Is it worth upgrading my GPU - opinions sought

el_tel

el_tel
When I got my PC, I deliberately didn't spec a top-end GPU, knowing I could get a better one later. That was 18 months ago. It's served me well, but I'm now wondering whether it's time to upgrade the GPU to something better (GTX9xx series?). Currently I have this:

i7 4770K (overclocked to 4.7Ghz with water-cooling)
32Gb Ram
GTX 660
256Mb SSD Primary
2 x 2Tb HD secondary (RAID for data redundancy)
ASUS Z87 Pro MB
850TX PSU
OR DK2

I use the PC for work too (running VMs) which is why it has the maximum RAM. I'm wondering though, could I realistically expect enough increase in performance to justify a GTX 9xx upgrade, and if so, would SLI be worth it (bearing in mind that I use a Rift).

I also wonder if anyone knows of alternate software that would enable me to measure the wattage being used (not measuring at the socket). According to the ASUS utility, I'm already close to the limit, which seems a bit odd for an 850w PSU.

I play E:D solely with the Rift (a monitor just doesn't cut it after using the Rift), and I will most likely be getting a CV1 whenever it's released too.
 

Spam

Spam
Best thing is to try it and see.

Personally I have just unwrapped my new GTX970, the first of 2, to replace my GTX760.
I did get the 760 mostly workable but needed more clarity to be able to play full time in the rift.

If you can maintain 75fps with image quality to your liking then cool, if you get drops (even a few fps) it can make the rift experience very poor.

As for measuring current system power draw I'm also interested to see what tools are suggested, none from me I'm afraid.



Edited out my poor typoing skills.
 
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Jericho

Jericho
el_tel said:
When I got my PC, I deliberately didn't spec a top-end GPU, knowing I could get a better one later. That was 18 months ago. It's served me well, but I'm now wondering whether it's time to upgrade the GPU to something better (GTX9xx series?). Currently I have this:

i7 4770K (overclocked to 4.7Ghz with water-cooling)
32Gb Ram
GTX 660
256Mb SSD Primary
2 x 2Tb HD secondary (RAID for data redundancy)
ASUS Z87 Pro MB
850TX PSU
OR DK2

I use the PC for work too (running VMs) which is why it has the maximum RAM. I'm wondering though, could I realistically expect enough increase in performance to justify a GTX 9xx upgrade, and if so, would SLI be worth it (bearing in mind that I use a Rift).

I also wonder if anyone knows of alternate software that would enable me to measure the wattage being used (not measuring at the socket). According to the ASUS utility, I'm already close to the limit, which seems a bit odd for an 850w PSU.

I play E:D solely with the Rift (a monitor just doesn't cut it after using the Rift), and I will most likely be getting a CV1 whenever it's released too.
Click to expand...

I suggest you upgrade.
.
Your rig is a good one, but your GPU is your bottleneck right now. (also your Power Supply)
I have a 970 and Elite runs pretty nicely (occasionally a build will be less efficient, but its always been playable on Max settings, AA off, shadows low, reflections low).
.
My own personal plan is to eventually add a second 970 once we learn the requirements for CV1 and how they will take advantage of SLI. (Hopefully we'll learn this with the DK2, because I still believe that CV1 is a year away)
.
I think you may want to invest the additional $150 USD and upgrade your power supply too.
When I was upgrading my PC I used this site to estimate my power requirements:
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine
With twin 970s running in SLI I will eventually be at just over 750W. I like 20% overhead on stuff if its easy to attain so I went 1kW.
Since upgrading to a 1kW (from a 750) my PC runs much quieter and cooler.
 
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Crell

Crell
I just went from an crossfire 7800 setup to a single 980 and it's much better. Superscaling makes the image that little bit sharper and it's improved the immersion for me considerably.
 

euclydian

E
The advice above about upgrading your PSU is madness btw, yours is absolutely fine. More than enough. But yes your CPU and your GPU are not particularly balanced and a GPU upgrade would serve you well.
 

NoiseCrime

NoiseCrime
Checking out your GTX660 on PassMark its relative score compared to the GTX970 is 4116 to 8665, so half as 'good/powerful'. Obviously its difficult to know exactly what the differences are from a single benchmark value, but I went from a GTX465 (score of 2942) to a GTX970 and its made a huge difference to gaming across the board ( above 60 fps at 2560x1440 high/ultra settings on games i was struggling to run at 1600x900 medium settings before). So yeah your 660 is definitely holding you back.

Personally if Elite and DK2 is important to you I would go for a GTX970 now, but hold off on SLI if you plan on getting a CV1. If rumors are true the CV1 is going to be 2560x1440 @ 90Hz which equates to roughly double the amount of pixels being rendered per a second on the DK2 (1920x1080 @ 75Hz) and thats before adding on supersampling or similar technology. If true then I suspect SLI 970 and maybe even SLI 980 might struggle if not on Elite then certainly any graphically intensive games that will come out afterwards. Perhaps nvidia's VR Direct mode might solve some performance issues, but I'd still say its a bit of a gamble to go SLI at the moment, and is why i've decided to hold off until the cv1 is actually released.

With regards to your PSU I wouldn't be as sure to its capabilities especially if going sli as others have been. If its already 18 months old then it will have some wear and tear already and I would think it might be borderline. It may be worth checking though since from memory both 970 and 980 generation have made great strides in reducing power consumption over earlier generations, so it should be fine for a single 970 or 980 and you might just squeeze in sli.
 
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el_tel

el_tel
Thanks for the advice guys (and gals?)

I was a bit confused by the advice to upgrade the PSU, as over-specifying what I needed was a decision I made when I originally purchased the PC (at the time, I was thinking of eventually adding a 2nd GTX660 at some point).

Looking on Wikipedia, a GTX660 uses between 130W and 150W, a GTX970 - 145W, and a GTX980 - 165W. I know that these are just guideline figure, and will vary with manufacturer, but thinking of the ultimate setup, 2 x GTX980s in SLI would need 330W, which is approx 190W more than the 140W my GTX660 needs. I doubt I'll be going for that setup (not enough bang per buck, and outside my budget anyway). This is why I was interested in a utility that could measure the wattage ATM, so I could see how much spare capacity I have (don't trust the ASUS app, as it's telling me I'm close the the max already.
 

Aleksej

Aleksej
el_tel said:
Thanks for the advice guys (and gals?)

I was a bit confused by the advice to upgrade the PSU, as over-specifying what I needed was a decision I made when I originally purchased the PC (at the time, I was thinking of eventually adding a 2nd GTX660 at some point).

Looking on Wikipedia, a GTX660 uses between 130W and 150W, a GTX970 - 145W, and a GTX980 - 165W. I know that these are just guideline figure, and will vary with manufacturer, but thinking of the ultimate setup, 2 x GTX980s in SLI would need 330W, which is approx 190W more than the 140W my GTX660 needs. I doubt I'll be going for that setup (not enough bang per buck, and outside my budget anyway). This is why I was interested in a utility that could measure the wattage ATM, so I could see how much spare capacity I have (don't trust the ASUS app, as it's telling me I'm close the the max already.
Click to expand...

My Be Quite Dark Power PRO 850W 80+ Gold is capable of providing enough power for i7 2600k OC, GTX TITAN SLI OC and 2 water-cooling loops.
 
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