[Help] Upgrading HD7800 to R9 290

[willybums]

I'm going to upgrade my GPU as it's getting old and doesn't seem to be performing very well. I've been looking at the 290 as I want something that will last, my only concern is that it may be overkill with my current rig.

My rig:
Mobo - Asus Z68
GPU - Sapphire HD7800
RAM - 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1333mhz
CPU - Quad Core i5-2500k
PSU - evolabs 700watt (dodgey?)

I'm currently playing TW: Rome 2 on low/mid gfx and would like to play it and future games at much higher settings. Is there much else worth changing?

Cheers in advance.

 

[Neur0nauT]

I have the same processor and RAM amount and I can't wait to upgrade to a 290 or bigger. Your system will suit that card fine. It will give your system a new lease of life.

A 700Watt PSU should be fine, but is it 80+ Bronze certified at least? Also, just be careful of the pin setup of the card you go for, as I believe the 290 requires an 8 pin connector and also a 6 pin connector. Does your PSU have both?

 

[unknownofprob]

I'm not a fan of evolabs PSU's, and never will. Their dual-rail PSU's are not very stable at all, I'd much prefer a cheap Corsair PSU with a single 12V rail.

I'd upgrade the PSU, budget?

 

[willybums]

Okay so I'm definitely going to get the 290 and upgrade my PSU to something more legit. I think the evolabs said 80 on the box but i've read a lot of horror stories recently so i'm going to bin it.

I don't have a budget for the new PSU, as long as the price isn't too ridiculous. I won't be upgrading again any time soon so would a bronze 550watt suffice?

 

[coozie7]

Aim for a 600 Watt unit, maybe even a 650 with dual 6+2 pin PCI-E leads, it'll give the system plenty of power and headroom for overclocking. Names like Antec, corsair (maybe not the CX and VS series ), XFX (Pro series), Silverstone, Seasonic, FSP (Aurium Series), Rosewill (Capstone series) should be on your shopping list.
The i5 2500K is a good part, but look into adding a better cooler and overclocking, not a 'must do' but both the CPU and motherboard are set for it.
Currently resellers are setting low prices on the upper end AMD cards, offsetting the performance advantage of the Nvidia GTX 970/980 somewhat so if the budget's a little tight the R9 290 is an excellent choice, if you can, or will overclock and have a bit more cash in the kitty, take a look at the Nvidia option, just be aware it's more expensive.

 

[willybums]

I did overclock the i5 when I first got it, then sorta forgot about it... It's been at 3.3Ghz for quite a while now and I assumed that was OC'd but it's actually the stock speed so I'm not sure what happened there. I do have a mastercooler heatsink and fan sitting on it so that's all good.
The gfx card is going to be a gift, so that's why I don't mind spending a bit more money on the PSU, because I don't have to spend any money anywhere else.

Thanks