1GB 5750 vs. 512MB 9800GTX+

[Optix]

Hey folks. Here I am with another which-would-win question.

My bang/buck upgrade is being pushed back a bit and I'm also having to scale back a bit more so the 5770 is likely out. It will be replaced by the 5750 and what I am wondering is will I really notice enough of a difference by switching to this card when compared to my current card, a 9800GTX+.

I read the 5750 review but it doesn't really apply to my situation. Well, it does but it doesn't at the same time.

The review pits a 1GB GTS 250 against the 5750. The 250 is essentially a rebadged 9800GTX+ with new VRM's if I'm not mistaken. The one used in the review has double the memory of what I am using now so that is where the review stops being of helpful although it does give me an idea of what frame rates I can expect

I can see it being a boost in performance simply due to the increased memory but is it enough to warrant shelling out $130 or will I end up with a slightly more powerful card with DX11 support?

Thanks!

EDIT: Another question I have is how much overclocking headroom does this card have? I'm not talking about these wussy sites that just use CCC to overclock their cards because they always hit the maximum allowed by the application instead of really digging into it using ATI Tool or another suitable applicatioin. I know it doesn't have the voltage circuitry to allow voltage increases using MSI's Afterburner but is there enough headroom to push this card up to at least a 5770 level provided the voltage and cooling holds out?

Thanks again!

 

[Rob Williams]

When thinking about upgrading your graphics card, the most important question comes down to what resolution you'll be running. The 9800 GTX+ still handles all of today's games with very respectible frame-rates at 1680x1050, so if that's what you're running, there's no sense in an upgrade, really.

For all intents and purposes, the HD 5750 really isn't THAT much faster than a 9800 GTX+ (+25%, perhaps), so I'm not sure if it'd be worth splurging on, rather than just waiting and getting an even better card, like the HD 5770. With the GPU you have, I just don't think this would be a worthy upgrade to be honest.

Are you finding your card to be a limitation or something? Or do you just feel an intense bite to upgrade?

As for overclocking, I truly have no idea, because I was one of the pussies that you speak of. I didn't learn about the AMD GPU tool until recently. I wish I could say I have time to go back and revisit our sample, but the next couple of weeks for me are rather hardcore with content, so I can't.

I <em>still</em> don't know if you really "need" an upgrade, though. If you were to make an upgrade, I'd recommend going with something like the HD 5770 where the difference in performance would actually be really noticeable.

 

[Optix]

Thanks Rob. As I was coming in here to read your response I thought to myself, "I bet he's going to ask about the resolution".

1680x1050 is exactly what I would be running.

My question comes from the fact that I will likely have to sell my current system as a whole instead of parting it out like I normally do when I upgrade. DX11 would be nice if more companies would develop game that take advantage of it.

I wonder if I could pick up a 9800GT for cheap, stick that in and sell my rig while keeping my 9800GTX+? My limiting factor is likley my poor E2180. Even overclocked to 3Ghz I struggled with good frame rates back in Lord of the Rings Online.

I'm planning on picking up APB when it launches and want to get have all of the eye candy I can get since the level of customization is HUGE and there will be so much to check out.

As for overclocking, I'm all for it. Nothing major but if I can get a lesser piece of hardware and overclock it to match a much more expensive piece then I consider it a huge victory. I'm cheap. Soo cheap.

 

[crowTrobot]

You can always check out RedFlagDeals or Craigslist for good deals on 9800GT. Brand new 9800GTs are rare and they still cost about ~$100. In redflagdeals you can find some that have transferrable lifetime warranty (XFX or even EVGA if the guy is kind enough to RMA it for you when you need to) for around $60-70.

 

[Optix]

With XFX all the original owner has to do is generate a new key and the new owner logs onto the website, enters that key and they take over lifetime warranty ownership. I did this for a guy when I sold my 8600GTS.

I'll see what I can find.

 

[Rob Williams]

I'm not quite sure what to recommend here. If you have to get rid of your entire PC, then you're pretty much building from the ground up, so it's not so much a comparison between the 9800 GTX+ to the HD 5750 anymore, but rather simply what card you should get that will be worth it. For a 1680x1050 resolution, I'd still recommend the HD 5770. It's going to be a tad more powerful than you need for the time-being, but at least it will last you a little bit.

Pretty much anything can handle that resolution though lately, even a 9600 GT. I remember playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare at 2560x1600 with no AA and it ran fine on a 9600 GT. And that's more than double the raw pixel output than 1680x1050.

 

[Optix]

Good to know. I was always curious about too much muscle for my resolution since I knew it wasn't outrageous. Thanks folks!