Need Advice Regarding GPU Replacement

[dixxn]

Need Advice Regarding GPU Replacement

Hi all,

I've been looking forward to play TW2. Recently finished TW and love it very much. Now I'm thinking about buying a new GPU, mainly for playing TW2 smoothly at high setting (ultra if possible). Thus I would like to ask you all for recommendations.

My PC specs are :
- Intel i3 2130
- 4gb RAM
- Powerlogic 350 Watt (I'm not exactly sure about this one, but most likely it's not pure)
- Sparkle GT 240

Now for the question, what kind of card would you advice me to pick? From what manufacturer? And just to keep things in perspective, I'm looking for a card within $100 - $150 budget range. The price for an MSI GTX 650 Ti Boost at my country is about $200, that's so you guys can get a rough picture regarding the price. To be honest, I'm really blind when it comes to things like these. So many options, and there's no clear information (to me at least), and now it makes my head spin. So please tell me what do you guys recommend? Thank you very much in advance for your help

Cheers!

 

[alextyc1]

well first of all you will have to change your psu thats for sure.also from what country are you?(so i could know what to recommend for you,for your budget,cuz every country has its own prices)

You can buy a 7850/7870hd actually,its good with a great price and enough for TW2 more than enough for high settings

A min for playing TW2 maxed on 1080p with ok framerate is gtx 680/770...

 

[dixxn]

Alextyc1,

I live in Indonesia, and the price for stuffs like these are very high. As for the PSU, what do you recommend? Is there going to be any problem with my current psu (other than the wattage needed to run the card)?

Oh and btw, my screen's max resolution is 1600x900, so I don't think resolution higher than that will be necessary.

 

[alextyc1]

Alextyc1,

I live in Indonesia, and the price for stuffs like these are very high. As for the PSU, what do you recommend? Is there going to be any problem with my current psu (other than the wattage needed to run the card)?

Oh and btw, my screen's max resolution is 1600x900, so I don't think resolution higher than that will be necessary.

hmm...
whats the cost of radeon 7850/7870 in indonesia?

and about the psu,we should first decide what gpu you need,but probably 500w psu.

 

[M4xw0lf.978]

With a HD7850/7870 a quality 350W PSU would still be sufficient, 400-450 are absolutely on the safe side.

 

[dixxn]

hmm...
whats the cost of radeon 7850/7870 in indonesia?

and about the psu,we should first decide what gpu you need,but probably 500w psu.

With a HD7850/7870 a quality 350W PSU would still be sufficient, 400-450 are absolutely on the safe side.

Thank you very much for your kind responses. Well... the cheapest for 7850 is about $230, and as for the 7870 is about $300... it's way out of my price range, not to mention the psu upgrade for Enlight Black Silver 500W for about $60... Just looking at the price list broke my heart... hahahaha... Is there any other way? Let's forget about the ultra, since now I realize that it's so unfit for my wallet. For high setting 1600x900 smoothly, maybe?

 

[dragonbird]

What about a 560TI? It's an older model, but it runs on pretty high settings at that resolution. Someone else will need to advise how your PSU would handle it.

I'm in the Philippines, we have similar issues with prices. There are times when it almost makes sense to make a quick trip over to Singapore just to get the good prices.

 

[alextyc1]

What about a 560TI? It's an older model, but it runs on pretty high settings at that resolution. Someone else will need to advise how your PSU would handle it.

I'm in the Philippines, we have similar issues with prices. There are times when it almost makes sense to make a quick trip over to Singapore just to get the good prices.

agree,
after 7850/7870 cards the most reasonable card to pick is gtx 560 ti,its a bit old but it will do fine for TW2.
here is an old benchmark for the OP ,on high settings with that card the game ran on 48-52 frames:

http://gamegpu.ru/rpg/%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B5/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-test-gpu.html


now for the psu.
you should ask in the store what goes good with 560 ti but i recommend something in the range of 60-80$ from one of these manufactures :seasonic,antec or corsair, and make sure that the psu has" Two 6 pin connectors"(ask them for that) like its described here in the bottom of the page:http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-560ti/specifications(read the specs)

the recommended psu watt for this card is 500w.

 

[dixxn]

What about a 560TI? It's an older model, but it runs on pretty high settings at that resolution. Someone else will need to advise how your PSU would handle it.

I'm in the Philippines, we have similar issues with prices. There are times when it almost makes sense to make a quick trip over to Singapore just to get the good prices.

