What Is Your Gpu Upgrade Cycle?

[beebskadoo]

What i'm asking is how many years should a decent GPU last before games are just unplayable? Say you buy an upper tier GPU but not top of the line, something like a GTX 560ti. How many years before that card needs to be upgraded? In my system I have 2 GTX 580's and a 2600k. I built it when each of the components were brand new therefore it cost me a pretty penny. But seeing how the 580 was the highest performing Nvidia single gpu at the time, how long should i get out of it? To be honest I disable sli for a lot of games because the support isn't always that great for some games. I play skyrim with 50+ mods and 1 card outperforms 2 so i just leave it disabled. It looks cool in my system though :P

[noTURF]

i usally upgrade every 3 gens or so

[XiaoPigs]

I have the money to upgrade every generation, but I mostly do it once every 2 - 3 generations depending on the performance increase. I might just upgrade to a 780 though. It's using the GK110 core like the Titan, so I'd like to see how it performs.

[JamesDwho]

I usually decided to upgrade when my current video card can't run most modern games on about a medium setting

[beebskadoo]

What do you guys think of the next generation consoles? they're using a lower end AMD X86 CPU paired with a mid range AMD GPU. So do you think that games will be more optimized with AMD based systems?

[Theo]

Usually every 1 year or 2 years max! But since i could return my 680 to the shop and they ll shave off the price of that 680 from a new gpu that i want then, they are just asking me to upgrade more often lol

[MzCatieB]

im always building a computer using newer hardware, so my update cycle is 6-13 months depends on the length of each project

[Purple]

Probably once every 2 years. That reminds me, time to update my card.

[Rhizo]

I'v had my 560ti for a year and a half now, will probably keep it for another year and a half till 800 series nvidea and 9000 series amd. Not really doing much gaming lately and when I get back on it I want to have the best, hence the waiting.

[Phalonx]

Until it can't run games at 1080p, medium-ish settings.  That means it's almost time to upgrade my 4 year old GTX 275...

[Jimbo]

I've got exactly the same GPU setup as you beebskadoo, I'm not really looking to upgrade before the GTX 800/HD 9900 (or whatever they call it). Although I run at 2560x1600 I've not really found anything that demanded to be turned down, plus having it all watercooled makes the changeover more of a hassle.

[Flamewalker]

I usually buy the second fastest single gpu card one and overclock it and then keep it for 3 generations ,unless i have to start turning down settings to have playable framerates.

[amintha1992]

when ever i can run games at a desirable quality in terms of graphics and smoothness. 

[Zuba Twizta]

I wish every month.

[TechFan@ic]

I upgrade when the performance becomes unsatisfactory.

[roman83]

I upgrade when the performance per dollar is at least 30% better.

[mvitkun]

I'd say you should upgrade every 2-4 years,provided that games require the extra power and that the new graphics cards offer said power to you.

[IPCharger]

Well I don't have that much time with PC gaming. I bought a PC 1.5 years ago with a 6670 and half a year ago I upgraded to a GTX 670.

[Mr. Brovahkiin]

I don't know yet since this is my first time having a rig. My 7950 should last me for a while. I don't have a problem turning down settings to a certain degree so maybe 3-4 years? By then I'll probably just build a whole new rig then anyway

[Villain]

Every two gens. I got a 7950 about a year ago, and when the 800/9000 series gets released I will just sell it for maybe $100 and buy a better card. Though, realistically, you wouldn't have to upgrade in 3-4 years considering how the consoles limit how much more graphical power the games will require.

[GPUXPert]

When games start to lag.

[GamerDude]

I upgrade only when I feel the desktop I have then cannot handle games to my satisfaction. But when I do upgrade, I usually try for the best outright, or best price/performance at the time. I have three systems, which I use for gaming:

i7 3960X + 3x HD7970 (for EyeFinity surround gaming @5760x1200)

FX8350 + 2x GTX670 2GB (for S3D gaming @1080P)

X9650 + HD6990 + HD6970 (for 'ligther gaming but maxed to hilt setting @1080P}

 

These three systems ought to last me a good 2-3 years before I'd consider an upgrade.....

[TechFan@ic]

I upgrade only when I feel the desktop I have then cannot handle games to my satisfaction. But when I do upgrade, I usually try for the best outright, or best price/performance at the time. I have three systems, which I use for gaming:

i7 3960X + 3x HD7970 (for EyeFinity surround gaming @5760x1200)

FX8350 + 2x GTX670 2GB (for S3D gaming @1080P)

X9650 + HD6990 + HD6970 (for 'ligther gaming but maxed to hilt setting @1080P}

 

These three systems ought to last me a good 2-3 years before I'd consider an upgrade.....

That's a fantastic gaming desktop collection you got there ! :D

[chingyg]

I've had my 560ti for atleast a year and I don't plan on upgrading for another 4 years at minimum.

[Robi Dawn]

8 years i seem to end up doing it