Best value graphics card for my current PC setup

DarraghR

Hi guys. I am looking for some advice and guidance for upgrading my PC graphics card. It would be nice to have something that is future proofed as I may go the 1440p and 100hz+ at some stage but that wont be happening for about a year or two.


Below is my current setup:

HP ENVY 700-311na
Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz (max turbo boost - 4.0 GHz)
Motherboard: MS-7826 (Kaili)
16GB DDR3 RAM
2GB AMD Radeon R9 270 (Max 60hz refresh rate)
3TB HDD

24" AOC Monitor - G2460VQ6
HDMI & Display Port Input
1920x1080@75Hz
1ms response rate

So currently I can run games at Medium and High settings. Some older games on ultra. It would be nice to get High and Ultra on games like Battlefield 1 and DOOM plus with 75hz fps.

Screen tearing is a bit of an issue at times so having a AOC monitor with FreeSync should I stick with AMD graphics card or maybe consider another monitor as well as a new graphics card?

Budget wise I am looking to spend maximum 400 euro

Skerries

you can get a Nvidia GTX 1070 starting at the €400 mark which would do 1440 and 4k

http://www.mindfactory.de/search_result.php/search_query/1070/page/2

Venom

The 1070 as suggested above is an absolute monster of a card at 1440P and at 1080 is just godly with everything maxed out. For what its worth I'm much happier with Nvidia now I'v made the jump from a 280 to 1070 than I was with AMD for my previous two GPU's and am delighted with the results but seeing as you have a Freesync monitor maybe try a RX 480 or two.

Zillah

1070 gives me 144fps 1080p on Overwatch on almost everything ultra. If that's anything to go by. Also I don't see the necessity of a freesync monitor: set the fps max to the refresh rate and you're good.

DarraghR

So if I was to go with a 1070 the MSI version looks the best but is it worth the extra cash. They are coming in at €500 which is a bit out of my budget

Gehad_JoyRider

what games are you playing?

DarraghR

Gehad_JoyRider wrote: »

what games are you playing?

DOOM runs between 40 - 70 fps on medium settings
Alien Isolation 60 fps on Ultra
Tomb Raider 60fps+ on High

Playing a good bit of Battlefield 1

Venom

DarraghR wrote: »

So if I was to go with a 1070 the MSI version looks the best but is it worth the extra cash. They are coming in at €500 which is a bit out of my budget

I went with the MSI Gaming X due to previous good experience with the brand. The cooler is an absolute beast, insanely quite under full load and has scored well in reviews from critics and the general public alike but you are paying extra for its quality. There are other really good 1070's out there but some have really funky color schemes.

DarraghR

Ok so based on the length of time that it will take me to afford a 1440p monitor and graphics card that can handle that resolution above 60 fps I have decided to go with the RX 480 4GB. The 8GB seems like a waste of money. Now to decide where to buy it and what manufacturer.

Can someone please tell me how to find out the exact model and series of my current graphics card. I have tried so many different ways but only know that it is a 200 series ....

When it comes to installing a new graphics card what do I need to be careful about? I know size would be one but what about connections etc.

ElNino

If you go in to device manager and look under display adapter you should be able to see your exact model number.

The connections will be the same as your old card so nothing to worry about.

DarraghR

I cant see the model anywhere :P

Shlippery

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sapphire-radeon-rx-480-nitro-4096mb-gddr5-pci-express-rgb-graphics-card-gx-37d-sp.html

I got this 480 and paid a tenner more for it at the time and it was a brilliant upgrade, cruises through BF1 and any other games I've thrown at it!

Would definitely recommend it!

DarraghR

From a lot of the benchmarks I have seen it looks like the 480 is the best choice for me. The 1060 does slightly better performance wise but not enough to justify the extra money. Plus I already have a Freesync monitor.

I am starting to consider getting the RX 480 8GB version now. For an extra 50 euro it might be worth it as future games may use a lot more VRAM. I also do some graphic design work with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

TerrorFirmer

ElNino wrote: »

The connections will be the same as your old card so nothing to worry about.

Actually in this case they are different, the RX470 and 480's are 1xHDMI and 3xDisplay Port usually, no DVI ports available so may affect existing monitors or multi-monitor setups (some monitors would be just DVI/VGA, while other setups would have one connected via DVI and another via HDMI).

