Upgrade options? 2012 build 7970 i7

[Stey C]

Lately, I've been thinking about upgrading my rig, being out of the loop for so long I'm unsure of how far things have moved along and whether or not I'd just need a new GPU, or whether the rest of the system will become a bottle neck and I'd need a full new build?

Current spec
CPU: Intel i7 3.5 GHz 3770k
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer i30
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
Memory: 32GB Corsair DDR4 Vengence
Storage: 256GB M2 card + various SSD + HDs
Graphics Card: Gigabyte 7970 3GB
PSU: Antec True Power New Continous 750W
Monitor: ASUS ProArt IPS 23" PA238Q 1080p

I'd looked at a 1070ti and 1080ti in the past but I'd be leaning more to 1440p rather than 4k at current premiums, not really fussed about ray tracing either.

Thanks!

[kalniel]

No bottlenecks there other than the GPU. So first decide whether you're going to stick with your current 1080p or if you're getting a replacement monitor, then spec the GPU accordingly to hit the desired fps at that resolution.

For 1080p the geforce 1660 or super 1660 are great. For 1440p/60hz the Radeon 5700 would be my pick. If you want high refresh rate at 1440p then you've got to spend big and go for probably at least a 2070 super.

[Phage]

I'd ask what games are you playing ? I'll assume that they're not the most recent, or CPU intensive ? (for instance the Battlefield series will bottleneck on that CPU.)

[DanceswithUnix]

Could do with an idea of what games and applications are causing problems atm, whether you insist on playing at high quality settings and what sort of money you are hoping to spend. Otherwise the advice is always going to be a 2080ti gpu with a 3950X cpu (despite the fact that if I went out and bought that in one go my wife would go ballistic )

What you have is still a capable machine, if you just want to upgrade to 1440p then a modern GPU and a Freesync monitor would be a place to start. Those are parts that would transfer to a complete new build, so not money wasted.

Note that your GPU is about the performance of a 1050ti, so look at that level on modern benchmarks.

[Phage]

I'd agree with both of the above. Depending on Budget, GPU first (there are some good specials on the radeon 5700 atm) then the monitor

[Stey C]

Thanks for the recommendations,

I tend to spend most of my time in sims like Dirt Rally, Project Cars, Assetto Corsa etc. but also play through the back catalogue of Battlefield, COD, Metro, DOOM, Hitman.

Budget wise, I'd rather spend that bit extra to get a card that could comfortable run 1440 at the higher end of setting for the next couple of years.

Monitor - how are the modern 'gaming' monitors for colour accuracy? I'd need something pretty accurate for my day-to-day job, hence the previous tradeoff of the IPS proart. I've been drawn to the ultrawides for the extra real estate, but don't know how well these perform without getting to 4 figures.

[DanceswithUnix]

If your main games are sit down driving games the likes of Dirt Rally, then honestly I would recommend aiming for a VR headset rather than a new monitor. Same sort of GPU requirements as 1440p so no change there.

I play on an Oculus Rift (£350) driven by a Vega 56 gpu (£250) and expect your existing CPU would be enough as I used to play Dirt Rally and AC on an FX8350 without issue. I would be tempted to see what Black Friday deals come up on 5700 graphics cards.

[rs4847]

I have a similar setup and just upgraded from GTX1070 to RTX2070 Super on a 1440p G-Sync screen.

I am seeing a decent increase in FPS, however the 3770k is getting on a bit and doesn't have the newer instruction sets the 4th gen and modern CPU's have like AVX2 that some of the latest games seem to run better with.

If I were looking at new 1440p screen now then the LG 27GL850 would be at the top of the list, 144hz, IPS, HDR, Freesync and G-Sync compatible if you can find one.

[Stey C]

Thanks for the recommendations, I went with the PowerColor 5700 XT Red Devil. I managed to wrangle it into the R3 case with a couple of mm spare between the card and hdd cages, it's huge!

https://imgur.com/a/B5vZnJa

Next on the list is a decent 27" 1440p IPS monitor, the LG 27GL850 looks a bargain compared to similar specs from other manufacturers.