Intel i7 3770k@4.2GHz + which gpu?

[Euler]

In a few games I experience some stuttering or some audio slow down (eg. MarioKart Wii on DX9 or 11). I'm guessing my graphics card is the bottleneck - a measly GeForce GT430.

I run things at 1.5x internal resolution and no AA or AF. I use LLE audio on a dedicated core, but changing to HLE makes little difference.

What card would be sufficient to run things at, say, 2x internal resolution. Being able to use some AA or AF effects is a bonus, but not essential. This is going inside a HTPC, so preferably not too noisy or power hungry. I've looked at things like nVidia GTX 650, 650Ti and 660. Any advice on what card would suffice for my needs?

Many thanks!

[Benze]

for your demand an amd hd 7750 should be enough. it has low power consumption and there are passive cooled models. here in germany you can get a decent one for about 60-90 €.

[Starscream]

Don't get me wrong, you do need a better video card, but if you're not running full speed at 1.5xIR, something else is wrong. Your video card should be able to handle that.

[ExtremeDude2]

Due to the fact that you are running at 4.2Ghz in an HTPC could it be possible you are overheating?

[Euler]

Just to check, I've ran dolphin for 30 minutes and the temperatures didn't go above around 63C. The HTPC case is fairly well ventilated. If possible, I'd like to stick with nVidia because it's the only brand I have experience with when it comes to video cards.

To give an example of the type of performance blips: MarioKart Wii, the Luigi circuit. At the beginning of the race the camera sweeps round the track, then finally focuses on the driver and rotates around the vehicle. During this sequence the performance often drops. During the race the fps doesn't drop below about 40.

[oliverfrancisco]

Dolphin should work well even with that temp, but try speeding up your fan (if allowed), just in case...

[NaturalViolence]

Why? His temperature is far below any throttling point.

@Euler

Lower your IR to 1x and see if it boosts your framerate. If it doesn't then your video card is not the bottleneck (as I suspect).

[Euler]

I've lowered to 1x internal resolution and everything runs very well. For instance, MarioKart Wii runs completely smoothly. I've just realises that I was previously running at 2x internal resolution. At 1.5x performance is better, but still suffers the odd blip.

[NaturalViolence]

Ok in that case go for a GTX 650 TI Boost if you have the money.

[Euler]

Thanks for this - it's much appreciated.

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Ok, so the price difference between the GTX 650ti boost and the GTX 660 is only £15, the former being £135. The vanilla GTX 650ti is only £100.

Would the vanilla GTX 650ti suffice? Cost isn't really an issue, but I'm attracted to the vanilla version because it only has the one fan (I'm looking at the gigabyte versions of the cards as I've heard they're very quiet). Both the 660 and the 650ti boost have two fans.