should I upgrade my GPU?

[Deleted]

this is what hardwarefreak has to say about my system:

System Summary - Hardware Freak
::CPU::

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz
Model: Intel64 Family 6 Model 42 Stepping 7
Physical Cores: 4
Logical Cores: 4

::RAM::

Total RAM: 8 GB
Available RAM: 5,27 GB
Total RAM Slots: 4
Used Ram Slots: 4

::Video Card::

Model: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
Driver: 8.17.12.9573
Memory: 1 GB
Refresh Rate: 60 HZ

::Sound Card::

Model: High Definition Audio-apparaat
Driver: 6.1.7601.17514

::Sound Card::

Model: High Definition Audio-apparaat
Driver: 6.1.7601.17514

::Hard Drive::

Model: WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 ATA Device
Capacity: 931,51 GB
Free space: 321,22 GB

::Operating System::

PC name:
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Architecture: 64-bits
System drive: C:

i'm thinking about upgrading my GPU, since most other parts are still in working order. the way i'll upgrade is by going to the store I bought the computer and asking them to install the card, since i'm afraid I might ruin something. i'm really clumsy :-)

I want to stick to an Nvidia card, either a 670 or a 660, depending on performance to price ratio is, although i prefer to have a slightly slower card (up to 5%) if it means being able to pay more than 10% less. have any 660 benchmarks been released yet, or pricing info, or even specifications?

[chaud]

Nothing about the 660 yet. Overclock your CPU.

[chazus]

I'd wait for 660 to come out. Might be a few months, but $400 is a chunk of change to drop on a video card. The performance is great, but still.. Unless money is of no concern, then roll it.

[Deleted]

Nothing about the 660 yet. Overclock your CPU.

I want to keep my hardware at stock speeds. Overclocking is something i'm entirely unfamiliar with, and if anything goes wrong, i either can reinstall my computer entirely or replace a broken part.

[Drakoes]

The GTX 660 *may* be coming out in late June according to this article: http://videocardz.com/33418/geforce-...ming-late-june

That's the only, and most recent news about that GTX 660 for now. Take the information it as a grain of salt, as we aren't 100% sure just yet, since that one kind of looks OEM, but who knows. Other than that, a GTX 670 would be a substantial upgrade and the performance gain should be almost twice as fast according to some benchmarks here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/543?vs=598

and here's the most big one if presumably, you play WoW http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/N...TX_670/23.html

Bottom line - I would consider upgrading if you play other games as well, such as BF3, Skyrim etc and you really are willing to spend quite a bit, since the 670 doesn't come cheap, yet it is much more 'cost efficient' and value than the 680, should you get a good non-reference one such as the Asus DirectCUII TOP or Gigabyte Windforce models.

[Deleted]

well, i do play other games, and i'm thinking about getting Max Payne 3 next month, when I've read a PC review in the magazine i'm subbed to. from checking Gamespot i notice that the game has issues for some.

[chaud]

I want to keep my hardware at stock speeds. Overclocking is something i'm entirely unfamiliar with, and if anything goes wrong, i either can reinstall my computer entirely or replace a broken part.

Overclocking a small amount is one number change. Overclocking more is a little more work, but worst case is spending 30 seconds to reset the BIOS. Most motherboards will autorecover and tell you that overclocking failed now anyway!

[Deleted]

Overclocking a small amount is one number change. Overclocking more is a little more work, but worst case is spending 30 seconds to reset the BIOS. Most motherboards will autorecover and tell you that overclocking failed now anyway!

it's not as much the number change as the fact that I don't have a clue what number to change, what program to use, what to change the number to, how to test if my computer remains stable,... I also don't think my motherboard supports overclocking: i'm using a P8P67-M, and i'm totally new to any and all overclocking. I don't even dare to change registry settings or even open my BIOS.

[Ultraviolet Harmonies]

it's not as much the number change as the fact that I don't have a clue what number to change, what program to use, what to change the number to, how to test if my computer remains stable,... I also don't think my motherboard supports overclocking: i'm using a P8P67-M, and i'm totally new to any and all overclocking. I don't even dare to change registry settings or even open my BIOS.

It's time to man up. I would be sincerely impressed if you managed to mess it up.

[Deleted]

i'm also quite bothered by having to figure it all out myself. are there guides out there that explain how to overclock, what safe limits are, what is important to keep in mind while overclocking, and what to do if something goes wrong?

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....0._FWgB4Cbshc

I took the liberty of looking at youtube, there is a list of overclocking guides for the 2500K/2600K processors.

[Deleted]

I don't want youtube, i want something written that I can read at my own pace, on a single page if possible, and that I can print so i can take notes and can browse it easier.

[Drakoes]

Here's the most thorough and in-depth guides that I've found, taken from one of the top hardware communities, Overclock.net:

http://www.overclock.net/t/968053/of...#post_14466483

http://www.overclock.net/t/1198504/s...asrock-edition (should still be perfectly fine, mobos do perform and behave very similarly when OC'ing)

[aalina88]

yes you can