Best card around $130?

[Leyawiin]

What's this Visa Checkout thing? Is it exclusive to a GTX 660? Again, R9 270 can be found after rebate for about the same or cheaper than any 660 - and is certainly faster on average. Why should someone choose the 660 when the 270 is an option? I still don't see a compelling reason unless that Visa Checkout is exclusive to that deal.

Its good for any purchase at Tigerdirect of $125 or more. The reason I chose to link it was the first game the OP mentioned he played was WoW. WoW is Nvidia favored and there will be little to no difference between a GTX 660 and R9 270 in FPS in that game (the R9 270 is about 5% faster than a GTX 660 overall). The OP also mentioned he had a preference for Nvidia. The cheapest R9 270 right now is at Newegg (factoring in price less any payment type discounts and MIR). Its a Powercolor and would be $135 out of pocket with the MasterPass $15 discount Russian mentioned. It has a $20 rebate so it would be $115 in the end - $20 more than the MSI Twin Frozr GTX 660 I linked (which is $125 up front with a $30 MIR - $95 in the end). So yeah, the GTX 660 is cheaper by $20 for the same performance in WoW and 95% of the performance of a R9 270 in general. Personally, I'd rather have that nice metal Twin Frozr heatsink on the MSI vs. the plastic one on the Powercolor.

 

[Will Robinson]

happy medium
Lifer



Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Philadelphia , P.A.
Posts: 11,198

r7 260x or gtx750ti are about equal in price and performance. Your psu has only one 6 pin connector . The gtx750ti is about 10$ more expensive but is slightly faster and uses less power. The gtx660 uses a little more power, cost more, but is about 20% faster than both. If you don't mind rebates,grab the gtx660 for 129$AR. Otherwise the gtx750ti and r7 260 is a toss up.

Look who's back! How was your sabbatical?

cue The Twilight Zone theme

 

[crisium]

Its good for any purchase at Tigerdirect of $125 or more. The reason I chose to link it was the first game the OP mentioned he played was WoW. WoW is Nvidia favored and there will be little to no difference between a GTX 660 and R9 270 in FPS in that game (the R9 270 is about 5% faster than a GTX 660 overall). The OP also mentioned he had a preference for Nvidia. The cheapest R9 270 right now is at Newegg (factoring in price less any payment type discounts and MIR). Its a Powercolor and would be $135 out of pocket with the MasterPass $15 discount Russian mentioned. It has a $20 rebate so it would be $115 in the end - $20 more than the MSI Twin Frozr GTX 660 I linked (which is $125 up front with a $30 MIR - $95 in the end). So yeah, the GTX 660 is cheaper by $20 for the same performance in WoW and 95% of the performance of a R9 270 in general. Personally, I'd rather have that nice metal Twin Frozr heatsink on the MSI vs. the plastic one on the Powercolor.

I'm convinced. OP, that's your wisest option.

 

[RussianSensation]

Its good for any purchase at Tigerdirect of $125 or more. The reason I chose to link it was the first game the OP mentioned he played was WoW. WoW is Nvidia favored and there will be little to no difference between a GTX 660 and R9 270 in FPS in that game (the R9 270 is about 5% faster than a GTX 660 overall). The OP also mentioned he had a preference for Nvidia. The cheapest R9 270 right now is at Newegg (factoring in price less any payment type discounts and MIR). Its a Powercolor and would be $135 out of pocket with the MasterPass $15 discount Russian mentioned. It has a $20 rebate so it would be $115 in the end - $20 more than the MSI Twin Frozr GTX 660 I linked (which is $125 up front with a $30 MIR - $95 in the end). So yeah, the GTX 660 is cheaper by $20 for the same performance in WoW and 95% of the performance of a R9 270 in general. Personally, I'd rather have that nice metal Twin Frozr heatsink on the MSI vs. the plastic one on the Powercolor.