Yeah, it's really annoying, everything electronic is pricey here in asia. And when it's cheap, it's really defining what "cheap" means. Hahahaha

agree,
after 7850/7870 cards the most reasonable card to pick is gtx 560 ti,its a bit old but it will do fine for TW2.
here is an old benchmark for the OP ,on high settings with that card the game ran on 48-52 frames:

http://gamegpu.ru/rpg/%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B5/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-test-gpu.html


now for the psu.
you should ask in the store what goes good with 560 ti but i recommend something in the range of 60-80$ from one of these manufactures :seasonic,antec or corsair, and make sure that the psu has" Two 6 pin connectors"(ask them for that) like its described here in the bottom of the page:http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-560ti/specifications(read the specs)

the recommended psu watt for this card is 500w.

Okay, now what do you guys think about GTX 650? It's still in my price range. I looked at GTX 560 TI and it's still in that $230 range. GTX 550 TI is also in my price range (about $130). What do you guys think? What can I get with it? Some of the cards that are in my price range are : GTX 550 Ti, GTX 650, GTX 560 SE, HD 7750, GTX 460, and there's no guarantee that all of them are available, except for the GTX 650...

 

[GuyNwah]

There are very few quality PSUs below the 500W size. Corsair CX and Antec Earthwatts sort of count as "quality"; in the 380W or 430W size, I won't touch anything else.

nVidia cards in the x50 series (450, 550Ti, 650, 650Ti) are fairly weak, not really better than some much older cards. The difference between x40, x50, and x60 cards is huge. Any x60 card and up wants at least a quality 500W power supply. You can get by with 380-430W on the x50 cards.

If cost is a strong consideration, both power supply cost and GPU cost favor AMD: you get more bang per buck and per watt with AMD graphics cards, especially in midrange and lower cards.

Power supplies are regional, and Indonesia will have a lot of models that aren't available in the US and vice versa. If you could post some power supplies that are available locally, we could provide better advice.

 

[dixxn]

There are very few quality PSUs below the 500W size. Corsair CX and Antec Earthwatts sort of count as "quality"; in the 380W or 430W size, I won't touch anything else.

nVidia cards in the x50 series (450, 550Ti, 650, 650Ti) are fairly weak, not really better than some much older cards. The difference between x40, x50, and x60 cards is huge. Any x60 card and up wants at least a quality 500W power supply. You can get by with 380-430W on the x50 cards.

If cost is a strong consideration, both power supply cost and GPU cost favor AMD: you get more bang per buck and per watt with AMD graphics cards, especially in midrange and lower cards.

Power supplies are regional, and Indonesia will have a lot of models that aren't available in the US and vice versa. If you could post some power supplies that are available locally, we could provide better advice.

Thanks for the kind response. Now I see why the price of GTX 550 and 560 are so much different. From the one that you mentioned, it's only corsair cx that's available here. I've heard that Enlight is a quality psu, too, but once again, I don't know. The price difference between enlight and corsair cx is about $20. The amd GPU that are in my price range are 7750, 7770,and 7790. It's sure tough having financial restrictions like this. Man...

 

[GuyNwah]

Enlight (it's a local company in Indonesia; their manufacturer is Delta) is not bad; Corsair CX (made by Channel Well in Taiwan) is a little better, but probably not $20 worth. (That's why asking about power supplies available regionally is important: Enlight and Antec Earthwatts are comparable, except for the silly green paint on the Earthwatts.)

If that's the 430W Enlight model, it will handle a graphics card of up to 150W TDP. (Anything more would require connectors and 12V power it does not have.) That allows you:

nVidia: 550Ti, 555, 560, 650Ti, 660. But not a 560Ti and up, 660Ti and up, or 760 and up.

AMD: Juniper (6750, 6770), Barts (6790, 6850, 6870), Cape Verde (7730, 7750, 7770), Bonaire (7790), Pitcairn Pro (7850). But not any Cayman (69xx), Pitcairn XT (7870), or Tahiti (79xx).

Some overclocked versions of these cards require two PCI-e power connectors; check before buying, and avoid those unless you're willing to go for a 500W-up power supply.

The AMD 7850 and nVidia 660 are much better than any other cards in that list. The nVidia 650Ti and AMD 7770 are a little better than half the performance of those, but should be at much more attractive prices.

 

[Aryolis]

The 7790 is a pretty good card, for the money.

