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Pollux7777
join:2010-02-16
Saint Paul, MN

Pollux7777

Member

Thinking of upgrading my graphics card, need guidance...

I built my computer about 3 years ago; and by "built" I mean "held the flashlight while my friend built" I spent quite a bit of money at the time (approx 1,500 bucks) off newegg and my friend slapped it altogether.

Since that time, I completely tuned out on whats new in the PC world, so I have no idea what the latest and greatest is.

I feel as though my gfx card is starting to show its age, and I was wondering whats out there these days.

Im on a tighter budget now (200 dollars MAX), so Ive come to you gurus to see if there are any cards out there in that price range that would significantly improve my performance, or would it be pointless as the rest of my PC would just bottleneck any improvement anyway?

My basic specs are:
Windows Vista Home Premium SP2
Intel Core i7 CPU 920@2.67 ghz
6.0GB ram
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285

I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

The rest of your build is fine (but Vista??), so here's a card that will provide a considerable step up from the 285:

It is over-budget by $10, but the cheapest 570 I could find: »www.newegg.com/Product/P ··· 14127682

Three weeks ago I got a Zotac 570 for $200 (after $30 MIR) but it has been discontinued now that the GTX 600 series is out and established.

You also might want to think about doubling your ram to 12 GB when you get spare change (I assume you are 3x 2 GB 1600 DDR3?). Look at any of these (buy three single 2GB sticks for tri-channel) or two 2x 2GB kits and have one spare in case something goes bad. If you really want to go crazy, buy three kits of 2x 4GB and go for 24 GB (although the system will probably only recognize 16 or 20 GB). Trichannel kind of sucks to upgrade. You either have too much space or too many left over sticks.
primeomega
join:2004-03-11
De Pere, WI

primeomega to Pollux7777

Member

to Pollux7777
I still have my 285, it still runs most games out there. I can play Skyrim among others just fine. To really see a big jump in FPS, you will need to move to the 600 cards. I just got a 670 a few days ago. You will see a little boost with the 570. Anything less than that really is not worth it.

Still in shock how well that 285 has held up over the years!

If you do move into a 600 down the road, the 285 works well for a physx card. Been testing it now with batman.

On a side note, it also works great for a hand warmer.

Pollux7777
join:2010-02-16
Saint Paul, MN

Pollux7777 to Krisnatharok

Member

to Krisnatharok
Thanks for the replies guys.

So the 600 series are a lot better than the 500's?

I probably wouldnt be getting anything until Christmas time... so maybe prices would drop even further by then.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

The GTX 570 ($230+) is still more powerful than the GTX 660 Ti ($300+) and the GTX 670 ($400+) won't fall to $200 in the next year (or until the GTX 700 series is out).

Get a GTX 570. They are being phased out and heavily discounted until they go out of stock. If you wait until Christmas, you will likely have to get a GTX 660 Ti.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

Well that stinks, and here I was thinking of getting a 2nd GTX570 to try out sli (if I can be sure the breaker won't trip)

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

What stinks? The 570 is the best bang/buck right now, IMO, especially if you find one like I did with a MIR that brings it down to $200 flat.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

What stinks is that they're being phased out.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

Well yeah, they've been replaced. Get 'em while you can, and while the manufacturers are still offering MIRs to move inventory.

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

I was thinking IF I do get a 2nd one it'd be around January, but if they're phasing them out I don't know might just save for a GTX685 and get ready to upgrade to a 2011 system.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

Here's a Zotac 570 for $230--I can't tell if there is a MIR on it or not as Zotac requires you to register a product first then check for rebates. However, Newegg gave me a link directly to the PDF whereas Amazon does not.

»www.amazon.com/GeForce-E ··· =GTX+570

Edit: Here's the link to rebate from Newegg-looks like it has to be purchased *from* Newegg only: »images10.newegg.com/uplo ··· ey39.pdf

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

Its not about if its available now but if it is when I'm ready to buy it.

And I plan that if I do it it'll be the same make/model as my current one.
primeomega
join:2004-03-11
De Pere, WI

primeomega to Pollux7777

Member

to Pollux7777
The 670 can be easy o/c to match the 680. and its $100 less.

But like years past, time will move on and new ones will come out. I would just keep eyes open and find the right deal. Newegg seems to always have that daily deal that really is a good deal. And around x-mas sure you will be able to get something good for a great price.

Ghastlyone
Premium Member
join:2009-01-07
Nashville, TN

Ghastlyone to DarkLogix

Premium Member

to DarkLogix
said by DarkLogix:

Its not about if its available now but if it is when I'm ready to buy it.

And I plan that if I do it it'll be the same make/model as my current one.

You know what's going to happen. You'll purchase another 570, and then the GTX 685 is going to release and you'll be kicking yourself in ass for doing so

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

DarkLogix

Premium Member

said by Ghastlyone:

said by DarkLogix:

Its not about if its available now but if it is when I'm ready to buy it.

And I plan that if I do it it'll be the same make/model as my current one.

