Upgrade Advice - Graphics Card & CPU


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I'm looking to go from a 1GB 460 GTX to a 2GB Gigabyte HD7850 OC. I currently have a second generation i3 processor, so was wondering if it would be better to spend the money on an i5? I could also go for a 7870?

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I know it doesn't answer the question, but before i do any upgrades I always ask - can I play what i want to with my current hardware? If you're rocking 3x 30" 2560x1600 monitor, with eyefinity and wanting to load it up with Crysis 3....then yeah, maybe i'd consider an upgrade. If you're like me tho, and you have a standard single 1200p monitor, playing BF3, Torchlight 2, and other similar games...do you really need the upgrade?

If i really have to answer the question tho...i...i would wait, or get an SSD if you don't have one. The gains you're looking at here from either the CPU upgrade, or the GPU upgrade are pretty small. 10% or there about. Take a look at something for the CPU and something for the GPU.

Seriously tho, if i had to answer? Id take the GPU over the CPU (if costs were equal).

Good luck! =) Hope this helps...

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if your budget can stretch to it, i highly reccomened this card. http://www.dabs.com/products/gigabyte-ati-radeon-7970-hd-1ghz-3gb-pci-express-3-0-hdmi-windforce-3x-7ZWZ.html?q=7970&src=16

couple it with voucher code MVC20 and you will get that card plus for free games for 283..... absolute bargain.

Games are :

Far cry 3

Sleeping dogs

Dirt showdown

Hitman Absolution

I recoeved mine yesterday, and my game codes today...

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I'm looking to go from a 1GB 460 GTX to a 2GB Gigabyte HD7850 OC. I currently have a second generation i3 processor, so was wondering if it would be better to spend the money on an i5? I could also go for a 7870?

A 7870 would be a better upgrade. The 460 compares to the 660 today, which compares to the 7870. I wouldn't worry about the processor just yet, more games are starting to take advantage of quad cores, but that i3 is still relatively new.

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I don't think going from a 460 to a 7850 is really worth it.

I would try to save more money and upgrade to a 7870 or 660 or even preferably a 7950 or a 660ti.

How much RAM do you have. If you don't have 4GB getting more ram would be a must.

It's hard to tell about your CPU without knowing the exact model. I heard some good things about i3. But keep in mind that the cpu will be a bottleneck for multiplayer games. In wow and gw2 i get the same framerate with all settings at max than i get with all settings at medium. My old i5 750 is a bottleneck in those game. But it's powerful enough to give me a steady 40fps with all setting at maximum (and medium since my 670 doesn't sweat in those games).

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It depend on you're target resolution. The 660TI will be able to bring you MAX out graphic at 1080p, from 30-60+ FPS depending on the game it's about 250$ right now. It is it's target audience. Personnally i'am not a 60FPS freak, only for Car games and online Mulitplayer i perfer 60. For the rest i don't mind so i bought the 660TI

If you game at a lower resolution than 1080p, not sure it's worth it..

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks for the answers here is what I've posted elsewhere, so wanted to know your thoughts on this:

I've currently got a 460 GTX and can run Farcry 3 on ultra at 720p. I've got a second generation i3 and 4GB RAM. I'm going to upgrade to 8GB, but wanted to also change my graphics card. How much of a boost would a Radeon HD 7950 Double D give? Would I be able to do 1080p on high/ultra.

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If you're willing to wait, the new line of GPU's will be out in ~4 months and will bring price drops and higher performance cards, so you could wait it out.

Also, I would highly recommend getting an nVidia card - I have had 2 AMD cards now on this PC and I can tell you now the drivers are awful. I've been waiting for an update for 2 months now, yet there still hasn't been one. It's ridiculous, and there are still issues with games like Assassin's Creed 3 on AMD cards because AMD haven't issued any sort of fix yet.

If I was you I would either go for a GTX 660 or the Ti variant. I would say at this point it's worth the extra for an nVidia card, and this is from someone who stayed loyal with AMD the past few upgrades.

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I'm looking to go from a 1GB 460 GTX to a 2GB Gigabyte HD7850 OC. I currently have a second generation i3 processor, so was wondering if it would be better to spend the money on an i5? I could also go for a 7870?

It depends on the programs you'll be running. For single threaded applications I don't think you'll see a huge jump from a Sandy Bridge i3 to an Ivy Bridge i5. The CPU seems to be a factor in multiplayer games, as there's a lot to keep track of that isn't being rendered.

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I went for a 660 TI in the end.

Thank you for all your advice.

Great choice! I just bought a GTX 660 and absolutely love it. This thing flies. Although I haven't tried uber sampling in the Witcher 2 yet, that might change things. :D

Enjoy your new card! I'm sure you will.

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