12 replies to this topic

[Mushlikeahusky1]

So I recently got into PC Gaming (Last Week) and have been playing Dota 2, Warframe, Marvel Heroes without a hitch.

Right now I have 6gb DDR3 and a AMD RADEON HD 4800 with 1GB dedicated ram on it. I know that this isnt the ideal rig for gaming so I was thinking that since I have a really good starting point that I could upgrade it. But when I was talking to my friend he said you have to watch out because some graphics cards wont fit in certian towers and stuff like that. 

 

So I have a thermal take tower IDK the model and can't seem to figure it out its just a basic black tower with a blue l.e.d. cooling fan. 

(If anyone knows how to find out the model let me know) but any who I was wanting to upgrade to 16GB DDR3 and have a Nvidia 600 series with 2gb dedicated video ram or 1gb dedicated (doesnt really matter) But I have no idea how to figure out what card I need to put into my tower and what power supply I have right now in my computer that will run the graphics card. I have no interest in getting a new power supply but I am willing to pay top dollar for the graphics card and ram I wouldnt want to go over 200 dollars with.

 

Can someone please help me or at least point me into the right direction with this because while im not lost im really confused on where to take the next step....

[grahamf]

Well with Nvidia the 6 is the generation and the middle number (610, 620, 660, etc) is the performance level. I have not a horsing clue hot it compares to AMD, but you need a 620 minimum for half decent gaming, and preferably a 640 as a minimum.

Also: do yourself a favour and get the Humble Bundle. It's a choose how much you pay, but the minimum is just under $5 to get some really awesome games that you can activate on Steam if you wish.

https://www.humblebundle.com/

[Nollog]

unfortunately, amd are far behind nvidia now.
For performance at least.
Power consumption and stuff is better with amd's.

The super high end cards a few years ago were massive, dunno if that's still the case. Usually product pages will give dimensions anyway.

[Mushlikeahusky1]

unfortunately, amd are far behind nvidia now.
For performance at least.
Power consumption and stuff is better with amd's.

The super high end cards a few years ago were massive, dunno if that's still the case. Usually product pages will give dimensions anyway.

I have a thermaltake v3 I think and Im just wondering what is the best card i can fit in it. and what ram i need.

[tboss]

i dont see a issue with the case, i would like to know the power supply andn motherboard info though. that will say how much ram it can take, weather youo need a new power supply and so on.

[UnholyVision]

unfortunately, amd are far behind nvidia now.
For performance at least.

That really depends on what you are playing. Some games run horrible with one card performance wise, but swap to the other brand to see a performance boost. Specially with the companies focusing on different fixes in there drivers. Not like they are sitting around in contact with one another in agreement what needs tweaks via drivers or which games need performance profiles for say SLI or crossfire.

 

 

I have a thermaltake v3 I think and Im just wondering what is the best card i can fit in it. and what ram i need.

The chasis you have now should hold a Radeon 7000 series for sure. (Assuming, you are taking a step up to another AMD card. Hopefully I did not miss this in your post). Most all of the cards now unless they have a crazy cooling attachment are the size of an older days more square cards. Though it seems a majority go downwards more than long wise. They just seem more bulky as they want to put HDMI, mini ports, two DVI ports, et cetera on these cards now & take two PCI or PCI-E slots of your computers case. (At least quiet a few of the 7000+ cards with there cooling methods). My main consern with upgrading the video card with no cpu & motherboard or PSU (Depending on how old or wattage) swap would be bottlenecking, not enough power for card or cards (At least AMD cards as mentioned do consume way less power than they did in a few older generations), or crappy slots speeds between cards (if you did the two or more card setup down the line).

 

Now what ram and whatever else you need is all up to what CPU & motherboard you have. Did you originally build this machine yourself so you can list all the parts? If not we would have to break it down via vendor and available parts for said make or model. Given if you selected and choose select parts via one of these custom built style vendors.

 

Also: do yourself a favour and get the Humble Bundle. It's a choose how much you pay, but the minimum is just under $5 to get some really awesome games that you can activate on Steam if you wish.

https://www.humblebundle.com/

Only Humble Bundle! Shame on you.

http://www.indieroyale.com/

 

http://www.bundlesta...om/all-bundles/

 

http://www.indiegala.com/

 

http://groupees.com/bmse

 

All of those do Steam keys along with Desura even.

[Nollog]

tboss, on 21 Sept 2013 - 10:36 PM, said:
i dont see a issue with the case, i would like to know the power supply andn motherboard info though. that will say how much ram it can take, weather youo need a new power supply and so on.

I wouldn't worry about the size, I think they got that under control.

Edited by Nollog, 21 September 2013 - 03:29 PM.

[BeyondSmash]

unfortunately, amd are far behind nvidia now.
For performance at least.
Power consumption and stuff is better with amd's.

The super high end cards a few years ago were massive, dunno if that's still the case. Usually product pages will give dimensions anyway.

What gives you the idea that AMD is far behind nVidia?

The 9xxx series (which will be called the R9 2xx series) will be shown in on September 25th and estimated for release date of mid-october.

AMD 7990 vs. GTX Titan SLI is not 'far' behind for AMD.

It is also rumored the 9xxx series will be a good amount better than Titan.

[Nollog]

What gives you the idea that AMD is far behind nVidia?
The 9xxx series (which will be called the R9 2xx series) will be shown in on September 25th and estimated for release date of mid-october.
AMD 7990 vs. GTX Titan SLI is not 'far' behind for AMD.
It is also rumored the 9xxx series will be a good amount better than Titan.

http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html

[BeyondSmash]

http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html

Not anymore:

http://wccftech.com/.../#ixzz2fZpGX2Va

[UnholyVision]

@Nollog & BeyondSmash: What does it really matter? It all comes down to the games you play. Even with the top of the line card on either side is going to give you less performace here or there on different games. Even with games which truely work grand with SLI or Crossfire setups. Wasn't the idea of this post to help the person build a machine? Once everything is settled in terms of the overall build, what you should be asking is what the person is what games their playing. Given you are going to flash around all the charts you can find. Bleh, no need to stran this out with no help towards the op in a post. (Well not that we can do much as of yet).

Edited by UnholyVision, 21 September 2013 - 09:08 PM.

[tboss]

id go with nollog's benchmarks. (and wait for a release of gtx790). as for the power of the GPU, use several valid benchmark tests. Not some sight with rumored tests.

[UnholyVision]

@tboss: How is passmark any more relyable than say 3D Mark? Benchmarks can be stupid fake even on the big name testers. (Though yes as you said check many). Not to mention as stated some games waver on different setups or resolutions change the performance on the game like crazy. Yet you go to another one and the other brand beats out the other. If we are going to base off charts we might as well base off games with settings in the long run. (Some people are here to game on select games. Not bit coin xD) Problem with those even are they are usualy super high resolutions they compare. Say something like this as an example: link or link (This is comparin 7990 & 690 of course so a higher 790 chart would need a go. Still, will waver from game to game & resolutions & other settings or drivers) (Edit: Ahem only saying nothing is perfect. If it was there would be no need for but one brand).

Edited by UnholyVision, 22 September 2013 - 02:09 PM.