Looking to upgrade

Virulence

Reputable
Nov 22, 2014
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4,510
This is my current build and I'm looking for parts to make it faster for gaming. I normally like to play MMOs and be in areas where there is high amounts of PvP, for example in Elder Scrolls Online, or WoW. What parts would you recommend replacing first or adding in to help me achieve a more pleasant experience?

Hard drive: Samsung Solid State 250gb
Processor: i5 3570k @ 3.40ghz
Video Card: GTX680
Memory: 16GB Corsair (Vengeance I believe)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Motherboard: Wasn't sure how to check without opening case?
 
Many MMOs like Tera are very poorly optimized. CPU based games, but yes I agree with this guy. ^ But in my opinion I would go for an SLI route for cheaper but more deadly. 😉 Im sure you can find another gfx at a very affordable price on ebay or craiglist. After all a 680 is a 770. No need to upgrade to the newer generation. Just get another one. 😀
 


what game would require 8gb Vram? Im sure the 970 wont even be strong enough to fully utilize that much Vram, wouldnt you say so? I believe 8gb Vram is only good for 4k gaming but the gpu itself still handles pretty bad @4k res. Thefore its safe to say it would be a waste of money for an 8gb Vram, wouldnt you say so?
 
No, no, no, not at all my good sir! Newer games are exceeding 4GB of RAM. Watch Dogs and Shadow of Mordor (at 1080p) are the first to do so I believe, except maybe Crysis 3 with maxed AA. Shadow of Mordor needs 6GB of RAM for the ultra textures. My point is that games already exceed 4GB of RAM and future games will continue this process. When I was deciding on whether or not to buy a 2GB or 4GB 770, many people were advising to get the 2GB because they thought it was a waste of money for the 4GB version. They were so wrong, the 4GB 770 was the best decision I ever made. Well, actually, I should have gone with 6GB 780 but I didn't have enough money at the time.
 
Oh I see. I have a different mentality. I do not believe in future proofing because I would believe people who are willing to spend money on a 970 right now are people with the same mindset of wanting to have a better gaming experience. I upgrade every year or so because I want my hardware to keep up with the beautiful graphics that game developers offers. Here is where I disagree with you. Take 760 4gb Vram as an example. The gpu itself is way too weak to even utilize the 4gb. An analogy can be made with the 970. I feel that even with the latest hardware, 4k resolution is just not there yet to be pursuing for, unless you're one of those guys who wants bragging rights.
 
The 760 may be too weak for the 4GB but not a 970. A 970 with 8GB of RAM should last you two years. The 770 4GB came out early in 2013, it's getting close to being two years old and still handles games on ultra settings around the 60 fps mark. I'm comparing the 770 4GB with that of the 970 4GB. The 770 has lasted almost 2 years and still plays games on ultra and I believe the 970 can also do the same. I suppose you don't have to buy the 8GB 970 but upgrading to the 970 4GB would still be a good idea. Bragging rights would be nice but I don't know anybody personally who plays games on PC, only people that I talk to on the internet lol.
 
I have two high end PCs. Idk if this proves my theory in not needing an 8gb Vram any time soon. Since we are well aware that Directx 12 is coming soon and apparently it is made to optimize games to run smoother and more efficient than ever. Here is my synthetic benchmark for 3dmark extreme. I had sli 770s 2gb but sold it to get a single 970 (planning to get another soon), and I have 2 780ti. These benchmarks stresses the graphic card to the max. No games yet can compete to the level of stress.
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/3269325
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/2447139
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/1946987
 
I honestly can't comment on the 3dmark benchmarks because I haven't used it before and I don't know how much VRAM and other hardware resources are used by it. I've just seen in videos and benchmarks by other people that games like Crysis 3, Watch Dogs, and Shadow of Mordor use 6GB of VRAM. I run Shadow of Mordor at ultra except the textures which I have on high because I don't have enough VRAM and won't be able to get smooth gameplay. I also have the textures set to high instead of ultra on Watch Dogs because the game will stutter occasionally on that setting.