New video card wanted .. $150 limit maybe?

[Phaetos]

Getting tax returns soon and want to replace the APU with a dedicated card, will probably have around $150 to spend on the card. Below is my current setup. Will I need to replace the PS as well with a dedicated card that will draw more power?

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-F2A55M-HD2 FM2 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) HDMI Micro ATX AMD
PS: CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC
Case: Antec NEW SOLUTION SERIES VSK-3000 Black SGCC steel MicroATX Mini Tower
CPU: AMD A10-6800K Richland 4.1GHz (4.4GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 100W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - Black Edition AMD Radeon
RAM: Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Model TZYD38G2133HC11ADC01

I am pretty much brand agnostic, just looking for the best bang for the buck.

I pretty much play Diablo 3 and the like, I would love to be able to play Final Fantasy: Realm Reborn, but it's just not possible on my current setup, it's just too graphics intensive. I don't do FPS games, I'm playing thru The Witcher series so I can be ready when Witcher 3 hits and would to be able to play that as well.

I know I asked this before a couple months back, but I will need hard data and pricing now to present to the other half.

Discuss, and let me know which direction I should go.

 

[Smoblikat]

I just bought an HD7970 for 140$ shipped. If get a nice quality 550 - 650W PSU you should be able to easily run it in your current rig, I would bet it would still run in your system even with the PSU you have now, but breathing room to OC is always nice.

 

[tential]

I doubt there is anything for $150 that would require you to change your PSU.

Unless you're OCing. I think at stock though you'll be fine. HD 7970 and R9 290x are the only two cards I'd worry about and only at PEAK power consumption.

 

[tweakboy]

You can get a 560 Ti ...... anyone else ?

 

[therealnickdanger]

For brand new GPUs, the models that can be had for $150 are the GTX 750Ti and the R7 260X and R9 270/270X (after MIR). If any games you enjoy have optional HD texture packs or high VRAM requirements, try to get a 4GB model instead of a 2GB model (only GDDR5). More VRAM won't help you get faster frames, but it can make the frames you get smoother when dealing with many/larger textures. No sense in underachieving if you can avoid it.

Personally, I'd stretch for the 270X w/4GB, but that's only because the 260X is hard to find with more than 2GB... but the 260X is otherwise excellent if you don't need extra VRAM. The 750Ti is a bit slower, but is great if you just want to power it off the PCIe slot without additional power connections.

I just bought an HD7970 for 140$ shipped. If get a nice quality 550 - 650W PSU you should be able to easily run it in your current rig, I would bet it would still run in your system even with the PSU you have now, but breathing room to OC is always nice.

LOL or that! Great buy! FYI I'm running a 7970 in a machine with a 450W PSU without problems.

 

[Phaetos]

No overclocking here, I'm done with that stage of life So, a 260x with more than 2GB if I can find one, or a 270/x or the 750Ti.

Pro's and con's comparison?

 

[therealnickdanger]

No overclocking here, I'm done with that stage of life So, a 260x with more than 2GB if I can find one, or a 270/x or the 750Ti.

Pro's and con's comparison?

The 4GB VRAM is only valuable if your games use really large textures (ex: optional Skyrim HD texture packs) or you play at very high resolutions, but the latter scenario usually requires a more powerful GPU to go along with it. 2GB VRAM is plenty for most RTS, MOBA, and MMO titles.

 

[rip]

best bang for the buck.

I'm playing thru The Witcher series so I can be ready when Witcher 3 hits and would to be able to play that as well.

I know I asked this before a couple months back, but I will need hard data and pricing now to present to the other half.

Discuss, and let me know which direction I should go.

I'm in the same boat. Witcher 2 is currently maxing out my GTX480 temps - MAXING, like 107C then it shuts off. Never used to do that; perhaps it needs cleaning and fresh thermal paste. The 7970 looks good but I will follow this thread 'cuz I'm also budget limited.
The old i7 920 doesn't seem to be stressing at all btw.
On the same note, what WTH is 3pin + 4pin???.......that's how long it's been since I've upgraded.

