Topic 'Re: Graphics Card Upgrade' in forum 'PC gaming Tech' - dslreports.com

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:44:01 EDT

TruSm0ke posted : Typically, when staying within the same brand of GPU, it's usually good to remove all previous versions before installing the newest. You can do this by just using the Programs and Features Uninstall menu in Control Panel. Plain and simple. And maybe some CCleaner to clean up the registry for good measure. Going through the Devices Menu(Located within Control Panel>System>Devices) and manually removing your Display devices is also good practice. Then lastly, just do a restart to finalize the whole process.

If you're changing brands, it's better to be alittle more thorough when cleaning up drivers. Uninstall them in control panel, use Ccleaner, Driver Sweeper, going through the Devices menu(located within Control Panel>System>Device Manager) and manually removing your Display devices, and then the plain old "eye test": a quick search manually for left-over folders that might still be lingering on your harddrive. Definitely restart your PC and then do the entire process once more with a final restart.

When changing brands and going from Nvidia to ATI or vice versa, its better to be just alittle more thorough and even more patient when going through the process of cleaning things out. Having left over drivers in this case can be much more troublesome. So it's good to be thorough.

Link to Driver Sweeper: »www.guru3d.com/files_get/guru3d_···),7.html

Some more resources:
- »www.pchelpforum.com/xf/threads/h···l.90352/
- »www.overclock.net/t/988215/how-t···cs-cards

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:49:17 EDT

McBrain posted : I had to use Driver Fusion to get rid of my old AMD drivers...it could have been an isolated issue with me, but I definitely had old drivers still on my machine after I downloaded the newest 12.11 beta11 drivers.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:53:09 EDT

Ghastlyone posted : Since you're going from Nvidia to AMD though, I'm not 100% certain. But I'd just uninstall the Nvidia drivers through your control panel and then do a clean install on the AMD drivers. You should be good to go. I wouldn't even bother with Driver Sweeper.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:38:32 EDT

Deschain posted : So you don't even have to uninstall the old drivers through Control Panel / Devices ?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:27:04 EDT

Ghastlyone posted : You don't need to run programs like Driver Sweeper anymore now days.

Drivers are clean installed, with all previous versions deleted. At least that's the way EVGA/Nvidia does.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:53:13 EDT

Deschain posted : I've already downloaded the AMD drivers and have them in a folder on my desktop. I've also downloaded Driversweeper, as I've been told this is neccesary to do when swapping brands of GPUs?

HURRY UP MONDAY!

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:50:40 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : Waiting is the worst part.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:31:58 EDT

Deschain posted : Damn! It isn't coming until Monday now. Looks like the weekend with my old 460 still :(

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:16:03 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : Heard nothing for or against. I've seen them sold at Best Buy and Microcenter, but they don't seem to be a mainstream enthusiast brand.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:10:16 EDT

TruSm0ke posted :

said by Krisnatharok:

I prefer EVGA for customer service, MSI's are supposed to OC very well but have iffy customer service, Sapphires perform great but have horrible customer service, ASUS and Gigabyte are solid picks across the board.

Hope that helps.

Hey Kris, what do you think of Galaxy?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:49:27 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : Let us know how you like it. It should be a nice step up from the 460.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:24:47 EDT

Deschain posted : Thanks Kris. I went with the MSI HD7850. Arrives tomorrow :)

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:42:51 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : I'd go for either of the MSI cards--the Twin FROZRs are supposedly very good. Buy what you can afford.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:41:16 EDT

Deschain posted : So, the ones I am looking at are:

»www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu···X-052-HS
»www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu···X-154-MS
»www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-xfx-···hdmi-mdp

Or at a push

»www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-msi-···hdmi-mdp

Thoughts?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:58:03 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : The cores should be the same among all the 7850s and then among all the 7870s. The difference in clock speeds just means that it is factory overclocked ("factory OC'd"). These tend to cost more and may be binned better at factory among the brands known for OCing (like MSI or EVGA), but among the mainstream makes just means they adjusted clockspeed, something you can do for free with the MSI Afterburner option.

There may be some different flavors that have more VRAM as well, and cost more. Only select this option if you ever plan on going Crossfire (multiple GPUs of the same make/model) or multi-monitor/high-resolution (above 1920x1080).

Hope that helps, and don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions on the subject.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:47:53 EDT

Deschain posted : OK. Sorry - I know what may have come accross as wanting you to do my job for me, lol.

Im a bit internet restricted at work here, so I will compile a list when I get home.

Thanks

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:31:47 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : Well post the ones that look the most attractive to you and we'll let you know what you think. I don't have the time to do your shopping for you, but if you pick out a handful (not more than 5) we can provide feedback.

I prefer EVGA for customer service, MSI's are supposed to OC very well but have iffy customer service, Sapphires perform great but have horrible customer service, ASUS and Gigabyte are solid picks across the board.

