1. #1

    Looking to upgrade graphics card for recording/streaming

    As of now, my PC is as listed:

    AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor quadcore, ~.4GHz
    8g RAM

    ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series

    I run fraps with games (warz, minecraft, testdrive unlimited 2) and i lag every couple seconds slightly, its enough to notice in the video, and i want smooth flawless video before uploading.

    Ive tried recording in lesser graphics/resolution and no change.

    Is there anything i can do to change this or should i upgrade my graphics card? With it being boxing day, i figure i could get a good deal on it (i have a budget of 350$ CAD)

  2. #2
    I would suggest a graphics card upgrade as a good option for you. Personally I would go the route of a used card, although others will disagree.

    The 6970's are now often being replaced by gamers by the 7000 series graphics cards, and this means ebay has many functioning cards with a lot of life to live for 100-200 USD. I purchased a second card for my rig about 8 months ago from Ebay, and the card works flawlessly.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sapphire-twi...item4d08068545

    ^ bidding currently at 135$

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/XFX-AMD-Rade...item27ce4971be

    ^ Buy it now at 219 ( A bit overpriced, bidding on one should net you a better price.)

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/PowerColor-A...item43b723be70

    ^ Buy it now 190$ Powercolor

    I chose Powercolor, and although not the *best* brand i haven't had any problems with them (I have owned 5 different powercolor cards). If you are worried about brands XFX and ASUS have made good names for themselves in the video card market.

    This card should also age well, and once you have it your next upgrade will involve a new motherboard and CPU. The graphics card should easily transition to this new rig.

    If you want to go the *New* route the 7870 is within your budget, or the 660ti.

    7870 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150605

    660 ti - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130809

    The 660 ti has a bit more power, and is a well rounded card, but you will save some money with the 7870. Currently the 7870 comes with Far Cry 3, and the 660 ti comes with Assassin's Creed 3.

  3. #3
    For $350 you could probably find a nice 7950.

    Something like this.
    ||i5 3570k @ 4.4GHz||H100 push/pull||AsRock Z77 Extreme4||16Gb G.Skill Ripjaws 1600MHz||Gigabyte Windforce GTX 970|| Coolermaster Storm Trooper||Corsair TX850 Enthusiast Series||Samsung 840 Pro 128gb(boot drive)||1TB WD HDD, 2x 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD||

    Bdk Nagrand / Astae Nagrand
    Pokemon X FC: 4656-7679-2545/Trainer Name: Keno

  4. #4
    Yeah i haven't a clue what the CAD-USD exchange rate is currently at, so I didn't want to get to close to 350$. But the 7950 is indeed a great option.

  5. #5
    Need to keep in mind that recording/streaming is usually not limited by the video card in the slightest.

    If you can play with the settings you want but not record, problem is either processor or harddisc, or both.
    Never going to log into this garbage forum again as long as calling obvious troll obvious troll is the easiest way to get banned.
    Trolling should be.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by vesseblah View Post
    Need to keep in mind that recording/streaming is usually not limited by the video card in the slightest.

    If you can play with the settings you want but not record, problem is either processor or harddisc, or both.
    True, I guess i was also looking at his comment regarding low settings and thinking he would like to address that. With your budget you should be getting a video card, and a dedicated hard drive to use for fraps. These two things combined should assist with your problems heavily. A side from that a new mobo and processor are your next upgrade, and that takes a much larger investment of time.
    Last edited by Elgand; 2012-12-26 at 04:24 PM. Reason: Aside isn't a word...

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Elgand View Post
    True, I guess i was also looking at his comment regarding low settings and thinking he would like to address that. With your budget you should be getting a video card, and a dedicated hard drive to use for fraps. These two things combined should assist with your problems heavily. A side from that a new mobo and processor are your next upgrade, and that takes a much larger investment of time.
    I appreciate all the answers, thanks everyone!

    I have the money for a new mobo, processor, and graphics card (id prefer not to spend though, thats why i gave myself a budget for just a card) however, the computer only cost me 1100 to build, if im going to put all this in it seeing as it wouldnt be cheap, id would honeslty rather sell my pc and build a completley new one.

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