Looking to Upgrade

[Fhangrin]

Alright, here's the skinny. My current rig is an AMD system
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514&cm_re=gigabyte_990fx_ud3_am3%2b-_-13-128-514-_-Product
AMD FX 8350
OCZ EvoStream 720w PSU
16gb G-Skill RipJaws RAM
2x Sapphire Radeon 7770 VGA
All stuffed into a Sentey Extreme Division Wolf case

I'm looking into getting a graphics upgrade and what I'm looking at is the Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202080).

My question is whether or not this would be a significant increase in graphics performance and whether or not my rig can even handle this monster without needing further upgrades.

This isn't my first PC build, but I'm not entirely clear on how the PCU handles power. I should also point out that my PSU is going on 6 years old.

 

[geofelt]

1. Yes, that card would be a significant boost in graphics performance over a single 7770.
But, you have two 7770 cards so I am not so certain your fps would be much better.
Moreover, the R9 cards have some issues, and that particular card has 22% negative(0 or 1 egg) reviews.

If you have had any dual card issues such as tearing or stuttering, then a good single card is a good idea.
I think I would look at a GTX970 or GTX980 instead. Either will run nicely on your psu.
Both are very power efficient.

2. Your psu is one of the better OCZ psu's, tier 2 on this list:
https://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx?Redirected=true

3. The FX chips are not very strong on a IPC basis, are you certain that a graphics upgrade will do what you expect?

To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You could also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

 

[Fhangrin]

I've done the lower resolution tests already and gotten massive jumps in framerate. My testing game used CryEngine 3 (Because all of my previous games tests utilized the CryEngine due to high physics demands and rendering. Beats buying the BenchMark software.)

The processor was last years significant upgrade. From 4 cores 4.0ghz to 8 cores 4.0. I haven't bothered overclocking the thing yet.

I just wasn't sure if the 290 would work with my Mobo. I also have reservations about going to NVidia because their cards have given me issues in the past.

As for that card in particular, I've only ever bought Sapphire cards. What few issues I had were all fixable with either drivers, software adjustments, or minor hardware tweaks. I never take my rigs to a shop for repairs. If something doesn't work, I have a penchant for figuring out how to make it work.

 

[geofelt]

I know of no reason why a 290 would not work with your motherboard.

Your lower resolution test suggests that a graphics upgrade is indeed in order.

Looking for 7770 cf benchmarks, I found two:
http://www.eteknix.com/amd-radeon-hd-7770-crossfire-review/9/
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4572/sapphire_radeon_hd_7770_1gb_oc_video_cards_in_crossfire/index6.html
It looks to me like cf 7770 is somewhat comparable in performance to a 7950 or GTX580 class card, about $200.

A R9-290 is only two tiers higher on tom's hierarchy chart, perhaps not enough difference that you would feel really good about the small improvement.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-5.html

I would suggest the stronger R9-290X except for the high negative feedback on the R9-290X cards in general, perhaps about 20%.

By contrast, the GTX970 and GTX980 cards have half the nnegative feedback.
If there is an issue with the GTX970 cards it is the occasional coil whine which is caused by some psu interactions under load.

If you can handle the price, a GTX980 is as good as it gets.