$95 vs. $135 for the PowerColor R9 290 with $15 MasterPass:

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=14-131-570

- 28% more performance on avg. than a 660 for $20 more
- 3GB of VRAM for future games
- Huge overclocking headroom that allows an R9 280 to beat 770/280X!
http://www.sweclockers.com/recension/18938-asus-radeon-r9-280-strix/9#pagehead
- Users already running a 280X and an i5 with the same PSU

Since the budget is around $130, why settle for a 660? Also, why get a 2GB card on the brink of 2015? Also, why focus on WoW that gets 60+ fps anyway when the OP listed FPSes too? Every single person on this thread missed the part where the OP wants to play DayZ, a game that has 7950/R9 280 trading blows with the 770, and an astounding 62% faster than the 660?
http://gamegpu.ru/action-/-fps-/-tps/dayz-test-gpu.html

What about Advanced Warfare where a 270X beats a 760? Now imagine R9 280 vs. a 660...

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_page..._graphics_performance_benchmark_review,6.html

What about Far Cry 4 where R9 280/7950 gets 52 fps vs. 31 fps for the 660, a whopping 68% advantage!
http://www.techspot.com/review/917-far-cry-4-benchmarks/page3.html

Did you guys honestly miss the news on our forum of Kepler performance tanking in games released in the last 6 months? This doesn't even take into account the texture quality issues a 2GB card will face in 2015. Even though in older games the 7950/280 is 28% faster, in newer games this grows dramatically.

I have no problem recommending NV cards but right now, they just don't have anything worthwhile below $330 unless you can get a super deal.

 

[tential]

Its good for any purchase at Tigerdirect of $125 or more. The reason I chose to link it was the first game the OP mentioned he played was WoW. WoW is Nvidia favored and there will be little to no difference between a GTX 660 and R9 270 in FPS in that game (the R9 270 is about 5% faster than a GTX 660 overall). The OP also mentioned he had a preference for Nvidia. The cheapest R9 270 right now is at Newegg (factoring in price less any payment type discounts and MIR). Its a Powercolor and would be $135 out of pocket with the MasterPass $15 discount Russian mentioned. It has a $20 rebate so it would be $115 in the end - $20 more than the MSI Twin Frozr GTX 660 I linked (which is $125 up front with a $30 MIR - $95 in the end). So yeah, the GTX 660 is cheaper by $20 for the same performance in WoW and 95% of the performance of a R9 270 in general. Personally, I'd rather have that nice metal Twin Frozr heatsink on the MSI vs. the plastic one on the Powercolor.

I have no preference on Nvidia vs Amd, however I've never owned an Amd card and know nothing about them. I'm not overclocking the cpu, just got the K processor because it was cheaper at the time.

Lol.... just lol....
This post explains itself.

But if it didn't, the OP never stated he had a preference so please don't put words in people's mouths.

 

[dontsh00tmesanta]

An amd 7770 can be had for a good $80 but I didn't know the r9 290 can be found for 135 wow thats a great deal

 

[funks]

If you are using this as HTPC with Windows Media Center 8.1 then don't get an NVIDIA (eq. 750ti) card especially if you have the following setup

1) HD Home Run Prime (for Cable Card)
2) Windows 8.1 / Media Center
3) Gefen HDMI Detective Plus
4) AV Receiver
5) Display

The NVIDIA cards don't perform HDCP handshaking properly when the Gefen is inline (AMD cards don't have any problems) and you won't be able to playback HD content (on both Media Center and PowerDVD). The Gefen is basically required as it brings EDID stability, otherwise when the computer sleeps - you'll end up with a green screen, or no-audio during wakeup and other quirks which will piss you off - lol..

Gefen states Nvidia isn't following the HDCP handshake correctly - http://forum.gefen.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16298

I'd say Stick to a R7 260X or a 7790 - more than capable enough of playing games at HD quality - I use it with Steam in big picture mode. The 750ti would be a great HTPC card if it didn't have the HDCP issue (returned it earlier today due to the HDCP reporting issue above).

 

[Leyawiin]

Lol.... just lol....
This post explains itself.

But if it didn't, the OP never stated he had a preference so please don't put words in people's mouths.

Got it confused with a similar thread here going on at the same time. That person was looking at NV due to a poor ATI experience from years back (which he reconsidered after information provided by Russian). He also was playing WoW where the O.P. of this thread isn't. Again, got two threads confused and my sincerest, deepest, heartfelt, self-flagellating apologies.

 

[slow9300]

I appreciate all the reviews, I'm going to get an R9 270 and call it a day. Thanks.

