You all helped me build it....now tell me is it worth the $450 graphics card upgrade or not?

[badseed1968]

"WE" built my son a computer couple years ago for christmas, now he has pc upgrades on his list....Is this pc worth just a graphics card upgrade? Pretty much only used for gaming...

what we have now...

Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 88W BX80646I54690K Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600

https://www.directron.com/gaz97xsli.html?aff=2 ] Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI (rev. 1.0) Socket H3 ATX Motherboard, Intel Z97 Express Chipset, Supports Intel Core i7/i5/i3 LGA1150 CPUs, Dual DDR3 3000(O.C.), SATA III RAID, Gigabit LAN, HDMI and 7.1-ch HD Audio. [/url]

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121842 ] ASUS Radeon R9 290 DirectX 11.2 R9290-DC2OC-4GD5 4GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support DirectCU II OC Video Car [/url]

https://www.directron.com/hx316c10fbk28.html?aff=2 ] Kingston HX316C10FBK2/8 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3-12800) Desktop Memory, HyperX Fury Memory Black [/url]

Rosewill CAPSTONE 750M 750W Modular Power Supply (80 PLUS GOLD Certified)

NZXT Phantom 530 White ATX Full Tower Computer Case Includes 1 x 200mm Front, 1 x 140mm Rear 2 x USB 3.0 Fan Controller

Microsoft - Windows 8.1 OEM 64-bit
dvd drive
1TB hard drive
120gb ssd

Now, is it worth $450 to buy this card? is it going to be a $450 noticeable upgrade for gaming?
or is it time for a new pc?

The card he wants: Is EVGA the way to go? or another brand?
EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition, 08G-P4-5173-KR, 8GB GDDR5, LED, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC)


My budget to upgrade his pc is $450 max!!!
worth my $450 or not? (is there another card you recommend?)
if not after christmas I'll just build him a new one...

Thanks to any and all replies...
I really need your input/advice....
Thanks!



Approximate Purchase Date: Today if possible...

Budget Range: $450 cash out the door or After Shipping...

System Usage from Most to Least Important: #1 gaming, #2 surfing the internet...

Are you buying a monitor: No



Parts to Upgrade: graphics card

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
newegg.com,
ncix.com,
http://www.microcenter.com,
(I have a microcenter 5miles from me)....save me money any safe site is fine....

Location: Detroit metro area, Michigan, USA

Parts Preferences: no preference...

Overclocking: No / Maybe (never tried don't really plan on it)...

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 I believe he runs...

Additional Comments: None...

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: It's on my son's christmas list

 

[vapour]

Get this better one: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487259&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Yes, 1070 will be a very good upgrade, your CPU is still very capable.

 

[TJ Hooker]

If he has a 1080p/60Hz monitor, he should still be able to max out most games with his current build. Getting a new graphics card (or maybe another 8GB or RAM) would probably be the best option if I had to choose something, but I doubt it'll result in much difference in performance.

 

[vapour]

290 max out 60fps AAA games? No. Games like Ghost recon will need GTX1070 to do that.

@ OP

If you consider other sellers as well, get 1070 ti for ~450.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Well, a 290 would should still get 50+ FPS in ghost recon, if you need 60 fps probably pretty achievable with a few settings tweaks. Looking at few other recent game performance articles on Tom's, an R9 390 is still getting 60+ fps for the most part at 1080p.

A 1070 would definitely be a performance boost, I just don't think you'll be able to fully take advantage of the extra power compared to a 290 with a 1080p/60Hz monitor.

Edit: I probably should say that even though you may not be able to fully take advantage of a 1070 with a 1080p/60 Hz monitor, that doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't get it. That extra power will still be there in the future as new games get more and more demanding at 1080p/60fps, and/or if you upgrade your monitor.

 

[vapour]

agreed, ideally I will sell the R9 290 and get a gsync 144hz monitor after getting 1070/1070 ti.

@ OP, new build will need ~$1000 or so for a real upgrade, is that within your budget?

 

[badseed1968]

agreed, ideally I will sell the R9 290 and get a gsync 144hz monitor after getting 1070/1070 ti.

@ OP, new build will need ~$1000 or so for a real upgrade, is that within your budget?

Not right now, $450 is my max for his pc parts....if the $450 card upgrade isn't going to be that noticeable i'd just wait till after christmas and I can build him a brand new one with a new monitor, and I'll just take his....as his is better than my desktop...

This is his monitor:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160240 ] AOC E2476VWM6 24" 1ms Black Full HD 1080P Anti-Blue Light Monitor, 1920 x 1080, 20,000,000:1, 250 cd/m2, 16:9, HDMI, VGA [/url]

The R9 I would sell and could put that money towards a monitor tho....

 

[vapour]

what is your pc specs? And budget for new build after Christmas? We may find an optimal solution for you.

 

[badseed1968]

what is your pc specs? And budget for new build after Christmas? We may find an optimal solution for you.

mine?
amd fx-6300 six-core 3.5ghz
8 gigs of ram
MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition DirectX 11 R7870-2GD5T/OC 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5
PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

hahaha...it's a boat anchor


mid january easy budget of $2000 for a brand new build.....
the damn card is on his christmas list is my issue

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[vapour]

Then easy choice: get 1070 ti for now, sell your old rig and use his rig + R9.
In the end, assume 1070 ti with 2000 build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($279.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z370 Extreme4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($159.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($203.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($127.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB DUKE Video Card ($459.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer - Predator XB1 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($449.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1952.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-13 14:00 EST-0500