New video card to cure my graphics woes?

Howdy folks. Thought I'd ask here in the experts section. Specs of my machine are in my signature below.

So, here's the deal: I bought two games off Steam (FSX is NOT one of them; it runs ok). F1 2016, and American Truck Simulator. Fairly new releases. So, I've always thought my machine was capable of running high graphics. Problem is, in these two games, if I jack up the graphic settings to "high" or "ultra high", I get a massive slideshow.

I have to put both games down to "low" or even "ultra low". Playable, yes, but unsightly graphics.

My question: I tried getting new drivers for my current video card. Problem is, AMD's website states it's no longer supported. So, since I believe the rest of my specs are fine, should I splurge and get a newer, more powerful video card? Would that cure my graphic woes? I thank you in advance for any help.

Also: This is my first computer with an AMD card. (I was always an Nvidea guy before). IF a newer card will help, I'd like some recommendations as well. (Nothing too pricey; I've seen cards as high as $400+ USD!!)

(Nothing too pricey; I've seen cards as high as $400+ USD!!)

Only $400?? You can easily spend 2-3x that for a top of the line GPU these days. Or even more if one has money to burn. :)

Welcome to the world of PC gaming where GPUs really do count towards performance. Your Radeon 6770 is a few generations old at this point, and, as you noted, is no longer supported. Try looking at the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or 1060 GPUs on the Nvidia side, or the Radeon RX 550 and 560 models from AMD.

Only $400?? You can easily spend 2-3x that for a top of the line GPU these days. Or even more if one has money to burn. :)

 

Welcome to the world of PC gaming where GPUs really do count towards performance. Your Radeon 6770 is a few generations old at this point, and, as you noted, is no longer supported. Try looking at the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or 1060 GPUs on the Nvidia side, or the Radeon RX 550 and 560 models from AMD.

Was hoping you'd respond, Loki! You're the resident expert here.

The 1050 ti reviews look really encouraging.

Before I jump in, is it easy to replace a card myself?

Yep.....it is a relatively easy thing to do.

Google is your friend here as there are loads of info and how-to guides out there.

The only thing I will offer over what Loki has said is this - make sure that the card you get is compatible with the Bus Type/Speed of the slot on your motherboard.

Your current card bus type is PCi PCI Express 2.1 x16 but the specs for the 1050 Ti states PCI Express 3.0 - most modern cards that are listed as 3.0 are backward compatible so you should be fine, but it is something you might want to look into more.

Another consideration is the power consumption requirements of the card so check that you have enough spare capacity if the newer card requires more than your current card. IME, generally newer cards tend to use slightly less power than older cards due to the advancements in how they work etc.....

Thanks Brian. I've been googling info all morning. I have to see what my power supply is. Among the things you mentioned as well. (I've never done this before, so I've no clue how to go about this)

But the bottom line is, in fact, a video card upgrade should do the trick?

Thanks Brian. I've been googling info all morning. I have to see what my power supply is. Among the things you mentioned as well. (I've never done this before, so I've no clue how to go about this)

 

But the bottom line is, in fact, a video card upgrade should do the trick?

Yes, a new video card will do the trick. How much it helps will depend on how much you spend. A GTX 1050 Ti would be a good starting point, if it fits your budget. A GTX 1060 would be even better, though the price is certainly higher.

One other point to consider is the resolution of your monitor. Higher resolutions, especially from 2560x1440 on up, require a more powerful video card. The GPUs listed above will be fine below 2560x1440.

Besides FSX, I have the two games I listed above. I don't need a screaming card, as I'm not a graphics intense Warcraft or Witch-3 type game player.

So it does indeed sound like the GTX 1050 or above would be ok for what I play. Thanks all!

*EDIT* My Dell XPS 8300 seems compatible with the GTX 1050 ti after more Google searching.

Yes, a new video card will do the trick. How much it helps will depend on how much you spend. A GTX 1050 Ti would be a good starting point, if it fits your budget. A GTX 1060 would be even better, though the price is certainly higher.

 

One other point to consider is the resolution of your monitor. Higher resolutions, especially from 2560x1440 on up, require a more powerful video card. The GPUs listed above will be fine below 2560x1440.

I'm away from my pc at the moment but I do believe the resolution is lower. Thanks.

One last thing to consider. The size of the new video card, especially the length. Make sure you have room to put a possibly longer card.

Thank you. I have yet to "look under the hood" and see what I can do.

Update:

I got the nvidia 1050 ti. I had to switch to an hdmi cable though to get a picture. Now, in my FSX cfg file, it still lists my old card, but in game, the new card is there under settings. Do I need to manually change the cfg file?

Also, some of my gauges are a tad aliased, in other words, jagged edges. Everything else looks ok. Is this the fault of the hdmi? As FSX was probably around before he screens?

Try removing the fsx.cfg file and let FSX build a new one. You can then copy back over any entries not related to the GPU. It could still be trying to use settings for the old card, which is causing the jagged edges.

You may also want to look into the Nvidia Inspector application and use it to control the settings for FSX. There are a few guides around covering the details.

http://www.simforums.com/forums/drivers-nv-inspector-fsx-cfg-complete-guide_topic36586.html

As for HDMI, the port used on the GPU doesn't matter as far as the sim is concerned, provided the port supports the native resolution of the monitor. When it comes to video HDMI is based on the DVI standard electrically, just with audio and some other features added.

Thanks Loki. I thought of deleting the FSX cfg file. Have to remember to add in the necessary lines afterward.

I've tinkered with the nvidia settings to no avail. By the way, the other games I mentioned? Are now running on ultra high graphics with absolutely NO stuttering. So I'm ecstatic about the upgrade!

Well I'm stumped. I rebuilt the cfg file, but no matter what I do, I'm getting jaggies in my digital gauge readouts.

Everything was crystal clear with the old card..

Also, changing resolution doesn't help. My cockpit tool tips seem smaller and hard to read.