 

[Leyawiin]

I appreciate all the reviews, I'm going to get an R9 270 and call it a day. Thanks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161410

Basically an older version of the R9 270 (same card for all intents and purposes - actually clocked a bit higher than the R9 270). Great value for a new card. No MIR to muddy the waters. Use the MBLMASTER15 promo code Russian mentioned and you get $15 off of it (have to order by mobile device on the Newegg app).

 

[SteveGrabowski]

I appreciate all the reviews, I'm going to get an R9 270 and call it a day. Thanks.

Dude, forget the R9 270. This deal just showed up at newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161400

The HD 7950 is basically an R9 280, and is a much stronger card than an R9 270, and also has 1GB more VRAM. This is a ridiculous steal at $130.

 

[Leyawiin]

Dude, forget the R9 270. This deal just showed up at newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161400

The HD 7950 is basically an R9 280, and is a much stronger card than an R9 270, and also has 1GB more VRAM. This is a ridiculous steal at $130.

Saw that - awful HSF.

 

[Insomniator]

Get a 7950 or 280. Pointless to buy any of the 750's/660's/260s/270s in this price range...

The 7950 (same as 280) was a $400 high end card and and taking overclocking into account it shouldn't even be discussed with any of the low end garbage suggested here.

7950's were a steal at ~$180 not long ago... at $130 that is probably the most performance (compared to the time) that's ever been available for the price.

 

[haggggler]

Something from your fellow forum member in the for sale threads.

 

[slow9300]

I guess my real question is, would I be able to run a 270x, 280, 7950 etc... that requires two pci connectors? My supply only has one pci connector, I know I can run a molex to pci but my supply is a dual rail... is that an issue?

 

[crisium]

Russian linked a review that hada 280X running just fine with adapters. So a 280/7950 which uses slightly less power will be able to run. You just need the adapters.

 

[Headfoot]

Yeah 4690k does not use much power. I'd say you're definitely okay to run a 7950 off of a 450w supply as long as you're not running a ton of hard drives and fans on top of it. A few case fans and a few storage devices + 4690k + 7950 will be fine. They suggest a power supply with 31 amps if its on a single rail, and your's appears to be 2x18 amps so you should be fine.

 

[shady28]

I guess my real question is, would I be able to run a 270x, 280, 7950 etc... that requires two pci connectors? My supply only has one pci connector, I know I can run a molex to pci but my supply is a dual rail... is that an issue?

Let's think about this.

You have a good 450W PSU.

The video board manufacturer recommends a 500W PSU.

The card maker put 2 6-pin connectors on the video card.

The PSU manufacturer only put one 6-pin connector on the PSU.

A bunch of self-proclaimed electrical engineers in a forum are telling you that it should work based on someone somewhere who posted in a review that it worked on their 400W PSU.

One poster is even talking about the PowerColor R9 290 which according to NewEgg has a 750W PSU requirement.

I can tell you from experience that an overtaxed PSU is a major PITA, especially if you have work to do and/or valuable information on your PC.

This is what Guru3d had to say about PSU requirements for the various AMD cards :

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-270-review,8.html

"
This is Guru3D's generic power supply recommendation for the R7 and R9 series:

AMD R7 260X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R7 260X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 650 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 270 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 500 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 270 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 700 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 270X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 500 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 270X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 700 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 280X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 280X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 750 Watt power supply unit as minimum."

 

[RussianSensation]

Running the molex to PCIe shoudnt be an issue. Browsing Newegg, all the hot deals are nearly done. Usually at this time prices start going up and deals dry up. The prices on R9 270/270X/280 at places like Newegg and NCIXUS have now gone way up. Now it's a case of waiting for a great deal but the $15 off MasterPass won't work after today. That's one negative aspect of crazy deals like a 7950/R9 280 for $130-135 that if you don't jump on it, it will sell out quick. If I find more deals, I'll try to link them.

 

[RussianSensation]

Let's think about this.

You have a good 450W PSU.

The video board manufacturer recommends a 500W PSU.

The card maker put 2 6-pin connectors on the video card.

The PSU manufacturer only put one 6-pin connector on the PSU.

A bunch of self-proclaimed electrical engineers in a forum are telling you that it should work based on someone somewhere who posted in a review that it worked on their 400W PSU.

One poster is even talking about the PowerColor R9 290 which according to NewEgg has a 750W PSU requirement.

