I want to upgrade my GPU...

[zambonithug]

Here is the computer I built about one year ago. It’s still an excellent machine, but is starting to show its age in the graphics department. With Skyrim and Arkham City being released soon, I am thinking about updating my GPU setup. The details of my computer are listed below:

CPU: Intel i7-950 3.06GHz (OC@ 3.76GHz)
GPU: Gigabyte Super Overclock GTX 470
RAM: Corsair Dominator 6GB DDR3 1600
Mobo: MSI Big Bang X-Power 1366
HDD: Crucial 64GB SATAIII SSD, WD Caviar Black 1TB
PSU: Corsair HX 750w
Case: Silverstone Raven 02
Cooler: Corsair H50
OS: Win7 Home Premium

So how should I upgrade it? I could add another identical video card and SLi the machine, but the card I have right now (which I love, it’s so silent and cool compared to stock GTX 470s) is obsolete and impossible to find – not to mention expensive. I could pull the card out, try and sell it for God knows how little, and buy a newer GPU. SLi, replace, or…?

If I do try and SLi, will 750w be sufficient for my power needs?

Thanks for your help in advance,
Zambonithug

 

[rolli59]

GTX470 showing its age?? What resolution are you gaming at?

 

[zambonithug]

GTX470 showing its age?? What resolution are you gaming at?

At 1920 x 1080 I can experience banding and artifacting in games, especially when strafing or moving fast along big textures. Yes, it's still a good card, but I know there is room for improvement.

 

[ilysaml]

you should be fine about the game you mentioned with this strong GPU, and yea there's always a room for upgrading but i suggest you do nothing till the AMD 7K series come out, news XDR2 technology is twice faster than GDDR5, in addition to 1 GHz GPU frequency and 28nm process, a high end model HD 7950 is said to be performing close to HD 6990.
Also you can wait for nVidia 600 series but i don't know any details about it ...

 

[rolli59]

I personnally would sell the GTX470 (while still worth money) and get GTX580 or 2 x GTX560TI for SLI!

 

[jaguarskx]

If you are talking about color banding issue, then that could be either:

1. Due to your monitor. Inexpensive TN panel monitors tends to have color banding issues when there are color gradients involved, especially fine color gradients. You need to buy a new monitor that uses a VA panel or IPS to corrects these color banding issues since they are normal for TN panel monitors.

2. It could the source material, meaning the game itself. The colors used by game actually creates the color banding issue. There is no away to correct this at all. As an analogy, I remember seeing a video promo for a movie (it may have been the Hulk), whether looking at on a TN panel monitor or an IPS monitor, the color banding issue is always there. Since VA and IPS panels typically do not display color banding issues, that lead me to the conclusion that the source material had color banding issues in it.