GPU upgrade advice needed please

[jamikins]

Hi all, first time poster long time THW article reader

My 275 has died and I'd like some help choosing a replacement for gaming.
I mostly play adventure/rpg games and mmos, something that will make Skyrim look amazing and won't stutter too much in heavy traffic areas of an mmo is pretty much what I'm after.

My main concern is I want to make sure I'll get something that will not be bottlenecked by my current pc hardware.


MOBO: Asus P7P55D-E
CPU: i7-860 @2.8ghz (will o/c if required)
PSU: 850w seasonic M12D
RAM: 4x 2gb DDR3
DISP: VE246H Asus 24" 1920x1080 DVI/HDMI
OS: Win7 pro64
CASE: Antec 900


I've been considering the 580, or the 560Ti if my pc can't support the 580.
Also have no idea if its worth getting the 3gb or just the 1.5 or if there is any particular brand that stands out or should be avoided.

If buying some extra cooling (and probably a larger case) is required I will do so but I'm not ready to buy a new MB/CPU etc yet.

I have a decent idea of what each computer part does but I'm still a newbie at determining how nicely all of the parts will play together so would love to get some advice that won't confuse the hell out of me and leave me even less unsure of what to buy.


Cheers

 

[gmcizzle]

That 850w PSU should support many different setups. Looking at your mobo, I see it only has one PCIe 16x slot so a good gtx 580 1.5GB would suit you best at 1080p for sure. 3GB is definitely way overkill at 1080p. You could even go with a GTX 590/6990, but at their price it's really not worth it unless cost is no concern.

 

[jyjjy]

The GTX 580 simply isn't worth the money. It's about 15% faster than the GTX 570 on average while costing about 50% more.
And yes, overclocking the CPU is a good idea no matter which card you buy.

 

[geofelt]

Hi all, first time poster long time THW article reader

My 275 has died and I'd like some help choosing a replacement for gaming.
I mostly play adventure/rpg games and mmos, something that will make Skyrim look amazing and won't stutter too much in heavy traffic areas of an mmo is pretty much what I'm after.

My main concern is I want to make sure I'll get something that will not be bottlenecked by my current pc hardware.


MOBO: Asus P7P55D-E
CPU: i7-860 @2.8ghz (will o/c if required)
PSU: 850w seasonic M12D
RAM: 4x 2gb DDR3
DISP: VE246H Asus 24" 1920x1080 DVI/HDMI
OS: Win7 pro64
CASE: Antec 900


I've been considering the 580, or the 560Ti if my pc can't support the 580.
Also have no idea if its worth getting the 3gb or just the 1.5 or if there is any particular brand that stands out or should be avoided.

If buying some extra cooling (and probably a larger case) is required I will do so but I'm not ready to buy a new MB/CPU etc yet.

I have a decent idea of what each computer part does but I'm still a newbie at determining how nicely all of the parts will play together so would love to get some advice that won't confuse the hell out of me and leave me even less unsure of what to buy.


Cheers

The GTX580 is about as good as it gets; If you have the budget, get one and don't look back.
A GTX580 needs a 600w psu with 42a on the 12v rails plus one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCI-E power lead. You are good there.
Even a GTX590 only needs a 700w psu.
Don't pay extra for the 3gb version, it is needed for managing many pixels such as triple monitor gaming.
If you get a good GTX580, it will have direct exhaust cooling which should be even more efficient than your current GTX275. Don't worry there.
Your Antec 900 is a great cooling case, no need to change.

As to vendors, I like EVGA. They have an active support forum, and offer lifetime warranties.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

Your cpu is very overclockable, but I don't think you really need to. Just wait and see how you do.
You can overclock a bit with the stock cooler, but it wil get noisy under load.
If needed, a Xigmatek gaia or cm hyper212 cooler is about $30.

I might

 

[jamikins]

thanks for the quick replies everyone

Helped me decide on the 580, I compared the premium versions of the MSI, EVGA and GIGABYTE cards.

All 3 are of very close quality, the MSI runs a few dec cooler but at a hefty price increase.

I live in Australia and the EVGA lifetime warranty is not offered here.

I went for the Gigabyte SOC, all 3 cards are similar and offer the same warranty so in the end supply and cost won the day!

Thanks again for all your input.

 

[jamikins]

Best answer selected by jamikins.