Unbalanced PC?

[sakai4eva]

Hi, this is my first time posting here, so please excuse me if I did something wrong.

I've "inherited" a PC with the following specs:

AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 945 Processor
2x 2GB Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 RAM
M4A785TD-V EVO motherboard
SAPPHIRE ATI Radeon HD 5770
450W PSU <- random brand

I would like to invest in a new graphics card. Xfire is not an option because the mobo's second PCIE slot is only 4x. Obviously, I want to play games with some eye-candy at 1920x1080. So far, whenever I do switch on AA and AF, or even go 1920x1080, the 5770 is lagging.

So, the question is, should I bite the bullet and fork out for the PSU and GPU or is something obviously wrong with this setup?

[EastCoasthandle]

Just keep in mind that if you do want a decent GPU that you will also need a beefer PSU. But this all depends on what kind of games you want to play? If it's just Farmville and some other flash type games that would be a waste of time upgrading. If you want to play Starcraft 2, BC2, Dirt 2, F1 2010, etc then I suggest that you invest in (bear min) HD 6870 and a Corsair 650W PSU. Then OC your CPU .

[hat]

I would recommend a 5870. It's almost as fast as the 6970, but for significantly less money. You'll need a new PSU too... this is a nice model

SILVERSTONE ST75F-P 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80...

[TheLaughingMan]

What are you playing and what are all the settings.

I had a 5770 and it could play at 1920x1080 with AAx2 and AF off on BFBC2 no problem.

[sakai4eva]

Originally Posted by EastCoasthandle

Just keep in mind that if you do want a decent GPU that you will also need a beefer PSU. But this all depends on what kind of games you want to play? If it's just Farmville and some other flash type games that would be a waste of time upgrading. If you want to play Starcraft 2, BC2, Dirt 2, F1 2010, etc then I suggest that you invest in (bear min) HD 6870 and a Corsair 650W PSU. Then OC your CPU .

Well, I want to play 3D intensive games, so I suppose they fall into the same categories that you mention. But I never play Farmville. The question is, do I go for a 6950 then unlock it to 6970 or just stick with a 6870? I would like to know which one is a better value proposition... Bear in mind that I'm not rich (yet!) so $$$ is a constraint, not to mention that I would need to fork out for a new PSU...

Originally Posted by hat

I would recommend a 5870. It's almost as fast as the 6970, but for significantly less money. You'll need a new PSU too... this is a nice model

SILVERSTONE ST75F-P 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80...

Well, I think I have to stick to cards that are available in my country for no more than RM1k, which is about USD 324. As much as I would like to shop at NewEgg, shipping is prohibitive from USA to Malaysia and I have to go for local retailers. That rules out the 5870 and 6970, although I might be able to squeeze in the 6950 if I tighten my belt for a month or so.

Originally Posted by TheLaughingMan

What are you playing and what are all the settings.

I had a 5770 and it could play at 1920x1080 with AAx2 and AF off on BFBC2 no problem.

Well, I deem playable as the framerate never dropping below 30... I suppose it is slightly choppy in BFBC2 at those settings. And I would really like to try out what does AAx8 and AF on means to my eyeballs

[JrRacinFan]

What might be the easiest route to take is a decent 550-650W psu and a 2nd 5770, or sell your current 5770 to fund the new power supply and put all of your funds to whatever you can afford (this includes a 5850 and gtx460 se 1GB).

[HXL492]

A 6870 should serve you well. The 6850 can also play BFBC2 well above the 40FPS mark with all the eye candy enabled etc.

[legends84]

go for 6870. around rm749 for sapphire

[sakai4eva]

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

What might be the easiest route to take is a decent 550-650W psu and a 2nd 5770, or sell your current 5770 to fund the new power supply and put all of your funds to whatever you can afford (this includes a 5850 and gtx460 se 1GB).

This raises another question. While I know that AMD and Radeon goes hand-in-hand, would it be better to get a GTX460? It's around the same price down with the 6870 (ok, the 6870 is slightly more expensive), but would it be better?

Originally Posted by HXL492

A 6870 should serve you well. The 6850 can also play BFBC2 well above the 40FPS mark with all the eye candy enabled etc.

Well, BFBC2 will not be my primary game. I am also concerned about Crysis 2 :P Considering that Crytek is saying that Crysis 2 will be "less demanding" than Crysis 1, would the 6870 even be able to run it at, say, 1920x1080 with AAx4 at least?

Originally Posted by legends84

go for 6870. around rm749 for sapphire

Is SAPPHIRE that good? The main site seems to think that the PowerColour option is really good from the reviews. Or is there a specific reason for SAPPHIRE?

