Is it time to upgrade?

[tourangh]

So let my start if with my system specs(built 3 years ago):
i5-2500k @ 4.00 GHz
8 GB ram
Radeon HD 6850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353
WD black 1 TB
Dual monitors: 1 @ 1080P, 1 @ 1280x1024

I generally use my computer for gaming mostly, but I play dota2 80% of the time and that game is not very demanding. Outside of dota I pick up games on steam sale occasionally(usually aren't very demanding either).

So after I bought my new 1080p monitor about 3 months ago i've been noticing some small performance issues. For example if I have a youtube video(playing music) on one monitor while playing dota on the other, I start lagging a little. Similar things happen with itunes up and some tabs open while playing a game.

So I know my video card is probably what needs upgrading the most, but I've been trying to avoid that for as long as possible. Would adding another 8 gb of memory help at all? Usually at peak im using about 5.5/8gb. I bought a SSD on black friday, would adding that to my system help at all(I only restart my pc a few times a week) or should I just put that in my school laptop(rarely used)?

I really would like to wait for video card prices to drop and upgrade my memory/add an ssd etc.. But if I won't see much difference in performance I may prioritize upgrading my GPU.

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

All you would really need to upgrade is your GPU.
I'd say buy an R9 280X: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11221-00-20G/dp/B00FLMKNE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419489695&sr=8-1&keywords=r9+280x
If you want to spend less money, go with an R9 270X: http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-2GB-2xDVI-Graphics-GV-R927XOC-2GD/dp/B00FONITCE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419489748&sr=8-2&keywords=r9+270x
If you want to get a the best performance in games get the GTX 970: http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-Overclocked-Graphics-GV-N970WF3OC-4GD/dp/B00NH5T1UA/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1419489789&sr=1-5&keywords=gtx+970

I think the R9 270X will be the best choice since you are mostly playing Dota 2, and it will still run any game at 1080p ultra that you throw at it 😛

 

[tourangh]

I knew this was the answer I was going to get, but I still asked hoping to hear otherwise. Did not want to spend $150ish on a new card.
Anyways I noticed you recommended ATI card, but I think I'm going to switch to Nvidia due to the cursor bug with ATI drivers. It distorts my cursor frequently in dota, but rarely outside of it. Since that's the majority of what I play, I think it's time to switch to nvidia.

What's comparable to the 270x? I'm not very educated on nvidia. Maybe 750ti?

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

I knew this was the answer I was going to get, but I still asked hoping to hear otherwise. Did not want to spend $150ish on a new card.
Anyways I noticed you recommended ATI card, but I think I'm going to switch to Nvidia due to the cursor bug with ATI drivers. It distorts my cursor frequently in dota, but rarely outside of it. Since that's the majority of what I play, I think it's time to switch to nvidia.

What's comparable to the 270x? I'm not very educated on nvidia. Maybe 750ti?

I have actually experienced this only twice. As a matter of fact, I think my entire screen would glitch out and when it stops the cursor will be stuffed. Yes, AMD drivers can be ass, but it future updates they will definitely come to meet Nvidia's drivers.

An R9 270X outperform the 750 Ti anytime, any day. The 750 Ti compares more to the R9 260X. I would suggest getting the 750 Ti if your power supply has somewhat low wattage. What power supply have you got?

The reason why I'm recommending AMD is because they make the best low-mid end GPU's. Nvidia wins in terms of high end cards. Nvidia doesn't really focus much on the low budget people, but more on the wealthy consumer. I say by buying the R9 270X you will get more performance than ANY Nvidia card for that price range.

 

[tourangh]

I knew this was the answer I was going to get, but I still asked hoping to hear otherwise. Did not want to spend $150ish on a new card.
Anyways I noticed you recommended ATI card, but I think I'm going to switch to Nvidia due to the cursor bug with ATI drivers. It distorts my cursor frequently in dota, but rarely outside of it. Since that's the majority of what I play, I think it's time to switch to nvidia.

What's comparable to the 270x? I'm not very educated on nvidia. Maybe 750ti?

I have actually experienced this only twice. As a matter of fact, I think my entire screen would glitch out and when it stops the cursor will be stuffed. Yes, AMD drivers can be ass, but it future updates they will definitely come to meet Nvidia's drivers.

An R9 270X outperform the 750 Ti anytime, any day. The 750 Ti compares more to the R9 260X. I would suggest getting the 750 Ti if your power supply has somewhat low wattage. What power supply have you got?

The reason why I'm recommending AMD is because they make the best low-mid end GPU's. Nvidia wins in terms of high end cards. Nvidia doesn't really focus much on the low budget people, but more on the wealthy consumer. I say by buying the R9 270X you will get more performance than ANY Nvidia card for that price range.

I did some research over the past few days, and I came to a similar conclusion. Hopefully AMD drivers improve. I have a corsair GS700, so I don't think power consumption is an issue. I guess I will be on the market for a 270x in the near future.

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

Okay, good luck 😉