Need advice about buying a new GPU

Avik Basu

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So, I need to buy a new GPU but I can't figure out which one. I have been using NVidia 9600GT up until now. I was waiting to buy something from the 800 series but since it's release has been postponed to 2015 I have to look at alternatives. I would've liked to buy the 780ti but it's too expensive. I wanted to spend that kind of money on the 800 series. So I'm thinking that I get something cheaper for now until the 800 series is out. So I'm looking at the 760 and the new 750ti. Which one of the two should I get? And is buying a cheaper card a good choice? I want to play games like Watch Dogs and I know I won't be able to run it at it's best with a 760 or a 750ti but I want them to run smoothly if I have to run them on low or medium settings.

My current system is :-

CPU - Intel Core i5 4430
Motherboard - Gigabyte P85-D3
RAM - 4GB DDR3 (I think it's a Corsair. I will also be adding 4 more when I buy the card)
PSU - 500W
Monitor - Dell IN2020M (Just in case it's relevant)

And Please don't tell me to use AMD GPUs. Not a fan. Also, is it possible to run 770 on a 500W PSU? As per the NVidia website 770 and 780 require at least a 600W PSU
 
Solution


If you have to choose between MSI's Twinfrozr & Asus DirectCU, then Asus is preferred as it runs cooler & quiter than MSI. This implies only when price difference between them is less.

I forgot about Gigabyte's Windforce Edition, that's pretty good too

If you tell me which models you have in mind/available, then it will be easy to compare and choose the best one

For GTX 770 see this
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PRy1I5Wto54
GTX 760 is much better than 750 Ti.
So yes you should definitely get 760

A good quality 500W PSU is sufficient for GTX 770

Buying too cheaper cards like r7 240 is not good because of their terrible price/performance value. Since by adding few more bucks one could buy r7 250 which has almost twice performance than r7 240

But just in case you change your mind I would suggest you r9 280. Has same price as 760 but a better performer
 
just going to add to the above. What PSU actually is it? Watts is one thing but the quality is another, some cheap 500W PSU's won't even deliver 400W.

GTX 770 or if the R9 290 is of similar price, I would seriously look at that, it is comparable to GTX 780 for a much less of a price, it can run off a 500W PSU, if it decent quality only.
 

Avik Basu

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OK so after a small research I'm embarrassed to say that it's a ColorSIT 500W PSU . I'm gonna add a new PSU to my list. Any advice on which brand?
 

Avik Basu

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I see neither of you mentioned Cooler Master. I thought that was a good brand too.

 

RobCrezz

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Only the newest Cooler Master ones are good, the old ones are not.
 
Cooler Master V series and new VS series PSU are good
It is just that most of CM PSU's are build with below-average quality capacitors which don't handle stress well which decreases their durability and as well the ability to give rated output at increased temperatures and high load
 

Avik Basu

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In my budget, with the GPU and the RAM, it's gonna be hard getting a high-end or even a mid-range PSU. What if I get a basic PSU from a renowned brand? Would that be wrong? I'm talking about something like a Corsair VS650. I'm not saying I'll get that one exactly. Maybe I'll find something better. But I saw that online that I can fit in my budget. So would something of that range be good?
 
If you'r going to add GTX 760 then this PSU should be good
Antec VP550 550 Watts PSU
http://www.flipkart.com/antec-vp550-550-watts-psu/p/itmd5xz45hr9fyu5

VS series of Corsair is not worth it for graphics cards like 760 and for a gaming build you shouldn't even bother looking at it. You should atleast get something from Corsair's CX series.
Antec VP is from Tier 2B while CX is from Tier 3... http://community.newegg.com/eggxpert/computer_hardware/f/135081/t/45344.aspx .......so also keep that in mind
But for GTX 750 Ti Corsair VS PSU should be sufficient

A good PSU will not blow up your system, will be energy efficient, durable, have tight voltage regulation and less ripple, silent and will be more reliable unlike a low-quality PSU.

 

Avik Basu

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What about the Antec VP650P?

It's not that I don't prefer a 500W or a 550W PSU. It's just that I want future proof it for now so that if I upgrade my GPU again, or any other part for that matter, I don't want to have to buy a PSU again because the GPU requires 600W or 650W or even 700W power. I might even have to add another 1TB of hard disk sometime in the future.
 
I suggested Antec VP 550W PSU because it was in the same price range and better than Corsair VS 650W :)
Personally I would not prefer anything less than a good quality 600W PSU to get futureproof

So yes, Antec VP650P 650W will be better than CX series and much better than VS series of Corsair and is great PSU for its price range
 

Avik Basu

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That's great. But I have a few questions about the PSU though. I'm looking at the Antec VP650P's manual online and it says it's got a 8 (6+2) pin PCIe connector. I'm assuming the 6+2 means that the 8 pin connector can be split into 2. Now I'm also looking the 760 and 770 specs online and they say that 760 will require 6-pin x2. Does that mean I need the 6 pin connector from the PSU plus another 6 pin connector? And 770 says it needs 6-pin and 8-pin. Does that mean I need the 8 pin available from the PSU plus a 6 pin connector? If that is the case then who is going to provide the additional connector? Will it come with the GPU, the PSU or do I have to buy it separately?