DarraghR

I have a very old Dell monitor that is sometimes used as a second display but I could just use a HDMI to VGA adapter or Display Port to VGA

DarraghR

By pure luck I found my graphics card model in Display Adapter Properties :P

DarraghR

Still cant decide on if I should get the 480 4GB or 8GB. I know it would benefit a few games out at the moment but would it be worth it future proof wise? I also do some graphic design work through Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

wotzgoingon

DarraghR wrote: »

Still cant decide on if I should get the 480 4GB or 8GB. I know it would benefit a few games out at the moment but would it be worth it future proof wise? I also do some graphic design work through Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

You may as well go for the 8GB so.

DarraghR

Can someone please tell me the differences between these two Sapphire Rx 480 8GB models. Ordering off this site tonight so want to make sure I get the right one. Very little price difference.

http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=MMEM311314 - €297.02

http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=MMEM311309 - €306.87

Only difference I can notice is one is Core Clock 1342 MHz Vs. 1208 MHz

Might there be a better version out there for €300? What does the NITRO+rever to?

xtal191

Would you not order from Overclockers? They have good prices for the 480s

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-components/graphics-cards/amd/radeon-rx-480

DarraghR

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sapphire-radeon-rx-480-8192mb-gddr5-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-379-sp.html

Thats 270 with delivery which isnt bad. But what about the version of that one? 30 extra with Elara gets you a faster speed by the looks.

xtal191

The Asus is also slightly cheaper on amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-Polaris-FreeSync-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B01J1J7SKK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1485477764&sr=8-5&keywords=8gb+480

dreamers75

You are not going to notice "speeds" in the same card.

Go with the one that suits your budget they both get the same driver updates.

http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/8GB-PowerColor-Radeon-RX-480-Red-Devil-Aktiv-PCIe-3-0-x16--Retail-_1114628.html

DarraghR

Hmmm ok so I am a bit worried about the measurement of the card

Dimensions (WxDxH) 4.1 cm x 24 cm x 12 cm

The height is the most concerning...









Is the RX 480 8GB really that chunky?

Here is my setup - http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04343334

dreamers75

Hacksaw or new case?

Also your power supply is rated to power a 480?

TerrorFirmer

If it supports an R9 270 the RX480 will be fine from a power point of view. Measurements wise, we can't answer that, you just have to measure all dimensions in the case and compare them with the cards you're looking at. The R9 270 is a decent size card though so you will get an RX480 to fit, but not all of them will fit.

There are also mini models of the GTX 1060 6GB if you're really paranoid for the same money, they will definitely fit as they're very small.

dreamers75

http://www.pcgamer.com/get-an-8gb-radeon-rx-480-for-the-price-of-a-4gb-card/

Decent price.

DarraghR

I saw that price on Amazon but its sold out and apparently there are added costs that drive the overall price up a good bit

My power supply is 500w. Its just a standard stock HP one

DarraghR

Trying to find out if my computer has a 8 pin PCI Express power connector or would it be standard. I know my r9 270 uses a 6 pin

dreamers75

DarraghR wrote: »

Trying to find out if my computer has a 8 pin PCI Express power connector or would it be standard. I know my r9 270 uses a 6 pin

Its usually an 8pin with the 2 seperate so it can be 6 or 8.

TerrorFirmer

I think the R9 270 uses 2x6pin. Worst case scenario get a dual six pin to eight pin adaptor, though one of the connectors on the HP one is likely to be the 6+2 mentioned above.

DarraghR

Ah think I found them

wotzgoingon

Yes that is them alright.

DarraghR

So I got my card setup last night and ran into a problem. When I run games at ultra settings the whole PC powers off and restarts. My card is the overclocked version so could this be down to my power supply even though its 500 watts? I will use AMD CleanUninstall Utility and see how that goes.

Hopefully the new drivers will resolve it but if it is my power supply what program would people recommend to underclock? MSI after burner?

dreamers75

DarraghR wrote: »

So I got my card setup last night and ran into a problem. When I run games at ultra settings the whole PC powers off and restarts. My card is the overclocked version so could this be down to my power supply even though its 500 watts? I will use AMD CleanUninstall Utility and see how that goes.

Hopefully the new drivers will resolve it but if it is my power supply what program would people recommend to underclock? MSI after burner?

Most likely your PSU cant support the extra power draw. If its a HP model it may only have enough power to cover the parts that came with it.

Check out the software end 1st.

DarraghR

Uninstalling all AMD and Radeon related software only made it worse. Will refit the card in case a cable is not correctly connected

TerrorFirmer

The RX480 draws less power than the 270X generally so it seems unlikely, unless the PSU isn't stable on a single 8pin or something (the 270X uses 2x6).

What model RX480 did you get? Is it a single 8 pin?

