For a little bit of background: I've built two PCs successfully in the past 3 or 4 years. I'm considering upgrading the GPU in the older of the two. It's running a 660 with a 3.3 ghz i5 processor on an Asus or Asrock MB with 8 GB of RAM.

What should I know/double check before I try to slam a 980 or 970 into this?

Go to Tom's Hardware and check the GPU hierarchy chart. If the GPU is not at least 3 levels above what you currently have, it's probably not worth the upgrade.

I think an upgrade to a GTX 970 would be pretty significant.

This benchmark indicates that the GTX 970 is a little more than twice as powerful as a 660. Plus, the 970 has hardware support for DX 12.1, so you'll eventually get to enjoy all of those features. Your existing power supply should suffice since the 970 only draws 5w more than the 660. Just be aware that you'll need two 6-pin PCIE power connectors instead of the single one that your current 660 probably uses. Also, the 970 is also about an inch longer than the 660, so make sure your case has room for it.

http://tpucdn.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_970_SC_ACX_Cooler/images/perfrel_1920.gif

I wouldn't recommend a 980, as they are about 60% more expensive than a 970 and you're only getting a fraction of that in additional performance.

I think the 970 upgrade is quite significant, I recently upgraded from the 670 and think it's been worthwhile. Games run smoother, I can set more pretties on & I can play not so demanding games in 4K Resolution with ease.

I always go by, if the game is unplayable... time for upgrade.

Couple good places to check

Passmark's GPU Benchmarks

AnandTech's Benchmark Database

Those are my two main sites for rough benchmarks on parts. They are not perfect, but are certainly a step in the right direction.

Crunch numbers if you want to, but it's only time for a new one when you find yourself unhappy with the performance of an old one.

My 7870 was a pretty good-not-great graphics card and that sucker lasted me until a month ago so I'll probably get some pretty great mileage out of this 970 I have now.

Personally, I skip upgrades and go with a new GPU on every other generation or series card. For example if you had a GTx 5 series card, then the 6 series wasn't worth the upgrade, 6 sereis was just a bump over the 5 series, and the same for the 9 series cards are just a bump over the 7 series cards. For you, a 9 series card is absolutely worth it over your 6 series card, if you had a 7 series then the upgrade to the 9x cards just wouldn't see the performance increase you'd want to make it a viable purchase... hope that clears it up a little bit, thats how I do it anyway...

Yeah, i would wait since the new models of GPU's are coming out this year unless you just want to get a mid tier card I wouldn't drop big bucks until they are released.

Go for the 970. If you would've went for the 960 it would questionable, albeit the upgrade wouldn't have been bad. However I dont think you can go wrong with a 970 or a 980. Heck even the 770 ti would be good. Make sure though that you power supply can handle the load and that you have good cooling.

I'd also advise checking the maximum amperage draws on your current power supply's rails. When I recently upgraded from a 660 to a 970, I nearly had to buy a new power supply due to the increased requirements; luckily, I was able to use extra cables to balance the draw across each rail and keep things from shutting off prematurely. I think you need around 28-30 A across all 12V rails in order to power the card safely, but the exact number escapes me at the moment.

I usually stick with a GPU until I am unsatisfied with the performance. I'm running a 680 and haven't felt the upgrade itch because a game hasn't come out that it can't run well enough for me to play. If that changes, then it's upgrade time.

In terms of performance, you will notice a pretty significant difference in average fps between a 660 and a 970 or 980

hey guys, i was going to post something similar to this, i was looking to rebuild, or rather just build a whole new rig since my desktop now was a budget build while i was in college. now i graduated and have a big boy job with a lot of disposable income because i dont go out alot.

should i build a new rig? should i just upgrade my gpu?

also should i wait until these new cards will be coming out? which i hope is around holiday 2015?

My current specs are: i5-2310 2.9ghz not sure if ivy or sandy bridge? (if that matters at this point because haswell)

8gig RAM

650w Power supply

radeon hd 7770

running windows 7 64 bit and 500 gig hdd

@lead_dispencer: At the very least wait until AMD announces their new cards at E3 which might push down the prices of older cards.

@hayt: I should probably add that I can wait original plan was to buy everything on Black Friday or cyber Monday or what have you.

Also. I'm thinking about switching over to nvidia this time. Amd doesn't update often and the gaps in between make me feel neglected oddly enough. Also I want more tresfx in gaming! Everyone here agrees on 970 or 980 right?

970 not the 980.

You'll pay $200 more ($550 total) for only about a 20% performance gain.

I'd go 970. I went 980 and its great, but if you have no intention of going past 1080p it's pointless.