6 replies to this topic

[mechnut450]

So I recently reloaded my computer , I figure I test it out with the MSi afterburner looking at how it handles MWO. ( my specs are)
amd phenom 2 x4 970 cpu and asus motherboard
8 gig of ddr3 ram ( 1600 but runs at 1333mhz)
1 tb harddrive
GeForce gt640 with 2 gig ddr5 ram
and wndows 7 pro with sp 1

I saw that my gpu is maxed out at 99% on afterburner and my cpu didn't even break 50%
( I was running a gtx 275 oc with 1 gg ram ( but lack directx 11 support)
I run my monitor at 1440x900 rez ( lcd) I seeing about 25-45 fps ( by the fps counter in game._
I do know that my system fans crank up to high speed when I start the game cause I can hear them without the msi program telling me. so am looking for a cheap yet good card to either replace or add to my current card to up the power and fps without breaking a poor man budget. The projected time to get the card will most likely be between xmas and tax time.

[darqsyde]

First, if possible, overclock that CPU. And get the RAM running at 1600.

As for a video card, very late this year, or more probably, early next year AMD should be releasing there 300 series cards, and Nvidia should be releasing the lower/mid tier 900 series cards. A budget of 150-200 shoud get you a pretty decent video card, either of the new generation or the (current) older generation.

Something to consider is the power available from your PSU. A low end/low power PSU might limit the selection of GPU if not upgraded.

Also, you will rapidly run into the limitations of you CPU in MWO, perhaps it might be time to consider a complete system upgrade rather than a piece-by-piece replacement.

Edited by darqsyde, 20 October 2014 - 12:12 PM.

[Pet Dude]

www.newegg.com has some good deals. R9 290s for $260. Price for performance can't beat that. There are Nvidia ones on sale too but not as many options. I think you just missed out on the MSI twin frozr R9 290 OC for $255. Came with 3 games and a gaming headset with free shipping.

[DEMAX51]

If you wait about a month until Black Friday (November 21st, I think?) you'll probably be able to score an awesome deal on a stop-gap card until you're ready for a full-blown upgrade. I'll bet you'll be able to find something along the lines of a GTX 660 for $100-$120.

Whatever you decide to do, if you go Nvidia, don't get a -50 series or below, because they're not really meant for gaming. You're going to want a -60 series or higher. And, since you didn't list your PSU, just make sure it's got enough wattage to support a stronger card.

Edited by DEMAX51, 20 October 2014 - 12:20 PM.

[mechnut450]

lol I forgot to list it but I think it either a 750 or a 950 watt. I have enough plugs to run 3 cards at once. I would build a new machine but I don't think I can swing that until I pay off our truck next year about xmas time. I have some issues with the memory ( or motherboard ) when I oc and get the memory up near the 1600 mark mostly the system freezes up. I lower the memory speed back to stock motherboard setting and can even go higher on the cpu. I seen 4.3ghz on it but I don't trust it that high When I go after my card I want to get the highest I can get..
I going to plan on looking forat least a 860 or higher if I can get a card.

[Lord Letto]

mechnut450, on 20 October 2014 - 05:29 PM, said:

lol I forgot to list it but I think it either a 750 or a 950 watt. I have enough plugs to run 3 cards at once. I would build a new machine but I don't think I can swing that until I pay off our truck next year about xmas time. I have some issues with the memory ( or motherboard ) when I oc and get the memory up near the 1600 mark mostly the system freezes up. I lower the memory speed back to stock motherboard setting and can even go higher on the cpu. I seen 4.3ghz on it but I don't trust it that high When I go after my card I want to get the highest I can get..
I going to plan on looking forat least a 860 or higher if I can get a card.

Radeon HD 86xx or do you mean nvidia, if nvidia the 8xx is Laptop only, if you mean desktop then you mean the 960 that isn't out yet so I'd say get the 970 as the 970 & 980 is the only 9xx series cards out at the moment

[mechnut450]

well I guess a full rebuild will have to get planned. My 1 tb hard-drive started to fail the last few weeks ( and possible the motherboard ) as it would not start up right every time for my wife. I got a couple error messages but they memory dump happens so fast I only get a word or 2 ( this morning I can hear the fans all coming up and the hard-drive spinning but it sound sick . ) I replaced it with a ssd ( for now ) and I will get a better dump drive for pictures and other data lol. ( that way my wife won't go nuts when all her pictures are lost and can't retrieve them.sadly my window restore images won't transfer back onto the ssd when I run the restore options ( but will restore to the failing hard drive so I dumped the images and shall make a new one once I finish all the updates.