Upgrading my Old 9600GT to satisfy more recent games

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manuleka

76 posts

Master Geek
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#103565 11-Jun-2012 11:00

Current Platform:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3
Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3h
Intel G620 2.66
4GB DDR3
640 SATA HDD
460W Vantec ION2 PSU
GEFORCE 9600GT 512MB DDR3 [Galaxy Silent Edition]

I'm thinking of upgrading my Graphics card with a budget of ~$150 - $200, considering that i'm pretty happy with the 0 noise level of my current 9600GT i am looking into a passive cooled upgrade...

I'm looking at a HD 7750 Sapphire Ultimate Edition, would this be a good upgrade? Or would the CPU be too weak to match with the card? Any suggestion on a better cheaper price/performance option?

cheers :)

i3 3220 @ 3.3GHz - 4GB DDR3 - MSI HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 - Gigabyte B75M-D3H - Windows 7 Pro - Kubuntu 12.10

Ragnor

8279 posts

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#638815 11-Jun-2012 11:14

What is the native resolution of your monitor/screen (eg: 23" 1920x1080, 22" 1680x1050 etc)?

Screen resolution is a big factor in how much graphics power you need for smooth frame rates, large the screen resolution more power needed.

The 7750 is probably a good choice for your current system.

However if you want to play demanding games with smooth frame rates at resolutions like 1920x1080 I would recommend a Radeon 7850 or Geforce 560Ti but that may need a PSU upgrade too.

manuleka

76 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#638818 11-Jun-2012 11:18

thanks ragnor

currently running low 1280x1024 dual monitors (max resolution)... although i have thought about upgrading monitor, i don't think it will happen anytime soon

and also i am not going to upgrade PSU anytime soon either, i just bought the PSU a few months earlier

regards :)

i3 3220 @ 3.3GHz - 4GB DDR3 - MSI HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 - Gigabyte B75M-D3H - Windows 7 Pro - Kubuntu 12.10

Digmarx

139 posts

Master Geek
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Inactive user

#638859 11-Jun-2012 12:45

I'm no pc gaming expert, but in my understanding running a single-monitor game at that resolution is going to bottleneck at the CPU long before any modern GPU in the price range you quoted.

manuleka

76 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#638981 11-Jun-2012 15:08

Digmarx: I'm no pc gaming expert, but in my understanding running a single-monitor game at that resolution is going to bottleneck at the CPU long before any modern GPU in the price range you quoted.

its a low resolution, which makes me wonder if there would be any noticable difference in performance if i upgrade to HD 7750... i have tried Crysis 2 on my current setup and it seems to run fine, just few glitches here and there...

i3 3220 @ 3.3GHz - 4GB DDR3 - MSI HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 - Gigabyte B75M-D3H - Windows 7 Pro - Kubuntu 12.10

Digmarx

139 posts

Master Geek
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Inactive user

#639055 11-Jun-2012 16:08

Well, again, I'm no expert. Personally, unless money wasn't an issue (and clearly it is) I would think about my upgrade path. Do you intend on upgrading/replacing the CPU/mobo at some point? If so, a reasonable GPU may be worth the money. If not, or if you're planning on splashing out on a dedicated gaming rig with PCI-E 3 graphics, it might not be worth it to upgrade now.

Ragnor

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#639058 11-Jun-2012 16:10

manuleka: thanks ragnor

currently running low 1280x1024 dual monitors (max resolution)... although i have thought about upgrading monitor, i don't think it will happen anytime soon

and also i am not going to upgrade PSU anytime soon either, i just bought the PSU a few months earlier

regards :)

Yeah I probably wouldn't bother upgrading the graphics in that case.

Save up for a whole system upgrade later imo.

Are their any games you're having particular performance issues with?

Mighty Ape

Shop now at Mighty Ape (affiliate link).

manuleka

76 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#639185 11-Jun-2012 18:22

Ragnor:

Yeah I probably wouldn't bother upgrading the graphics in that case.

Save up for a whole system upgrade later imo.

Are their any games you're having particular performance issues with?

thanks guys... i will probably stick to current Video Card for now, appreciate your comments

cheers

i3 3220 @ 3.3GHz - 4GB DDR3 - MSI HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 - Gigabyte B75M-D3H - Windows 7 Pro - Kubuntu 12.10

PassiveFever81

367 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 13

#639658 12-Jun-2012 13:34

I had a HD 7750 in my media center, it's a very perky card and will smoke your 9600. Doesn't require any PCI-E power connectors so it's great for a lower end PSU. You should notice a huge difference in graphics performance, that is, untill your processor is bottlenecking the GPU.

manuleka

76 posts

Master Geek
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#639668 12-Jun-2012 13:47

Brandonrnz: I had a HD 7750 in my media center, it's a very perky card and will smoke your 9600. Doesn't require any PCI-E power connectors so it's great for a lower end PSU. You should notice a huge difference in graphics performance, that is, untill your processor is bottlenecking the GPU.

thanks Brandon

I have done a bit of online research on the performance gain, my main concern is the resolution i'm limited to... i am planning of upgrading CPU to an intel i processor and a larger monitor at later stage...

and as you mentioned - perky - that is one of the main reasons i wanna upgrade to HD 7750, not that my PSU can't handle the current 9600 but that (theoretically) it consumes about 40% less power and yet performs much better

i3 3220 @ 3.3GHz - 4GB DDR3 - MSI HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 - Gigabyte B75M-D3H - Windows 7 Pro - Kubuntu 12.10