mid-range video card recommendation - is GTX960 still a good buy???

[mlody]

I am looking to get a new video card. I used to have Asus GTX 960 and I liked it a lot - very power efficient and dead silent. I stopped playing about 6 months ago so I sold it. I want to get back to play some of the games I have, and I am looking for a new mid-range video card. I checked around and it seems GTX960 is still a decent card for what I need, but I wonder if there is anything else in that price range that I should also consider, or perhaps I should wait for a new generations of the cards? I am not in a rush to buy.

I will mostly be playing Diablo 3, World of Warcraft and perhaps a bit of The Witcher 3. My monitor's native resolution is 1920x1200 - Dell U2412M

The rest of the spec is as follows:
Asus H87M-E
Intel i5-4590
G.skill 16gb memory
Samsung 840 250GB
Seagate 3.5" 2TB - two drives - Raid 1
Corsair CX430M power supply

The main reason I am leaning again towards Asus GTX960 is the power requirements. I believe some AMD cards can be a bit more powerful in this price range, but they will usually require more power and do not offer any real FPS gains in the 3 games above. Also, I do not want to replace my power supply and would like to stick with Asus brand for the video card as I hate anything this is loud and obnoxious fans . Asus seems to be one of the few brands that got that part right.

 

[Charlie98]

The GTX960 would be decent for your needs, it's just not the best bargain right now compared to equivalent performance from AMD. ASUS isn't the only one with quiet fans, both the Gigabyte and EVGA cards have decent, quiet coolers.

 

[Kuiva maa]

Imho GTX 960 was never a good buy. I would simply wait out for next generation of cards If I were you because the AMD alternatives to 960 aren't much better in terms of value.

 

[Zodiark1593]

The 950 might be a better option actually due to (last I checked) much lower pricing, or a Radeon 370, though neither will max out Witcher 3, they should be reasonably competent at lower quality settings.

 

[boozzer]

to be honest why limit yourself with a 430 watt psu? do you consider yourself a gamer? a 60-70$ investment into a decent psu would go a long way in opening up all your choices.

960 is trash, will be a stinkier pile of trash once dx12 hits.

my suggestion: upgrade that psu and wait for the newer gpus in summer 2016.

 

[Leyawiin]

I have a GTX 960 (MSI Gaming 100 ME) paired with that same CPU. Bought it a year ago. I also own that same monitor, but on a different PC. I have tried it out with the GTX 960 and its just a bit too weak for new games (such as the Fallout 4 I'm currently playing). Its very good for WoW. If you're really set against replacing your power supply it would be OK especially for the Blizzard games which tend to favor Nvidia. Still, I don't think I would buy it today - I'd try to get a GTX 970 if possible.

 

[Zodiark1593]

With an adaptor or two, that psu may be capable of running a 970 as well. Long as you're not overclocking, the power use is quite reasonable.

The 970 is an entire class up from the 960, and so can definitely be worthwhile to look at.

 

[crisium]

According to Newegg your PSU has 1x6+2 pin, so you can use a 1x8pin card. There is an ASUS GTX 970 that uses 1x8pin:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121899

Given the considerable performance difference between the 960 and 970 I would encourage you to stretch your budget for it.

 

[tential]

It never was a good buy op. Gtx 970/r9 290 are the best cards to pick up. Below that, everything is horrendous and that performance has already been available.

 

[2is]

"Still a good buy" implies that at some point it was a good buy. It wasn't, and that hasn't changed.

 

[Leyawiin]

nvm.

 

[frozentundra123456]

According to the nvidia site, the 970 requires 2 x 6 pin connectors and a 500 watt psu. Dont think I would run it on a 430 watt. The 960 receives a lot of hate on these forums, but the price has come down, and it is a decent choice in a situation like this with a low power psu.

 

[Arachnotronic]

According to the nvidia site, the 970 requires 2 x 6 pin connectors and a 500 watt psu. Dont think I would run it on a 430 watt. The 960 receives a lot of hate on these forums, but the price has come down, and it is a decent choice in a situation like this with a low power psu.

Agreed.

 

[KaRLiToS]

With your current PSU, you cannot get much better performance than a GTX 960, which is not the performance you want for the Witcher 3.

