New GPU for old PC

[Sarevoc]

I saw the other thread here and that reminded me that I have a similar issue with my old PC. It has an 8800 Ultra in it that gets pretty loud in games, sits at 60 °C idle temp and also crashes at higher game settings but sometimes also for no apparent reason. I'll keep it until it dies, but it looks like it could happen anytime soon. The card is dust free and I know it has issues, as when I put my 7970 in this PC then everything is fine.

What would be a good replacement for the 8800 Ultra that matches the "power" of my old PC but without being the bottle-neck?
Is there a difference between 1GB or 2GB VRAM or is 2GB pointless anyway on this PC?



I looked at this list to find a replacement. I know it's not the most accurate list, but it's a very very complete one compared to the charts I can find in other GPU reviews.

I thought of something like a 7770 GHz edition, or should I go even lower, like 7750, GT640 or something like that?

[chazus]

A 650ti would probably be a good price point for that system if you don't plan to upgrade it at all in the next year or two.

[Treesap7]

A 650 ti or 7770 is going to give you pretty close to the same performance, so if you're looking to stay about the same performance you can go with one of those.
Here's a great chart you can look at if you want a little guidance with how well a graphics card will perform in games relative to other cards: (Can't post links I guess, just google tomshardware gpu hierachy chart.)
1gb of ram is almost always enough for a monitor at 1080p unless you're pushing really high levels of anti-aliasing.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend going below a 7750 if you want to at least keep about same performance.

[Sarevoc]

Thanks for the answers so far.

I wouldn't upgrade this system at all, I just moved it to my parents house to have something better than an office PC when I'm there. I just want to be prepared when the 8800 Ultra dies.

The tomshardware list has a different ranking than the one I posted: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ew,3107-7.html

So I'll keep an eye on 7770 GHz and GTX 650 Ti. That's around 100 €. A 650 Ti Boost is probably overkill?

I was just afraid that the CPU break would kick in long before these GPUs reach their performance maximum.