HD7950 or 3570k

[thunderclap23]

so from the title you probably are thinking. 'this guys is an idiot, 3570k isn't even a graphics card.'

but i'm not an idiot, i need an answer from you guys in my moment of peril.

so here is the scenario. a month or two back i decided to start saving for a new GPU, and the one i had in mind was the ASUS HD7950 TOP. it is £312 on amazon at this time which i have finally saved enough for.

i love playing video games on this pc but i want more graphics power.

i currently am doing my gaming on the built in gpu on the AMD Phenom II 560, unlocked to four cores. games i most often play are iRacing, which isn't really as demanding as current dx11 games like crysis, dirt 3 and stuff, but i want my games to look better.

but i also would love a little more cpu power as i have LOTS of DVDs that i'm ripping onto a media server.

so when i comes to the time, i realise that buying a new current generation CPU and mobo might infact be a better option for me. so i shopped around for a bit and found that i could buy a asus maximus V GENE and the 3570k for about the same price.

so i need some advice and input from you guys to help me decide what my best option would be

all the best, daniel

 

[thunderclap23]

i also thought that if i go for the mobo and cpu, i could sell my current mobo and cpu to but a 7750 or something like that

 

[Josh Weston]

I think it's really up to your priorities. What's more important to you right now? - getting those DVDs ripped and transcoded or playing games in higher settings?

In all honesty, with the games that you seem to play, the 7950 seems like massive overkill. A 7850, still overkill, would probably match your needs.

Also, after a quick look on Aria, you could get an Asus 7850, a 2500k and an MSI Z77A-G43 for £431, so you'd need to save a little more, but I think it's a better combination for you. Obviously if you want to go with Ivy, then the price'll go accordingly.

 

[WillSK]

I think it's really up to your priorities. What's more important to you right now? - getting those DVDs ripped and transcoded or playing games in higher settings?

In all honesty, with the games that you seem to play, the 7950 seems like massive overkill. A 7850, still overkill, would probably match your needs.

Also, after a quick look on Aria, you could get an Asus 7850, a 2500k and an MSI Z77A-G43 for £431, so you'd need to save a little more, but I think it's a better combination for you. Obviously if you want to go with Ivy, then the price'll go accordingly.

+1 mate i think this is prob your best solution

 

[Lauralarry]

no need for you to get a rampage gene... you're not that type of person get a normal Mobo like a UD3 and a 3570k then later on buy a gtx 560ti

 

[jamesriley94]

I think it's really up to your priorities. What's more important to you right now? - getting those DVDs ripped and transcoded or playing games in higher settings?

In all honesty, with the games that you seem to play, the 7950 seems like massive overkill. A 7850, still overkill, would probably match your needs.

Also, after a quick look on Aria, you could get an Asus 7850, a 2500k and an MSI Z77A-G43 for £431, so you'd need to save a little more, but I think it's a better combination for you. Obviously if you want to go with Ivy, then the price'll go accordingly.

I agree with this.

Also, if you're happy playing games on an integrated graphics chip on a phenom, getting a graphics card is such a huge difference it'll blow your mind. Because of this, i think you'd be absolutely fine gaming on a 7770 or 6850/6870 as these are still gunna be a huge difference.

Lastly, looking at your specs, your RAM is 1.65 volt, which Ivybridge does not like at all. So if you do go for the 3570k, you will have to invest in some new RAM.

Your specs also say you have a 6850?

 

[thunderclap23]

yeah i sold my 6850 a while back to so i could study without as many distractions.

i am however sticking with the maximus as i'm buying that for the aesthetics.

as for the processer, the 3570k blows the 2500k out of the water in terms of graphics powers. also the lucid virtu mvp stuff will come in mighty handy when i pair it up with a lower end graphics card

 

[jamesriley94]

What case do you have?

If you have a full mid tower case, then I think M-ATX boards look stupid in there, and I'd much sooner have a full ATX. That's just me though

 

[thunderclap23]

i have the HAF 912 Plus. its perfect for the black and red theme, but i do agree with you, it may look rather funny.

 

[jamesriley94]

It's up to you then. If I was getting the board, I'd want a M-ATX case such as the NZXT Vulcan, but this is obviously just for aesthetics, no performance gains, but still

 

[thunderclap23]

i've checked the QVL on the asus maximus v gene product page and the ram i'm using is on that list so it should be fine

 

[jamesriley94]

It isnt about the compatibility with the motherboard. Ivybridge doesnt like RAM over 1.5v.

The maximus V gene supports Sandybridge as well which will work ok with 1.65v RAM and so that's why the RAM is on the QVL of the motherboard. For Ivybridge, Intel do not recommend using 1.65v RAM and if problems arise with the processor because of it, ie - the memory controller blowing, then they do not cover that under warranty.

I upgraded to the 3770k 2 days ago from AMD and had to change from Kingston HyperX to Mushkin because of this issue.