Upgrading PC Suggestions.

[gorfias]

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+R9+290&id=2719

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-R9290-DC2OC-4GD5-ASUS-Graphics-Cards/dp/B00HWQUI02/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1418494340&sr=1-2&keywords=r9+290

PS: My older build that I have hooked up to a 42" LCD TV in the entertainment room is an I7-930 with a weak GTS-250 Black Knight video card and y'know what? It beats the heck out of, say, and Xbox 360 performance. Your GTX 470 can likely still get 30 FPS at medium settings on anything out there. According to this, your GTX 470 is still likely 4 times as powerful as my GTS 250. www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.htmlF

Popped in to say you should have a look at the R290. I have one, the only problem I have is the heat, runs at 90+, but the non-OEM models deal with this - I'd avoid the reference card (like I have) as it will make your case pretty hot. Peformance-wise, the card is absolutely brilliant, especially at higher resolutions, where it can challenge the Titan in certain games.

I'm jealous. I don't know what the passmark bench test numbers in link above mean but my HD 7970 has about a 5K score, yours, 6,500. And my weaker 7970 is quite nice, playing just about anything I can throw at it on high, around 30 FPS. Most games are still 60 FPS at high. You shouldn't need a new card for years.

 

[BlackBark]

Sounds good. Just be careful with the heat. A lot of the recent model GPUs run quite hot, and while I'm not concerned with damage, since that's less likely, you're more likely to trigger a temperature shutdown, which will ruin your day if you live in hot climates.

I live in the UK, not too much chance of that happening, but yeah, I'll keep an eye on temps. Maybe that's what caused it to reset in the first place.

Sounds like a plan! I couldn't give you good advice on the current lineup of GPUs out there, since I always end up drooling if I keep up to date on it. I'd recommend keeping price in mind when picking, specifically price/performance. It really makes a difference in picking one and being happy with it, which is what really matters.

Haha, tell me about it. I'll have to be really careful to stop myself spending too much on the gpu.

They alredy started offloading there stock
Cyber Monday had 290's for about 260 +3games of choice and Civ:BE

and yes second this: new GPU and new ram sticks. I would stick to 8 gigs (2x4g) as it fine for games coming out and there are already DDR4 mobo's on the market. So your next upgrade will not be able to reuse them.

Word of warning: If you are planing on getting a AMD 280 or higher, check the 12v wattage allowance(listed on the side of the PSU). As older(and cheeper) PSU's may not have the draw required despite adquite total wattage.
With a 4yr old corsair you should be alright, but it never hurts to check all the same.

Thanks for the tips, I'll check my PSU before making any purchases.

 

[Remus]

The 295x2 is far cheaper than the lineup of Titan Z's currently, and according to Futuremark, is the best thing out there - http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu - so if you really want to futureroof your machine, just go to Amazon. This is my new year's resolution, as my rig is 7 years old and I can finally afford to replace it with one of these liquid-cooled monsters. For processors, here's Futuremark's picks on them - http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/cpu

 

[gorfias]

Was looking at the new Nvida cards, which are dead quiet and run cool but really there's no point until DX12 crops up.

Agreed. I tell everyone: electronics are almost never a hurry. Things keep getting better at lower costs. A 1 TB SSD is out now for about $400. By the time I really feel the need to upgrade, I hope I can get a 1 TB SSD for under $200, DDR4 at a reasonable price, the new USB 4.0 and a card that can really make use of DX 12, especially after there is a cheap library of games utilizing the DX12.

I figure 3 years.

 

[direkiller]

I would sugest getting more airflow to the part, cable management or better fans because 90+ is very bad for anything in the computer
for a perspective:
my 290 sits at about 70 under load
with 3 120mm fans and a 100CFM vent booster I got in a yard sale

Interesting, can I ask do you have a reference card or one of the new designs with better fans? I've never had any problems with it in terms of stability but I need a new case, so I'll probably take your advice. I have been very lazy and just cracked the case open which keeps a constant temp but probably actually ruins the airflow.

I have an XFX 290
http://xfxforce.com/en-us/products/amd-radeon-r9-series/amd-radeon-r9-290-double-dissipation-edition-r9-290a-edfd
Which seems to have a better heatsink then most from what I gatherd

The rest of my cooling kit is nothing to write home about 3fans that in total were less then $12 and this thing
http://www.suncourt.com/equalizer.html
which I got in a yard sale