I say wait for next gen GPUs or pull the trigger on the GTX 960.

 

[dparson]

I'm in a similar boat, looking to get back into gaming but at least have a Radeon 5870 to tide me over. I considered buying a used GTX 760 or 960 but decided to wait for Nvidia Pascal parts to arrive this year and drive down the prices of 970's...and hopefully find a used 970.

 

[Gikaseixas]

According to Newegg your PSU has 1x6+2 pin, so you can use a 1x8pin card. There is an ASUS GTX 970 that uses 1x8pin:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121899

Given the considerable performance difference between the 960 and 970 I would encourage you to stretch your budget for it.

OP this is the best option for your needs. Get this 970 and don't limit yourself with that weak junk. The 970 is a fast card and will last you much much longer.

 

[Charlie98]

Corsair CX430M power supply

I've run my GTX560Ti 448 on a CX430... it did it, but it didn't like it, and not something I would do long-term, that PSU really isn't intended for a gaming GPU load. You would probably be OK with a GTX960 and the CX, but if you are going up to a GTX970, I'd replace the PSU no matter what.

 

[MrTeal]

The 970 also uses less power than a GTX560Ti 448; if both are OCed then by a large margin.

When AT tested the 970 in a system with a hex core IB-E i7-4960X 4.2GHz, they measured a 300W load at the wall while gaming. The CX430M isn't the greatest PSU in the world, but with a 32A single rail it should work fine until you get the upgrade itch and want to replace the whole system.

 

[Charlie98]

The 970 also uses less power than a GTX560Ti 448; if both are OCed then by a large margin.

When AT tested the 970 in a system with a hex core IB-E i7-4960X 4.2GHz, they measured a 300W load at the wall while gaming. The CX430M isn't the greatest PSU in the world, but with a 32A single rail it should work fine until you get the upgrade itch and want to replace the whole system.

No, I know it's true... but I would hate to see a $300 GPU (plus any collateral damage to be sure...) gone in a puff of smoke.

My i3 and the 560Ti 448 (@ stock)were pulling 380w at the wall in Valley. I understand that's far over what a 970 would probably pull (I guess I can throw the meter on mine upstairs... ) in normal gaming.

TBC...

EDIT: You might be right... i5 2500K @ 4.3GHz, OC'd GTX970SSC... avg 350w at the wall, peaking at 371w in Valley (1080p)

 

[KaRLiToS]

380 watts at the wall
CX430M efficiency at 100% load = 80%
(Source for efficiency: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=239)

380w * 0,80 = 300watts on the DC side

Just get a GTX 970 and be done with it

 

[mlody]

Thank you all for the great input! I totally get that 970 is much better card, but I just cant justify $300+ purchase on a very occasional gaming (we are talking perhaps 2-3 hours a week if I get lucky). Since I usually game during winter months (if you can even call gaming), I will take someone's advise and just wait it out. I agree that 960 is not soo great buy, but then in 3-4 months, $200 might bring the gap a bit to the current $300 cards, so it only make sense for me to wait as I do not need the card any time soon at this point. Thanks again for all the great information and advises! Cheers

 

[Charlie98]

Well, just remember, new tech on the horizon won't be any cheaper than where we are at now. Given your circumstance, I would probably wait until the new release, and then see if you can get a 970 new (on sale) or used (when folks upgrade and sell off the old card.) I did that with my 760 and it worked out pretty well (not that the 760 was that good of a card, mind you. Sort of like the 960 isn't.)

 

[Headfoot]

If you are good with waiting, it is probably best to wait for 14nm cards then. While the iGPU in your processor isn't exactly a speed demon, you should be able to play something like Diablo 3 and WOW at low settings in the meantime on it

 

[Leyawiin]

For just 2-3 hours of light gaming a week a GTX 960 would be fine (and I can understand how an additional $100 would be hard to justify - not counting a new power supply). As I said I basically have the same system and monitor as you and its a solid midrange system. I've been gaming with it playing WoW with it the last few nights and it maxes the quality settings along with 8X MSAA and stays pretty much nailed @ 60 FPS (on my medium pop server).

 

[B-Riz]

What about HD 7950, HD 7970, R9 280, R9 280x?

R7 370 could work too.

GTX 760 is about the same performance as an HD 7950...