[SOLVED] Looking to upgrade my Radeon HD 4670

[denj]

Hey guys,

Just copying the thread on how to ask questions so here goes:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next two weeks or depending on when I get my E8600 C2D CPU.

BUDGET RANGE: USD $100-150

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: I basically would like to run Starcraft II (Heart of the Swarm)/Diablo II/Dota II at the highest settings.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: ATI Radeon HD 4670 and Corsair TX650M 650W PSU

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Current CPU E7400 OC to 3.0 GHZ. Will be upgrading to E8600 CPU and will try to OC to 4.0 GHZ on stock cooler. If it doesn't work, will upgrade to better cooler.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.canadacomputers.com, (I can go into the store itself), www.newegg.ca for shipped video cards.

PARTS PREFERENCES: No Preference so long as I can max out settings on Starcraft II (Heart of the Swarm.)

OVERCLOCKING: No Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No, Mobo can't support either since I only have one X16 2.0 PCI-E slot.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Would like to know what I should upgrade to run Starcraft II on highest settings with at least 60 fps. Currently, I'm running it on medium to play it at 60 fps with resolution of 1920x1080.

Running Windows 8, with 8 gigs of DD2 ram (G.skill PC2-6400 (400 MHZ ram) Part No: F2-8500CL5-2GBPK),
Motherboard = Gigabyte EP45-UD3L Manual
Socket 775 LGA.

4 SATA hardrives on a raid controller (Adaptec 2410 SA) running in raid 10 setup.

The GT630 is what I'm considering. Here is the link:
MSI N630GT-MD4GD3 GeForce GT 630

ZOTAC ZT-60405-10L GeForce GT 630

SPARKLE 700005 GeForce GT 630

These are only suggestions as I don't have a clue what is the best card for my system or if I can even handle anything better.

End goal is to run Starcraft II at max settings with absolutely no lag so I can play the game without having to worry about frame rates or bottle necks of any kind.

I suspect I was also CPU bottle necked which is why I trying to get a E8600 CPU. I am not interested in buying a new computer. Hard drive info is provided to give a n accurate representation of power usage from my system.

 

[mohit9206]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969
get this radeon 7750. its only $20 more but its twice as powerful as a 630. its really your best option

 

[denj]

Why is it more powerful? I built this system a while back and I assumed more RAM (those 3 630's have 4 gb of ddr3 ram while urs has (1 gb of ddr5 ram) is always better. Also, my current mobo is specced for PCI-express 2.0. Will I be able to use the radeon 7750 to its full potential even though it's 3.0?

 

[mohit9206]

the 630 is too weak to even utilize 1gb ram let alone 4gb. also gddr5 is superior to ddr3 so 7750 is much more powerful than 630. and yes the 7750 will work in pcie 2.0 as pcie slots are backwards compatible with each other

 

[crazypotato]

I belive a gtx 690 or a gtx 680 or a 7970 would be sufficient for your needs. Yes, they can run on your psu dont worry. Also, next time please remember to list your budget

 

[Cons29]

@denj, even if that 630 has 8gb of ram, it would not mean anything. those are, most of the time, used just to lure those who are not familiar. yes a good 1gb will beat that 630 any time of the day.

do not worry about the pci-e 2 vs 3, even the gtx 680 cannot saturate (maximize) the 2.0

if memory was such a big factor then think for a sec, why is that a 670 or 680 who has 2gb costs like $500 bucks and a 630 cost only a small fraction of that? because memory is not that big a factor if you use high resolution.
but a 630 is just too slow, big hint is the price.

personally i would not get anything lower than a 7770.

may i suggest that you get a quad, a q9400 or something (dont get q8xxx). then buy a decent cooler then oc. of course the best option is to get a new rig, but that is expensive

 

[mohit9206]

I belive a gtx 690 or a gtx 680 or a 7970 would be sufficient for your needs. Yes, they can run on your psu dont worry. Also, next time please remember to list your budget

his budget does not allow for such expensive cards. besides the c2d cpu would badly bottleneck these cards anyway. so 7750 is the best option

 

[denj]

@CrazyPotato: Ah Yes, I did forget to include the price. Budget for the card would be max $100-150. Will Edit post to include that info.

