Selecting a GPU

[ARosch]

System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU: planning to get i7-2600k or i7-2700k


II. Current Graphics Card: I believe it is ATI Radeon HD 3400 series


III. Display Resolution:1440x900


IV. Power Supply Unit Specification: looking at 750W, here is link http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&Sku=T925-3083


V. Case Specifications: I will just give a link, http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...126&CatId=1842


Purchase Details:

I. Budget? Below $350 USA if possible


II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)?: I would strongly prefer EVGA


III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI? Don't think so...


IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs? Looked at the EVGA GeForce GTX 560ti series


V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?
I play Starcraft II and Runescape almost every day, I run dual monitors at all times and my computer runs about 16hours every day.


VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase? I am somewhat confused how this works, if I buy one that is "superclocked" that means it has already been overclocked? I would only overclock it if it was relatively easy, safe, and worthwhile.


Additional Notes: I am in the process of building myself a new desktop, the one I have is about four years old and I finally have the money for an upgrade and I want to do it right.

 

[RavenSEAL]

At that resolution, get a GTX 570 and call it done for the next 2 years.

 

[michael7777]

overkill on PSU? probably ~550w will be fine with most 1 card setup

 

[ARosch]

At that resolution, get a GTX 570 and call it done for the next 2 years.

Is the 570 not a little excessive? Also, are you suggesting that its going to die after two years or just be severely outdated?

 

[RavenSEAL]

Is the 570 not a little excessive? Also, are you suggesting that its going to die after two years or just be severely outdated?

I'm saying that playing at that resolution, you SHOULD pretty much max out any game that comes out in the next 2 years.

 

[BD231]

So long as you keep playing games that are graphically unappealing like the ones you mentioned you won't require anywhere near a $350 dollar video card. If I were you I'd add on the extra $150 for a 680 or 7970 if you're really willing to spend all that cash on games that don't require more than a $100 dollar card.

Being that your computer is on all the time the new power saving features on top models would be good for you. At that res all you need is a GTX 460. Even for the more demanding games you'll be well over 60fps with plenty of eye candy on Super Clocked models.

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperCloc...4284394&sr=8-2

Here's a sweet OC'd model 460, I've had one and they overclock very well past their original OC's. @ 800 to 900mhz they get close to gtx stock 480 performance so you'll be in the same ballpark as a 570 for WAY less cash. $130 after rebate and its EVGA.

 

[ARosch]

So long as you keep playing games that are graphically unappealing

Haha, very well put.
My resolution keeps getting mentioned, is 1440x900 considered low? That is just as high as my current video card will go.

As for that 460, basically it comes OC'd, but I could OC it further for more performance?

Also how would the 460 compare to this 550? http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supercloc...4286806&sr=8-1

 

[RavenSEAL]

Haha, very well put.
My resolution keeps getting mentioned, is 1440x900 considered low? That is just as high as my current video card will go.

As for that 460, basically it comes OC'd, but I could OC it further for more performance?

Also how would the 460 compare to this 550? http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supercloc...4286806&sr=8-1

Whatever you do, DO NOT get a 550. They are absolute ****.

If you want my honest suggestion, get an HD 6870. Best bang for buck card, shouldn't give you much problems at that resolution. Handles well games at 1080p.

Again though, something like a GTX 570 will set you up good for 2-3 years.

 

[BD231]

Haha, very well put.
My resolution keeps getting mentioned, is 1440x900 considered low? That is just as high as my current video card will go.

As for that 460, basically it comes OC'd, but I could OC it further for more performance?

Also how would the 460 compare to this 550? http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supercloc...4286806&sr=8-1

. You've got a great system in mind and I'd definitely go with the beefier PSU if you ever plan on expanding the system with dual cards. Better to spend a tiny bit more now on a good PSU instead of having to completely replace it down the line just to go dual gpu. The 3500 series can do far better than 1440x900, probably best you make sure you know what the native res on your monitor is instead. My 4250 will default to a non-native res if I don't install drivers from the AMD site.

Just to give you a performance example, I ran that same 460 @ 900mhz and got a 59fps average in BF3 on high settings using a res of 1900x1200 which is a pretty big step up from 1440x900 and a very taxing game to say the least. If you're a light gamer overclocked 460s really pack a punch, Raven mentioned the 6870 as well which can be had in the same price range. 550 is indeed not a good choice, the 460 and the 560ti are the cards with a full 256bit memory bus (better performance).

