Graphic card upgrade question.

[nostaradu]

My current pc build is just over 2 years old. My motherboard is BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D LGA 1150 Intel Z87 and I am running 2 x Radeon 7800 2gb cards crossfired. Would there be any benefit to me in upgrading to a newer single card or just wait to make a new build?

other specs are samsung ssd 240gb
16 gb 1600 ddr 3
windows 10
Intel Core i5-4670 Haswell Quad-Core 3.4 GHz LGA 1150

 

[rcald2000]

There is definitely value in upgrading this system. What's your power supply's mfg and model #? What games would you like to play? You're display is 1080p @ 60 Hz ?

 

[nostaradu]

There is definitely value in upgrading this system. What's your power supply's mfg and model #? What games would you like to play? You're display is 1080p @ 60 Hz ?

Thanks, my power supply is Corsair Enthusiast Series 650-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms - TX650

I am running 1080p 60 hz on a samsung TV

I play all types of games like Ark, Fallout 4 but i am most looking forward to Black desert online and Star Citizen. My current build can play allot of games on high and some ultra but I am looking at 25 to 30 FPS when I do.

 

[soldier5637]

Id opt to do the GPU upgrade! The rest of your build really isnt very dated. That DDR3 is still pretty well the standard. You're using a great SSD, the CPU is enough to handle more than a lot of others as its really not too old either. Are you wanting to stick to AMD, or?

 

[nostaradu]

Id opt to do the GPU upgrade! The rest of your build really isnt very dated. That DDR3 is still pretty well the standard. You're using a great SSD, the CPU is enough to handle more than a lot of others as its really not too old either. Are you wanting to stick to AMD, or?

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking of maybe the r9 390 as its at a good price point. Would I be better off with like a 970 TI? My only other concern is my PDU is almost 4 years old and only 650 watt.

 

[Steven Jiang]

Id opt to do the GPU upgrade! The rest of your build really isnt very dated. That DDR3 is still pretty well the standard. You're using a great SSD, the CPU is enough to handle more than a lot of others as its really not too old either. Are you wanting to stick to AMD, or?

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking of maybe the r9 390 as its at a good price point. Would I be better off with like a 970 TI? My only other concern is my PDU is almost 4 years old and only 650 watt.

a GTX 970Ti does not exist. pretty sure you meant the GTX 970. If that's the case, go ahead... R9 390 and GTX 970 is the king of price to performance ratio.

 

[soldier5637]

Well, I have a few things to say to that. Firstly, theres no such thing as a 970 Ti. Only 980 Ti. the 390 does get a few more frames on average than a GTX 970. That said, I would still go 970 for you. I say that because if you question your power source, the 970 is only 145 Watts whereas a 390 is a massive 275, never mind any over clocks. On top of that, Nvidia has great drivers, software and support as well as exclusive features like PhysX that allows some Nvidia exclusive things like Fallout 4's new weapon debris effect. Cant run it with an AMD card. So although the AMD card is cheaper, youd need a new power source to steadily/safely run it so it would actually cost you more.

 

[nostaradu]

Id opt to do the GPU upgrade! The rest of your build really isnt very dated. That DDR3 is still pretty well the standard. You're using a great SSD, the CPU is enough to handle more than a lot of others as its really not too old either. Are you wanting to stick to AMD, or?

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking of maybe the r9 390 as its at a good price point. Would I be better off with like a 970 TI? My only other concern is my PDU is almost 4 years old and only 650 watt.
a GTX 970Ti does not exist. pretty sure you meant the GTX 970. If that's the case, go ahead... R9 390 and GTX 970 is the king of price to performance ratio.

Thanks yeah I must have 980 on the brain lol but dont want to spend that much atm. Do you think either card would be fine with my 650 watt PDU?

 

[Steven Jiang]

Yes. It should be plenty.

 

[rcald2000]

@nostaradu, Were I in your situation, I'd upgrade the power supply and the graphics card. While your PSU's advertised wattage of 650 is technically enough, the mfg. and model Thermaltake TR2 is on the Tom's Hardware current un-tiered list. I would swap it out ASAP. I would upgrade it, if for no other reason, but to properly safeguard my build.

Here is what I propose: Proceed with purchasing your new graphics card, but also sell your two old graphic cards. I don't know what vendor your old GPUs are, or if they are precisely modeled 7800 or actually 7850's. For example, if they were Radeon 7850's, you'd get a combined sale price of at least $100 - $150; possibly much more. With that type of money, you could afford an EVGA P2 850: Tier 1 quality, platinum efficiency, 10 year warranty, fully modular, and has enough wattage to future-proof your build up to two GTX 980 Ti's. I also happen to personally own this precise model.

Normally I wouldn't recommend this quality of power supply for your build, but since you have those old cards to sell, you might as well buy the highest quality on the market.

EVGA P2 850
$119.99 after $20.00 rebate card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438056&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=evga_p2_850-_-17-438-056-_-Product

*** PSU tier (quality) list ***
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

*** power requirements for graphics cards ***
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

 

[nostaradu]

@nostaradu, Were I in your situation, I'd upgrade the power supply and the graphics card. While your PSU's advertised wattage of 650 is technically enough, the mfg. and model Thermaltake TR2 is on the Tom's Hardware current un-tiered list. I would swap it out ASAP. I would upgrade it, if for no other reason, but to properly safeguard my build.

Here is what I propose: Proceed with purchasing your new graphics card, but also sell your two old graphic cards. I don't know what vendor your old GPUs are, or if they are precisely modeled 7800 or actually 7850's. For example, if they were Radeon 7850's, you'd get a combined sale price of at least $100 - $150; possibly much more. With that type of money, you could afford an EVGA P2 850: Tier 1 quality, platinum efficiency, 10 year warranty, fully modular, and has enough wattage to future-proof your build up to two GTX 980 Ti's. I also happen to personally own this precise model.

Normally I wouldn't recommend this quality of power supply for your build, but since you have those old cards to sell, you might as well buy the highest quality on the market.

EVGA P2 850
$119.99 after $20.00 rebate card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438056&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=evga_p2_850-_-17-438-056-_-Product

*** PSU tier (quality) list ***
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

*** power requirements for graphics cards ***
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Thanks much everyone for your great feedback. @rcald2000 thanks, that makes allot of sense I dont want to risk not upgrading the power supply especially since mine is almost 4 years old.