Which graphics card should i buy for my build - (uk) £240 budget

[midi4321]

Hi

My build is:
i5-3570k
as rock z77 extreme4
hyper 212 evo
GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB DDR3-1600
Antec 620W ATX12V / EPS12V
xigmatek asgard II
(with case fans and other paraphernalia to be bought)

I need help trying to choose which gpu to buy (this is my first build).

I am willing to purchase a gpu up to £240 as long as i can salvage some money back by selling games that come with it or if it offers free shipping:

radeon 7950:

HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB - £185.99 with free shipping and 3 free games
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-065-HS&groupid=701&catid=56

Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X OC 3072MB - £239.99 with 3 free games
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-304-SP&groupid=701&catid=56

radeon 7970:

Asus HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP 3072MB - £239.99 with free shipping and 3 free games
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-273-AS&groupid=701&catid=56

MSI HD 7970 Twin FrozR OC BE 3072MB - £239.99 with 3 free games
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-204-MS&groupid=701&catid=56

geforce 670:

MSI GeForce GTX 670 OC Twin Frozr Power Edition 2048MB - £199.99 with 1 free game
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-170-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914

KFA2 GeForce GTX 670 OC 2048MB - £199.99 with 1 free game
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-052-KF&groupid=701&catid=1914

Zotac GeForce GTX 670 4096MB - £221.99 with 2 free games
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-065-ZT&groupid=701&catid=1914

KFA2 GeForce GTX 670 EX OC 4096MB - £221.99 with 1 free game
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-031-KF&groupid=701&catid=1914

geforce 680:

MSI GeForce GTX 680 OC Twin Frozr 2048MB - £239.99 with 2 free games
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-156-MS&tool=3

I understand 680 is possibly the better choice out of them all but it is stretching my limit and i would like to save!
When giving your opinion please bear in mind:

• 
  i want to save money but not scrimp on graphics ability (if thats possible)
  
  price/performance
  
  future proofing
  
  i will be trying to overclock.
  
  if there is a manufacturer i should stay away from (e.g msi, kfa2, his etc)
  
  i am not planning on using more than one moniter atm - I was planning on buying a Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" to fit into my budget - but i am open to any advice if this is a bad choice!! (Maybe get the cheaper graphics card and spend on a better monitor??)
  
  I don't mind geforce or radeon!! I will be playing a variety of games that may perform better on one or the other! as mentioned above- i would like to save as much as possible! (im a university student paying for fees)
  

Sorry for this newbie question!
TY

 

[Jaydip]

I would grab this
Asus HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP 3072MB

 

[cmdrdredd]

I like the MSI cards (wish I waited for their 670)and the 7970 is the best deal out there for a single card IMO.

 

[midi4321]

so hypothetically - if money wasn't an issue i should get the gtx 680?

but due to all the factors i mentioned i should go for the 7970?

will i see a difference in graphics quality between the 680 and the 7970 ??

 

[Jaydip]

so hypothetically - if money wasn't an issue i should get the gtx 680?

but due to all the factors i mentioned i should go for the Asus HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP 3072MB?

will i see a difference in graphics quality between the 680 and the Asus HD 7970 DirectCU II TOP 3072MB??

1.680 is faster than 7970 vanilla but as you plan to oc 7970 is a better deal.

2.Your choice, both the options are good

3.Mostly not.

 

[Zanovar]

Hmm thats a toughie.would take the HIS iceq.not sure if its v locked,an owner might chime in.3 free games and free delivery.or maybe wait a week or 2 and see how things shape up.

 

[midi4321]

Hmm thats a toughie.would take the HIS iceq.not sure if its v locked,an owner might chime in.3 free games and free delivery.or maybe wait a week or 2 and see how things shape up.

it is voltage unlocked!!

 

[midi4321]

so which 7970 out of the list provided has the best cooler to be overclocked??

 

[midi4321]

would i see the graphics difference between the MSI HD 7970 Twin FrozR OC BE 3072MB and the HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB?

is the 7970 worth the extra £55?

 

[Jaydip]

I would grab a 7970 myself.

 

[raghu78]

so which 7970 out of the list provided has the best cooler to be overclocked??

ASUS Direct Cu II is probably the best in cooling. but for voltage OC you are stuck with ASUS GPU Tweak.

would i see the graphics difference between the MSI HD 7970 Twin FrozR OC BE 3072MB and the HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB?

is the 7970 worth the extra £55?

MSI HD 7970 TF3 OC BE runs at 1050 mhz and HIS HD 7950 runs at 925 mhz. even at same clocks HD 7970 is 5 - 7% faster than HD 7950. so at stock speeds you are looking at a 20% perf diff. you have to decide what its worth to you.

http://www.msi.com/product/vga/R7970-TF-3GD5-OC-BE.html

 

[Maximilian]

Cheapest 7950, i voted both because i didnt notice you had put the price on em, the one at £185 is good.

