Graphics card compatability/upgrading issue

[Tengiell]

Dear Forum

I'm currently considering upgrading my PC's graphics unit to either:

1)GeForce GTX 560 TI-1GB GDDR5-DVI-HDMI-ASUS DX11 TOP or
2)GeForce GTX 560-1GB GDDR5-DCII-HDMI-ASUS DX11 OC

The question is, whether my other hardware is compatible/sufficient for either of those above? The main goal is to get as much graphics value for the money (and most graphics possible when playing Napoleon/Shogun 2 TW) without having to upgrade my motherboard and CPU also. My current configuration is:

ASUS P5N32-E-PLUS SLI Series motherboard
Intel Core2Duo-E6600 2,40 GHz CPU
LC 550W PSU
(Antec 900 cabinet)
64-bit Windows 7 OS
7GB RAM

The store recommends I at least buy a 800W PSU, though different threads on various forums claim 550W will suffice. Regarding the motherboards, they are not sure. Should I upgrade the whole lot or just the graphics card - and maybe also the PSU?

Best regards
Tengiell

[seseorang]

I'd go for the ti version. It has more cores, and more power. If you decide to sell it on, you'd get more money back for it.

As the board is listed as SLI, it should be compatible

[sfade]

I think SLI would be a bit wasted though, it would likely choke pretty badly due to that processor.

Definitely the 560ti over plain 560, big difference.

[YahooElite]

a GTX560 is cross performance between a GTX460 and a 560Ti, cant say the performance between them is large, but either way you look at it your CPU is supremely lacking.

Those 2 games are as CPU dependent as they are GPU, if anything you may even lose performance.

[venomblade89]

Originally Posted by Tengiell

Dear Forum

I'm currently considering upgrading my PC's graphics unit to either:

1)GeForce GTX 560 TI-1GB GDDR5-DVI-HDMI-ASUS DX11 TOP or
2)GeForce GTX 560-1GB GDDR5-DCII-HDMI-ASUS DX11 OC

The question is, whether my other hardware is compatible/sufficient for either of those above? The main goal is to get as much graphics value for the money (and most graphics possible when playing Napoleon/Shogun 2 TW) without having to upgrade my motherboard and CPU also. My current configuration is:

ASUS P5N32-E-PLUS SLI Series motherboard
Intel Core2Duo-E6600 2,40 GHz CPU
LC 550W PSU
(Antec 900 cabinet)
64-bit Windows 7 OS
7GB RAM

The store recommends I at least buy a 800W PSU, though different threads on various forums claim 550W will suffice. Regarding the motherboards, they are not sure. Should I upgrade the whole lot or just the graphics card - and maybe also the PSU?

Best regards
Tengiell

Wow.....what a sad attempt at a cash grab. A quality 800w PSU could probably run 3 560 ti's....Assuming that LC psu is of quality, the amount of 550w is more than enough. Your current CPU would probably bottleneck either GPUs a bit, how much are you willing to spend? If you have a microcenter around you you could get a 2500k for $170, and could get the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 for $120, so for $290 which really isn't that much for the performance you're getting, you'd be quite set. But again, that's assuming you'd want to spend nearly that much. There are many alternatives.

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by Tengiell

The store recommends I at least buy a 800W PSU, though different threads on various forums claim 550W will suffice.

The store are just trying to sell you a new PSU.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4135/n...-250-market/16

That's less than 360W (at the wall) for an entire system while running Furmark on a GTX 560 Ti.

Having said that, you should take a picture of the label on your "LC 550" power supply (the one that specifies voltages and watts) and post it on a site like photobucket or flickr. We want to ensure the 12V capacity is enough.

[venomblade89]

Originally Posted by dosbox

The store are just trying to sell you a new PSU.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4135/n...-250-market/16

That's less than 360W (at the wall) for an entire system while running Furmark on a GTX 560 Ti.

Having said that, you should take a picture of the label on your "LC 550" power supply (the one that specifies voltages and watts) and post it on a site like photobucket or flickr. We want to ensure the 12V capacity is enough.

If this is the one it reports back a max of 24A. It doesn't specify multiple rails or not, but I"m sure if it had them it would've. So 288w out of the 12v rail? Could a PSU be so inefficient to only have nearly a little over half the advertised wattage? Sounds like these guys must be related to Diablotek.

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by venomblade89

If this is the one it reports back a max of 24A. It doesn't specify multiple rails or not, but I"m sure if it had them it would've. So 288w out of the 12v rail? Could a PSU be so inefficient to only have nearly a little over half the advertised wattage? Sounds like these guys must be related to Diablotek.

Good find. It's probably an older design, hence the rather large 5V rail (200W!) for an 550W PSU.

Tengiel - if you have the power supply linked by venomblade, you should look to buy a new one that has more 12V capacity and two 6-pin PCI-E connectors.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=2593625

Tell us which country you live in and someone can provide suggestions.

[Tengiell]

Thanks a lot for all the response. That's way more than I had hoped for...

I'm short of time, so I'll just briefly answer the last question regarding my residency and get back on the other inquiries in the near future; I live in Denmark...

[dosbox]

Originally Posted by Tengiell

Thanks a lot for all the response. That's way more than I had hoped for...

I'm short of time, so I'll just briefly answer the last question regarding my residency and get back on the other inquiries in the near future; I live in Denmark...

XFX Core 550 - has plenty of 12V capacity (44A) and two PCI-E connectors:

http://www.komplett.dk/k/ki.aspx?sku=657685

[Tengiell]

Thanks again.

On the backside my PSU says: '230V~/4A/50Hz', so I guess it's the one posted by venomblade89. What I make of your responses is, that I can stick to the PSU I have if I buy the GTX 560ti.

But then it becomes more blurry (no offense, I'm just really not an expert on this); it seems I should also upgrade my CPU, possibly to an Intel i7 (or at least an Intel i5 as posted) and a new motherboard (also posted)... and then possibly also a new PSU (SFX Core 550W PSU)?

Best regards
Tengiell