[legends84]

I am using sapphire for now, its serve me well..

[sakai4eva]

Originally Posted by legends84

I am using sapphire for now, its serve me well..

Hmmm... I'm using a SAPPHIRE too... maybe worth considering it at this point

[xbonez]

In a nutshell: If you upgrade your PSU and GPU, you'll be good. Mildly OC'ing your processor would be good too, in which case it might be good to put in about $30 and get a cheap but good aftermarket cooler.

There's nothing wrong with the PC. The processor is more than adequate and will not be a bottleneck. RAM is sufficient.

[rahulyo]

Dont Buy Asus .Go with Gigabyte .

[TheLaughingMan]

Originally Posted by sakai4eva

Well, I deem playable as the framerate never dropping below 30... I suppose it is slightly choppy in BFBC2 at those settings. And I would really like to try out what does AAx8 and AF on means to my eyeballs

It didn't for me. Smooth game play was not the issue. It didn't look too good though at those settings.

Well you have your answer though. Upgrade the PSU and GPU. Several choices for both. Since you are running a single card configuration, 650W to 700W PSU will be more than enough for years to come.

You have all kinds of GPU's to pick from between $160 to $300 that will all server you well.

[crazyeyesreaper]

and it should be noted in DX11 games while few and far between that the 6900 series can be far faster then the 5800 series which was semi replaced by the 6800s might be better off with a good 650w Corsair unit + gtx 570 if he can afford it or 6950 unlocked.

6800 is adequate for today wont be adequate tomorrow. Upgrade once get it right the first time so you get some use out of it or you can piss money away with incremental upgrades.

i would recomend gpu wise at least GTX 570 *maybe a 560 if they come out soon* or AMD 6950

[Swamp Monster]

Originally Posted by sakai4eva

So, the question is, should I bite the bullet and fork out for the PSU and GPU or is something obviously wrong with this setup?

Your lagging is nothing to do with your generic PSU, because Your system's Maximal power consumption(When Gaming) is under 300W. If you go with 6870, then your power consumption will be close to PSU's Maximal tolerable level ( a little over 300W), but if you want 6950 or 6970, then You definitely need 550-650w PSU.
Could you tell Amperage rating on 12V line of your current PSU?

[sakai4eva]

Originally Posted by xbonez

In a nutshell: If you upgrade your PSU and GPU, you'll be good. Mildly OC'ing your processor would be good too, in which case it might be good to put in about $30 and get a cheap but good aftermarket cooler.

There's nothing wrong with the PC. The processor is more than adequate and will not be a bottleneck. RAM is sufficient.

Hmm, that seems to be the consensus in this thread. Is there a specific brand of cooler that'll work well? I'm thinking of Cooler Master, as it seems to be the more widely available brand here. With the stock cooler, I get around 10% increase in OCíng using the AMD OverDrive. Which also brings me to another question (slightly off-topic), what software to use to OC?

Originally Posted by rahulyo

Dont Buy Asus .Go with Gigabyte .

Any specific reasons to do so? I've been using Asus for quite some time and I see very little difference between most of the manufacturers...

Originally Posted by TheLaughingMan

It didn't for me. Smooth game play was not the issue. It didn't look too good though at those settings.

Well you have your answer though. Upgrade the PSU and GPU. Several choices for both. Since you are running a single card configuration, 650W to 700W PSU will be more than enough for years to come.

You have all kinds of GPU's to pick from between $160 to $300 that will all server you well.

Thanks for your input. I'm thinking along the lines of unlocked 6950s to future proof my PC

Originally Posted by crazyeyesreaper

and it should be noted in DX11 games while few and far between that the 6900 series can be far faster then the 5800 series which was semi replaced by the 6800s might be better off with a good 650w Corsair unit + gtx 570 if he can afford it or 6950 unlocked.

6800 is adequate for today wont be adequate tomorrow. Upgrade once get it right the first time so you get some use out of it or you can piss money away with incremental upgrades.

i would recomend gpu wise at least GTX 570 *maybe a 560 if they come out soon* or AMD 6950

The GTX570 is waaay above my budget. I was thinking more of a 6950 unlocked because it's cheaper while offering great bang for the buck if unlocked. It also begs the question if the next batch manufactured will have the same exploit or AMD will fix it...

Originally Posted by Swamp Monster

Your lagging is nothing to do with your generic PSU, because Your system's Maximal power consumption(When Gaming) is under 300W. If you go with 6870, then your power consumption will be close to PSU's Maximal tolerable level ( a little over 300W), but if you want 6950 or 6970, then You definitely need 550-650w PSU.
Could you tell Amperage rating on 12V line of your current PSU?

