Help updating my gaming PC

[JezaGaia]

Here is my actual gaming config built in 2009 :

Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H
AMD Phenom 2 X4 965
Ati Radeon HD5870 1Go

Corsair 16 Go DDR3 1600
WD velociraptor SATA type3 6go/s

I usually play games like Civ, Europa universalis,tropico, Sims 3 and the heavy ones are the elder scrolls series (skyrim)

Overall it's still performing good but it's showing it's limits with my most demanding game ie skyrim heavily modded and with high res textures.

Most of my games are not as demanding as this one but still my config is getting old so I wonder :

Should I upgrade it now with something like :

Asus Z87-K
Intel Haswell Processeur Core i7-4770 / 3.40 GHz
Gainward GeForce GTX 770 Phantom 4GB (would have preferred eVga classified but couldn't find one in France 🙁 )

Or wait for the prices to lower some more and then buy a GTX 780 instead ?

Knowing that :
I wouldn't want to spend more than 900/1000 euros max
I don't overclock when possible
I buy so that I hopefully won't have to upgrade more than every 3 to 4years.
I prefer good guarantee/customer service over performance/price

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

 

[joenscp]

I will not say if you should or not upgrade, but I don't expect GPU prices to lower, cause they will not! (unless you are looking to buy a used one). Also a gtx 780 should play games in the next 3-4 years just fine

 

[JezaGaia]

I posted a reply 1 min ago but it seems to have disappeared so here it goes again hopping it's not a duplicate :

@joenscp :
Don't you think in maybe 3 months prices will have lowered even just a bit ? Otherwise they certainly will when ATI will launch their new graphic cards, which they'll at one point or another , right ?

In any case you think the difference between the 770 and 780 is so big that one will last me 3/4 years but not the other ? I was wondering between the 2 because I heard they were not so far apart in performances, was I wrong ?

@byogamingpc

I wish I could get the Gigabyte but in France I can't find the 4GB anywhere easily only the 2GB. I could try looking again but in any event what do you think best ? Is it important enough to get 4GB that I keep the Gainward or is it more important to get a gigabyte even if it has only 2GB?
I fear that having only 2GB will cost me in the long term, specially now that most cards seem to have more memory ...

Otherwise I hear what you say about the CPU, and it's very likely that I'll never do any graphic or video editing. But still, do you think I'm so wrong by aiming higher that what I need remembering that I want to still be using the same proc in 3 to 4 years, hopefully in high to ultra resolution. By then the games will be more demanding and all is not supported only by the graphic card, right ?

In any case, thank you both for your answers and advice

 

[coozie7]

Probably the biggest problem is the lack of memory on the video card.
Rather than jump in and go for a full system upgrade I suggest you get an upgraded video card first and see how things work out.
If the new card gives you the performance you want, then all is well and you've saved yourself several hundred Euro, if not, then it can be transferred into the new build-neatly covering all the bases.
For longevity, go for the 4Gb GTX770, but also consider the HD7970. I do n't know what prices are like in France but here in the UK (your Mortal Enemy 😉 ) the Nvidia cards offer better value being slightly faster and often slightly less expensive.
There is very little chance of the GTX780 dropping in price-it has no competition.
All the major suppliers will have their local warranty terms and conditions available online, as for customer service the only company I hear nothing but praise for is EVGA.

 

[JezaGaia]

@coozie7

Thanks, that's a very good advice indeed ! And it goes with bygamingpc thought that CPU is not really the problem at the moment. So I could wait maybe one more year to change the motherbord + CPU and get bigger or cheaper.

Here too Nvidia is better in terms of power/value so I would prefer getting the gtx770, but on the other hand my whole computer is ATI/AMD because at the time it was the other way around and I read somewhere that in terms of stability it's better to go full AMD/ATI or INTEL/Nvidia but not mix the 2. So that goes in favor of the HD7970 ....

Still if the point is to finish upgrading to intel next year it's not a big deal I guess.

Now the question is, does my motherbord support the gtx770 or am I asking a silly question ?

 

[coozie7]

There should be no problems with the GTX770 in your AMD board although we are getting some issues with some motherboards needing a BIOS update to support these 7xx series cards.
Only other problem that there might be is the power supply: Check it has the correct connectors and amperage on the +12 volt rail or rails. Note, if it has dual 6 pin connectors and enough power it'll be OK to use 6-to-8 pin converters if your chosen card needs them.
Enjoy!

 

[JezaGaia]

@coozie7
Thanks again that's really great news !
I'll buy the new card tomorrow after checking the power supply so I can buy them together if need be. I know I have a good one, it's an enermax with a lot of extra connectors but I'm not sure it'll be powerful enough, I don't remember what I bought at the time.

Thanks again for the help !!!

 

[JezaGaia]

I finally could install my new gainwad gtx 770 4go and I can confirm that it solved my problem. I can play skyrim in ultra, heavily modded with enb and very detailed textures without any hitch.

My old PSU was a 500W only though so I had to buy a new one. I chose an enermax platimax 750 that is working fine as every enermax I ever had in the past.I know I didn't need more than 600W at max but I hope being able to keep it for a very long time.
Only slight problem it's longer than my old one and doesn't fit in my old case (Antec P 182) so I had to buy a new one.
No major problem as it was very old big and noisy so I was in fact happy to change it. I chose a fractal design define R4 and I'm extremely happy with it. I don't dread having to upgrade again next year to change my motherboard and CPU as it's one of the most practical cases I ever had.