New GPU (yeah, another one of these)

I hate to do this guys, but I value the expertise you Duders possess.

I have been wanting a new GPU for quite some time now, and I finally got the money for it. The thing is, I cannot spend too much, so I am not able to just get the top of the line stuff.

What I have been looking at for some time is this one: Norwegian Site about some video card (GTX 760).

Now, as far as I can tell this will be a nice upgrade from my current GTX 275, but is it good enough?

I can get the same card with 2 GB more, making it 4, but is that needed?

And lastly, do I also have to upgrade my PSU? I found a site that calculates what you need, and seems that new card I want draws less power than the one I have now. But still, I want to be safe. Here is what I got when it comes to CPU and memory:

- Intel Quad Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz

- 8 GB RAM

Oh, and I got a Corsair TX750W PSU. (thanks Strife777 for pointing out my typo!)

A 760 will generally run out of puff long before your using over 2GB of assets, I wouldn't worry about the 4GB variant. Your PSU is more than big enough for any modern video card.

I recommend the 4GB card. the price difference isn't that huge. I have a 2GB GTX 760 and it performs pretty well but some newer games seem to need at least 3GB of VRAM (Titanfall and Watch Dogs) for things like Textures. My card stutters when I play these games using Ultra textures. Getting the 4GB card should be a better investment in the long run.

You also seem to have plenty of Power. I'm pretty sure the GTX 760 only needs around 500w

The 760 is plenty good if you're not willing to put up a lot of cash. I would say the 4 GB isn't necessary, but I could be wrong, things seem to be changing as of late.

As far as PSU, I can't seem to find the one you're talking about. 730w seems like a weird number instead of a "round" 750. Anyway, assuming it is 730 watt, that is plenty.

What is your budget?

Oooh, look at you asking the sensible question. :D

@ulquiokani said:

2GB is more than enough vram. There are very few games that use more in single monitor configuration, the games that use 3GB are for textures much bigger than 1080p and wont offer you anything. (and still work fine on a 2GB card). I'd recommend a 770 but a 760 will also be great. Alternatively you may be able to find a used GTX 680 from someone looking to make cash to pointlessly switch to the 7 series, if you can, grab it.

@strife777: Crap, thanks for pointing that out. It is a 750W, my hand must have slipped!

@mb: I knew I missed something more! Well, the 760 I am thinking about is around 334 USD it seems (2000 NOK). I really shouldn't go above 2500 NOK (417USD).

I should also mention that I run two monitors, but they are both kinda low end. One is a Philips 191EL (max res. 1366x768) and the other is a BenQ somethingsomething (max res. 1024x768).

Off to work, will go through your suggestions later! I can already see that you fine folk are helping, so thanks :D

@jaqen_hghar: I suggest reading this article for current price vs performance analysis as of June 6.

Looks like Tom's current pick for best value in your price range is the either the GTX 770 or R9 290...but those are US prices, I'm not sure what you are dealing with in Norway.

Good luck! I'm always happy to see people doing research and asking questions before a purchase like this, a video card is a major investment and the choice can have a big impact on your gaming quality of life.

At those resolutions, you need nothing more than this:

https://www.komplett.no/msi-geforce-gtx-750ti-2gb-physx-cuda/807716

Plus it'll give you some room should you upgrade monitors later.

I'd go with the 770 with 3gb of vram, there is no game that can even use 4gb at this point, but some do require 3 for max settings like Watch_Dogs.

Those resolutions are kind of bad for gaming, so even if you upgrade your card, you will get better framerates, but won't be able to enjoy the graphical increases. I would recommend investing in a new 1080P monitor before getting your GPU, so that when you do get the GPU eventually, you'll actually be able to enjoy the benefits of the better card (visually).

what i can suggest is don't on a drunken whim just go and buy a $400 bundle from newegg :'(

i'm hoping it'll last me for awhile...

At this point even 1080p is a little low if one is buying a new monitor for a high end GPU. 1440p/120hz+ all the way from now on!

This is true, if he can afford it. 1440P is a glorious thing. But 1080P is still quite nice, if you're on a tight budget!

I wouldn't even bother with a videocard until you get a better monitor. I doubt your 275 is having any issues at such low resolutions.

I would also have to echo that a new monitor should be more of a priority. There really is a world of difference bumping up to a modern resolution alone. Even I'm thinking about monitor shopping because my old 1680x1050 monitor doesn't provide enough space (not to speak of my 1280x1024 dinosaur).

But since that would also mean your old card would be even more hampered, if you must have a GPU I would go the 760 route or a used R9 290 that is currently seeing comparable pricing because they're being offloaded by crypto-coin miners. The R9 would be ridiculous overkill, but that would give you the headroom to buy a monitor as soon as you can afford one down the line.

Till now I have been more concerned about "can I run this" instead of raw graphics. The 275 I have now has some difficulty with newer stuff, even on the low resolution I use.
I see that I can manage to get a 770 (I cannot find a 3GB one, @corruptedevil, so I'll most likely stick to a 2GB one) and I see that monitors with the resolution of 1920x1080 (which I understand is 1080p?) run from 800 NOK. So I can actually get another monitor. I use the best one I have right now for actual gaming, and the other one just as a screen on the side, so I'll only need one new monitor.

But then I got new questions... what must I look for in a monitor? How many inches should it be (I don't have that much room), how low should the response time be? This is the cheapest one right now, due to it being on sale, is it any good?

If that monitor looks good, I might actually get that plus the Twin Froz IV GTX 770 2GB. If not, then I'll at least have a good card to hook a better monitor to later.

I have to thank everyone for great help so far!

@jaqen_hghar: Unless you are playing competitively any monitor will do, the difference is negligible in low end refresh rates and high end.

Thanks to everyone for the input! New card has been installed, waiting for the new monitor. Was able to crank Witcher 2 way up to test, and boy... this is some difference! Debated on installing Skyrim again to mess with that, but I'll need to get the DLC before playing that again. And I am downloading Watch_Dogs, as it came with the card. Had intended to skip that, but might as well try it out at least.
So thank you duders!