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Graphics card and RAM upgrade

Post Date: 2020-12-30
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dbear View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote dbear Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Graphics card and RAM upgrade
    Posted: 30 Dec 2020 at 11:36am

I bought a Digital Storm desktop system in June of 2012. Now I am looking to upgrade the graphics card and RAM so I can get a few more years out of it.

The system has an Intel i5-3570k and Nvidia GTX 670 2GB video card.

Can anyone recommend a good graphics card upgrade for this?  It is used for gaming.  I have looked at the GTX 970 and GTX 1070, but I don't really know if these are suitable upgrades or even worth the expense of upgrading. I am also worried about bottle-necking and compatibility.  I am open to other options.

I'd also like to add another 8GB of RAM.  Any guidance on what would be most compatible is appreciated.

I've listed my build info below.

Thanks for the help!
Dave


Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (Requires Z77 Motherboard)
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Video Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Display: Asus 24 inch VE248H (Widescreen) (Black) (2ms Response Time) (LED Backlight)

Power Supply: 850W Corsair TX850 V2 (Dual SLI Compatible)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance

Ordered: June 2012
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Ariktu View Drop Down
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Posts: 492 		  Quote Ariktu Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Jan 2021 at 1:26pm
I gave my brother my old system which was a Digital Storm computer with an i5 3570k overclocked to 4.2 Ghz and uses an GTX 1070. It still performs very well for him.

So I would likely try to get a GTX 1070 card if you can find it for a good price especially if your system is overclocked.

If the cpu is not overclocked you might want to see if you can do that to also get a bit more out of your system.
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dbear View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote dbear Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Jan 2021 at 2:43pm
Thanks Ariktu

My CPU is overclocked to 4.2 GHZ but some people have said that the 1070 may still bottleneck, especially if I lose OC as the CPU ages.  Do you think bottle-necking is a concern if I had to drop to the stock 3.4 GHZ?

Would the 1070 be of value if I later upgraded the CPU and motherboard or would it just be very outdated?

Given the age of the system do you think it would be better to get a 1060? 

Thanks again for the help!
Dave
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Ariktu View Drop Down
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Posts: 492 		  Quote Ariktu Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Jan 2021 at 7:52pm
I do not remember it bottlenecking with the 1070 although almost any GPU is going to be a leap up from the gtx 670.

I did have some issues with heat and ended up having to pull off the cpu cooler and reapply paste on it to fix the issue.

My old system did get upgraded to 16 GB also and first moved to a GTX 970 from the 670 then to a 1070.

I guess it really depends on the games you play. Obviously if you can get a cheap GTX 970 it will be a decent upgrade and the GTX 1060 is also a huge move from the GTX 670.

My gut feeling if you are thinking of moving to a newer system at some point soon. I would look for the cheapest upgrade you can get that will make your games playable for now.
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Cretae View Drop Down
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Posts: 7331 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Jan 2021 at 3:53am
Ariktu has advised you well. I have a 1070, and it's killer for all 1080p gaming. It's a bit over-powered, but when I ordered my latest system, the 1060 wasn't out yet.

You have to replace all the RAM, and not just "add". That mother board can run up to 32 GB of DDR3 1866 MHz dual channeled. If you stick with 1600 MHz, it won't be much difference.
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dbear View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote dbear Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Jan 2021 at 11:28am
Ariktu and Cretae, thanks for the very helpful replies!

I'm going to do some searching for a reasonable price on one of the cards we talked about.  The 1060 will probably be the best buy right now. I will keep an eye on the heat, thanks for mentioning that.  I'll also look at the 1866 MHz RAM upgrade instead of just adding 1600.

Again, thanks for the help!  It is very appreciated!
Dave
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hoserator View Drop Down
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Posts: 7966 		  Quote hoserator Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Jan 2021 at 1:20am

Awesome
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Cretae View Drop Down
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Posts: 7331 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Jan 2021 at 6:35am
I would get the faster RAM, too, I just wasn't sure how available it would be.
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dbear View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote dbear Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Jan 2021 at 4:06pm
Cretae, I did some looking and there are still several brands of DDR3 1866 available.  The prices aren't bad. Much better than the prices for graphics cards!

Dave
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Cretae View Drop Down
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Posts: 7331 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 08 Jan 2021 at 5:12am
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