I can't tell really. It's all shiny and stuff but I have no idea what it really does (yes, glitter moment there). I can only see 450W on the side. Might need to shut-off the PC and take it a part a little to see, but I'm just too lazy to do it.

Question now is, if I really wanna future-proof my PC for (at least) Crysis 2 and beyond, should I go for a higher powered PSU? I think I have my mind set on the 6950 or 6870 at the moment...

[Swamp Monster]

Originally Posted by sakai4eva

Question now is, if I really wanna future-proof my PC for (at least) Crysis 2 and beyond, should I go for a higher powered PSU? I think I have my mind set on the 6950 or 6870 at the moment...

To be future proof, it's better to buy new PSU of known brand. You can sell current graphics card and PSU to get money for it. If you go for 6950, then get it fast, because new models probably will not have Bios unlocking option.

[sakai4eva]

Originally Posted by Swamp Monster

To be future proof, it's better to buy new PSU of known brand. You can sell current graphics card and PSU to get money for it. If you go for 6950, then get it fast, because new models probably will not have Bios unlocking option.

Yeah... getting it tomorrow. I've already made up my mind

[JrRacinFan]

Originally Posted by sakai4eva

Yeah... getting it tomorrow. I've already made up my mind

Good call on the 6950.

[Mussels]

because it seemed to be missed... crossfire actually works fairly well even on 4x slots, 5770's especially have room to spare.

[sliderider]

The 450W PSU is going to be the weak point in that system. Newer cards that have any sort of decent gaming power require at least 500-550W and intense gaming cards require a lot more. An HD6870/6950 will still work within the parameters of a 500W PSU, but for Crossfire you'll need at least 600W and for cards more powerful than that you'll need to check the manufacturers specs as they vary. Also be sure you get a high quality power supply. Some manufacturers cheat and tell you a power supply is rated for a certain wattage but it might be short term peak wattage and not what the PSU is capable of putting out for longer periods. You need a PSU that can put out it's full rated wattage over an extended period if you plan to do any serious gaming so don't skimp on the PSU. If a PSU is rated for 700-800W and only costs $30-$40, that's a bad sign. You have to research to find out which brands are reputable and find reviews from people who have actually bought the PSU and used it instead of relying solely on tech site reviews. You also have to make sure that the PSU you get has the right number and type of connectors you need for your motherboard and any hardware that will be connected to it. Choosing a PSU isn't as simple as it used to be and a bad choice can cripple your system.

[Swamp Monster]

Originally Posted by jrracinfan

good call on the 6950.

+1

[sakai4eva]

Originally Posted by Mussels

because it seemed to be missed... crossfire actually works fairly well even on 4x slots, 5770's especially have room to spare.

Wait... You trying to say that I can put the 5770 on the 4x slot and Xfire it with my 6950?

Originally Posted by sliderider

The 450W PSU is going to be the weak point in that system. Newer cards that have any sort of decent gaming power require at least 500-550W and intense gaming cards require a lot more. An HD6870/6950 will still work within the parameters of a 500W PSU, but for Crossfire you'll need at least 600W and for cards more powerful than that you'll need to check the manufacturers specs as they vary. Also be sure you get a high quality power supply. Some manufacturers cheat and tell you a power supply is rated for a certain wattage but it might be short term peak wattage and not what the PSU is capable of putting out for longer periods. You need a PSU that can put out it's full rated wattage over an extended period if you plan to do any serious gaming so don't skimp on the PSU. If a PSU is rated for 700-800W and only costs $30-$40, that's a bad sign. You have to research to find out which brands are reputable and find reviews from people who have actually bought the PSU and used it instead of relying solely on tech site reviews. You also have to make sure that the PSU you get has the right number and type of connectors you need for your motherboard and any hardware that will be connected to it. Choosing a PSU isn't as simple as it used to be and a bad choice can cripple your system.

Ok... that got me thinking... I was about to settle for a Huntkey x-7 700watt unit coz it's kinda cheap. I know I shouldn't be skimping, but I'm running quite a tight budget here... any advice for which mode I should choose? I have to balance the price, the requirement of a 6950 and also the little bit a future proofing...

The card itself is going to cost me around RM1,100, so that leaves me about RM400 for the PSU...

[Swamp Monster]

Originally Posted by sakai4eva

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mussels
because it seemed to be missed... crossfire actually works fairly well even on 4x slots, 5770's especially have room to spare.
Wait... You trying to say that I can put the 5770 on the 4x slot and Xfire it with my 6950?

I think he wanted to say that you can xfire your 5770 with another 5770.

*edit* I couldn't find any reviews on x7 700W model, so no way to know if it's any good. Their homepage has only 800w listed.