VP650P Manual - http://www.antec.com/pdf/manuals/VP650P_manual_EN.pdf
GTX 760 - http://www.nvidia.in/object/geforce-gtx-760-in.html#pdpContent=2
GTX 770 - http://www.nvidia.in/object/geforce-gtx-770-in.html#pdpContent=2
 
The 8 pin PCIe cable is divided into two pins→one 2 pin and other 6pin
Like here
http://www.mechbgon.com/build/8-pin_pcie.jpg

Gtx 760 will have 2× 6pin PCIe connector on its PCB(board)
In these connectors you have to plug in the 6+2pin PCIe cables from PSU while leaving out 2pin connector on 6+2pin PCIe cable unplugged

Same goes with GTX 770 which will have 6pin and 8pin connectors onboard and you have to plugin the PCIe cables from PSU into these connectors while leaving leaving out ONLY ONE 2pin connector on 6+2pin PCIe cable unplugged.

Here's a 6pin PCIe connector on PCB of graphics card
http://techreport.com/r.x/geforce-8600/gts-plug.jpg
 

Avik Basu

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So what you're saying is whether I get the 760 or 770 I would only be using 8 pin power either way. Wouldn't that cause a power problem? Or limit the GPU's power?
 
You can use any one of them without worrying about power issues.

6pin PCIe cable provides upto 75W power
8pin PCIe cable provides upto 150W power
PCIe slot on motherboard provides upto 75W power

Gtx 760 has maximum power consumption of 170W. So 2×6pin PCIe cable means 150W and 75W from PCIe slot which totals 225W so thats plenty of power with overclocking headroom too

Same goes with gtx 770 which has maximum power consumption of 230W. The 8pin PCIe cable provides upto 150W and thats a total of upto 300W power available(150+75W from 6pin PCIe+75W from PCIe slot on motherboard)

Card manufacturers only add the required number of auxillary power connectors on Graphics card PCB and you'll have no issues with any graphics card untill you have 2×6+2pin PCIe cable on your PSU
 

Avik Basu

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Thanks. That helps. By the way, which brand is preferable for a GPU? My 9600GT is from XFX and it has never given me any problem. Technically speaking. The only problem with it is that it's not strong enough. But it has been good to me.
 

Avik Basu

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That's it? Seems quite easy.
 


If you have to choose between MSI's Twinfrozr & Asus DirectCU, then Asus is preferred as it runs cooler & quiter than MSI. This implies only when price difference between them is less.

I forgot about Gigabyte's Windforce Edition, that's pretty good too

If you tell me which models you have in mind/available, then it will be easy to compare and choose the best one

For GTX 770 see this
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PRy1I5Wto54
 
Solution

Avik Basu

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Asus DirectCU seems to be cheaper than MSI Twinfrozr. I can't find the price of the Gigabyte Windforce. I'll check later.

By the way, I'm guessing that the OC in the model names stand for Overclocked. Are they good? I mean I know they'd probably be good performers. But are they good from the heating point of view? Won't they get more hot than the non-OC cards?

Should I worry about being able to fit them in the cabinet? The look quite big. The shortest one was Asus 760 at a little over 8 inches long. The inside of my cabinet isn't really cluttered but I'm worried if the cabinet itself would be able to accommodate it. My 9600GT fit's alright but I don't thinks it's of the same dimensions as these new cards.
 
If it is cheaper then ASUS is the way to go

No, even when OCed(Overclocked) they will run much cooler & quiter than reference/non-oc cards since only the refernce cards are the one not OC'ed.

Almost any mid-tower cabinet can fit a 8inch long card. For a mid-tower cabinet it is the lenght of the card which is the main concern to ensure whether it will fit or not. Check your Cabinet's maximum graphics card compatibility either manually or at manufacturers site
 

Avik Basu

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I checked the measurements and it seems I have a little over 12 inches in length and 7 inches in width. I'll have to relocate my HDD then I'll be set.
 

Avik Basu

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OK. so I finally got the ASUS GTX 760. Turns out it is even smaller than the XFX 9600GT lengthwise. Not by much, but still....

It runs most games smoothly. Even games like Watch_Dogs. I played it on High settings and it ran smoothly. It couldn't run Ultra because Watch_Dogs require 3GB GPU memory for Ultra settings. Assassin's Creed 4 on the other hand lags even on medium settings, which I find weird. But playing on High settings, especially new games, drove up the GPU temperature to about 80°C. But it's a been good to me for now. It's smooth and silent. So thanks to everyone who helped me out, especially maktovic. Thanks for sticking with me through my rookie questions.