 

[blastingcap]

So long as you keep playing games that are graphically unappealing like the ones you mentioned you won't require anywhere near a $350 dollar video card.

Very true, and nice euphemism too.

If it weren't for SC2, I would recommend a used 6850. You can find them for $100 used these days and they overclock well so you can get stock 6870 performance easily. But SC2 heavily favors NV hardware so get a used GTX 460 1GB or GTX 560 instead.

 

[taltamir]

Haha, very well put.
My resolution keeps getting mentioned, is 1440x900 considered low? That is just as high as my current video card will go.

interesting.
What is your monitor model?

 

[BallaTheFeared]

If your rig is for gaming, get an i5-2500k instead, add $100 to your vga budget, get a 680 after saving another $50.

 

[Hallowed_Dragon]

If your rig is for gaming, get an i5-2500k instead, add $100 to your vga budget, get a 680 after saving another $50.

+1. The best solution thus far. It will also last you more than a 570 and will also support a monitor resolution upgrade.

 

[BD231]

If your rig is for gaming, get an i5-2500k instead, add $100 to your vga budget, get a 680 after saving another $50.

:thumbsup:

 

[ARosch]

The 680 is like $500 I don't think I want to pay that much lol.
I had always thought about an i5-2500k to OC but thought it may be too slow, guess not.

I guess right now I am just looking at a superclocked 460 vs a super clocked 560.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Get 2500k plus 7850 and overclock both

 

[Arzachel]

Get 2500k plus 7850 and overclock both

This, the 7850 sips power even when overclocked and you said you keep the PC on for most of the day. Also, if you can find a 560 Ti 448 thats ~50$ cheaper than you can get a 7850, I'd consider that. Eats much more power and is slightly less powerful, but at that price it would be worth it.

 

[Fallengod]

I do agree with the 2500k advice. I will add however, that if you have a Microcenter near you, they will have the 2600k for $200 soon which is probably going to be the same price youd get the 2500k for...

 

[ARosch]

Closest microcenter is four hours

When IVB comes out, will the SDB processors drop much? I will probably not be buying most of my parts till June.

 

[azeem40]

It will drop, but not by a lot. Maybe $10.

 

[SickBeast]

At that resolution, get a GTX 570 and call it done for the next 2 years.

The GTX 560 Ti 448 is $50 cheaper and does the same thing.

I could also point out AMD options but there seem to be plenty of people who do that here so I shall refrain.

 

[SickBeast]

OP, I will tell you, I just recently bought a GPU so I know a lot about the current cards and their prices.

The best bang-for-buck values right now are the Radeon 6870 and the GTX 560 "vanilla" (non-ti, non ti-448).

Anything above that and you're not getting as good of a value, but you might need something better depending on the games you play and how much performance you want.

I personally got a 7850 because they went on sale where I live for $230 shipped.

 

[ARosch]

Thank you for your suggestions. I have had a few people tell me to stay away from the AMD GPUs because the NVIDIA GPUs just work better.

Is this the 560 you recommend? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130664

Also, I noticed that Asus makes the same thing for the same price. Is their quality better or worse?

 

[Zebo]

Best deal by far
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130758

This card beats anything under $300 all for $239 and is built like a tank with high end electronics on board.

It actually may beat GTX 580 and will beat 7870 too which are in $300-$400 range.

Here is a slower version of it reviewed. One above is faster "ultra" version being clocked even higher!
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/36565-evga-geforce-gtx-560-ti-448-classified/?page=6

 

[SickBeast]

Thank you for your suggestions. I have had a few people tell me to stay away from the AMD GPUs because the NVIDIA GPUs just work better.

Is this the 560 you recommend? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130664

Also, I noticed that Asus makes the same thing for the same price. Is their quality better or worse?

I've seen the GTX 560s go for around $149 and the 6870s go for as little as $130. The 6870 might be a tiny bit faster and can compete with the GTX 560 Ti.

It doesn't matter too much which one you choose. I tend to choose the cheapest. Asus is a great brand but so is EVGA.

I tend to find that the cooling solution is more important than the brand. The same goes for the warranty.