Hey guys, I am looking into upgrading my system since I have a little 'spare' money to spend, but I'm unsure if my system even needs and upgrade at all. I brought my system back in 2012 and I currently have a duel screen setup, both 1080p but I have one large mounted above the other, mainly for streaming. I play a wide range of games, some rather graphically intense (such as BF4, and plan to play GTA 5 ) and my Current system handles everything nicely (High settings), however I am thinking about the future and I don't think my system will keep up this year, I also do some light video editing and rendering. My current specs are:
- Processor: AMD 8350 @4.5Ghz
- Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990fx r2
- GPU: EVGA GTX 680sc 2GB
- Ram: Corsair Vengeance 16GB Low Profile (2x8GB) @1600
- SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 - 120GB
- HDD: 1TB Western Digital and 2TB Western Digital from around
2012/2011
- Cooling: Corsair H80i with Push/pull Config
- Sound: Creative SB X-Fi Sound Card
- PSU: Corsair GS 800w
- Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 Case
Currently, I don't like the Case. I upgraded to the C70 December 2013 but recently I have found it too big and 'in my face'
If I was to upgrade, I would change to:
- GPU: EVGA GTX 970 SC 4GB
- Case: Fractal Design R5 (Unsure on colour, was thinking White,
Windowed Version)
- Cooling: H100iGTX
And maybe a new 240GB SSD down the line when Windows 10 comes out (nice, fresh install)
So what do you guys think? Worth the upgrade? it amounts to around £480 (amazon.co.uk)
SLI the 680, or go for an R9 290. The 970 isn't worth it. The R5 looks like a great case. No need to upgrade your CPU or anything else for that matter.
Yeah I was thinking about SLI but I felt that the 2GB might limit me in the future, though I am only on 1080p and I have no plans to go any higher. Thanks for the reply!
yeah i agree with you about the limit of the 2GB frame buffer. and like @Zippy_Parmesian said get a R9 290 or R9 290x. that doubles your frame buffer atleast. the GTX 970 is a nice card (i have one) but with the whole memory issue thing, its not worth it really. as for SSD, yeah go for it.
Yeah, I wish I went with the GTX 680 4GB version when I initially brought it. Feel like i've shot myself in the foot there.
at the time 2GB probably seemed like it would be fine. times have changed so have hardware requirements
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Honestly...people need to stop crying about the whole memory thing with the 970. Yes, it does suck that nvidia chose to miss-advertise the card. You see all of those reviews from people about the card before all of the memorygate stuff? They were great. Do you know what's changed since then...absolutely nothing.
It is still a very good card for the money. End of story.
I personally have the Windowed r5 myself and absolutely love it. I was a little nervous since I couldn't find a lot of reviews about the windowed version and I really liked nzxt's 440..but I am really happy with my purchase of the define r5. I have a kraken x61 up in the front in push/pull and I don't hear it.
I think with a new card, new case, and a ssd you'll be really happy with your purchases.
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I have basically the same set up just with a 270 and works fine in 1080p gaming stuff. I would not upgrade yet. I would at least wait until the 3XX series comes out for AMD and check the options then when the 2XX series reduced in price.
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I can't really see the 970 using above the 3.5GB in 1080p (at least anytime soon) so that was my reasoning behind choosing it, and its kickass. But yeah, seems like a good idea to wait for the 3XX Series to give me more options in terms of pricing. I've never had an AMD card, i know they tend to run hotter but that's not an issue for me.
If you don't mind waiting...yes, the AMD 3xx will definitely effect the cost of a 970. As far as using the 3.5gb of memory...a really good buddy of mine uses it for all of his games in 1440p just fine. I can't speak to this from experience because I have a 980 kingpin but he has no complaints.
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Yeah, I always thought people where overreacting with the issue. When are the 3XX due for release? I don't normally follow AMD releases so much, apart from the CPUs.
What I'd sell >> the gtx680 while you can still get good money for it.
What I'd buy >> a 290 or gtx970 & good ssd (samsung 850, crucial, intel) for your OS, move non-critical files to the ocz
CPU cooler - cm evo + some good fans, you will be able to oc a decent amount.
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I think somewhere around summer.