Need advice

[YoteFox]

My current system:
Intel Core i5-2500k 3.4 GHz
Asus P8H67-V
GTX 560 ti 1gb
8 GB ram
5 TB HDD

So what I want to do is, replace the 560ti 1gb with a 970 4gb.
I am also looking at maybe getting another mobo for overclocking it to 4 - 4.5 GHz
I have been told that the 2500k is still pretty solid and with the Z77 is quite a beast setup.

What I want to know is would there be a need to overclock when I go with the 970?
I am doing this upgrade due to the 560 getting old and budget constraints. Please advise.

[Randall]

Personally, I think you should keep it factory. As a rule I am dead against over-clocking.

[Leeward]

Nothing wrong with overclocking if you've got adequate power and cooling. Some manufacturers even have their GPUs overclocked right out the box. Don't overdo it though, increase gradually.

[Sev]

I have been running my 2500k at 4.8Ghz since I got it five years ago.

As long as you have really beefy cooling, you will have no issues, and the performance gain makes it competitive with contemporary CPUs - which don't OC nearly as well.

[YoteFox]

I do have water cooling with a rather broad radiator that takes 2 fans. My setup is great for it, it's just my mobo that is keeping me back.

[Sev]

If you need to replace your mobo, there is no point in sticking with the 2500k. You might as well just replace everything.

[YoteFox]

Yes but budget is the issue, I can replace two parts or I can get a PC that is sub par to this one

[Fluke]

Just replace the GPU now with a GTX970 and you'll see massive differences. Then save up and get a decent Z170 mobo + 6600k or something.

What PSU do you have, out of interest?

[Franky]

Get a solid state...


Holy shit you'll crap yourself even if you install a mediocre gtx 750 ti. a gtx 970 will be a blast.

[YoteFox]

Just replace the GPU now with a GTX970 and you'll see massive differences. Then save up and get a decent Z170 mobo + 6600k or something.

What PSU do you have, out of interest?

That is exactly my plan ^.^ When rAge comes round I want to get the CPU
I have a 550 watt me thinks

Get a solid state...


Holy shit you'll crap yourself even if you install a mediocre gtx 750 ti. a gtx 970 will be a blast.

Would it make such a big difference performance wise? Would one run the OS from the SSD then or run the games from the SSD?

[Rakuen Growlithe]

Would it make such a big difference performance wise? Would one run the OS from the SSD then or run the games from the SSD?

I heard not. I considered it when I was building a new PC but got told it doesn't really help gaming. Things load faster but that's it. Loading times just aren't that much of an issue.

[Leeward]

Your OS boots several times faster though, which is nice.

[Rakuen Growlithe]

If you have extra money, why not, but is your OS boot time important? Mine seems a bit slow (as my anti-virus keeps telling me) but who cares? I boot up once every few weeks/months. The rest of time it just goes into sleep mode and it comes out of that in seconds.

[Franky]

SSD increases write to ram performance for whatever is loaded on the SSD.

Load times and the constant page file usage. This not only makes stuff load faster but stabilizes the OS's performance considering the reduction in wait time for the drive. Also consider antivirus constantly looking at accessed system files, temp files and cache stored on secondary media.

Everything that uses the drive will have an increase in performance. Which is actually quite a lot.

Windows also constantly checks file permissions and such when dealing with its own self. This is all drive performance. Never met a person with a SSD that said they'll go back to hhd.

I enjoy running my OS and vital applications on a SSD while big stuff and archived files gets stored somewhere else.

[Fluke]

SSDs are good, but calm down Ipnw. Your PC needs other areas which should be addressed first. Especially on a tight budget.


Which brand/model of PSU?

[YoteFox]

It's a corsair PSU

[Raven Song]

Can someone please explain to me, in very VERY plain English, what Over clocking is...

I tried to ask the internet but my head exploded...

[Sev]

Increasing the speed at which your hardware runs.

[Dredge]

It's a corsair PSU

We'll probably need more details than that


Look on the data-grid stuck to the side of the PSU for anything resembling a model-number, often including the letters 'CX; CX-M; CS;' etc...

If you don't know what you're looking at, just take a photo of all the information you find on it and post it. It's vital that we get specifics about the PSU in particular because its capabilities could prevent a decent upgrade of any component if insufficient and it's best to figure that out before you go out and spend your hardearned cash on something that won't work.


EDIT: A 970 would easily beat-out any overclock of any sort of your current components. I upgraded to one from my 7970, which I'd upgraded to from a GTX 560Ti (Twin Frozr II), and I still haven't felt that I need to OC my 2500K.

