Yet another upgrade question

[sherretz]

Hi guys! I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet. First off, I understand the system I have specced in my sig is long in the tooth, but it still runs great and has no problems. Plus with moving recently, I don't quite have the funds to build a new box (but that is in the long term plans).

So anyway, jumping from HeatM1ser's thread, I'm looking at either another AMD card or moving to a nVidia. I don't really have a bias either way as I've had both over my computing 'career'.

Right now I'm essentially mulling over either a 7950/7970 or a 660Ti. My budget is sub-$300, so the deal that HM found on the 7950 is quite enticing.

Considering the length of time I tend to hold onto video cards, I feel $300 is easily a worthwhile investment on a card that I personally will get 3-5 years use out of (closer to 5 if I double up down the line).

The only game I'm playing right now is World of Warcraft. I have a substantial Steam collection, but nothing that is overly taxing on video cards. I stay away from most FPS games.

So I'm just looking for confirmation that my head is pointed in the right direction and I'm not reading too much into other info out there right now.

 

[Knufire]

You're going to be significantly bottlenecked with that CPU.

Knowing you don't have the funds right now, I'd grab a 7950 and see if you can squeeze the funds together for an aftermarket cooler and OC your CPU as high as it will go.

 

[Boulard83]

At the price, a 7950 is a great choice. But your dual may bottlenecking it in some games that need more CPU power. Most games may run great anyway. As for WOW, i think you'll be OK.

+1 above to OC this E8400 to help on the CPU side.

 

[sherretz]

Well the H20 is a solid aftermarket cooler, so it may be time to start OCing my little puppy instead of babying it.

....or look for a Q6600 to replace it(?)

 

[Boulard83]

Q9xxx could be better if you find one at a good price. Q6xxx are damn old now

On a Q9xxx you will be able to get more than 4ghz without working to much on this beautyfull P5Q Deluxe. I had a Q9550 on a P5Q Pro, was running ~4ghz 24/7 with a breeze.

 

[sherretz]

Ooh! Apparently I can expand my buy list for procs. http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/P5Q_Deluxe.html (scratching chin)

Back on topic: ok, looking into a 7950.

 

[Boulard83]

Ooh! Apparently I can expand my buy list for procs. http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/P5Q_Deluxe.html (scratching chin)

Back on topic: ok, looking into a 7950.

Great for the 7950, excellent GPU for the price ! Dont spend too much one the CPU. If you pay 300$ on a Q9550 ... your better to fork ~400-500$ on a new Z77+I5+Ram. But if you find a new proc for cheap, go for it !

 

[sherretz]

I'm setting my limit at $100 for the proc. I'll update when I get more info.

 

[Boulard83]

Great.

 

[HeatM1ser2k4]

I finally decided on an XFX 7970 and bought it today. I saw this post and thought I'd give you the link since its only $350, which looks to be a great deal for a 7970

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5736415&CatId=7387

Its instantly $50 off, bringing the price down to $379, and then you get a $30 MIR if that fits within your budget,so you'll end up paying $349 after the MIR.

One thing I'm concerned about with this card is, does it have a BIOS switch for overclocking? I found a thread saying someone couldnt find a BIOS switch. Can anyone confirm? And if it doesnt have a BIOS switch, can I still OC the GPU and memory on the card?

Is this a good deal?

 

[Boulard83]

OC of your specific card.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/10/30/xfx_double_d_hd_7970_ghz_edition_video_card_review/3

 

[HeatM1ser2k4]

OC of your specific card.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/10/30/xfx_double_d_hd_7970_ghz_edition_video_card_review/3

Thanks! Is this card generally a good overclocker? I havent read much on how well most 7970s overclock yet

The review doesnt really seem to compare this card to other 7970s, and instead compares them to the GTX 670 and 680, which are considerably more costly since the review...so it looks like I got a good deal.

Also....could anyone recommend a decent cost-effective full cover waterblock thats not going to cost an arm and a leg for this card?

EDIT: Sorry for hijacking your thread Sherretz! But this might be a good investment for you with the deal going on right now. Its a little more expensive, but may give you more bang for your buck in the long run!

 

[Boulard83]

Full cover WB usually cost about the from vendor to vendor.Some are a little cheaper but there is not a huge gap. Go for the look you want.

As for reviews, they compare card with competition, wich is Nvidia in this case. A 7970 is a 7970. Cooler and look is the only difference. As for overclocking, its a lotery ! you can end up with an awesome clocker, as you can with a poor clocker. Same thing with CPU.

 

[HeatM1ser2k4]

Is the card I bought reference design? How can I tell since I'll need to probably know this when I buy a waterblock for it

 

[Boulard83]

AFAIK, XFX currently use all reference design PCB.

http://www.hardware.fr/articles/853-14/xfx-radeon-hd-7970-double-dissipation-test.html

Le PCB de la Radeon HD 7970 Double Dissipation Edition de XFX est identique à celui de de la carte de référence.

In english, the PCB is a reference design

 

[HeatM1ser2k4]

ok, thanks!

 

[sherretz]

No problem about the hijack! I snagged the 7950 deal because sub-300 is pretty much perfect for me.

Update: I was also able to nab a Q9450 from Ebay for $101.50. Both the card and proc are on their way so I should have everything up and running by end of the week.

I'll probably run the Q stock for a bit then slowly overclock. In part because I'm inexperienced with overclocking and in part because I don't really have the free time in the near future.

 

[sherretz]

...and even if I end up upgrading the proc/mobo, I can move the 7950 to a new system. I'll probably look for a second 7950 when the new generation of cards hits.

 

[HeatM1ser2k4]

No problem about the hijack! I snagged the 7950 deal because sub-300 is pretty much perfect for me.

Update: I was also able to nab a Q9450 from Ebay for $101.50. Both the card and proc are on their way so I should have everything up and running by end of the week.

I'll probably run the Q stock for a bit then slowly overclock. In part because I'm inexperienced with overclocking and in part because I don't really have the free time in the near future.

Wow...your really doing some major upgrades! I'm jelly!

 

[wingman99]

No problem about the hijack! I snagged the 7950 deal because sub-300 is pretty much perfect for me.

Update: I was also able to nab a Q9450 from Ebay for $101.50. Both the card and proc are on their way so I should have everything up and running by end of the week.

I'll probably run the Q stock for a bit then slowly overclock. In part because I'm inexperienced with overclocking and in part because I don't really have the free time in the near future.

We can help with overclocking just post back in the forms when you get the CPU and GPU.