I can tell you from experience that an overtaxed PSU is a major PITA, especially if you have work to do and/or valuable information on your PC.

This is what Guru3d had to say about PSU requirements for the various AMD cards :

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-270-review,8.html

"
This is Guru3D's generic power supply recommendation for the R7 and R9 series:

AMD R7 260X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 450 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R7 260X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 650 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 270 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 500 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 270 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 700 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 270X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 500 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 270X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 700 Watt power supply unit as minimum.
AMD R9 280X - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit.
AMD R9 280X Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 750 Watt power supply unit as minimum."

This entire posts rests on the assumption that manfacturer's power supply recommendations are reasonable and valid -- they are not. That's why your entire argument is not strong as the manufacurers use these values to account for very low quality units. You can easily run a 150W card on a 350-400W PSU, a 200W card on a 450W, and a 290W card on a 520-550W. Those manufacurer's recommendations for PSUs are absolutely meaningless and have been for 20 years of PC hardware. Stating that an R9 270 requires a 500W is absolutely laughable because I know for a fact my overclocked i7 860@ 3.9Ghz with a Fermi 470@750mhz both loaded at 99% in computing projects ran flawlessly on a 520W. Since I still have the 520W as a backup, I tested it with an HD4890 OC, HD6950 w/6970 unlock + OC, HD7970 OC, GPU and CPU 99% limited compute cases. Flawless. In the real a modern i5 and an R9 270/270X will use 210-220W of power. Why would they need a 500W PSU?

It's not even logical that a 120-150W card would require a 500W PSU unit. We don't need to be electrical engineers to know that. Unfortunately posts like yours do an incredible amount of damage to cloud facts as new users start believing that they need a massive PSU to run a certain GPU. I see this all over many forums. In 15 years of me following GPU hardware this one myth hasn't stopped being repeated. Anyway, this whole debate is now meaningless since R9 280 / 7950 for $130-135 are sold out. But you really ought to read up on PSU reviews and user data before spreading false manufacturer PSU recommendations as accurate requirements.

 

[RussianSensation]

Big props to Virtual Larry. He found a His ICEQ 7870Ghz for $110+$6 shipping, which after MasterPass $15 off works out to $101. No rebates required. This is like getting the R9 270X for $101.

7870GE 2GB card for $109.99, no rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161410

 

[VirtualLarry]

Big props to Virtual Larry. He found a His ICEQ 7870Ghz for $110+$6 shipping, which after MasterPass $15 off works out to $101. No rebates required. This is like getting the R9 270X for $101.

7870GE 2GB card for $109.99, no rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161410

Thanks for the props, RS. I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for Steve's original Hot Deal post about the 7950. I just scrolled down the page and saw that in the list of "things other people were buying".

I almost got the 7870GE instead of the 7950, because of the better cooler and better ratings. I should have probably picked up two of each kind of card, but I thought that might be excessive. Oh well. Hopefully my fans on the two 7950s I ordered, don't fail on me like some of the newegg reviewers mentioned. It does look kind of poorly-made.

 

[SlickR12345]

For $130 the AMD R7 265 is the best option. You have R9 270 but those are from $140 to $160

Assuming that $130 is your maximum price then the AMD r7 265 is the best option.

 

[RussianSensation]

For $130 the AMD R7 265 is the best option. You have R9 270 but those are from $140 to $160

Assuming that $130 is your maximum price then the AMD r7 265 is the best option.

Did you miss the 2 posts made above you? R9 270X/7870Ghz for $101 after $15 off:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161410

---

Larry, I found 2 reviews of the HIS ("Press" / Reference edition) 7950. BeHardware managed 1125mhz overclock at reference Tahiti voltage of 1.174-1.175V. Going beyond that aided just another 50mhz with a required voltage bump to 1.225V. For every day use I'd settle for 1.125Ghz at 1.174V given the cooler:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/...asus-his-msi-powercolor-sapphire-and-xfx.html

The card is not as bad as I thought, miles better than those dreaded XFX 7950/7970 cards:

Idle noise levels are on the high side -- I'd probably create a custom fan curve in MSI AB for it:

At Tom's, the same HIS 7950 did much worse though.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7950-review-benchmark,3207-11.html

 

[tweakboy]

460 or 560 GTX