New video card for older CPU ?

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xpd

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Topic # 32544 20-Apr-2009 08:46

Im a gamer but one who has been out of the loop with video cards for quite a while.... so looking for advice.

Current setup is an AMD FX-60 with 2x 7800GTX (SLI) video cards. Now this runs most games quite happily (including the brilliant looking Grid and Fallout 3, both around 40fps) but Id like things to run a bit smoother.

Friends are all heading to the Nvidia camp at the moment with 9500GT's etc and wont stop raving about them so I was thinking maybe I need to look to do the same, but is it worth me doing this with my current CPU ?

I keep hearing about how the CPU can limit the potential of a newer card etc, so I dont want to shell out for a nice flash card to find it performs the same as the 2x 7800's I have now due to my CPU.

Eventually (hopfully before end of the year) I'd like to upgrade to a brand new system so a newer card now wouldnt be a total waste in a way (but newer cards will be out by end of year anyway.....).

ANy info/advice appreciated

TIA

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

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Ilmarin

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Reply # 208201 20-Apr-2009 17:40

You will get a significant improvement with a contemporary card (like a GTX 275) on almost any contemporary game. Unless you game at high resolutions like 2560x1600, or with poorly optimised engines or extreme settings, your CPU will not be a telling factor as far as a playable framerate goes. Certainly you would in many cases see an equally significant improvement if you also upgraded your CPU, but as I say it probably wouldn't be the difference between unplayable and playable.

I upgraded from a 7800 GTX to a 9800 GT on my X2 4800+ system last year and was not disappointed in the results. That 9800 GT is now homed on my Core i7 920 system, which is an improvement again, but less so than simply upgrading the video card on my old system. I used to be inclined to get a new high end video card with each new system, but with the way GPU technology has gone in recent years, I think it makes more sense to try and keep the framerate of your favourite contemporary games at a playable and consistent level with mainstream and performance level cards, which you can generally do as long as you have a mid-range or better processor that's no more than a few generations old. I would only touch the extreme segment if I was driving a resolution of 2560x1600 (or higher), or maybe 1920x1200 with a penchant for maximum eye candy.

Ragnor

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Reply # 208234 20-Apr-2009 21:52

Your Xfire profile says you're using a Phillips 170S, so you're playing at 1280x1024?

I would probably look at the Nvidia GTX 250 or the Radeon 4850 512mb that should be more than enough to tide you over until your big upgrade. Trying to future proof on video cards is fairly pointless thesedays just get something that's good price/performance so you can play games from this year smoothly at your current native resolution.

When you do your big upgrade, you'll probably want to do cpu/mobo/ram/video/monitor at the same time. Picking the video to go with the new monitor's native res and balancing the rest to fit within your budget.

xpd

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Reply # 208280 21-Apr-2009 08:45

Thanks guys, and yup, stuck on a 17" job at the moment (it was free).

Will prob hold off till later in the year.

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

Server : i3-3240 @ 3.40GHz 16GB RAM Win 10 Pro Workstation : i5-3570K @ 3.40GHz 16GB RAM RX580 4GB Win 10 Pro Console : Xbox One

https://www.xpd.co.nz - Games, geeks, and more.