Upgrading HD6850 - is it reasonable?

[Deleted member 1886623]

Hi, I would like to upgrade my rig since I can't get a fluent gameplay in some of the newest games.

However I have some dillemmas:
1) Some people told me to get GTX 960, but it isn't cheap and from what I've seen, it's not futureproof at all. So I thought that maybe GTX 970 would be better, but on the other hand, is it really good idea to get such powerfull card for 6 years old machine? And I'd prefer not to OC CPU, since I'm quite scored of burning it.
2) Or maybe it would be better to just try to OC my current GPU and hope it would do better in games since my whole rig is quite old?
3) Will adding RAM ruin my current RAM speed (now it's working in triple channel)?
4) I want to spend lowest amount possible.

Those are my current specs:
- i7 920 @2,66GHz + Fera 2
- Sapphire HD 6850
- 6gb RAM (3x2gb triple channel)
- Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
- Corsair TX 650W
- Crucial MX100
- case: Cooler Master RC-331 Elite

It would be great if anyone could help me with all those questions. Sorry for my poor English.

 

[Supernova1138]

The i7 920 is still a decent gaming CPU, and can keep up with a GTX 970 if you can get a decent overclock out of it. If you insist on running at stock speeds, then you are going to get held back more severely, but it would still be a big boost over your old 6850.

6GB of RAM is getting really low for modern games, you're going to have to be really good at managing your memory and keeping background processes at a minimum if you don't bump up to a higher amount which would probably be 12GB (three 4GB sticks) if you want to keep your triple channeling going. If you simply drop in another 2GB stick to bump yourself up to 8GB, then I believe you do revert to dual channel mode with 2 dual channel sets.

 

[maxalge]

Hi, I would like to upgrade my rig since I can't get a fluent gameplay in some of the newest games.

However I have some dillemmas:
1) Some people told me to get GTX 960, but it isn't cheap and from what I've seen, it's not futureproof at all. So I thought that maybe GTX 970 would be better, but on the other hand, is it really good idea to get such powerfull card for 6 years old machine? And I'd prefer not to OC CPU, since I'm quite scored of burning it.
2) Or maybe it would be better to just try to OC my current GPU and hope it would do better in games since my whole rig is quite old?
3) Will adding RAM ruin my current RAM speed (now it's working in triple channel)?
4) I want to spend lowest amount possible.

Those are my current specs:
- i7 920 @2,66GHz + Fera 2
- Sapphire HD 6850
- 6gb RAM (3x2gb triple channel)
- Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
- Corsair TX 650W
- Crucial MX100
- case: Cooler Master RC-331 Elite

It would be great if anyone could help me with all those questions. Sorry for my poor English.

6gb is fine




there is no "futureproof" with your setup, unless you mean to upgrade at a later time and carry the gpu over

if you want to keep your cpu stock, then pick up a used 280x on ebay or such

if you want to upgrade down the line then grab a 970 and eat the bottleneck now until you can upgrade

it would still be a MASSIVE upgrade

 

[Deleted member 1886623]

The problem is, overclocking my i7 could be dangerous since my i7 is old, I've never done it before and I can't afford buying anything better than my current cooling Fera 2. Even on stock clocks the CPU temp is about 40°C in idle and over 60°C in stress (and while its load is max 50%, it never goes higher cause HD6850 bottlenecks it - thus I suppose it will go over 70°C on full stress on stock clocks...).

On the other hand, I'm searching for a card that will let me play games for about ~5 years, just like my HD6850. GTX 960 or R9 280x won't last that long, right? In addition R9 280x is rather loud which would be bothering for me. So I thought that I will buy solid card like GTX 970 and in 1-2 years change my CPU to skylake.

But reading your responses it appears that those 1-2 years would be a waste for GTX 970 and when I would finally get skylake there will surely be far better cards with price equivalent to current price of GTX 970...

So it would seem that the best choice is to wait 1-2 years and buy whole new rig, since I can't afford that now. But in that case I would not be able to play current games.

I have an impression that there is no right choice to make. Now I'm quite lost on what to do. Please share your opinions with me 🙁

 

[maxalge]

The problem is, overclocking my i7 could be dangerous since my i7 is old, I've never done it before and I can't afford buying anything better than my current cooling Fera 2. Even on stock clocks the CPU temp is about 40°C in idle and over 60°C in stress (and while its load is max 50%, it never goes higher cause HD6850 bottlenecks it - thus I suppose it will go over 70°C on full stress on stock clocks...).

On the other hand, I'm searching for a card that will let me play games for about ~5 years, just like my HD6850. GTX 960 or R9 280x won't last that long, right? In addition R9 280x is rather loud which would be bothering for me. So I thought that I will buy solid card like GTX 970 and in 1-2 years change my CPU to skylake.

But reading your responses it appears that those 1-2 years would be a waste for GTX 970 and when I would finally get skylake there will surely be far better cards with price equivalent to current price of GTX 970...

So it would seem that the best choice is to wait 1-2 years and buy whole new rig, since I can't afford that now. But in that case I would not be able to play current games.

I have an impression that there is no right choice to make. Now I'm quite lost on what to do. Please share your opinions with me 🙁

70 degrees at full load is great...

you don't have some headphones?

there will always be something better, the point is to get the best you can

the lowest cost to benefit.


As your computer stands, max I would put into it is a 280x.

 

[Deleted member 1886623]

Thanks for the response

Well if it's a good temperature than maybe I will risk and try to overclock it a little, I've read that it allows to get a decent OC even on stock voltages.

In my country R9 280x is about 30-35% cheaper than GTX 970, is it a good deal?

And let's say that in about a year I will upgrade to Skylake. Will R9 280x still be enough to the point I wouldn't need to change it to a newer card? I mean it's not a cheap GPU so I would prefer to buy something for this rig and also a future, "Skylake" one.

And as for now, I don't have access to computer nor the headphones.

 

[maxalge]

Thanks for the response

Well if it's a good temperature than maybe I will risk and try to overclock it a little, I've read that it allows to get a decent OC even on stock voltages.

In my country R9 280x is about 30-35% cheaper than GTX 970, is it a good deal?

And let's say that in about a year I will upgrade to Skylake. Will R9 280x still be enough to the point I wouldn't need to change it to a newer card? I mean it's not a cheap GPU so I would prefer to buy something for this rig and also a future, "Skylake" one.

And as for now, I don't have access to computer nor the headphones.

if you intend to upgrade in a year then a 970 is actually a good idea

 

[Deleted member 1886623]

Ok, so I will give it a thought, thanks. I have one more question, if I get GTX 970, how much should I OC my CPU?