Looking for a GPU for 60fps 1080p that will last ~4 years.

[Vurali]

Hello, I am looking to purchase a new GPU for my system as my current GPU (560Ti) is starting to struggle. One of the fans is rubbing and not spinning correctly and the card is starting to overheat, and I've been unable to fix it. I've had the card crash my system a few times over the past month or so. Furthermore the 1gb of vram isn't doing it any favours; therefore I am looking to upgrade. I've mainly been looking at the GTX 970 however am concerned that the 3.5gb/0.5gb vram will become an issue in coming years, also it's pushing how much I wish to spend; though there is currently an offer to get the Witcher 3 with it for "free" which is a game I will likely be purchasing. I've also looked at the R9 290x but I've never bought AMD before. The 980 is out of my price range.

I would like a card that will last as long as my current one has, I got this 560Ti back in 2011 for £195 but the 960 and equivalents are the only current cards in a similar price range and I'm not sure if they're even worth it. I don't expect max 60fps in 4 years time or even next year, but i'd like to be able to get normal settings in a few years time before the card starts struggling.

System:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 560Ti 1GB
CPU: i5 2500k@3.3GHz Sandy Bridge
RAM: 8GB DDR3
MoBo: Asus P8Z68-V PRO
PSU: 700w Cooler Master Silent Pro M700
Resolution: 1920x1080
Fan-Cooling

Other:

Location: UK
Preferred Sites: Overclockers, ebuyer, amazon, scan
Price Range: £150-£300
GTX 970 i've been looking at: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-147-GI

Thank you for your time.

 

[austinfett]

Honestly I'd take the 970. It's a good card and will work with that PSU if you have the cable. I've read that the stuttering from the last 0.5GBs really would only happen at higher resolutions. For what it is, it's a great card. Especially at the price.

 

[Vurali]

It's a good card and will work with that PSU if you have the cable.

Coolermaster Silent Pro 700W Modular PSU is my PSU, I believe. I have a url link in an old text file that links to a page on ebuyer that no longer exists, but putting it through google sends that back which seems right. I'll update my op with it.

Connector:
M/B 20+4 Pin Connector x 1
CPU 4+4 Pin x 1
PCI-E 6+2 Pin x2
4 Pin Peripheral x 5
SATA x 9
4 Pin Floppy x 1

 

[austinfett]

It's a good card and will work with that PSU if you have the cable.

PCI-E 6+2 Pin x2

That one should work with a 970. At least that's what my 980's use.

 

[Vurali]

I'm confused as to the cables. I looked at my PSU, and by disconnecting my current GPU i'll only have one 6+2 to use. Is that okay, or do I need the second one also?

On further inspection it seems the front fan of my case is hooked up to one of the 6-pins (for whatever reason, I honestly don't know if this is correct or not) the fan connection itself is a short 3-pin cable, which has been connected to a longer 4-pin which ends in a 6-pin connection. Can I just put the 3-pin into a 4-pin and put that into a 4-pin peripheral?

 

[austinfett]

I'm confused as to the cables. I looked at my PSU, and by disconnecting my current GPU i'll only have one 6+2 to use. Is that okay, or do I need the second one also?

On further inspection it seems the front fan of my case is hooked up to one of the 6-pins (for whatever reason, I honestly don't know if this is correct or not) the fan connection itself is a short 3-pin cable, which has been connected to a longer 4-pin which ends in a 6-pin connection. Can I just put the 3-pin into a 4-pin and put that into a 4-pin peripheral?

It depends on which brand you're going with. EVGA uses 2 6 pins. Gigabyte probably use a 6 and 8 pin (meaning that you might have to use both 6 pins and then the 2 pin). Check the manual, it will certainly be more accurate than I could be.

 

[Vurali]

Okay so it has arrived (same 970 as in OP), if anyone can help now it'd be great because i'm very confused.

The card came with two cables. One is a 6-pin with two 4-pin molex, and another is an 8-pin with two 4-pin molex. How do I go about connecting these to the PSU? Do I need to connect all 4 of the molex's or leave two dangling? Do the given cables go into the psu end or the gpu end? A step by step would be great because i'm feeling very dumb right now.

 

[Vurali]

What i've now done is use two 6 to 8-pin connectors. One in each 6+2 psu slot. The first is connected to the 8-pin gpu slot with the spare 6pin left dangling, the second is connected to the 6-pin gpu slot with the spare 2 and 6-pin dangling.

I hope that's correct.

 

[austinfett]

What i've now done is use two 6 to 8-pin connectors. One in each 6+2 psu slot. The first is connected to the 8-pin gpu slot with the spare 6pin left dangling, the second is connected to the 6-pin gpu slot with the spare 2 and 6-pin dangling.

I hope that's correct.

Long as both the 8 pin and 6 pin are connected. That should be OK. Connect it to the PCI plug on the PSU.

Those weird looking connectors with the 4 pins need to connect to a cable that goes into the PSU I believe. I can crack open my case and look at what I did if you need me to.