Maxing out graphics for next gen
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Hey guys so as the next gen games start picking up, I am still quite happy that I haven't chosen a side (xboxone or ps4) and my pc is up for the challenge, and graphically intensive games look amazing in 3d. Then Assassins creed unity came along. I been able to almost max out most games but my machine is having trouble with this one, I know the games poorly optimized but I dont think I even meet the minimum. I was wondering if you guys can take a look at my specs and tell me what you think I can upgrade to max out and still have good performance in 3d. I'd rather spend my money on an upgrade than a new console with lame exclusives. [i]Core™ i7-3770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1866MHz Dual Channel Memory NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card EVGA Superclocked [/i]
Hey guys so as the next gen games start picking up, I am still quite happy that I haven't chosen a side (xboxone or ps4) and my pc is up for the challenge, and graphically intensive games look amazing in 3d. Then Assassins creed unity came along. I been able to almost max out most games but my machine is having trouble with this one, I know the games poorly optimized but I dont think I even meet the minimum.

I was wondering if you guys can take a look at my specs and tell me what you think I can upgrade to max out and still have good performance in 3d. I'd rather spend my money on an upgrade than a new console with lame exclusives.

Core™ i7-3770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155
16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1866MHz Dual Channel Memory
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card EVGA Superclocked

#1
Posted 11/17/2014 08:19 PM   
Hey zack, your system is really good other than your GPU is rather weak for 3D in newer titles. Check out a gtx 970 for a very large jump in power and fps.
Hey zack, your system is really good other than your GPU is rather weak for 3D in newer titles. Check out a gtx 970 for a very large jump in power and fps.

OS: Win 8 CPU: I7 4770k 3.5GZ GPU: GTX 780ti

#2
Posted 11/17/2014 08:53 PM   
Hi Zack - I second that GTX 970, fantastic card for $350 or less. If you have the spare cash for two of them, do that, but just the one will be a big increase over your current 660. Also, you can Overclock that CPU pretty easily, probably up to about 4.3-4.5 GHz. My i5 is running at 4.5 GHz from 3.4 GHz, which is a 30% boost and quite significant, and all I did was increase the frequency multiplier, so no voltage increases or super cooling required.
Hi Zack - I second that GTX 970, fantastic card for $350 or less. If you have the spare cash for two of them, do that, but just the one will be a big increase over your current 660. Also, you can Overclock that CPU pretty easily, probably up to about 4.3-4.5 GHz. My i5 is running at 4.5 GHz from 3.4 GHz, which is a 30% boost and quite significant, and all I did was increase the frequency multiplier, so no voltage increases or super cooling required.

Rig: Intel i7-8700K @4.7GHz, 16Gb Ram, SSD, GTX 1080Ti, Win10x64, Asus VG278

#3
Posted 11/17/2014 09:02 PM   
I don't speak as an expert on the best graphics cards here, I just know what works for me. It also depends of course upon what budget you have in mind. Beauty is in the wallet of the beholder, by and large. I use 3 water cooled GTX Titans (700 series). I've never had a problem so far. Lords of the Fallen in 3D with every single graphical option maxed out at 1920x1080, brought my frame rate low point down to 37 fps. All of my current games pretty much play at the upper 60s fps level and well above, or a steady 60 fps using v-sync. LOTF uses NVidia Turbulence. I'm lucky enough to have a third card, which added in most instances around 25 extra fps in performance when it was dedicated solely to PhysX rendering. So it's back up to 60 fps and above. But that's [u]three[/u] cards, so it's not cheap, but amazing in visual terms. I'm quite sure using the newer cards available in dual SLI would be more than ample, but as I say it depends upon what you can afford.
I don't speak as an expert on the best graphics cards here, I just know what works for me. It also depends of course upon what budget you have in mind. Beauty is in the wallet of the beholder, by and large. I use 3 water cooled GTX Titans (700 series). I've never had a problem so far. Lords of the Fallen in 3D with every single graphical option maxed out at 1920x1080, brought my frame rate low point down to 37 fps. All of my current games pretty much play at the upper 60s fps level and well above, or a steady 60 fps using v-sync. LOTF uses NVidia Turbulence. I'm lucky enough to have a third card, which added in most instances around 25 extra fps in performance when it was dedicated solely to PhysX rendering. So it's back up to 60 fps and above. But that's three cards, so it's not cheap, but amazing in visual terms. I'm quite sure using the newer cards available in dual SLI would be more than ample, but as I say it depends upon what you can afford.

