Question about upgrading from a GTX 650 ti

[Nooey]

I've figured the next thing in my computer to upgrade is my gpu which is currently a GTX 650 ti, but I'm having some issues figuring out what to upgrade to. I only use 1600x1050 resolution on my current monitor and will probably only do 1080p max so I am unsure if spending a lot of money on a really good card would help me all that much. A friend suggested the GTX 960 which I am currently contemplating, but it's hard to not want to go with the GTX 970 at least, so here I am looking for some advice.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Current pc setup:
Mobo: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 AM3+ AMD 990FX
RAM: Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB
CPU: AMD FD6300
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti SSC 1024MB GDDR5 128bit
Power Supply: XFX ATX 550 Power Supply

 

[cst1992]

Go with a 960.
If the 760 is cheaper than the 960, go with the 760.
970 would be overkill for you at 1600x1050.

 

[Nooey]

Alright, sounds good. Thanks.

 

[geofelt]

What type of games do you play?
Some, like sims, strategy and mmo games are highly dependent on a single individual cpu core,
and not so much on graphics.

Shooters are more dependent on graphics.

Your psu is a good one, and could run even a GTX980.
I suspect that the GTX960 would be a nice upgrade.
If budget for a GTX970 is not an issue, I say go for it.
If you don't, you will always wonder if you should have.
At the very least, you will be able to use more and higher levels of eye candy.

If you have any suspicion that your performance might be cpu related, run some 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.

 

[cst1992]

I say the 6300 would bottleneck the 970 if he goes for it, needing to upgrade the CPU too. Rather go for a cheaper card now, and upgrade the whole system later on. The system seems old if it originally contained a 650ti(around 2 - 2 1/2 years).

Alternatively, go for the 970 now and port it in your new system.

 

[Nooey]

The system is nearing the 2 year mark here soon, was meant to be a budget gaming PC and I do mean to upgrade eventually once I have some more extra money to spend.

Also, would the R9 290 be a good option with the price drop it has had recently?

 

[Nooey]

Never mind, I would need to upgrade my PSU to run a R9 290 it seems.

 

[KrissT]

Please buy a gtx 970. Do not buy the gtx 960. It is way to expensive for its preformance. Its almost has almost half of the preformance of a 970. You also dont need a new psu to run a 970. A 970 would last a while longer