GPU upgrade

[Hescara]

Hello anandtech!
I would like to buy a new gpu for aprox 100 euros. This is my current pc:
Mobo: nf4am2l Cpu:Amd athlon x2 5200+ 2.5 ghz GPU:9300Ge Psu: Powerlink 450wats 4 gigs of ram ddr2 800mhz. Right now i'm looking at the radeon hd7770 oc and i'm wondering if it would get bottlenecked. Someone recommended me to get the r7 250 but that's almost the same price ( 5 euros difference here) and half the performance. Also if I get this gpu would i see big improvements in games like fallout 3(i'm getting 60-30fps on lowest settings)? Right now I can't max out games like portal and hl2 and i think that's because of my gpu. Thanks for the answers!

 

[Soulkeeper]

I'd recommend consulting this link http://pclinks.xtreemhost.com/video.htm
Choose your card based on Memory bandwidth and "PS" count
Also, Avoid GDDR-3 cards, they are budget and not worth it compared to the GDDR-5 versions.

 

[Denithor]

Welcome to the forums!

What resolution do you play at? This makes a critical difference for how bottlenecked you will be. The lower the resolution, the more the CPU has to work. A new video card will likely give you higher resolution and/or more eye candy but I don't know if it will help your raw FPS much.

 

[Hescara]

My resolution is 1280x1024. At this resolution would handle modern games or at least source based games ? Hell, i can't max out F.E.A.R(2005) without lagging.

 

[Hescara]

I'd recommend consulting this link http://pclinks.xtreemhost.com/video.htm
Choose your card based on Memory bandwidth and "PS" count
Also, Avoid GDDR-3 cards, they are budget and not worth it compared to the GDDR-5 versions.

I'm not that good at computers, can you tell me if clock speed really matters or it's just a marketing gimmik?

 

[NTMBK]

You're going to get bottlenecked by that CPU, and your motherboard doesn't support anything faster. Instead of upgrading that system any further I would recommend that you start saving up for a complete replacement system.

 

[Hescara]

You're going to get bottlenecked by that CPU, and your motherboard doesn't support anything faster. Instead of upgrading that system any further I would recommend that you start saving up for a complete replacement system.

I was going to get a new system in 1-2 years and use the gpu i would buy now in the new system. You're sure that the new gpu won't give me any boost ?

 

[Yuriman]

6-8 years is a long time to hold on to a computer. You'll see improvements in most games, but many will remain completely unplayable regardless of what GPU you buy. Although a full rebuild would be ideal, my guess is that your expectations aren't super high and it will be a nice improvement over what you have.

Bear in mind that a 7770 is a relatively low-end GPU today (the first major step above integrated graphics, really) and when you do finally replace the other parts, you might not find it all that useful.

 

[Hescara]

6-8 years is a long time to hold on to a computer. You'll see improvements in most games, but many will remain completely unplayable regardless of what GPU you buy. Although a full rebuild would be ideal, my guess is that your expectations aren't super high and it will be a nice improvement over what you have.

Bear in mind that a 7770 is a relatively low-end GPU today (the first major step above integrated graphics, really) and when you do finally replace the other parts, you might not find it all that useful.

I was hoping to play some far cry 3 or gta4 at medium settings 60 fps haha. Well I hope the upgrade will be worth it

 

[Yuriman]

I was hoping to play some far cry 3 or gta4 at medium settings 60 fps haha. Well I hope the upgrade will be worth it

GTA4 is a CPU hog and might not even run at playable framerates. I haven't played the game myself but a quick google search reveals that in the in-game benchmark, you can expect framerates in the low teens in high action.

Let us know what you decide to do, and report back with some numbers!

 

[Soulkeeper]

I'm not that good at computers, can you tell me if clock speed really matters or it's just a marketing gimmik?

clock speed always matters, but when dealing with memory the bus width matters too (ie: 128-bit vs. 256-bit is essentially double the bandwidth at the same clock speed).

I'd say given your budget a 7770 would be perfect for the CPU.
7790, 7850, or R9 270 all start to cost more.

 

[Hescara]

GTA4 is a CPU hog and might not even run at playable framerates. I haven't played the game myself but a quick google search reveals that in the in-game benchmark, you can expect framerates in the low teens in high action.

Let us know what you decide to do, and report back with some numbers!

I sure will, thanks for all the help!

 

[Hescara]

Also, do you think i will have problems fitting the 7770 into my pc case, it's an atx case but i don't know the model.

 

[Soulkeeper]

7770 is a relatively small card, if in doubt you can check the manufacturer website for the dimensions

 

[Hescara]

This video sure got my hopes up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6FQsP2oJg0 , what do you think now haha

 

[Hescara]

Also do you think I could overclocking my cpu and see some performance improvements? I'm looking at some manual for my motherboard http://priede.bf.lu.lv/ftp/pub/OS/m...04)/NF4ST-A2A_NF4ST-A2B_NF4UL-A2A_0714C_B.pdf and they recommend this utility called Warpspeeder. Do you think it will be safe? Thanks

 

[Soulkeeper]

For overclocking the cpu you might consider a thread in the CPU section, someone is likely to have a similar cpu/mb and be able to give you advice for bios settings, cooling, and voltages

 

[Termie]

Just to be clear, playing Fallout 3 and Far Cry 3 isn't close to similar. You'll never play Far Cry 3 on that CPU, that is for sure.

With your budget and needs, have you considered a console?

 

[Leyawiin]

You will benefit from a better GPU, but I wouldn't go off the deep end on one if you aren't going to replace the PC for several more years. An HD 7750 is about all you need. I assembled a PC 3 or 4 years ago from spare parts for my sister. It has that exact CPU paired with an HD 4670. Her monitor was also 1280x1024. It was a reasonably balance system at the time. About the most demanding game it could play smoothly on somewhat decent settings was WoW (Wrath of the Lich King). That's all she cared about anyway.

 

[Hescara]

Well here the 7750 and the 7770 OC prices are pretty similar, like a 5 euros difference. And about the console I would love to get one but i don't really have the money...plus i don't really like using a controller and not being able to speak with friends over skype, play some youtube video while playing games.

 

[Leyawiin]

Well here the 7750 and the 7770 OC prices are pretty similar, like a 5 euros difference. And about the console I would love to get one but i don't really have the money...plus i don't really like using a controller and not being able to speak with friends over skype, play some youtube video while playing games.

Ah, I see. Yeah, go with the HD 7770 then.

 

[ColonelBlimp]

Bear in mind that the 7770 requires a 6 pin power connector and the 7750 doesn't so you might want to check to see if your power supply has one.
If it doesn't, get the 7750 but look at the spec of it first before you part with your money, some 7750's, usually the pre-overclocked ones, do require one.