No announcement yet.

$450 immediate upgrade advice

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • $450 immediate upgrade advice

    First off, hello everyone.

    Secondly, I have $450 available for an immediate upgrade to my comp. I know I definitely want to upgrade my video card and I want an SSD, though it isn't as important as the GPU. I am an avid gamer, but I also shoot and edit HD video for a living. I know I want an nVidia card because of the Mercury Playback Engine compatibility in Adobe CS6. I mainly game (as much as my GPU will let me) at 1920x1080 60Hz. I have a slew of current-gen games that i cannot play with either decent visuals or frame rates (or at all) because of the GPU.

    So here's my question: Should I spend most of the $450 and get a nice GTX 670 or should I get a GTX 660ti and a good 128GB SSD (or a 256GB if I catch a great deal)?

    Any help and opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to being a part of the TweakTown community. Thanks!

    -Nate

    P.S. Mods, please move to the 'What Should I Buy' section. I apologize for missing that sub-thread.

  • #2
    Re: $450 immediate upgrade advice

    The thread has been moved to the What Should I Buy forum.

    I recommend buying 128 GB or 256GB ssd with synchronous or toggle Nand memory.
    Absolutely do not buy a less expensive ssd with asynchronous Nand memory.
    Your games will load much faster when they're installed on your boot ssd.

    Enthusiast grade 256GB ssd's currently go for about $200 and higher.
    The Samsung 840 Pro 256GB ssd with toggle nand will be available in days (October 23) for about $270.
    I think that higher end GTX 660Ti cards are about $300.

    Keep in mind that there will be some excellent sale prices starting in mid November and continuing through New Years.

    Newegg.com - SAMSUNG ssd's

    Newegg.com - GeForce GTX 660 Ti Video Cards
    Q9650 @ 4.10GHz [9x456MHz]
    P35-DS4 [rev: 2.0] ~ Bios: F14
    4x2GB OCZ Reaper PC2-8500 1094MHz @5-5-5-15
    MSI N460GTX Hawk Talon Attack (1GB) video card <---- SLI ---->
    Seasonic SS-660XP2 80 Plus Platinum psu (660w)
    WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB (data)
    Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD (boot)
    SLI @ 16/4 works when running HyperSLI
    Cooler Master 120XL Seidon push/pull AIO cpu water cooling
    Cooler Master HAF XB computer case (RC-902XB-KKN1)
    Asus VH242H 24" monitor [1920x1080]
    MSI N460GTX Hawk (1GB) video card
    Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speakers
    win7 x64 sp1 Home Premium
    HT|Omega Claro plus+ sound card
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS
    E6300 (R0) @ 3.504GHz [8x438MHz] ~~ P35-DS3L [rev: 1.0] ~ Bios: F9 ~~ 4x2GB Kingston HyperX T1 PC2-8500, 876MHz @4-4-4-10
    Seasonic X650 80+ gold psu (650w) ~~ Xigmatek Balder HDT 1283 cpu cooler ~~ Cooler Master CM 690 case (RC-690-KKN1-GP)
    Samsung 830 128GB SSD MZ-7PC128B/WW (boot) ~~ WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB (data) ~~ ZM-MFC2 fan controller
    HT|Omega Striker 7.1 sound card ~~ Asus VH242H monitor [1920x1080] ~~ Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speakers
    win7 x64 sp1 Home Premium ~~ CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD U.P.S
    .

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: $450 immediate upgrade advice

      Thanks, profJim! Newegg just happened to have a really good special on Samsung SSDs today only. I was able to pick up an 830 series 256GB SSD for only $160. Next up will be the 660ti. I really appreciate your quick response.

      -Nate

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: $450 immediate upgrade advice

        Glad to help out.
        My Samsung 830 ssd order arrived today; two 128GB ssd's, one boot drive for each of my systems.
        I cloned my former OCZ 60GB o/s boot drive and I'm now blazing along with the 830 at sata2 speeds.

        Read the GTX 660Ti reviews carefully, as there are many differences when it comes to cooling, noise and in some cases, overclocking performance.
        I'll put in a good word for MSI video cards, both of my N460GTX Hawk cards overclocked nicely, they've been excellent, trouble free and SLI was a piece of cake.
        Let us know what you end up with.

        BTW, ya done goodly with filling out your PC Specs hardware list.
        It makes it much easier for us to help members when they provide a detailed hardware list.
        Q9650 @ 4.10GHz [9x456MHz]
        P35-DS4 [rev: 2.0] ~ Bios: F14
        4x2GB OCZ Reaper PC2-8500 1094MHz @5-5-5-15
        MSI N460GTX Hawk Talon Attack (1GB) video card <---- SLI ---->
        Seasonic SS-660XP2 80 Plus Platinum psu (660w)
        WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB (data)
        Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD (boot)
        SLI @ 16/4 works when running HyperSLI
        Cooler Master 120XL Seidon push/pull AIO cpu water cooling
        Cooler Master HAF XB computer case (RC-902XB-KKN1)
        Asus VH242H 24" monitor [1920x1080]
        MSI N460GTX Hawk (1GB) video card
        Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speakers
        win7 x64 sp1 Home Premium
        HT|Omega Claro plus+ sound card
        CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS
        E6300 (R0) @ 3.504GHz [8x438MHz] ~~ P35-DS3L [rev: 1.0] ~ Bios: F9 ~~ 4x2GB Kingston HyperX T1 PC2-8500, 876MHz @4-4-4-10
        Seasonic X650 80+ gold psu (650w) ~~ Xigmatek Balder HDT 1283 cpu cooler ~~ Cooler Master CM 690 case (RC-690-KKN1-GP)
        Samsung 830 128GB SSD MZ-7PC128B/WW (boot) ~~ WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB (data) ~~ ZM-MFC2 fan controller
        HT|Omega Striker 7.1 sound card ~~ Asus VH242H monitor [1920x1080] ~~ Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speakers
        win7 x64 sp1 Home Premium ~~ CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD U.P.S
        .

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: $450 immediate upgrade advice

          Just to let you know, I ended up going with the MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC purchased from Newegg (also at a slight discount). WOOHOO! I'll update the PC specs as soon as everything is here and installed. Thanks again!

          Also, as a fun side note, I had submitted my question to 'Ask the Experts' and it got answered on the main site (with the same answer). Ask the Experts: I have $450 to spend on my PC, should I spend it all on a GPU or split it with a GPU and SSD? :: TweakTown USA Edition

          Comment

          Working...
          X