Graphics Card Upgrade

[adt]

Hi guys,

I've been wanting to upgrade my graphics card for a while now, and while reading online on the best upgrade from a GTX 285 the GTX 570 would be the best route I would take. I want something that's worth the upgrade from my 285 as I play all the newest games and I would like stable FPS in games like Bad Company 2.

I'm really interested to know how much gain in performance I would get from upgrading from my 285 to this card MSI GeForce GTX 570 OC Twin FrozR III Power Edition 1280MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card [N570GTXTWINFROZRIIIPOWEREDITION/OC]

I would appreciate any advice given to me regarding this upgrade and if my system components are capable.





My current power supply: Eclipse Computers - Product Details (I know its a cheap brand but my friend recommended it to me back in the day so I got it...)

Thank you

 

[Skyrine]

800w will be sufficient.

If you'd like to save some money, I'd suggest the 560Ti, it -rivals- the 570 but still lacks just a little (from a scale of 10, it'd be 7/10 against 8/10)
Really depends if your wallet is stuffed with bills

If you run a 1920x1080 monitor or any dual-triple, then the extra VRAM would do nice- that's if you go dual SLi or triple.

 

[JaidynM]

Great choice in my opinion. The manufacturer, MSI is just as good. You should be able to play BF2 on high settings with that card. And even if BF2 is too resourceful, you should be able to overclock on stock cooling. That particular card is made for overclocking so you should be able to do so without difficulty. The Twin FrozR III series have excellent cooling are also surprisingly quiet.

That PSU should suffice but it has no 80 Plus certification which makes me a bit skeptical of it's quality. Apart from that, you look good to go.

 

[Ivan the SoSo]

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July 2011

Not to be one to pour cold water on the party....but the the GTX 285 is still a powerful card, with the exception of dx11....Tom's recommends upgrading only if the card is three levels higher....right at the limit

Now it does double your cuda cores, however I did much the same thing when upgrading from a 4890 to a 5850....better but not world changing so, but the wife needed a card, and the 5850 was $139 on the egg.....so.....In your case 270 Pounds is a different story

 

[Solarstarshines]

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July 2011

Not to be one to pour cold water on the party....but the the GTX 285 is still a powerful card, with the exception of dx11....Tom's recommends upgrading only if the card is three levels higher....right at the limit

Now it does double your cuda cores, however I did much the same thing when upgrading from a 4890 to a 5850....better but not world changing so, but the wife needed a card, and the 5850 was $139 on the egg.....so.....In your case 270 Pounds is a different story

Nice chart Ivan thanks for the card ranges and levels they perform +1

 

[RST101]

I'd have to say go for it if coin not an issue. You will definitely notice twice the amount of difference in power and maxing all games with plenty of headroom it certainly will.

Go for it..........

 

[Wishmaster]

Well, I have the EVGA Superclocked version of the 570.
I upgraded form a ATI 4890.

I really love the card TBH.


As far as power, I run mine on a 650W Corsair (52Amp) PSU, and it has no issues at all, even under 100% load.
The rest of the HW it powers is mu Specs.

So for a single 570, even with a bit of a OC, 650W of a quality PSU (such as Antec, Seasonic, or Corsair) will be plenty.

You only need 800+ if you plan on running multiples.

IMHO, do not skimp on the PSU, and stay away from cheap ones. Get a good quality now that will last, even if that means you must wait another week.
Especially if you will be running a high end GPU, such as the 570/580s & 6950/70s



As far as performance, I can not complain. Ive yet to find anything it has trouble with. It runs every game I have with ease.

BFBC2 plays very smooth maxed out. ((And by maxed I mean evrything set to the maximum setting, and x8AA))


Many older games, such as Fallout3, Bioshock 1&2 etc, it just laughs at.
It runs at max settings + AF and x4-x8 AA forced, with ease. Meaning 50% GPU use or less to do it.


The only games I can think of ATM it doesnt completely Max out is Metro 2033 (but still playable at high settings)

Witcher2 is unplayble with ubersampling, but this setting is meant for multiple GPU setups. With that off, it runs it with everything else on high.


I can not fairly comment on the MSI version, never had a MSI card.
But I can say the Superclocked Evga version is a good card.

I do not regret my decision in the least. Very happy.

 

[adt]

Thanks for all the responses

From what I read is that the 570 preforms nearly twice as better than the 285 at games?
And just as a confirmation again before I go ahead with my purchase, are all my components capable of handling handling the card? Especially the PSU as I've read a mixture of information about how this card needs a certain number of Amps to go through the 12v rail or something like that. I'm not that great at hardware but it's what I've read on a number of websites.

