Possible gpu upgrade.

[Runebeard]

Hey guys, I currently run 2 GTX275's in SLi (basically a GTX295 if you will) which I got for bargain prices on eBay.

After the GTX580 proved to be a lot better than a 295 and the uni decided to give me a small bursary to "help with the cost of tuition fees", being the financially responsible student I am, I thought it might be a good oppurtunity to upgrade.

Then came the GTX560 to throw a spanner in the works. It's half the price and still performs brilliantly. It's also smaller and less power hungry. I am yet to find any kind of data on how a 560 stands up to a 295 performance-wise, though undoubtedly the heat and power-saving benefits are obvious.

One of my friends suggested I may as well wait until the next generation of cards come out, though I don't really like that opinion as without some good reason as that'll be at least 10 months down the line and I might not have the spare cash then.

Hence, I'm now undecided on what to do. I realistically have 3 options:

1) Go all out. Get the 580 and spend a lot of money in the process though get MAHOOSIVE gains in performance, and a cooler, less power-hungry rig overall.

2) Conservative upgrade. Spend half the amount of money getting the "bat-s*** crazy" (thanks TTL) 560 with a much cooler, less power-hungry rig overall, with money left over to keep the girlfriend happy for at least a few more days

3) Leave it be. Do nothing. It'll cope until the next generation of cards come out next year, even if it does make my rig a little hotter and louder than I'd like.

Any help would be awesome guys, as I'm indecisive on the best of days.

Cheers,

Rune

 

[JezEngland]

I depend it on how long you've got to do your Uni course and living costs. Alot of DX 10 games look V good and DX 11 is sometimes not the priority. The 3D Mark 11, Unigine Heaven and Stone Giant quality DX 11 bench's aren't in todays games. I don't have an answer. Waiting for the next gen will be a good surprise, hopefuly we'll be playing in a 3D Mark 11 style world by then and you'll need the latest greatest GPU for it. Maby if you can keep up with tech get the 580, ofc don't restrict your lifes ambitions for it. Skipping the 560 would leave £200 for a next gen CPU. I think the 560 may be a bit slower than the 295 though it will make games look prettier, but if it's stuttering you wont like it. Depending on your lifestyle waiting could be winning. Crysis 2 is the factor I think, if you wana play with its high settings the 580 is needed and it'll look much better than the console version with the 295. Its engine (Cryengine 3) is the most optimised engine today and renders fully in real-time. Maby it'll have a DX 10 mode

I consider that DX 11 features being heavily used in todays games is rareish. The Witcher 2 (releases this year) has good geometry.

well if that helps all the better

 

[Johannespaul]

Unless you are doing any 3D stuff then the GTX 580 is a little overkill for your monitor. I would say unless you are playing a game like Metro 2033, the GTX 570 or the GTX 560 will suite you fine.

 

[Johannespaul]

I also forgot to add that a DX11 card can to get up to a 30% performance boost over the DX9 and DX10 modes of games when running in DX11 mode like in Civ V, WoW, and BFBC2 (these games use DX11 to boost performance not make everything look better).

 

[Runebeard]

Well, I graduate in the summer, but am hoping to do a PGCE next year. If I get accepted however, it'll be back in somerset so I can live at home with my folks and I get a teacher training bursary so living costs wont be a massive hassle.

As for gaming and stuff, I have just acquired a 3D vision kit which I'll be trying out after the weekend and I do like to play the latest games, though I'm not against turning down certain less necessary settings to achieve a smooth frame rate.

I just wanted other peoples' opinions as I'm in two minds over what to do. It seems like it would be beneficial even if I just went for the 560 to get a cooler and much quieter pc. Forgot to mention in 1st post as well, that I'll be able to recoup a chunk of the costs by selling my 275's. They tend to go for around £75+ on eBay second hand.

 

[JezEngland]

580's will suit your rig well

 

[hmmblah]

Go all out, balls to the walls!

 

[bbcake009]

1% I use my rig for gaming and the other 99% I just use it to watch PORN so my priority is the crispness of my porn movies ... I have a 470gtx overclock now if I add a Physics card like the GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 128 processor is it going to better my porn? Like whenever they come in the movies, maybe w/ physics they will come a lot bigger more realistic well I'm sure you people know what I am implying .....

 

[Runebeard]

Did you just hijack my thread for porn-improvement purposes??? That's not cricket!

I was hoping that this might help me choose what to do with my graphics set up - didn't want to know what you get up to in your spare time!!!

But in answer to your question, no, I doubt a physx card will improve your "viewing experience" any more.

 

[killablade]

I'd go all out so you won't have to upgrade for a long time

 

[Bungral]

All options are good really just depends on the monies you wanna spend as you've already said... I you have your eye on something else for £200 then get the 560... If not you could just splash out for the 580.... Failing that you could get the middle of the road and get a 570.

Obviously clocking the nuts off whichever you went for.