[Fluke]

And yet I have because my 2500k has reached its limits in many, many games.

[Raven Song]

You guys speak a whole new language...

I just make my poor laptop run whatever games I want... I'm sure it sits there cursing me but I don't care

[YoteFox]

Forgot a bit aboot this forum
http://www.evetech.co.za/PC-Hardware/co ... y-223.aspx
There is my power supply

I've really considered going with the R9390 or the 390X rather than the nvidia 970 as the Vram is only usuable up to 3.5gb and for current games it's perfect though for future use the 390's 8gb will be wayyy better.

[Fluke]

970 has 4GB of VRAM that is usable, people are just retarded and don't know how it works. FUD.

With 4GB, you will far sooner reach the end of the capabilities of the GPU than the VRAM.

That PSU is pretty low-quality, if you have money I'd replace it with something like this or this.

[VoxLupus]

If you are not overclocking, and you haven't had problems with it then that power supply should be fine.

Your 2500K will not bottleneck the GTX970 in most games, You will see a massive improvement.
The 390(X) would also be an option, since AMD's DX12 performance is looking pretty good which should give it an edge in newer games, but the jury is still out on how competitive Nvidia will be in DX12 titles. You would also definitely need to upgrade your PSU if going for the 390.

Upgrading your mobo probably isn't worth it since you will also have to buy a new windows key if you don't have one (if you want to have a legit copy at least). If you want to then get a new CPU you will have to buy another motherboard and another windows key.

Your RAM size should be fine for most games. An SSD can help make your computer feel more responsive in certain instances but won't affect gaming performance. It is a good upgrade but not a priority.

Goodluck!

[Fluke]

If you are not overclocking, and you haven't had problems with it then that power supply should be fine.

Yes, if you are not overclocking you'll be fine. But like I said, if you have some spare cash laying around - it'd be something to invest in for the future. The CX series aren't the worst, but aren't the best. And are extremely poorly priced.

Simple stats;
85'c limit on caps. (It's extremely common practice to use 105'c caps for a reason).
Very cheap caps used at that too.
No resonance suppression for coil-whine
Not rated to work below 30'c.
Ripple is barely, barely passable on 2008 standards.
Hold-up time fails to meet standards.
Mediocre voltage regulation.

And now when you look at the price (50% more than that SuperFlower 500w unit) - it seems ludicrous.

Your 2500K will not bottleneck the GTX970 in most games, You will see a massive improvement.
The 390(X) would also be an option, since AMD's DX12 performance is looking pretty good which should give it an edge in newer games, but the jury is still out on how competitive Nvidia will be in DX12 titles. You would also definitely need to upgrade your PSU if going for the 390.

390/390X/970+4.5Ghz 2500k is perfectly fine on 500w. But like stated before, if you're overclocking I would upgrade to that SuperFlower 500w for safety. You can get away with overclocking just the CPU on that CX500... but up to you if you want to risk it.

[YoteFox]

I'm not exactly planning on overclocking, but if I do in the future I would most certainly look at getting a bigger PSU.

I'm still torn apart by which GPU to go with, the 970 is an amazing gpu in it's own rights carrying the Nvidia name and being just the best built gpu out there in my opinion though it does lack some performance when compared to the 390.

However as you said Fluke, the vram wouldn't be that much of an issue although I have seen benchmarks of the division running at 6gb of vram and as the division is part of the newer generation of games to come I would really like to be prepared for what the games can offer and more.

For now I am only upgrading my GPU as I only have enough money for that at this stage in my life. In two years or so time I will be looking at a whole new rig as this is when my articles will commence and I will have some form of income to save up for a new system.

So in essence I am looking at an affordable upgrade of the gpu that would last me for at least two to three years. Thus the reason why I am deciding with going with the 390 perhaps as Rand to performance is quite good as opposed to the 970 which is about R600-R800 more expensive and doesn't boast the same performance as the 390.

So then in that case as stated above I think my verdict would be the 390 as after it's purchase I would have a X sum of money to restart my savings again instead of starting at 0 again.
Please if you have another opinion enlighten me.

[Fluke]

I'm not exactly planning on overclocking, but if I do in the future I would most certainly look at getting a bigger PSU.

I'm still torn apart by which GPU to go with, the 970 is an amazing gpu in it's own rights carrying the Nvidia name and being just the best built gpu out there in my opinion though it does lack some performance when compared to the 390.

Build quality has nothing to do with nVida or AMD. Neither of them make the cards that you will be buying, only the GPUs.

If you want a well-made card, stick to some good brands. MSI, EVGA, Sapphire and Asus (most of the time). Others I would look at a per-case basis.

