PC Upgrade Advice

[GodsPrototype]

I'm looking to buy a new GPU and CPU. Currently, I have a 6870 and a i7-870. I want to upgrade both, but i'm not sure if I should get Nvidia or ATI for my card, and what CPU to take with that GPU.

 

I have a 3 monitor setup, all 1920x1080. I can play in eyefinity in FSX and DCS, but the smoke etc. really slows it down. Usually I play on one screen, but even on one screen, the smoke slows it down a lot.

 

Any suggestion on what CPU and GPU to upgrade to? PS, I don't have lots of money. I will probably upgrade in the summer, and I will have around the 1000 euros to spend on an upgrade. Thank you.

[Sorin]

Your hardware is good enough and the smoke problem will be fixed probably in 1.2.4.

Have you overclocked the CPU?

 

But if you have the $$$ go for an i7 3770K and a GTX680.

[GodsPrototype]

Your hardware is good enough and the smoke problem will be fixed probably in 1.2.4.

Have you overclocked the CPU?

 

But if you have the $$$ go for an i7 3770K and a GTX680.

 

Ok. Why should I not get a i7 2700K. I heard that one is pretty good as well.

[Paganus]

I7-870 -> 2770K is a 1 generation jump.

 

I7-870 -> 3770K is a 2 generation jump.

 

Each generation is about a 7% - 13% increase depending on several variables.

 

In June the next generation hits which will cause a price drop on the previous generations.

 

My advice is dont consider a CPU upgrade until then. It's only 2 months and you have pretty good hardware already.

 

If you want to go with the 4770K when it hits you will want a new main board anyway. Otherwise you can jump to the 3770K at a lower price.

 

Who knows where the video card market will be by then. It changes so fast. I've always been an Nvidia user myself but I'm making the switch next time I upgrade.

[Sorin]

i7 2700K is good as well but requires a new motherboard.

i7 870 has a LGA1156 socket while the 2700K has LGA1155.

 

I have a very old Intel Q9450 overclocked at 3.9 GHz and it works for me. Your 870 is faster than mine if you overclock it.

Probably I will upgrade at the end of the year when Intel will release the next generation i7.

 

What I am saying is "upgrade seldom, but go big".

[Sorin]

Otherwise you can jump to the 3770K at a lower price.

 

i7 3770K will not work with his current motherboard because it requires FCLGA1155 socket.

[GodsPrototype]

I7-870 -> 2770K is a 1 generation jump.

 

I7-870 -> 3770K is a 2 generation jump.

 

Each generation is about a 7% - 13% increase depending on several variables.

 

In June the next generation hits which will cause a price drop on the previous generations.

 

My advice is dont consider a CPU upgrade until then. It's only 2 months and you have pretty good hardware already.

 

If you want to go with the 4770K when it hits you will want a new main board anyway. Otherwise you can jump to the 3770K at a lower price.

 

Who knows where the video card market will be by then. It changes so fast. I've always been an Nvidia user myself but I'm making the switch next time I upgrade.

 

One of the reasons I am upgrading in the summer is because the new Haswell CPU's. Plus, the 8000 HD series of ATI is coming. I am not saying I will get those, but like you mentioned, the price of previous gens will drop. That's what I am aiming for. I also heard recently that the GTX 700 series is just around the corner.

 

I have considered getting the i7-3770K and the Sapphire 7950 OC 3gb. However, now I am also considering getting Nvidia. I am very interested in getting the GTX 680 now, because I have heard so many positive things about it. I just prefer ATI myself because, from what I've heard (from LinusTechTips) is that multimonitor support is better with ATI GPU's because they've had more experience with their eyefinity.

 

I am almost certain I will get a i7-3770K, but I am still uncertain about what GPU to get. Here's the deal, I do play FSX once in a while, but only for carrier ops in the F/A-18. And now that the F/A-18C by ED is going to be released, I will probably not even use FSX anymore. I am mentioning this because Nvidia has much better support and performance in FSX than ATI.

 

Someone, persuade me! Tell me what GPU you would get in my situation. Thank you!

[jctrnacty]

well i had the same dilemma as you,finally i bought msi Z77 m power(best mobo i ve ever had) and 3570K i5 - better for overclocking than 3770, GPu is 7950 gigabyte (again great choice , low temperatures, 1GHz) i am running 4,5 GHz on air, and no problem.

[GodsPrototype]

well i had the same dilemma as you,finally i bought msi Z77 m power(best mobo i ve ever had) and 3570K i5 - better for overclocking than 3770, GPu is 7950 gigabyte (again great choice , low temperatures, 1GHz) i am running 4,5 GHz on air, and no problem.

 

I don't overclock. I tried overclocking my CPU, even a little bit, from 2.93 Ghz to 3.1 Ghz, and my computer crashed each time. And I have a pretty good fan, a CM Hyper 412S. Maybe it's my motherboard, cause it isn't a overclock motherboard. The only part I was able to overclock successfully was my GPU, but I hardly noticed a performance increase. I will stay at the standard clock.

[sobek]

I don't overclock. I tried overclocking my CPU, even a little bit, from 2.93 Ghz to 3.1 Ghz, and my computer crashed each time. And I have a pretty good fan, a CM Hyper 412S. Maybe it's my motherboard, cause it isn't a overclock motherboard. The only part I was able to overclock successfully was my GPU, but I hardly noticed a performance increase. I will stay at the standard clock.

 

Erm, just to be sure, did you try to adjust the B-Clock? If so then that is the reason why your computer crashed. Nowadays you overclock by adjusting the multiplier of a component, not the B-Clock that drives *everything*.

[Cedaway]

An overclock guide if necessary.

I deny any responsibility if you burn your rig ;)

[GodsPrototype]

An overclock guide if necessary.

I deny any responsibility if you burn your rig ;)

 

Yeah it was a while ago when I tried, and I read multiple guides. Unfortunately, I couldn't overclock it the slightest bit. And all I had was a multiplier

[EtherealN]

Erm, just to be sure, did you try to adjust the B-Clock? If so then that is the reason why your computer crashed. Nowadays you overclock by adjusting the multiplier of a component, not the B-Clock that drives *everything*.

 

First-gen i7's are an exception here though, they still used the "old" bClk method. However, adjusting RAM multiplier (or unlinking it) was still necessary to avoid "fun" things happening.

 

Instability at such modest overclocks is most likely down to either the CPU itself being semi-broken (every single CPU will have different performance due to imperfections in the manufacturing process), but given the smallness of that overclock it really ought to be either incorrect configuration for the overclock, or that the motherboard itself is not up for it.

[GodsPrototype]

Your hardware is good enough and the smoke problem will be fixed probably in 1.2.4.

 

I just noticed what you actually said there. Are you saying that the lagging when smoke is in your vision, is a bug or a problem? I thought that it was just very heavy on the computer, so I needed to upgrade. Could you please clarify?

[Sorin]

I just noticed what you actually said there. Are you saying that the lagging when smoke is in your vision, is a bug or a problem? I thought that it was just very heavy on the computer, so I needed to upgrade. Could you please clarify?

 

The "smoke bug" is acknowledged and ED will probably fix it in 1.2.4.

Try some searches in the forum for more information.

[Paganus]

From the DCS 1.2.4 Preliminary Change Log

 

Adjusted framerate impact of smoke from burning aircraft.

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=104326

[sobek]

First-gen i7's are an exception here though, they still used the "old" bClk method. However, adjusting RAM multiplier (or unlinking it) was still necessary to avoid "fun" things happening.

 

You're right, i forgot that was introduced with sandy bridge.