DarraghR

I got the Sapphire RX 480 8GB Nitro. My desktop power supply has a 6 and a 2

http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=MMEM311309

Tried to run Dead Space 2 which is an old game. It crashes on the start screen. Removed a mounting bracket to see if more breathing room would help. Also managed the cables better by cutting a cable tie.

TerrorFirmer

What are CPU and GPU temps when these are happening? Use something like MSI afterburner to monitor temps.

Also check if there's a bios update for your PC.

DarraghR

http://support.hp.com/ie-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-envy-700-300-desktop-pc-series/6886619/model/7233335#Z7_3054ICK0K8UDA0AQC11TA930O2

I cannot find any BIOS download on the HP website. My version is from 12/09/2014 but if I cant find a update on HP's site does this mean it is up to date?

Moon54

DarraghR wrote: »

I cannot find any BIOS download on the HP website. My version is from 12/09/2014 but if I cant find a update on HP's site does this mean it is up to date?

There's one there dated Aug 3, 2015. Change the OS version to show Windows 8.1 drivers and then you'll see a BIOS section.

Check the Temperature when gaming. I use MSI Afterburner but it takes a bit of configuring to show exactly what you want on-screen.
Maybe run GPU-Z - https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-gpu-z/
Check the sensors tab occasionally while gaming to see temps, load etc.

DarraghR

I installed it but there appeared to be no change to my version. What about using third party software to remove drivers? I hear that uninstalling does not always remove everything

SickBoy

DarraghR wrote: »

I installed it but there appeared to be no change to my version. What about using third party software to remove drivers? I hear that uninstalling does not always remove everything

Try DDU

DarraghR

Is it possible that the graphics card is touching off a transistor or component on the mother board. Was a pretty tight fit

wotzgoingon

Is there on-board graphics? Disconnect the graphics card and just run a game to see if the computer is acting up. Like you said you may have hit a component. Run the game for at least 10 mins. Then if everything is fine reconnect the RX 480 and test again.

DarraghR

Put my old GPU back in and ran Dead Space 2 and DOOM. No problems what so ever

wotzgoingon

Do you know anyone else with a gaming PC? Just to try your new RX 480 in there. What stands out to me is either the power supply is not great supplying a single eight pin or else your new card is faulty.

Where are you based if you do not know anybody with a gaming PC maybe you live nearby someone on boards who will try the RX 480 on their system.

dreamers75

As mentioned its most likely going to be the power supply.

lmimmfn

- run MSI Afterburner to monitor the temps
- at the same time run coretemp

As benchmarks use something like FutureMark's 3DMark Firestrike demo - it will tax gpu and cpu, if that passes and temps look good its most likely a driver issue. If not, thats a different discussion.

TerrorFirmer

I posted this in the other thread, you should really try to keep them all in one place as it's confusing for people...I think you have about 5 different threads now about this PC/card upgrade!

Most OEM units do deliver on what they promise as they're typically only included in higher end units that are initially sold as 'gaming PCs' versus your average home PC which only come with 200-250w supplies.

The card he replaced was an R9 270 which actually draws similar power to the RX480 - not ruling out the power supply but the whole system under load still shouldn't be drawing more than about 300-350w ballpark and that supply should be up to the job no problem. HP also used these 500w supplies in systems running HD7950's and GTX670 class cards which are actually more power hungry than RX480 or GTX1060 cards.

The other issue is one of three potential problems:

1) RX cards do have issues with some older motherboards, though yours is pretty recent so it should be fine.

2) HP themselves sometimes (not in all models) tend to lock down card support in the bios, therefore any card released after the last bios may work patchily or not work at all. I've encountered this infuriating situation in many older HP machines, but for some reason always the 'home' type - never the Elite range (which tends to be all the gaming models), or the workstations either.

3) The PSU for some reason is having issues supplying enough power on a single 8-pin. You could try a dual 6-pin to single 8-pin adaptor and see if this helps.

In one machine all GTX6 cards inc the GTX690 worked fine but a GTX750Ti and GTX760 would not even boot, and of course there were no new bios' released after about 2013 for the machine in question.

Also, is there an option in your bios to manually select PCI Express revision/compatibility? There should be a list like "Auto", "Gen 1", and "Gen 2" - try manually selecting Gen 2 or Gen 1 at a time and see if either help, this worked for me on an older board with an RX470 by using "Gen 2".

Also where do you live? If you're near one of us we could have it tested and sorted in an hour either way, whatever the problem is.

DarraghR

Sorry your right :P Mod can lock this thread now please

For anyone that wants to help :P here is a link to the main thread - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057700677