How much is too much when it comes to graphic cards?

[jakeharris74]

So Im not a big gamer but I always play every Elder Scrolls and GTA that comes out so its time to update, Im a total novice at gaming specs so any advice is appreciated. I bought this custom computer and added a GTX 580 (way more expensive than the last card I bought which was a Geforce 7800 GS years ago). This computer is mainly for running about 12-15 Virtual machines with VMware which is why I have so much memory. But anyways, my question is how much graphics card is too much? Given this computer.. what games couldnt I run on the most demanding settings and could my solo GTX 580 handle anything Skyrim will throw at me?

 

Main reason I ask is I see all these posters on other forums talking about needing dual 580s or 590s and complaining about FPS in certain games... are their views warranted or are these types like anorexic women that are never satisfied even though everyone around them thinks they are crazy?

 

I was satisfied with my computer but after going to OC forums and the like I'm wondering if I would notice much of a difference in Skyrim or GTA 5 if I updated my graphics card further. Help a newbie gamer please!

 

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Intel i7 CPU : Intel Core i7 Extreme 990x, 3.46GHz (Six Core) 12000K

Intel i7 CPU Fans : Antec KUHLER H2O 620 extra quiet Liquid Cooling System

Intel i7 Motherboards : ASUS Rampage III GENE X58, DDR3, SLI & Cross Fire,SATA3, GB LAN, USB 3.0,iEEE

DDR3 Triple Channel memory : 24GB (6x4GB) PC3 12800 DDR3 1600 Triple Channel

PCI-Express Video cards : GeForce GTX 580 1536MB PCI EXpress 16X dual head, HDMI

Hard Drives : 1000.0GB Hitachi 7200RPM SATA2, UDMA 300 32m cache

Media Card Readers : All-in-One Memory Card Reader Internal Black

DVD Recorders : LG Blu-ray 10X Recorder,16x LightScribe DVD Recorder SATA combo drive

Sound Cards : Onboard

Network Cards : Onboard

Controller Cards : USB 3.0 Adapter Card 2 port PCI express

Cases : Cooler Master HAF X black, Side Window, front USB 3.0, iEEE & eSATA

Power Supply : Corsair 750W ultra quiet ATX Power Supply, SLI & X-fire ready

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[TheReverendTholomewPlague]

are their views warranted or are these types like anorexic women that are never satisfied even though everyone around them thinks they are crazy?

They are crazy, yes.

 

In my opinion, you reach the 'threshold' of too much when you SLI/Crossfire any card that was released this year.

[Moja]

That's more than enough.

 

Here's a very useful resource I found when buying a laptop. It has desktop GPUs listed too, so in the page I'm linking just click the restrict button to desktops.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

Edited May 8, 2011 by Moja

[hector530]

i already ordered my PC, gonna be my first PC i'd ever built. i was gonna get a 580 to till i saw reviews of the 560ti (http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-560-ti-sli-review/12) . 560's in SLI outperform a solo 580 and when the 560s are overclocked its not even a fair fight. but people complaining about a 580 sli or 590 sli are full of crap. 580 SLI is gonna be stronger then a PS4 or xbox-what-the-hell-number. a 580 should handle anything for the next few years. Edited May 8, 2011 by hector530

[MarkInMKUK]

Nice spec of PC, but I'd add an off-board soundcard - that way you shift some of the processing burdern off the main board AND (if you pick the right one) can find one that emulates EAX properly under Win7 for older games

[jakeharris74]

Yeah I was thinking of going SLI but the ones I seen were out of my price range and I figured it would be overkill until I started second guessing after seeing some forums. Glad to know I should do great with these next games. By the time another ES VI or GTA 6 comes out I'll be ready to upgrade again Im sure!

 

Nice spec of PC, but I'd add an off-board soundcard - that way you shift some of the processing burdern off the main board AND (if you pick the right one) can find one that emulates EAX properly under Win7 for older games

 

You know I was thinking this too because someone else mentioned it about how there are some sounds that inboard might not be able to pick up. Before I buy ES I'll be getting a sound card definitely. Both reasons sound good to me.

[Bloodinfested]

Not sure if you can never have enough in that area specially with the huge mod community for tes.I use to have a 9800gx2 I just got a gtx 590 and I’m pretty happy with it where this card would really shine is when ppl go overboard on a lot of hi res texture sizes like 4 to 6kish this card will eat them for breakfast as it has insane texture fill rate vs a pair of 580. I guess it all comes down to how much you want to spend the 580 is not a bad card at all too for the $.

[redhorizon09]

If you're planning on updating to more powerful video cards, you should consider installing a heftier power supply as well. I see that currently you have a 750 watts power supply unit. It never hurts to go up to 1000 watts power supply unit because it's always better to have the extra power in reserves than to worry about not having enough power to run a high end gaming rig.

[RitualBlack]

A single 580 will definitely be enough to run Skyrim on Ultra. There shouldn't be a game more demanding than Metro 2033 released for a while (I suppose until some crazy unigine games come out, maybe). Anyway a 580 is great for Metro 2033 even at 2560X1600, and should handle Skyrim on the highest settings no problem.

[aaroncox]

i have a sandy bridge, duel core intel processor, 5800 graphic card. regeon or something like that. 475 power supply, would i have a problem running skyrim on this? just got a custom made pc just for me this year.