 

[dixxn]

Enlight (it's a local company in Indonesia; their manufacturer is Delta) is not bad; Corsair CX (made by Channel Well in Taiwan) is a little better, but probably not $20 worth. (That's why asking about power supplies available regionally is important: Enlight and Antec Earthwatts are comparable, except for the silly green paint on the Earthwatts.)

If that's the 430W Enlight model, it will handle a graphics card of up to 150W TDP. (Anything more would require connectors and 12V power it does not have.) That allows you:

nVidia: 550Ti, 555, 560, 650Ti, 660. But not a 560Ti and up, 660Ti and up, or 760 and up.

AMD: Juniper (6750, 6770), Barts (6790, 6850, 6870), Cape Verde (7730, 7750, 7770), Bonaire (7790), Pitcairn Pro (7850). But not any Cayman (69xx), Pitcairn XT (7870), or Tahiti (79xx).

Some overclocked versions of these cards require two PCI-e power connectors; check before buying, and avoid those unless you're willing to go for a 500W-up power supply.

The AMD 7850 and nVidia 660 are much better than any other cards in that list. The nVidia 650Ti and AMD 7770 are a little better than half the performance of those, but should be at much more attractive prices.

The 7790 is a pretty good card, for the money.

Once again thank you very much, I hope I don't give you guys any trouble by asking too much. Okay, so I guess I'll need to raise my budget and wait til I can save enough money to upgrade. My options so far (when I have the money) are :

- Enlight Black Silver 500w or Corsair CX 500, and I won't have any trouble choosing either of those two
- As for the GPU, my options are :
AMD : Sapphire HD 7850 OC Version 2Gb 128Bit DDR5, MSI HD 7850 2GB DDR5 R7850-TwinFrozer 2GD5/OC,
Gigabyte HD 7850 1Gb 256Bit DDR5 GV-R785OC-1GD ($250 price range)
NVidia : Digital Alliance GTX 660 2Gb 128Bit DDR5, EVGA GTX 560 1024Mb 256Bit DDR5 01G-P3-1460-KR,
EVGA GTX 560 1Gb 256Bit DDR5, Manli GTX 660 2Gb 192Bit DDR5 ($250 range)
There's a PixelView GTX 560SE 1024Mb 192Bit DDR5 for $150, though

From that list, what would you recommend? Thank you for your responses in advance

 

[GuyNwah]

There are at least three versions of the Corsair CX 500. The most recent, which has an 80+ Bronze rating and more juice at +12V, is the best. All of them are more versatile than the 500W Enlight. You can use them with a more powerful GPU than the ones I listed earlier, such as a 7870 or 660Ti.

Of those GPUs, the MSI "Twin Frozr" 7850 is the best-designed, but the nVidia 660's will outperform it. Get a 2GB model; newer games will take advantage of the extra memory.

 

[ApuLunas.211]

you need a new computer, not a new gpu.

 

[GuyNwah]

you need a new computer, not a new gpu.

That's absurd. Explain with good reasons, post constructive advice, or do not post in tech support threads.

 

[dixxn]

There are at least three versions of the Corsair CX 500. The most recent, which has an 80+ Bronze rating and more juice at +12V, is the best. All of them are more versatile than the 500W Enlight. You can use them with a more powerful GPU than the ones I listed earlier, such as a 7870 or 660Ti.

Of those GPUs, the MSI "Twin Frozr" 7850 is the best-designed, but the nVidia 660's will outperform it. Get a 2GB model; newer games will take advantage of the extra memory.

Okay, so if I decide to choose the regular 660 2GB (not the one with Ti, SE, or anything) it will suffice? I'll check the corsair cx500 recent version out for the psu.

 

[GuyNwah]

Yeah, the Corsair will even be fine for a 660Ti. If it has "80 Plus Bronze" on the label, it's the latest; if not, it's one of the earlier two, but those are still good.

Skip the "SE" suffix cards. "SE" denotes a low-performance edition, or even a different and lesser chipset, in nVidia-speak.

 

[dixxn]

Yeah, the Corsair will even be fine for a 660Ti. If it has "80 Plus Bronze" on the label, it's the latest; if not, it's one of the earlier two, but those are still good.

Skip the "SE" suffix cards. "SE" denotes a low-performance edition, or even a different and lesser chipset, in nVidia-speak.

Noted that. Gotta wait a little more to play TW2 then. Thank you very much for your very kind response, Guy N'wah, this will surely help a guy like me a lot. Thanks a bunch for everybody else's response too, truly appreciate all of you guys