I'd like to upgrade my PC, but not sure how

[StayTuned]

Heya,

thats my current setup (bought 2009):


Intel i7 920 @4x 3.6GHz
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
4096MB DDR3 Dual Channel 1600Mhz
GeForce GTX 285 @2793MB
1000W BeQuiet

I can barely keep up with new games at mid settings. Even WoW is giving me a hard time at mid.


I was thinking to simply upgrade my graphics card and a little bit of RAM, since my budget is around 400€ max. You can see it as a christmas gift for myself.

What should I get to have the maximum performance boost for that budget?

[vesseblah]

i7-920 can use triple channel so add another 2GB RAM stick, try to find something identical preferably or at least stick with same timings, will be better for performance than adding another 4GB.

Also you could probably increase overclock from that 3.6GHz by few notches, usually people reach 3.9-4.1 on that processor. Having different kinds of RAM sticks will make this harder though.

And yes, graphics card is antique.

[StayTuned]

Which card should I get? 660GTX?

[yurano]

Which card should I get? 660GTX?

The 660 is approximately 75% better than the 285.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/520?vs=660

[StayTuned]

http://www.amazon.de/MSI-NVIDIA-Graf...5345209&sr=8-1

So with this card I could just plug and play?

[yurano]

Most graphics cards are plug and play.

You just need a PCIe slot of sufficient length and sufficient power. Since you're upgrading from a 285, these points are covered.

[Deleted]

rather grab a Ti version of the 660 bit more expensive but worth it for extra performance @maxing out settings

[Majesticii]

Since your budget is about $400, i'd say go the extra mile and go:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125413
or:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121637

With the 7970 having a slight edge over the 670, depends on the game though.

EDIT: I see it's 400 euro, then it's even easier. Go for the HD7970.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Produ...06.407.411.410

[Deleted]

The 670 is cheaper than 7970 on amazon.de, and it does just as well as the 7970, some games even better.

[StayTuned]

rather grab a Ti version of the 660 bit more expensive but worth it for extra performance @maxing out settings

So rather

http://www.amazon.de/Corsair-PC1600-...5346375&sr=1-2

and

http://www.amazon.de/NVIDIA-GeForce-...5345209&sr=8-3

?

edit: I would really like to stay Nvidia. Its just a thing of mine. Don't like Readon as a company

Would this one be better than the first one?

http://www.amazon.de/Gigabyte-NVIDIA...5348067&sr=1-2

[tibben]

I wouldn't blow the entire budget on a 670. I'm playing max settings on a 560ti with an i5 2500k currently at 3.8GHz. I have no issues in 25 man raids at all on a 24" 1920x1080 screen. A 660ti is going to run you about $300 USD and will easily handle any situation in WoW. A 660 is not much behind the 660ti and will still blow away your current card and run everything at max settings without any problems. But, if you want to spend the money for a 670 to play another game at higher settings that's fine too. As far as WoW goes, you don't need it.

[Majesticii]

A 660 is not much behind the 660ti and will still blow away your current card and run everything at max settings without any problems. But, if you want to spend the money for a 670 to play another game at higher settings that's fine too. As far as WoW goes, you don't need it.

First of all, wut?
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/660?vs=647

Secondly, though this is the mmo-champion.com, i dont see him mentioning only playing WoW in the mainpost. So i'm assuming he also plays other games. The thing is, if you're buying a new card it's often more rewarding to go for big. Because the prices between the cards themselves are less than the extra performance you get. And if you buy a nice card, you're settled for a longer time.

Don't get me wrong, 660TI is fine and you'll get a proper value for your money. But i'm going to have to disagree with "run everything at max settings", because it won't. Games like Far Cry 3, battlefield 3, Hitman Absolution, Warfighter will struggle to top 60, even 45 fps with this card. Whereas the HD7970 will run these at a much more respectable framerate. If, because of the drivers, you're not a big AMD fan, you can always get a 670.

