I've seen the light - I need a new video card

[Kruciallol]

My little EVGA 560ti can't handle all the texture mods I throw at it, and I don't want to play in an ugly Skryim when I've seen how nice it can be. I don't want to buy a card, so I'm looking to spend no more than $250~. I need something that'll take the couple hundred mods, plus the ENB, on Ultra.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-2GB-WINDFORCE-GV-N760OC-2GD-REV2-0/dp/B00DGM8B6O/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1393752742&sr=1-1&keywords=GIGABYTE+GV-N760OC-2GD

 

OR

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHW4HXY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1HJRUKG6DXRJW&coliid=I379OAF9H3N6L3

 

Or something else?

 

 

My current specs are

 

MSI Z87-G45 Gaming

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693

 

i7-4770 Quad-Core

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116900

 

The aforementioned 560ti as my video card

 

Ripjaws

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

 

 

 

Any help is appreciated.

[Rennn]

I'm not totally certain an overclocked GTX 760 will handle a heavy ENB. It'll be fine for ultra settings and texture mods at 60 fps, but ENB will still bring it down if you get a performance intensive one...

But a GTX 760 really is the best card for $250 or less at the moment, so I don't think you'll find anything better.

[Kruciallol]

I'm not totally certain an overclocked GTX 760 will handle a heavy ENB. It'll be fine for ultra settings and texture mods at 60 fps, but ENB will still bring it down if you get a performance intensive one...

But a GTX 760 really is the best card for $250 or less at the moment, so I don't think you'll find anything better.

 

What card would be your next suggestion, if I was to raise my limit? I just want to compare.

 

And of the two cards I linked, you're suggesting the EVGA?

[Rennn]

 

I'm not totally certain an overclocked GTX 760 will handle a heavy ENB. It'll be fine for ultra settings and texture mods at 60 fps, but ENB will still bring it down if you get a performance intensive one...

But a GTX 760 really is the best card for $250 or less at the moment, so I don't think you'll find anything better.

 

What card would be your next suggestion, if I was to raise my limit? I just want to compare.

 

And of the two cards I linked, you're suggesting the EVGA?

 

 

Either the EVGA or the Gigabyte will work, they're almost identical in specs. Benchmarks show the EVGA version runs just a tiny bit higher framerates in games and takes less space in the case, while the Gigabyte version runs a bit cooler. The differences are so small, however, it mostly depends on which one you think looks better. Both brands are considered very reliable and cost-efficient.

 

If you were to increase the amount of money available, the clear choice would be a GTX 770. The MSI GTX 770 Lightning is the fastest and runs with the least heat, but they're almost impossible to find new anymore. The next best choice is the Gigabyte GTX 770 OC for $330. A 770 should handle just about anything you throw at it. http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-2GB-WINDFORCE-Graphics-GV-N770OC-2GD/dp/B00D3ES1Q0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393802684&sr=8-2&keywords=gigabyte+gtx+770

Edited March 2, 2014 by Rennn

[Kruciallol]

Okay, thanks a ton for your help Rennn.

 

Edit: Card purchased.

Edited March 3, 2014 by booger43

[Rennn]

Out of curiosity, which card?

[Kruciallol]

The Gig 770. I figured that I had to look at it as an investment, considering my 560 has lasted me a good 3 years, so I went with the more expensive option.

[FMod]

My little EVGA 560ti can't handle all the texture mods I throw at it, and I don't want to play in an ugly Skryim when I've seen how nice it can be. I don't want to buy a card, so I'm looking to spend no more than $250~. I need something that'll take the couple hundred mods, plus the ENB, on Ultra.

If a 560Ti can't handle it, your first thought should be "Is it really the GPU, or have I thrown too much crap on my game for any PC to handle?"

 

90% or so of the load from the mods is on the CPU. This is not an exaggeration. It's as fair an estimate as I can get.

 

You shouldn't normally have more than 5-10 major mods and 10-100 smaller ones, so if you've piled up everything you found on the net and marginally liked the idea of - you're going to get problems.

 

And a new GPU won't solve them. I personally consider a reasonable threshold for GPU upgrade to be 2x performance, since it amounts to +50% performance in practice tops.

 

Look through your mod order and think about what you can clean up. Since in CPU-bound parts, which are most parts of the game, a new GPU isn't a solution anyway.

[JimboUK]

 

My little EVGA 560ti can't handle all the texture mods I throw at it, and I don't want to play in an ugly Skryim when I've seen how nice it can be. I don't want to buy a card, so I'm looking to spend no more than $250~. I need something that'll take the couple hundred mods, plus the ENB, on Ultra.

If a 560Ti can't handle it, your first thought should be "Is it really the GPU, or have I thrown too much crap on my game for any PC to handle?"

 

90% or so of the load from the mods is on the CPU. This is not an exaggeration. It's as fair an estimate as I can get.

 

You shouldn't normally have more than 5-10 major mods and 10-100 smaller ones, so if you've piled up everything you found on the net and marginally liked the idea of - you're going to get problems.

 

And a new GPU won't solve them. I personally consider a reasonable threshold for GPU upgrade to be 2x performance, since it amounts to +50% performance in practice tops.

 

Look through your mod order and think about what you can clean up. Since in CPU-bound parts, which are most parts of the game, a new GPU isn't a solution anyway.

 

 

^^^ This, Gamebryo is horribly CPU heavy, it's getting better but the CPU tends to be where the problems occur. Try and lose and script heavy mods you don't really need.

[Rennn]

I think you're overestimating the strength of a 560 TI. My brother has a 560 SC, and his framerate only stays near 60 as long as the shadows are on high rather than ultra. Turning the shadows to ultra knocks the framerate down to 40-45.

Could the CPU be an issue? It's always a possibility, but they don't get much stronger than an i7-4770, and a 1GB GTX 560 TI certainly won't handle HD textures or graphics mods very well either. His CPU is already much stronger than the 560 TI, he won't regret the upgrade.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Rennn