Help me upgrade

[Sleal]

With less than stellar performance in Metro 2033 and Battlefield 3 looming, I need some change.

Right now I have:
i5 760
ASUS P7P55DE LX (no crossfire/sli)
XFX 6870

I have a couple options...tell me which one makes more sense. Oh, and keep in mind that I want to spend ~$400 all said and done.

1. Sell my MB for peanuts and buy a 2xPCI-E 16 board and buy another 6870 for ~200 for some crossfire action.

2. Sell the 6870 and buy a 570 or 6970 (not sure if I can find an unlockable 6950 anymore)

3. Sell the MB and CPU for ~$225. Buy an i5 2500k and P67 MB for ~$400 and look for another 6870 in the near future.

Now...I don't need any more processing power as mine is more than enough for what I use it for. Iit'd be nice to have a Sandybridge setup mainly for the Xfire compatibility but in all honesty, I don't really need it. Also, does x8/x8 suffer a whole lot as compared to x16/x16?

Thanks for the input

 

[_dangtx_]

maybe one 6950?

for mobo and cpu,yup right now 2500k and mobo combo,ncix has weekly deals. but bd is closing in...

how about clocking both your cpu and gpu for now?

MSI Radeon HD 6970 Lightning 2 GB Review - Page 16/27 | techPowerUp

MSI Radeon HD 6970 Lightning 2 GB Review - Page 23/27 | techPowerUp

 

[Sleal]

I have my 760 at 3.0 under the H70 and my 8970 is pumped up a tad...at 940/1080

Is a 6950 really going to be enough? Wouldn't I be better off going to a Xfire friendly setup and ditching the 6870 for a couple 6950's closer to the BF3 release date?

 

[_dangtx_]

hmm..then wait or pick up a crazy deal on one 6950 and unlock it.

xfire is good, but at higher resolutions one stronger card could be a better idea.

 

[Bond007]

1. I wouldn't buy another 1156 MOB (unless you get a great deal).

2. Cards you listed are faster than a 6870, but its not going to be night and day. The only way you will see good gains is crossfire/SLI or go to a 6990/ 590. That said you could still do it...but I wouldn't.

3. 1155 does generally give you better gaming performance. x8/x8 is not a major problem for almost all graphics cards.


If I was you I would either find a good deal (hopefully used) on an 1156 MOB and grab another 6870 or upgrade to 1155 and do the same.

 

[rjbarker]

Upgrade your Mobo and Cpu / RAM....then GPU...honestly Metro 33 isn't meant to run well at all on a "budget" Rig...unless you turn down all the features!

 

[neojjjk]

you have a very good setup .In my opinion don't upgrade now.

 

[_dangtx_]

forgot this linkie here

PowerColor HD6950 1 GB: Alternative Arithmetic or

take a look at that chart there,but dont forget the system they used :

Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition processor (3.33 GHz, 6.4 GT/s QPI);

 

[Sleal]

I think what I'll do is look for a good price on an unlockable 6950 or a 6970 and upgrade now. In due time I'll swap out the mobo for the ability to add a second card.

What kind of problems would I have switching just the mobo? Is my boot going to wig out?

 

[_dangtx_]

ok.

possibly...worst move though

wait for bd. itll at least bring prices down a notch, hopefully where it counts.