 

[RussianSensation]

No overclocking here, I'm done with that stage of life So, a 260x with more than 2GB if I can find one, or a 270/x or the 750Ti.

Pro's and con's comparison?

You need to decide on your budget. Is $150 a very strict budget? If not, for $15 more the R9 280 beats all those cards, has lifetime warranty, 3GB of VRAM and 20% overclocking headroom. A stock R9 280 is 63% faster than a GTX750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-706-_-Product

If your limit is truly $150, you are OK with rebates, the next best card is an R9 270X for $150. A stock R9 270X is 44% faster than a GTX750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-706-_-Product

The 3rd best card in performance is the $130 R9 270 and it is 31% faster than a GTX750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-545-_-Product

The 4th best is R9 265 as it's still 18% faster than a GTX750Ti but it costs $130 like the R9 270, making it irrelevant. R9 260/X is also irrelevant.

The main reason to get a 750Ti is if you have a poor quality 300W PSU, which doesn't apply in your case.

Performance compared between R9 280/270X/270/265/750Ti.
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-09/...vidia/6/#diagramm-rating-1920-1080-4xaa-16xaf

Therefore, your real choices are R9 280/270X or R9 270. Everything else is bad value. Obviously the R9 280 is the best card since it has 3GB of VRAM, the most overclocking headroom and lifetime warranty but your CPU would bottleneck it in some titles. R9 270X/270 are still excellent options although I am personally not fond of 2GB cards for 1080P gaming in 2015 if you intend to keep your card for more than 6 months and play The Witcher 3. You do need to start thinking about a CPU/platform upgrade soon though as your CPU is seriously lacking.

 

[Smoblikat]

I'm in the same boat. Witcher 2 is currently maxing out my GTX480 temps - MAXING, like 107C then it shuts off. Never used to do that; perhaps it needs cleaning and fresh thermal paste. The 7970 looks good but I will follow this thread 'cuz I'm also budget limited.
The old i7 920 doesn't seem to be stressing at all btw.
On the same note, what WTH is 3pin + 4pin???.......that's how long it's been since I've upgraded.

Im assuming they meant 6 pin and 8 pin, but only counted the rows instead of counting all the pins together.

 

[Phaetos]

You need to decide on your budget. Is $150 a very strict budget? If not, for $15 more the R9 280 beats all those cards, has lifetime warranty, 3GB of VRAM and 20% overclocking headroom. A stock R9 280 is 63% faster than a GTX750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-706-_-Product

If your limit is truly $150, you are OK with rebates, the next best card is an R9 270X for $150. A stock R9 270X is 44% faster than a GTX750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-706-_-Product

The 3rd best card in performance is the $130 R9 270 and it is 31% faster than a GTX750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-545-_-Product

The 4th best is R9 265 as it's still 18% faster than a GTX750Ti but it costs $130 like the R9 270, making it irrelevant. R9 260/X is also irrelevant.

The main reason to get a 750Ti is if you have a poor quality 300W PSU, which doesn't apply in your case.

Performance compared between R9 280/270X/270/265/750Ti.
http://www.computerbase.de/2014-09/...vidia/6/#diagramm-rating-1920-1080-4xaa-16xaf

Therefore, your real choices are R9 280/270X or R9 270. Everything else is bad value. Obviously the R9 280 is the best card since it has 3GB of VRAM, the most overclocking headroom and lifetime warranty but your CPU would bottleneck it in some titles. R9 270X/270 are still excellent options although I am personally not fond of 2GB cards for 1080P gaming in 2015 if you intend to keep your card for more than 6 months and play The Witcher 3. You do need to start thinking about a CPU/platform upgrade soon though as your CPU is seriously lacking.