@OP: Read this http://www.techspot.com/review/603-best-graphics-cards/

[StayTuned]

I'd like to play D3, Planetside 2, WoW and other more modern games like AC3 on as high as possible settings.

I'd simply like to have something for the future without spending TOO much money. This computer made me play games on ultra for some three years. I'd like to repeat that.

[Majesticii]

I'd like to play D3, Planetside 2, WoW and other more modern games like AC3 on as high as possible settings.

I'd simply like to have something for the future without spending TOO much money. This computer made me play games on ultra for some three years. I'd like to repeat that.

You can't have a futureproof card without spending money on it. That's too contradictory. Just name your budget, and get the best thing possible for that money.
D3 and WoW you'll be fine with a GTX660 (non-TI). AC3 will require significantly more juice. I rekon only the top-tier cards will be able to run that. Same goes for PS2, it's quite demending on your hardware.. especially in large Amp station takeovers your fps can melt (without the physx .ini fix).

Btw, planetside 2 you'll want to edit the .ini file when you get a new card. I found out adding GPUPhysics=1 to the UserOptions.ini in your root folder doubles your fps (with a proper GTX600 series card that is).

[StayTuned]

You can't have a futureproof card without spending money on it. That's too contradictory. Just name your budget, and get the best thing possible for that money.
D3 and WoW you'll be fine with a GTX660 (non-TI). AC3 will require significantly more juice. I rekon only the top-tier cards will be able to run that. Same goes for PS2, it's quite demending on your hardware.. especially in large Amp station takeovers your fps can melt (without the physx .ini fix).

Btw, planetside 2 you'll want to edit the .ini file when you get a new card. I found out adding GPUPhysics=1 to the UserOptions.ini in your root folder doubles your fps (with a proper GTX600 series card that is).

I named my budged in the OP ^^ 400€

I think I'll run this

http://www.amazon.de/Corsair-PC1600-...5346375&sr=1-2

+

http://www.amazon.de/Gigabyte-NVIDIA...5348067&sr=1-2

With that, I should be able to play AC3 and PS2 on max, shouldn't I?

[Deleted]

I named my budged in the OP ^^ 400€

I think I'll run this

http://www.amazon.de/Corsair-PC1600-...5346375&sr=1-2

+

http://www.amazon.de/Gigabyte-NVIDIA...5348067&sr=1-2

With that, I should be able to play AC3 and PS2 on max, shouldn't I?

ram isn't affecting you game performance anyway.
the gpu is a solid choice and should be able to push some neat settings with good frames (maxed out ultra bf3 +- 70 fps average on a gtx 670 here)

[Majesticii]

The card is fine for those games yes, however i wouldn't grab a dual-channel kit on a i7-920 tripple channel CPU/board
Get a 3xDDR3 kit.

EDIT: Though most of the times it will be enough, 4GB is a tad bit on the short side now shroudster

[StayTuned]

The card is fine for those games yes, however i wouldn't grab a dual-channel kit on a i7-920 tripple channel CPU/board
Get a 3xDDR3 kit.

EDIT: Though most of the times it will be enough, 4GB is a tad bit on the short side now shroudster

See how it says 2x2gb. I will only put one more into my motherboard and put the other one away. I'll work with 3x 2gb since I currently only have 2x2 gb.

cannot find single 2gb 1600 rams on amazon for some damn reason

[Deleted]

The card is fine for those games yes, however i wouldn't grab a dual-channel kit on a i7-920 tripple channel CPU/board
Get a 3xDDR3 kit.

EDIT: Though most of the times it will be enough, 4GB is a tad bit on the short side now shroudster

for gaming still plenty, when doing lots of stuff on alt tab you might max out memory usage. (most people who max out their max ram run a shitload of unoptimized programs or 50+ tabs/youtube vids)

[Majesticii]

but then you won't have the benefit of tripple channel, but run 3x 2gb single channel. Seems a little wierd to me.. I mean, what's the price of a 6gb tripple kit these days. Though granted i doubt you'll see a huge difference in games.