However as you said Fluke, the vram wouldn't be that much of an issue although I have seen benchmarks of the division running at 6gb of vram and as the division is part of the newer generation of games to come I would really like to be prepared for what the games can offer and more.

Just because a game can use that much VRAM - doesn't actually mean that it needs it. It will use any that is available to it. And like I said before, you will be very much limited in terms of GPU power before you hit a VRAM limit.

And if you're running 1080p 4GB is overkill, 8GB is a stupidly large amount.

I have a 295X2 with 4GB RAM on a 1440p monitor. And I never use the 4GB.

For now I am only upgrading my GPU as I only have enough money for that at this stage in my life. In two years or so time I will be looking at a whole new rig as this is when my articles will commence and I will have some form of income to save up for a new system.

So in essence I am looking at an affordable upgrade of the gpu that would last me for at least two to three years. Thus the reason why I am deciding with going with the 390 perhaps as Rand to performance is quite good as opposed to the 970 which is about R600-R800 more expensive and doesn't boast the same performance as the 390.

So then in that case as stated above I think my verdict would be the 390 as after it's purchase I would have a X sum of money to restart my savings again instead of starting at 0 again.
Please if you have another opinion enlighten me.

Sounds like you should get the Sapphire R9 390 Nitro Edition. A friend of mine just got it, it's really well made and a damn good card. Very good value for money.

[VoxLupus]

Keep in mind that the power draw of the R9 390 is double that of the 970 (300W to 150W)

This means that if you want to get the 390, your current power supply won't be strong enough. I would get a 650W PSU at least, 700W just to be safe. The 970 will be fine on your current system.

If you are going to upgrade your PSU at some point anyway the 390 it is not a problem. If you don't want to spend the money on a PSU now, get the 970.

[Fluke]

Keep in mind that the power draw of the R9 390 is double that of the 970 (300W to 150W)

This means that if you want to get the 390, your current power supply won't be strong enough. I would get a 650W PSU at least, 700W just to be safe. The 970 will be fine on your current system.

If you are going to upgrade your PSU at some point anyway the 390 it is not a problem. If you don't want to spend the money on a PSU now, get the 970.

No. A 500w unit is more than fine, you will have ~120w overhead (~25%) at worst.

And they're actually closer in power draw than that;

R9 390

Load Power Consumption - Crysis 3
Total System Power Consumption in Watts: 380

Load Power Consumption - FurMark
Total System Power Consumption in Watts: 376

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1594


970:

Load Power Consumption - Crysis 3
Total System Power Consumption in Watts: 300

Load Power Consumption - FurMark
Total System Power Consumption in Watts: 301

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1595



Total system load is 380w at most for an R9 390 system. Therefore a good 500w unit is more than suited.

And the system they used for the tests was:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4960X @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Professional
Power Supply: Corsair AX1200i
Hard Disk: Samsung SSD 840 EVO (750GB)
Memory: G.Skill RipjawZ DDR3-1866 4 x 8GB (9-10-9-26)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 Windowed Edition
Monitor: Asus PQ321
OS: Windows 8.1U1 Pro

Which would draw more load than a 2500k + P67 etc.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9784/the- ... x-review/3
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8568/the- ... eat-evga/3

[VoxLupus]

I think that you are a little too optimistic with that PSU Fluke.

You must bear in mind that not all of those 500 W are available to the CPU and GPU.
That is powered by the 12 V rail, which for the CX500 is rated at 34 Amps.
12 V*34 A=408 Watts

For the 390, that is a an overhead of 7% for the power available to the GPU and CPU in those bench marking applications (assuming the other components are negligible), and this is assuming that the relatively low-quality PSU is operating at peak performance. I am also not sure if those power draws take into account factory over clocks. Having such a small margin may cause issues with the stability of the system, especially since some applications may lead to greater power consumption than the ones tested here.

I don't know about you but that is a little to close for me to feel comfortable with. I think you will be hard pressed to find many people recommending a 500 W PSU for a R9 390.
Here is a forum post I found relating specifically to this question:
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id- ... u-390.html

I think that one of the reasons that the difference in power consumption is not significant in the benchmarks you listed (80 Watts as apposed to the expected 150 Watts) is that the 390 is typically CPU bound due to bad driver optimization. AMD is addressing these issues and along with DX12 I have a feeling that these will lead to improved performance as well as an increase in power consumption.

I know I have oversimplified some things, and while you are right that the 500 W will probably work, I think the potential issues it may lead to will not be worth it. The 970 would be the safer option by far.