You know what's going to happen. You'll purchase another 570, and then the GTX 685 is going to release and you'll be kicking yourself in ass for doing so

Or the 570's will have vanished by the time I opt to buy and I'll do what I must to build an awesome 2011 based system.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

El Quintron to Krisnatharok

Premium Member

to Krisnatharok
said by Krisnatharok:

The GTX 570 ($230+) is still more powerful than the GTX 660 Ti ($300+) and the GTX 670 ($400+) won't fall to $200 in the next year (or until the GTX 700 series is out).

First off I don't want to OT the OPs thread, but I'd like to know why that is; I'm looking at a couple cards on NCIX and here's what I get:

EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD Fermi 732MHZ 1280MB GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card

vs.

EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti Fpb 951MHZ 1024MB 4356MHZ GDDR5 2XDVI-I Mini-HDMI PCI-E Video Card

Specifically why does the 570 have 732MHZ and the 550Ti have 951MHZ when I know it's a weaker card?

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

1 recommendation

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

because clockspeed is only part of the story (also why an i5 at 3.6 GHz is faster than a Pentium 4 at 4.0 GHz).

Quick answer is here: »www.hwcompare.com/9685/g ··· gtx-570/

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

1 recommendation

DarkLogix to El Quintron

Premium Member

to El Quintron
The 570 has more cores enabled
and the 580 has even more.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
Premium Member
join:2008-04-28
Tronna

El Quintron to Krisnatharok

Premium Member

to Krisnatharok
said by Krisnatharok:

because clockspeed is only part of the story (also why an i5 at 3.6 GHz is faster than a Pentium 4 at 4.0 GHz).

Quick answer is here: »www.hwcompare.com/9685/g ··· gtx-570/

That's a great link, I think I'll be spending a fair bit of time making various comparisons on it.

Raible
join:2008-01-23
Plainfield, IN

Raible to primeomega

Member

to primeomega
said by primeomega:

I still have my 285, it still runs most games out there. I can play Skyrim among others just fine. To really see a big jump in FPS, you will need to move to the 600 cards. I just got a 670 a few days ago. You will see a little boost with the 570. Anything less than that really is not worth it.

Unlike Prime's speculation, I have actually upgraded from a 285 to a 570 and I can assure you it's a significant difference. And I was happy I paid every bit of the $300 it cost me at the time. You also get DX11 out of the deal.

You still need a new OS though.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain to Pollux7777

Member

to Pollux7777
This is what I used to make my choice when buying my card the other day:

»www.tomshardware.com/rev ··· -16.html

I mean, I only use my computer for WoW...and reality shows...I play at 1920x1080, and it seems the 7.2 fps increase over the 570 makes the 7870 GHz edition worth it. (~10% performance increase for virtually the same price...they both fluctuate between $229-$259 depending on the sale)

Ghastlyone
Premium Member
join:2009-01-07
Nashville, TN

Ghastlyone

Premium Member

Are you running a 120hz monitor with Vsync off?

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

I play with vsync off, and stop trying to outsmart me!!!!! You know I don't know what the refresh rate of my monitor is off the top of my head. Damn you and your silky smooth baritone voice.

But if we're going to base it off playing with a 60hz refresh rate and vsync on, then isn't every frame per second over 60 a waste anyway?

Come on man, this is 'MURCAH...land of excess.

Ghastlyone
Premium Member
join:2009-01-07
Nashville, TN

Ghastlyone

Premium Member

said by McBrain:

I play with vsync off, and stop trying to outsmart me!!!!! You know I don't know what the refresh rate of my monitor is off the top of my head. Damn you and your silky smooth baritone voice.

But if we're going to base it off playing with a 60hz refresh rate and vsync on, then isn't every frame per second over 60 a waste anyway?

Come on man, this is 'MURCAH...land of excess.

rofl @ "murcah"

Yes, if you have a 60hz refresh rate, and running with Vsync on, then any more FPS your video card is able to produce over 60 is wasted. Unless you run with Vsync off and can stand all the cruddy screen tearing you get.

I'm just wondering, because if WoW is the only game you play, then getting a 7870 might be slight overkill, since almost anything can run WoW.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

I also drive a monster truck.
Chuck_IV
join:2003-11-18
Connecticut

1 recommendation

Chuck_IV to Raible

Member

to Raible
said by Raible:

said by primeomega:

I still have my 285, it still runs most games out there. I can play Skyrim among others just fine. To really see a big jump in FPS, you will need to move to the 600 cards. I just got a 670 a few days ago. You will see a little boost with the 570. Anything less than that really is not worth it.

Unlike Prime's speculation, I have actually upgraded from a 285 to a 570 and I can assure you it's a significant difference. And I was happy I paid every bit of the $300 it cost me at the time. You also get DX11 out of the deal.

You still need a new OS though.

A little late to the discussion but I just upgraded my GTX280(not quite a 285) to an EVGA Superclocked GTX570 and I see a heck of a difference. At $250(after a $20 rebate), I thought it was a great deal. I couldn't justify jumping the extra $$$ for a 580/670/680.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

I'm loving the 7870 I got earlier this week. I've overclocked my CPU to just north of 4GHz, and could probably use 2 or 300 more MHz of clock speed to get rid of the bottleneck the Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition puts on the graphics card.