think, less fans as the one quizzical showed earlier, but looking at the reviews...that one seems to have a high DOA amount compared to the one I linked above.

    Whoa, they have a lot of 7950s right at $299.99.  I guess I didn't scroll down far enough to see that one.  If you're willing to spend the full $300 budget, then sure, have at it.  I would have linked that one earlier if I had seen it.

  • wizyywizyy Member UncommonPosts: 629

    Consider gaming benchmarks when buying a new card - anandtech.com has got you covered - with numerous cards to compare in various games.

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=550

    If you have one or more favorite games that you are going to play soon, you may see quite a different performance from either NVIDIA or AMD in that particular game.

    NEW IDEAS that can refresh the STALE state of MMORPGs

  • HeroEvermoreHeroEvermore Member Posts: 672

    I suggest AMD 6970 or 7970. I would never reccomend a cut down version of a GPU.

    If you want cheap I just got my 2nd 6970 for 200$ on amazon. Loving my xfire setup. It's a beast. :D

    Hero Evermore
    Guild Master of Dragonspine since 1982.
    Playing Path of Exile and deeply in love with it.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by wizyy

    Consider gaming benchmarks when buying a new card - anandtech.com has got you covered - with numerous cards to compare in various games.

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=550

    If you have one or more favorite games that you are going to play soon, you may see quite a different performance from either NVIDIA or AMD in that particular game.

    The GTX 670 is out of his budget.  That chart also uses the original Radeon HD 7950, not the 7950 with boost that Nunez is looking at.  That's a clock speed difference of more than 15%.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by HeroEvermore

    I suggest AMD 6970 or 7970. I would never reccomend a cut down version of a GPU.

    If you want cheap I just got my 2nd 6970 for 200$ on amazon. Loving my xfire setup. It's a beast. :D

    A Radeon HD 7950 may be a cut down Tahiti chip, but it's sure a whole lot faster than a Radeon HD 6970.

    The 6970 is long since discontinued, so if you can find one new at all, it will probably be on a site that manages to keep them in stock by charging a lot more than they're worth.  Such as $200.

    A Radeon HD 7970 is a nice card, but it's way over a $300 budget.

  • wizyywizyy Member UncommonPosts: 629
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by wizyy

    Consider gaming benchmarks when buying a new card - anandtech.com has got you covered - with numerous cards to compare in various games.

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=550

    If you have one or more favorite games that you are going to play soon, you may see quite a different performance from either NVIDIA or AMD in that particular game.

    The GTX 670 is out of his budget.  That chart also uses the original Radeon HD 7950, not the 7950 with boost that Nunez is looking at.  That's a clock speed difference of more than 15%.

    I don't check the prices really, that chart is just for him to use to compare various other cards that fit in his budget.

    But if you WANT to compare 7950 with boost - it's in there to compare with, say 660Ti, which is around the same price

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130809

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/647?vs=645

    I'm just saying that if he plays, say, Battlefield 3, Nvidia is a lot better for that particular game. Also, it has some exclusive stuff with he may or may not want in the future (3D vision, TXAA - featured in upcoming ArcheAge MMORPG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUdWdxD2U1Q&feature=player_embedded)

    To add to all this, I bought Nvidia GTX660 less than a month ago (got a free Assassin's Creed III game with it) and I'm extremely happy with that card.

    NEW IDEAS that can refresh the STALE state of MMORPGs

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,507
    Originally posted by wizyy
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by wizyy

    Consider gaming benchmarks when buying a new card - anandtech.com has got you covered - with numerous cards to compare in various games.

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=550

    If you have one or more favorite games that you are going to play soon, you may see quite a different performance from either NVIDIA or AMD in that particular game.

    The GTX 670 is out of his budget.  That chart also uses the original Radeon HD 7950, not the 7950 with boost that Nunez is looking at.  That's a clock speed difference of more than 15%.

    I don't check the prices really, that chart is just for him to use to compare various other cards that fit in his budget.

    But if you WANT to compare 7950 with boost - it's in there to compare with, say 660Ti, which is around the same price

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130809

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/647?vs=645

    I'm just saying that if he plays, say, Battlefield 3, Nvidia is a lot better for that particular game. Also, it has some exclusive stuff with he may or may not want in the future (3D vision, TXAA - featured in upcoming ArcheAge MMORPG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUdWdxD2U1Q&feature=player_embedded)

    To add to all this, I bought Nvidia GTX660 less than a month ago (got a free Assassin's Creed III game with it) and I'm extremely happy with that card.

    That's probably using old numbers with old drivers.  Radeon HD 7000 series cards saw a huge performance jump in Battlefield 3 with the release of Catalyst 12.11 drivers.  So no, even if it's primarily for Battlefield 3, a 7950 with boost is probably still faster.

    The competitor to the GeForce GTX 660 is the Radeon HD 7870, not the 7950.

  • wizyywizyy Member UncommonPosts: 629
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    That's probably using old numbers with old drivers.  Radeon HD 7000 series cards saw a huge performance jump in Battlefield 3 with the release of Catalyst 12.11 drivers.  So no, even if it's primarily for Battlefield 3, a 7950 with boost is probably still faster.

    The competitor to the GeForce GTX 660 is the Radeon HD 7870, not the 7950.

    I'm forced to disagree with that statement, anandtech.com has "fresh numbers" and been checking the other websites, 12.11 drivers brought some improvements but Nvidia 660 series still packs a punch.

    http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited/11

    http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/5.html

    Still, he CAN'T go wrong with 384-bit 3GB DDR5 AMD card.

    Seems like a better deal, but many would still choose Nvidia for some "perks", be it some particular game or other things I've already stated.

    NEW IDEAS that can refresh the STALE state of MMORPGs

  • Unknown

    Think i'd be able to nearly max farcry 3 with that card? Game looks to be the new benchmarks for graphics from what I am seeing...ha I remember when oblivion was that benchmark.

    Edit: Looked at some threads online, looks that even the 680 is having trouble playing FC3 with all the eye candy turned up, but honestly I am just looking for it too be on ultra settings, not everyting maxed considering that doesn't usually make much of a noticable difference.

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