Intel Core i7 4770k @ 4.4Ghz, 3x GTX Titan, 16GB Tactical Tracer LED, CPU/GPU Dual-Loop Water-Cooled - Driver 331.82, DX11.0

#4
Posted 11/17/2014 09:03 PM   
A 660ti is not anywhere near enough to max things out in 2d nonetheless 3d. Hell, even my 780ti which, apart from vram, is the best single gpu on the market right now can't manage a solid 60 fps in watch dogs and is absolutely horrible in Dead Rising 3. I have a 3570k @4.2GHZ paired with it and a ssd. I've heard that the 980 is pretty close to the 780ti so get that if you can or a 970 which is a good deal.
A 660ti is not anywhere near enough to max things out in 2d nonetheless 3d. Hell, even my 780ti which, apart from vram, is the best single gpu on the market right now can't manage a solid 60 fps in watch dogs and is absolutely horrible in Dead Rising 3. I have a 3570k @4.2GHZ paired with it and a ssd. I've heard that the 980 is pretty close to the 780ti so get that if you can or a 970 which is a good deal.

#5
Posted 11/17/2014 09:12 PM   
My two immediate thoughts on the OP specs are: 1) OC the CPU as soon as possible, upgrade the cooler if you still use the bundled stock cooler. 2) The 660ti is probably a great low-cost GPU for 2D for general gaming, but probably suffers a lot in 3D. I would upgrade to a 980, or better yet dual SLI 970's. The 980 benchmarks generally equal or better than a 780ti and has more VRAM. 3) If you go SLI make sure your PSU is at least 550 watts and decent quality
My two immediate thoughts on the OP specs are:

1) OC the CPU as soon as possible, upgrade the cooler if you still use the bundled stock cooler.

2) The 660ti is probably a great low-cost GPU for 2D for general gaming, but probably suffers a lot in 3D. I would upgrade to a 980, or better yet dual SLI 970's. The 980 benchmarks generally equal or better than a 780ti and has more VRAM.

3) If you go SLI make sure your PSU is at least 550 watts and decent quality

i7 4790k @ 4.6 - 16GB RAM - 2x SLI Titan X
27" ASUS ROG SWIFT, 28" - 65" Samsung UHD8200 4k 3DTV - Oculus Rift CV1 - 34" Acer Predator X34 Ultrawide

Old kit:
i5 2500k @ 4.4 - 8gb RAM
Acer H5360BD projector
GTX 580, SLI 670, GTX 980 EVGA SC
Acer XB280HK 4k 60hz
Oculus DK2

#6
Posted 11/17/2014 11:21 PM   
Another vote for SLI 970s here. But be aware that no current GPU will reliably play AC:Unity smoothly at high settings in it's current state. That game is broken, and unless Ubisoft fixes it you'll likely have problems. Some people have gotten it working well, but they're the minority.
Another vote for SLI 970s here.

But be aware that no current GPU will reliably play AC:Unity smoothly at high settings in it's current state. That game is broken, and unless Ubisoft fixes it you'll likely have problems.

Some people have gotten it working well, but they're the minority.

#7
Posted 11/18/2014 04:13 AM   
Wow guys thanks for your support. Although I must confess im not that tech savvy (any more) I cant say I know exactly what you mean when you say things like if I went "SLI to make sure PSU is at 550 watt". I looked up the gtx 970 [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076[/url] and it seems similar to the one I have, 3d ready and if it will give me the performance boost I need on all ends, then I will be a happy gamer. A bit pricey but its either this or a xbone :| Thanks yall :)
Wow guys thanks for your support. Although I must confess im not that tech savvy (any more) I cant say I know exactly what you mean when you say things like if I went "SLI to make sure PSU is at 550 watt".

