I think I'm having video ram issues with my current video card, so I want to replace it, and as long as I'm going to buy a new card, I figure I might as well go for a slight upgrade. However, when I go to newegg, I'm completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of video cards that are there. I'm not sure which will work in my machine, which will be the upgrade I desire, and what all the little specifications mean.
This is my current video card:
XFX HD Radeon 1GB 256-Bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506
It was purchased back in 2011 along with all of the parts for a whole build that I put together back then. Here are the other parts of my system that may be important to know:
Motherboard:ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb Quad-Core 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W HDZ955FBGMBOX Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Power Supply: XIGMATEK ACXTNRP-PC602 600W ATX12V Ver.2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815009
I'm not overly picky about the new card that I want. My main concern is that it is something that will actually work in my existing build without any other parts being changed. Other than that, I'd like it to be a slight upgrade to what I currently have. I'm not too concerned about price, but I imagine that my options for this particular build wouldn't be too pricey anyway.
Curiously, I also noticed that my card's interface is PC Express 2.1 x16, while my motherboard's is PC Express 2.0 x16. This build was actually made for me on someone else's recommendation, so I never noticed this until now. What degree of leeway and/or backwards compatibility is there between interfaces?
I am considering this:
SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100314-4L Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202113&cm_re=video_card-_-14-202-113-_-Product
It seems to be within the parameters of my build, and to my knowledge the 6970 chipset was a tier above the 6870. However, I am not confident in my knowledge to know if this is actually a good choice.
There is also this:
GIGABYTE GV-R687D5-1GD-B Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity Factory Refurbished
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125760
But this basically seems to be the same thing as my current one.
So anyway, I'm looking for recommendations.
This is my current video card:
XFX HD Radeon 1GB 256-Bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506
It was purchased back in 2011 along with all of the parts for a whole build that I put together back then. Here are the other parts of my system that may be important to know:
Motherboard:ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb Quad-Core 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W HDZ955FBGMBOX Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
Power Supply: XIGMATEK ACXTNRP-PC602 600W ATX12V Ver.2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815009
I'm not overly picky about the new card that I want. My main concern is that it is something that will actually work in my existing build without any other parts being changed. Other than that, I'd like it to be a slight upgrade to what I currently have. I'm not too concerned about price, but I imagine that my options for this particular build wouldn't be too pricey anyway.
Curiously, I also noticed that my card's interface is PC Express 2.1 x16, while my motherboard's is PC Express 2.0 x16. This build was actually made for me on someone else's recommendation, so I never noticed this until now. What degree of leeway and/or backwards compatibility is there between interfaces?
I am considering this:
SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100314-4L Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202113&cm_re=video_card-_-14-202-113-_-Product
It seems to be within the parameters of my build, and to my knowledge the 6970 chipset was a tier above the 6870. However, I am not confident in my knowledge to know if this is actually a good choice.
There is also this:
GIGABYTE GV-R687D5-1GD-B Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity Factory Refurbished
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125760
But this basically seems to be the same thing as my current one.
So anyway, I'm looking for recommendations.