System upgrade or just GPU?

[vwcrusher]

Built the system below about 5 years ago; main use is Lightroom and gaming (other than email, web, etc). I am fairly sure I will be purchasing a 1070 ti over the next month or so, but I wonder if I should also consider upgrading much of the system. Any guidance is appreciated - below is the system as it stands now:

Intel i7-3770 3.4GHz
ASUS P8H77-V MB
16GB DDR3
Samsung 256GB 830 SSD (OS and apps)
1TB WD Black HDD (data)
Auria 27" EQ276W (2560 x 1440)
XFX Pro550W PSU

 

[Dunlop0078]

The i7 3770 should still do pretty well paired with a 1070 ti. I wouldn't be rushing to upgrade.

The only upgrade path you really have in terms of CPU is a switch to ryzen or a modern intel platform, both would require a new CPU, DDR4 RAM, and a new mobo. Which may not even help performance much assuming the i7 3770 can get the most out of a 1070 ti in the games you play.

 

[vwcrusher]

The i7 3770 should still do pretty well paired with a 1070 ti. I wouldn't be rushing to upgrade.

The only upgrade path you really have in terms of CPU is a switch to ryzen or a modern intel platform, both would require a new CPU, DDR4 RAM, and a new mobo. Which may not even help performance much assuming the i7 3770 can get the most out of a 1070 ti in the games you play.

Thanks for the reply; I must admit I am a bit surprised given the age of my current system - I expected that the current state of the art to be way faster....interesting. Will my current PSU have any power bandwidth problems with the 1070 ti? I did check out the specs, and it seemed to be lower than my current GPU......

 

[Dunlop0078]

Well there are modern CPU's that would blow that 3770 out of the water. But for a task like gaming with a 1070 ti you only need so much CPU power to get the most out of the 1070 ti. There will certainly be games, modern CPU heavy titles, the upcoming BF5 for example where that 3770 will hold back a 1070 ti especially at lower resolutions say 1080p and below. However regardless any game should be perfectly playable with your system 1440p or lower with at least 60fps depending on in game settings.

That PSU should be fine. How old is it? I believe those XFX's were mostly made by seasonic and quite good. If it's getting very old it may be best to replace it for the sake of reliability, but in terms of power it's fine. What is your current GPU?

 

[vwcrusher]

Well there are modern CPU's that would blow that 3770 out of the water. But for a task like gaming with a 1070 ti you only need so much CPU power to get the most out of the 1070 ti. There will certainly be games, modern CPU heavy titles, the upcoming BF5 for example where that 3770 will hold back a 1070 ti especially at lower resolutions say 1080p and below. However regardless any game should be perfectly playable with your system 1440p or lower with at least 60fps depending on in game settings.

That PSU should be fine. How old is it? I believe those XFX's were mostly made by seasonic and quite good. If it's getting very old it may be best to replace it for the sake of reliability, but in terms of power it's fine. What is your current GPU?

Thanks for the perspective.

The game I am thinking of is Fallout 76.
Found the receipt....PSU purchased in Nov 2012.
Current GPU is Nvidia GTX 650 ti boost

 

[Dunlop0078]

Not sure about fallout 76.The engine is supposed to have been extensively reworked since FO4, so not sure how it will perform. As for the PSU, it likely has a couple years left in it, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[vwcrusher]

Not sure about fallout 76.The engine is supposed to have been extensively reworked since FO4, so not sure how it will perform. As for the PSU, it likely has a couple years left in it, I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for the reply......saying that, just for my education/information if I were to upgrade the system, what would you suggest for CPU, MB, SSD, PSU, etc? If you don't mind........

 

[madmatt30]

I'm with Dunlop here.

1440p 60htz a 1070to should pair nicely with it to be honest.

My advice, buy the gpu , see how you go.

A midrange coffe lake i5 or a ryzen 2600/2600x will set you back close,to $500, while it will be an improvement it most definitely won't be $500 worth of improvement.

 

[vwcrusher]

Thanks guys, appreciate the guidance.....a quick follow up question: are there any brands of these cards that I should seek out, or stay away from?

 

[Dunlop0078]

If I were buying a 1070 ti any of the EVGA cards with the ICX cooler (not ACX) would be my first choice, the SC2 and FTW2 for example. Second choice would be the ASUS ROG Strix. They are likely going to be some of the more expensive 1070 ti models.

In terms of performance all 1070 ti's will be pretty much the same as none are factory overclocked. The advantage of higher end 1070 ti's will mainly just be cooling and quality of the VRM and other PCB components. Which may help a bit with overclocking.

If you don't plan to overclock really any 1070 ti should be fine. I would personally avoid some of the very low end 1070 ti's with blower coolers and PCB's worse in quality then founders cards. Cant really think of anything specific.

 

[vwcrusher]

Appreciate the guidance; I do have a follow on question: given current pricing trends, it seems that the price premium for a 1080 card is less than the performance improvement, so from a price/performance perspective it seems like the right thing to do......unless the performance of my particular system (monitor especially) will not be seen. Hope I am articulating this correctly....thanks.

 

[madmatt30]

At 1440p I'd agree the 1080 is just about worth it over the 1070ti IF you get one at a decent price.

There's 12-15% performance improvement with the 1080, it'll give more future headroom at the resolution you're using.

 

[vwcrusher]

At 1440p I'd agree the 1080 is just about worth it over the 1070ti IF you get one at a decent price.

There's 12-15% performance improvement with the 1080, it'll give more future headroom at the resolution you're using.

Thanks @madmatt,
If you don't mind, are there any brands or specific cards that you would suggest, or avoid? Not all 1080s are the same.....

 

[Toxic_Cobra]

Like dunlop said, Evga cards are really good and their warranties are pretty solid.. plus evga has a step-up program where for 3 months after a cards purchase you can request to upgrade to one of the new 2080s coming out and then pay the difference, they will ship the new GPU and you send your old card back. it's a pretty nice feature.

 

[vwcrusher]

Like dunlop said, Evga cards are really good and their warranties are pretty solid.. plus evga has a step-up program where for 3 months after a cards purchase you can request to upgrade to one of the new 2080s coming out and then pay the difference, they will ship the new GPU and you send your old card back. it's a pretty nice feature.

Thanks for the reply; I did check the specific parts Dunlop suggested, and they seemed to be significantly more expensive than some of the other cards....not sure if it features, quality, or profit.

 

[madmatt30]

In all honesty the gigabyte windforce tends to be one of the cheapest model 1080's & still thoroughly decent.

As already suggested stay away from the single fan models & you're really not going to go wrong.

I have an affinity for galax/kfa2 nowadays , had various models,burnham & build quality/performance has just been rock solid.

Never been a fan of overpaying for premium models , perfomance is generally within 1 or 2% max.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Like dunlop said, Evga cards are really good and their warranties are pretty solid.. plus evga has a step-up program where for 3 months after a cards purchase you can request to upgrade to one of the new 2080s coming out and then pay the difference, they will ship the new GPU and you send your old card back. it's a pretty nice feature.

Thanks for the reply; I did check the specific parts Dunlop suggested, and they seemed to be significantly more expensive than some of the other cards....not sure if it features, quality, or profit.

If the cards I suggested are significantly more expensive than other cards in your area I would not recommend them. Where I live they are not. Galax cards are very good for the most part if they are available in your area.

I recommend a decent card not because of performance but the piece of mind of knowing you have a quality, overbuilt VRM. And proper cooling of many PCB components such as the VRM and the VRAM. Many cheaper cards have no active cooling on the VRM or VRAM whatsoever.