@Cons: And thanks for the clarification on ram. 7750 will not able to run Starcraft II (SC2) on Ultra settings on 1900x1080 resolution? I looked into getting a quad but apparently Starcraft II does not utilize anything more than a dual core.

I'm specifically looking to max out the game so there is absolutely no issue with fps with a budget of $100-150. That said, is my CPU okay for running A 7750 as Mohit suggested or a 7770 as Cons29 suggested?

 

[Cons29]

@CrazyPotato: Ah Yes, I did forget to include the price. Budget for the card would be max $100-150. Will Edit post to include that info.

@Cons: And thanks for the clarification on ram. 7750 will not able to run Starcraft II (SC2) on Ultra settings on 1900x1080 resolution? I looked into getting a quad but apparently Starcraft II does not utilize anything more than a dual core.

I'm specifically looking to max out the game so there is absolutely no issue with fps with a budget of $100-150. That said, is my CPU okay for running A 7750 as Mohit suggested or a 7770 as Cons29 suggested?

are you only playing starcraft2? no other game? even in the future? a few years ago, quad could not do much in gaming (in terms of performance despite the extra cores), but nowadays there are lots of games that use them

 

[denj]

are you only playing starcraft2? no other game? even in the future? a few years ago, quad could not do much in gaming (in terms of performance despite the extra cores), but nowadays there are lots of games that use them

I've really only played a few games here and there. Counter-strike 1.6, Warcraft III: Dota, Dota 2, Starcraft II, Diablo III are the games I've played thus far. It's hard to say what I might play in the future but I do know it will be a Blizzard product.

You do raise a compelling point though. I did look at buying a used Q9550 but the price point is still too expensive for my taste. Almost everything I purchase is usually used since brand new it's far too expensive to be worth it.

 

[Cons29]

processors do not die easily, so it is easier to buy one, as compared to getting a 2nd hand gpu that may break anytime.

and, about your oc plan, i don't think a stock cooler can handle 4ghz.
i have a 2500k @4ghz, and i believe this is more efficient that c2d's before but im using a 3rd party cooler. otherwise it would melt lol.

try other games, who knows, you might like em

 

[stickmansam]

Grab this 7850 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

You can find some used q9550 for about $100 and failing that some q6600 for about $70

 

[denj]

@Cons29: School takes a lot of my time but thank you for your input. I will first see if the video card can give me the desired frame rates and modify cpu accordingly.

Based on this website: Radeon 7750 vs Radeon 7850,

I am finalizing my choices between these two considering Mohit's suggestion of this card:

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB DDR5

and

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7850 OC 1GB GDDR5

Is there any further input you guys can help me with? I think I can get at least 10 more fps with the 7850 but I don't know it's worth an additional $50 for it.

Your input is welcome.

 

[Robert Pankiw]

www.ncix.com/products/?sku=77797 A 7850 1GB GDDR5 card (Comes with 2 free games) $150 after rebate
www.ncix.com/products/?sku=78185 A 7850 2GB GDDR5 card (Same 2 free games) $180 after rebate

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_557_558&item_id=050030 A 7770 1GB GDDR5 $120 after rebate
www.ncix.com/products/?sku=70112 A 7750 1GB GDDR5 $80 after rebate

I would personally take the first (or second) card listed, because you can likely sell the game coupons to a friend for cheap (Give your friend(s) half off, sell the games for $30 each, keeping you in budget and your friends get a cheap AAA (maybe AA) quality game.

The 3rd and 4th do not come with free games.

Best of luck!

 

[Cons29]

7850 is a good choice, 7770 is ok, the higher the better

 

[mohit9206]

no,the cheaper the better..on the pocket

 

[denj]

Thanks guys, Will be going to a store soon to pick the XFX (FX-785A-ZNL4) AMD Radeon HD 7850 1GB DDR5 today.

Thank you everyone for the help.

Mod, keep this thread for 1-2 days incase I run into any trouble with installation. Thanks.

 

[denj]

Best answer selected by denj.

 

[denj]

Mods close this thread, I got around 40-60 fps in starcraft 2 on max settings and I'm quite happy now. Thank you all for your help I wish I could select multiple best answers but I can't.