Upgrade GPU time...

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Monza

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#138310 29-Dec-2013 19:18

Two years ago I put together the below system for a bit a gaming, and mainly thanks to Steam I've used it much more than I thought.

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3
CPU INTEL CORE I5 2500K
RAM Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G, 2x4GB
Hard drive OCZ VERTEX 3 120GB
GPU EVGA GeForce GTX 560
PSU SliverStone Strider Essential 500W
Case Antec Three Hundred Mid Tower Case, Black
Monitor LG IPS236V 23" 5MS IPS

Overall I've been happy with it but it is starting to chug on some of the newer titles (Farcry 3, BF4 etc). All my gaming will be done at 1080P on a single monitor (either the 23" above but more often the 55" TV in the lounge), I do like to crank AA and AF right up.

Is there a GPU that would slot straight into this system without too much headache? Budget is around $500ish, would like to stay with Nvidia if possible. PSU also might be an issue if get a powerful GPU I guess, again would prefer not having to upgrade that at the moment.

PANiCnz

990 posts

Ultimate Geek

#958907 30-Dec-2013 09:45

You're really going to be limited by your PSU, 500w is right on the limit for anything significantly faster than a 560. You could probably look at the current midrange GPU's but they're likely not that much faster than your existing 560.

The GTX 760 only requires a 500w PSU, but the moment you jump to the GTX 770 its a 600w minimum. Take a look at some benchmarks to see if the performance increase from a 560 to 760 is worth the cost to you.

tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#958921 30-Dec-2013 09:48

For your budget I would look at something like this - should give you almost double the performance of your current card but your PSU may need an upgrade to run it.

Ragnor

8222 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#959778 1-Jan-2014 04:50

Most GTX 770 are over $500 currently so if you don't want to stretch your budget you are re looking at Nvidia Geforce GTX 760 or AMD Radeon 280X

Xeon

302 posts

Ultimate Geek

#959881 1-Jan-2014 13:39

If its not urgent you could probably pick up a GTX 770 from Amazon for just under then $400 import limit. Unfortunately graphics cards have just gone up in price due to Litecoin mining therefore they are slightly over the limit at the moment. A GTX 770 will run on the PSU but you'd probably want to upgrade it in the near future.

Altan

23 posts

Geek

#959885 1-Jan-2014 13:44

Just my 0.02c.

If you intend to keep this system for a while, you are going to want to save around $650 for an upgrade.

I would recommend at today's prices a AMD R9 290 they are listed on Pricespy.co.nz for just over $600nzd, This card has very similar performance results as a GTX780.
(AMD Mantle + BF4)

Linus R9290 vs 780 Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqaHh-y51us

Looking at your PSU specs with 34 Amps on the +12V rail, you would be risking it trying to run any high end GPU.

But you can sell your GTX560 and current PSU to upgrade your PSU to something 80+ rated, with 40+ amps on a single +12v Rail (Seasonic).
Also would recommend some higher performance RAM as 1333mhz is definitely on the low end.

Monza

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#960347 2-Jan-2014 16:21

Thanks for the input guys, looking at the benchmarks 760 just isn't quite worth it, whereas there is a decent jump in performance with the 770.

What kind of problems would I have if my PSU wasn't powerful enough to run a 770? Tempted to give it a go with current PSU...

tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#960364 2-Jan-2014 17:19

You are most likely to get blue screens or shut downs if the PSU can't handle it. Worst case scenario is that it takes out some other components.

Your PSU is 80+ and does have the required 6 pin and 8 pin PCI-e connectors to run the GTX 770 I linked to but I would upgrade the PSU as well myself.

A review on your PSU doesn't sound too encouraging;

We knew that we could not possibly expect from products of value-oriented series to be comparable, in terms of quality and or performance, to high-end units designed with enthusiasts in mind; however, we have to admit that we expected a bit more from the Strider Essential 500W (ST50F-ES). In terms of quality, it comes from a well-known OEM but the parts are just half a step above those commonly found in very poor quality, overrated products of the $15-25 range. Although we managed to have it deliver its full power output at room temperature, it is highly doubtful that this power supply will survive such a punishment for prolonged periods of time, as the cooling fan maxed out very quickly even while testing the power supply at room temperature and not inside a hot box.

The electrical performance of the ST50F-ES is acceptable, with both the regulation and the ripple suppression of the voltage lines staying within the limits of the ATX design guide, yet the figures were unimpressive. In terms of efficiency, the ST50F-ES does honor the 80Plus certification which it carries but the plain 80Plus certification has ceased to be impressive nearly a decade ago. Clearly, this power supply has been designed with the lowest possible retail price in mind alone.

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PANiCnz

990 posts

Ultimate Geek

#960368 2-Jan-2014 17:26

Your power supply does have a single +12V rail with 34A which most other 500w wont have. If you can find out how many amps the GTX 770 requires (not generic PSU wattage recommendations) you might be close.