Thank you


EDIT: and would that card preform well on 1650x1050?

 

[Solarstarshines]

Thanks for all the responses

From what I read is that the 570 preforms nearly twice as better than the 285 at games?
And just as a confirmation again before I go ahead with my purchase, are all my components capable of handling handling the card? Especially the PSU as I've read a mixture of information about how this card needs a certain number of Amps to go through the 12v rail or something like that. I'm not that great at hardware but it's what I've read on a number of websites.

Thank you


EDIT: and would that card preform well on 1650x1050?

That card would Own that Resolution

 

[Wishmaster]

What Solarstarshines said

The 570 will chew up most games out ATM at 1080P resolutions.
So at 1680x1050, it may actually be a bit more than you need. But if you ever decide to get a higher resolution display, it will be up to the task.



As far as the PSU, what bothers me is the fact they are not outright with specs. Such as the Amps it has on the 12V rail.
Or at least, I couldn't find those specs. Only that it was 800W.

When it comes to PSUs, the wattage itself is not nearly as important as effeciency and the 12V rail amps.

I would recommend to sticking with one of the more reputable brands as mentioned previously.
A 650W or so of one of these will be plenty.

If I had to guess, I would say a 650W Antec, Corsair, or Seasonic would be significantly more powerful, cooler, & energy effecient than the 800W EZcool PSU.


I could be wrong, but just my thoughts for what its worth.
I wouldn't trust something like that to run my system plus a $300+ GPU.
But thats just me.

 

[adt]

What Solarstarshines said

The 570 will chew up most games out ATM at 1080P resolutions.
So at 1680x1050, it may actually be a bit more than you need. But if you ever decide to get a higher resolution display, it will be up to the task.



As far as the PSU, what bothers me is the fact they are not outright with specs. Such as the Amps it has on the 12V rail.
Or at least, I couldn't find those specs. Only that it was 800W.

When it comes to PSUs, the wattage itself is not nearly as important as effeciency and the 12V rail amps.

I would recommend to sticking with one of the more reputable brands as mentioned previously.
A 650W or so of one of these will be plenty.

If I had to guess, I would say a 650W Antec, Corsair, or Seasonic would be significantly more powerful, cooler, & energy effecient than the 800W EZcool PSU.


I could be wrong, but just my thoughts for what its worth.
I wouldn't trust something like that to run my system plus a $300+ GPU.
But thats just me.

If it would help I could always take a picture of the sticker on the PSU if you like? I've seen that it has relevant details. And if I may ask what are the risks of running on a cheap PSU? I've had it for 2 years now and it has not caused me any problems.


EDIT: actually I've just taken a picture hope it helps.

 

[Solarstarshines]

If this was your PSU it is 80+ certified you are good to go

Ezcool Ambiance 80+ 800W 80+ Efficiency Dual 12V Rail PSU, Retail Box [EZCOOL-AMBIANCE-800] from Overclock.co.uk


But this is your and it is not 80+ certified i had to edit my post cause thiere are two different versions hence you got the cheaper model

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/500w+%2B/800w+Ezcool+Ambiance+80%2B+PSU+?productId=38126

 

[Wishmaster]

The GTX 570 requires a minimum of 38A on the 12V rail.

Your PSU has 2 rails at 22A each. if you add them together, it would be 44A.
Which is, it would seem, about the same as the 285.
So you may be OK.

The 550W, 38A requirement does take into consideration the GPU and most common system setups.

This is what I was refering to in my last post.
That PSU is 800W @ 44Amps.
A Corsair 650, for example, is 650W @ 52Amps and 80+ certified.


Essentially, that means its creating more useable power for the PC, and its pulling less power from the wall to do so.


Although you may be OK as it is, I would look into upgrading it at some point.
Again, this is just my opinion and a suggestion as to what I would do.

The reason?
1) The run cooler
2) Create more power at lower wattage while using less electricity
3) More stable power (clean power)
4) Often, more reliable

If a PSU surges, it can may die and take several components with it.
Motherboard, RAM, CPU, Graphics card, etc ...

Higher Quality PSUs many times can somewhat limit the damage.
In such a case, they may blow & die, but can save the rest of the PC in the process limiting the damage to within itself.

 

[adt]

Ok, I''ll go ahead and order the card next week for now and I shall start putting money aside for a PSU and probably get one by Christmas time. Would that be a good idea?