Hope that helps.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:14:43 EDT

Deschain posted : But Kris, with so many options within the 7850 & 7570 ranges, different speeds, mhz, cores, etc - how are you supposed to decide ?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:50:59 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : I've had issues with WoW playing nice with my Radeon 7970, but my difficulties are limited to that game (and seem to be partially resolved with the latest beta drivers). All my other DX11 games work perfectly.

In contrast, I've had issues with Nvidia drivers using a GTX 580 with just about any game under DX11, AVP, DE:HR, etc. would cause the display driver to crash.

It's really hit or miss with the drivers from both sides, but I believe they tend to iron the bugs out eventually.

IMO, driver issues aside, AMD is reigning at the super-high-resolution end (above 1920x1080) and in the low-to-mid end. Nvidia owns the mid-to-high-end market and tends to provide more refined power (good OC and the new turbo boost).

With a budget of £180, you're looking at either a Radeon 7850 or possibly a Radeon 7870 on sale or with MIR.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:41:25 EDT

Deschain posted : I think im going to go down the AMD route this time. What are the drivers like - I've heard some bad things about them.

Also, if someone wouldnt mind, from a budget of �180, could you pick me out the best option from the AMD range from:

www.overclockers.co.uk
www.scan.co.uk

Thanks for all your help :)

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:52:22 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : The GTX 560 is obsolete by one generation, that's why prices are screwy on it.

The current gen of AMD Radeons is the 7000 series; the current gen of Nvidia GTXs is the 600 series.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 06:38:24 EDT

Deschain posted : Ok, I am confused....

I have been looking at the prices of the Radeon selection and have found that 7870 range is around the same price as the 560ti 448 and the 7850 range is around �30-�40 cheaper.

How can this be?

Also, it seems that the 7850 and 7870 have 2gb vram, as apposed to 1.28gb on the 560.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:56:35 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : I favor EVGA.

The Radeon 7850 is slightly faster (~10%ish), and costs about $5 more.

»www.hwcompare.com/12038/geforce-···hd-7850/

The Radeon 7870 is decisively faster, but also is one step up in price point.

»www.hwcompare.com/12193/geforce-···hd-7870/

Both are significantly cheaper than the GTX 670, which is the full Nvidia step up from the 448 core. The equivalent to the 670 is the Radeon 7950.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:52:04 EDT

anon posted : Thanks all.

I was thinking:

»www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu···A&tool=3
»www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu···S&tool=3

or even

»www.xosa.co.uk/palit-geforce-gtx···ded.html

Thoughts? Alternately, is there an ATI equivalent ?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:11:58 EDT

Ghastlyone posted :

said by Dissembled:

Just my 2 cents, but I would consider a move from a 460 to 560Ti to be a pretty small step. Is there something about your current card you're not happy with?

]

If he was going to a regular 560, then yes, I agree.

But a 448core 560ti would be a large upgrade.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:02:37 EDT

Ghastlyone posted : I've got a 448core 560ti Classified currently. It's basically a 570 (minus one shader core) but with much higher overclock ability. There are people out there that have squeezed 950+mhz core clocks out of these things. I've been running 925mhz for awhile.

But yeah, it would be a pretty nice upgrade for you.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 11:01:20 EDT

Dissembled posted : Just my 2 cents, but I would consider a move from a 460 to 560Ti to be a pretty small step. Is there something about your current card you're not happy with?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:54:52 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : I put together this chart comparing the GTX 460 to the GTX 560Ti 448 core and the GTX 670 using the following benchmark sites:

»www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_···pus.html
»www.hwcompare.com/

I didn't include the GTX 660 because, while it is faster in some cases, it's actually slower than the 560 Ti 448 core when it comes to pixel rate. I consider the GTX 670 to be the next "true step up" to the 56Ti 448core, so I included that for reference.

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:41:38 EDT

anon posted : Thanks Kris - that's really good information.

So if I was to get a 560ti 448 core, for example, would that be a marked upgrade over my 460 ?

Re: Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:09:11 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : I would guess that as long as you are sticking to a single GPU solution, your CPU should not be too much of a bottleneck. I have a CPU about as old as yours (Intel Core i7-920 2.66 GHz quad-core), and I am starting to think about rebuilding when Haswell hits.

Unfortunately AMD CPUs took a dive and actually had worse performance when the Bulldozer chips replaced the Phenom II chips. Piledriver (just released) now can equal the performance of the Phenom II X6. Intel, meanwhile, has continued to push on with shrinking their fabs and adding features and speed, so they have a sizeable advantage in the CPU department.

tl;dr you're probably good for another 12 months on that CPU--buy whatever you want for a GPU.

Current GPUs are ranked here: »www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gam···7-7.html

Current CPUs are ranked here: »techreport.com/review/23246/insi···y-cpus/8
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If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Graphics Card Upgrade

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 05:19:55 EDT

anon posted : I currently have a MSI GTX 460 Hawk @ 822mhz and a AMD 955be processor @ 3.7.

I was just wondering, what would be the 'best' graphics card I could get, before I start to bottleneck this processor ?

Thanks