Thanks Russian, good info there, but your first 2 links are the same For the CPU, I know it can be better, but I built it with that almost a year ago with the funds available. So the 750Ti is off the table. Now what about manufacturer these days? XFX, EVGA, Gigabyte, etc .....

 

[XFXSupport]

Thanks Russian, good info there, but your first 2 links are the same For the CPU, I know it can be better, but I built it with that almost a year ago with the funds available. So the 750Ti is off the table. Now what about manufacturer these days? XFX, EVGA, Gigabyte, etc .....

I always have trouble answering these questions. The bottom line is... You should want a good price, quality, and warranty.

For Price, compare costs of similar units.
For Quality, check the ratings/reviews on the products below.
For Warranty, call the company and pretend you have a faulty card, see how they respond.

Its always best to call the retailer when you need them, not when they need you.

XFX Support

 

[Headfoot]

Therefore, your real choices are R9 280/270X or R9 270. Everything else is bad value. Obviously the R9 280 is the best card since it has 3GB of VRAM, the most overclocking headroom and lifetime warranty but your CPU would bottleneck it in some titles. R9 270X/270 are still excellent options although I am personally not fond of 2GB cards for 1080P gaming in 2015 if you intend to keep your card for more than 6 months and play The Witcher 3. You do need to start thinking about a CPU/platform upgrade soon though as your CPU is seriously lacking.

+ 1 to all of this

 

[Phaetos]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202090

Looks like a good card, great reviews, not a ton of 1 egg reviews, good price even better with the MIR. Only issue is the specs page says a 500W PS is required. How strict is that spec? I don't want to get a great card, then it bombs because my PS isn't giving it enough go power.

 

[rickxross]

If used is okay you can get a 7970 for cheap on ebay.

Keep in mind the 280x is just a rebadged 7970... so its a pretty strong option.

 

[RussianSensation]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202090

Looks like a good card, great reviews, not a ton of 1 egg reviews, good price even better with the MIR. Only issue is the specs page says a 500W PS is required. How strict is that spec? I don't want to get a great card, then it bombs because my PS isn't giving it enough go power.

500W is just a conservative requirement. Your PSU is fine.

For $5 more over that Sapphire 270 model is this card if you search Newegg:

PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card

If you don't mind used 7950, that's a good option too.

 

[Phaetos]

500W is just a conservative requirement. Your PSU is fine.

For $5 more over that Sapphire 270 model is this card if you search Newegg:

PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card

If you don't mind used 7950, that's a good option too.

I was looking into the PowerColor stuff but I'm not digging the reviews about their products.

 

[Headfoot]

Yeah, consider used. I just got a 7950 Boost used for $100 for example. You can get really great deals used

 

[Smoblikat]

I was looking into the PowerColor stuff but I'm not digging the reviews about their products.

I used to own a Powercolor HD5850, and after dealing with that card, I will never buy a powercolor product again.

 

[boozzer]

I just bought an HD7970 for 140$ shipped. If get a nice quality 550 - 650W PSU you should be able to easily run it in your current rig, I would bet it would still run in your system even with the PSU you have now, but breathing room to OC is always nice.

if you can buy a 7970 for 150$ brand new, this is the way to go. it is a 280x which is fastest card in the 150$ price range.

 

[krumme]

Your ps is 32 amp on single 12v rail. You can go 7970 no probs but gaming ps fan will be more noticiable.

I vote used 7950/7970

 

[tweakboy]

You can get a 460 GTX 560 Ti ...... anyone else ?

Or a 660 and get ready for a big upgrade for you. Let us know what you got, please fill it in, we can helper more,,,,

 

[happy medium]

7950 boost used for like 100$

or a used 7970 3gb for 120$ like this one
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2421233

 

[Phaetos]

These 7950/7970 numbers, are those just the reference cards before the manufacturer gets their mitts on them?

 

[Smoblikat]

These 7950/7970 numbers, are those just the reference cards before the manufacturer gets their mitts on them?

What do you mean?