I looked up the gtx 970 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076 and it seems similar to the one I have, 3d ready and if it will give me the performance boost I need on all ends, then I will be a happy gamer. A bit pricey but its either this or a xbone :|

Thanks yall :)

#8
Posted 11/18/2014 04:54 PM   
SLI = Running multiple cards in one PC, we recommend doing this for 3D (two cards only, more don't help much) PSU = Power Supply Unit 550W = Power output of the PSU. I'd personally recommend a minimum of 750W if you're going for two cards, but 550W should do for most single cards, I'd imagine. It's important to get a decent quality PSU, as a cheap crappy one that advertises a high wattage rating is more liable to damage your PC.
SLI = Running multiple cards in one PC, we recommend doing this for 3D (two cards only, more don't help much)

PSU = Power Supply Unit

550W = Power output of the PSU. I'd personally recommend a minimum of 750W if you're going for two cards, but 550W should do for most single cards, I'd imagine. It's important to get a decent quality PSU, as a cheap crappy one that advertises a high wattage rating is more liable to damage your PC.

#9
Posted 11/18/2014 06:29 PM   
[quote="ForgottenProdigy"]Hell, even my 780ti which, apart from vram, is the best single gpu on the market right now[/quote] I have the 780ti aswell, but it isn't the fastest single card longer. A 980 beats it by around 10% in many games. The 970 is much better value though which is why i recommend it. Zack, many people on here are hardcore and it's clear you're a normal pc user. I really advise to stay away from overclocking and sli. Neither are brain surgery, but they both add a lot more variables in creating a stable systen, which is time taken away trom gaming. Other than a few stategy games, overclocking your cpu will make no difference whatsoever. However it will likely increase your blue screen and crash rate if you do it incorrectly. Buying a new gpu is simply plug and play, sell your old one on ebay. No new psu or sli motherboard needed. Simples :-)
ForgottenProdigy said:Hell, even my 780ti which, apart from vram, is the best single gpu on the market right now


I have the 780ti aswell, but it isn't the fastest single card longer. A 980 beats it by around 10% in many games. The 970 is much better value though which is why i recommend it.

Zack, many people on here are hardcore and it's clear you're a normal pc user. I really advise to stay away from overclocking and sli.

Neither are brain surgery, but they both add a lot more variables in creating a stable systen, which is time taken away trom gaming.

Other than a few stategy games, overclocking your cpu will make no difference whatsoever. However it will likely increase your blue screen and crash rate if you do it incorrectly.

Buying a new gpu is simply plug and play, sell your old one on ebay. No new psu or sli motherboard needed.

Simples :-)

OS: Win 8 CPU: I7 4770k 3.5GZ GPU: GTX 780ti

#10
Posted 11/18/2014 09:13 PM   
So just got the gtx 970, been messing around with it all weekend. I gotta say I like the power I was able to easily max out every thing. Problem solved thanks for the advice. =) side note: any suggestions on what to do with my old 660 ti? I see I can add multiple cards is it possible to use both cards together, is it even worth it or should i just sell it. Still think its a good card.
So just got the gtx 970, been messing around with it all weekend. I gotta say I like the power I was able to easily max out every thing. Problem solved thanks for the advice. =)

side note: any suggestions on what to do with my old 660 ti? I see I can add multiple cards is it possible to use both cards together, is it even worth it or should i just sell it. Still think its a good card.

#11
Posted 12/01/2014 09:03 PM   
physx with your 660Ti?
physx with your 660Ti?

http://photos.3dvisionlive.com/chtiblue/album/530b52d4cb85770d6e000049/3Dvision with 49" Philips 49PUS7100 interlieved 3D (3840x2160) overide mode, GTX 1080 GFA2 EXOC, core i5 @4.3GHz, 16Gb@2130, windows 7&10 64bit, Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 Marantz 6010 AVR

#12
Posted 12/01/2014 09:59 PM   
Yes I believe so. http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660ti/features

#13
Posted 12/01/2014 10:22 PM   
I use my 670 as physx as well, not much left to do with it. You can maybe sell it and get some money back if you want.
I use my 670 as physx as well, not much left to do with it. You can maybe sell it and get some money back if you want.

#14
Posted 12/01/2014 10:42 PM   
what do you mean "as physx"? is it significantly better.
what do you mean "as physx"? is it significantly better.

#15
Posted 12/01/2014 11:01 PM   
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