"Penny-wise or Pound-foolish?"

[vwcrusher]

I am not sure if I need a new video card, so I am hopeful that I can get some guidance.

I recently completed an i7-3770 build, 16GB, SSD. I also recently purchased a 2560x1440 display
The primary usage will be still photo management, editing, printing (Lightroom and Photoshop). Secondary usage is normal email, surfing, etc. A possible usage might be games.

My current video card is a EVGA GTX 260 (see below)....it seems able to drive the display ok without lag (I think), as its hard to tell if its the fetching function or displaying. What is the consensus?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

thanks

 

[hilltopmonk]

check here - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

See what the GTX 260 compares to, then see if what your budget allows is AT LEAST 3 tiers above what you have it is generally considered a good investment. - Although that general rule of thumb is regarding gaming graphics. If what you have is fine for what your doing, you're not experiencing artifacts or any other graphics related problems then you should probably save your money.

 

[vwcrusher]

check here - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

See what the GTX 260 compares to, then see if what your budget allows is AT LEAST 3 tiers above what you have it is generally considered a good investment. - Although that general rule of thumb is regarding gaming graphics. If what you have is fine for what your doing, you're not experiencing artifacts or any other graphics related problems then you should probably save your money.

Thanks for the reply...if I understand what you are suggesting....I would need at least a 560ti?

 

[hilltopmonk]

Yep, thats about right.

If your going for gaming it would also be the minimum I would recommend for a new card.

 

[vwcrusher]

Yep, thats about right.

If your going for gaming it would also be the minimum I would recommend for a new card.

Hmmm.....around a $200 card. I think I will see if my present card will cut it. If not then perhaps I need to make another investment. Is there any particular card that you think is a good buy and hedges against obsolescence?

 

[geofelt]

I am not sure if I need a new video card, so I am hopeful that I can get some guidance.

I recently completed an i7-3770 build, 16GB, SSD. I also recently purchased a 2560x1440 display
The primary usage will be still photo management, editing, printing (Lightroom and Photoshop). Secondary usage is normal email, surfing, etc. A possible usage might be games.

My current video card is a EVGA GTX 260 (see below)....it seems able to drive the display ok without lag (I think), as its hard to tell if its the fetching function or displaying. What is the consensus?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

thanks

You are good.
For your non-gaming purposes any graphics card that supports 2560 x 1440(and most do) will do the job.
No need to replace a GTX260 even though you might have done just as well with a lesser card.
I have an old 7600GS which runs two 2560 x 1600 monitors just fine. Not for fast action gaming though.

 

[hilltopmonk]

I generally set my budget for cards and then wait for something that fits my wants/needs to turn up.

Unless your going to be playing FPS games a lot you should be ok until that happens

 

[vwcrusher]

You are good.
For your non-gaming purposes any graphics card that supports 2560 x 1440(and most do) will do the job.
No need to replace a GTX260 even though you might have done just as well with a lesser card.
I have an old 7600GS which runs two 2560 x 1600 monitors just fine. Not for fast action gaming though.

Thanks for the reply....the GTX 260 is actually the only component left over from a previous build..glad that it will suffice.

 

[vwcrusher]

Best answer selected by vwcrusher.