 

[RussianSensation]

Budget choice:

Assuming you don't have any of the games for any of the GPUs that offer the free games, Bioshock Infinite and Crysis 3 + Tomb Raider + HD7950 HIS ICEQ is a very solid deal. Once overclocked, HD7950 trades blows with HD7970 / 680 without effort.
http://www.legionhardware.com/artic...z_edition_7950_iceq_xsup2_boost_clock,13.html

Safe choice:

If taking games out of the equation and placing less emphasis on overclocking, I would take the MSI GTX 670 OC Twin Frozr Power Edition since it's a very small premium over the 7950 but has guaranteed performance at GTX680 level in case the 7950 ends up a dud overclocker.

Enthusiast choice:

None of the £239.99 cards need to apply since Asus Matrix Platinum HD7970 is just £10 more with 3 free games! The Asus Matrix Platinum comes clocked at 1100mhz, has a track record of overclocking to 1275-1325mhz on air (!!), has world class components, separately adjustable fan speeds, awesome heatsink and beats every card in this list at stock or OC. You'll be able to get 10 quid higher resale value on this card down the line than any other cards in the list so the initial premium is a wash. This also comes with Steel Series Diablo III Mousepad.

At 1300mhz, Tahiti XT is at 5.3 Tflops in compute performance which isn't far off from the newly announced R9 290X which is going to be at least $599 I bet. Performance is on another level compared to everything else you listed.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...70-3gb-matrix-platinum-edition-review-20.html

 

[raghu78]

Budget choice:

If taking games out of the equation and placing less emphasis on overclocking, I would take the MSI GTX 670 OC Twin Frozr Power Edition since it's a very small premium over the 7950 but has guaranteed performance at GTX680 level in case the 7950 ends up a dud overclocker.

MSI HD 7950 TF3 OC BE comes at 960 mhz out of the box. that puts it on par with 1050 mhz GTX 670. costs £190. unlocked voltage and good cooler.3GB VRAM which is important for next gen games like BF4. buying a 2GB card anymore is shortsighted. :thumbsup:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/b00b06m0o2/geizhals07-21/ref=nosim?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

None of the £239.99 cards need to apply since Asus Matrix Platinum HD7970 is just £10 more with 3 free games! The Asus Matrix Platinum comes clocked at 1100mhz, has a track record of overclocking to 1275-1325mhz on air (!!), has world class components, separately adjustable fan speeds, awesome heatsink and beats every card in this list at stock or OC. You'll be able to get 10 quid higher resale value on this card down the line than any other cards in the list so the initial premium is a wash. This also comes with Steel Series Diablo III Mousepad.

At 1300mhz, Tahiti XT is at 5.3 Tflops in compute performance which isn't far off from the newly announced R9 290X which is going to be at least $599 I bet. Performance is on another level compared to everything else you listed.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...70-3gb-matrix-platinum-edition-review-20.html

agree completely. the Matrix platinum is selling out fast at those prices. its not going to last for long as its easily the best card at £250.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012...70_platinum_video_card_review/10#.UkebtH_3x8E
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012...verclocked-Graphics-Card-Review/Analysis-and-
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphi...verclocked-Graphics-Card-Review/Analysis-and-

http://www.legitreviews.com/asus-matrix-hd-7970-platinum-video-card-review_2068/14

 

[midi4321]

Thank you all for your replies!!

Budget choice:

Assuming you don't have any of the games for any of the GPUs that offer the free games, Bioshock Infinite and Crysis 3 + Tomb Raider + HD7950 HIS ICEQ is a very solid deal. Once overclocked, HD7950 trades blows with HD7970 / 680 without effort.
http://www.legionhardware.com/artic...z_edition_7950_iceq_xsup2_boost_clock,13.html

Safe choice:

If taking games out of the equation and placing less emphasis on overclocking, I would take the MSI GTX 670 OC Twin Frozr Power Edition since it's a very small premium over the 7950 but has guaranteed performance at GTX680 level in case the 7950 ends up a dud overclocker.

Enthusiast choice:

None of the £239.99 cards need to apply since Asus Matrix Platinum HD7970 is just £10 more with 3 free games! The Asus Matrix Platinum comes clocked at 1100mhz, has a track record of overclocking to 1275-1325mhz on air (!!), has world class components, separately adjustable fan speeds, awesome heatsink and beats every card in this list at stock or OC. You'll be able to get 10 quid higher resale value on this card down the line than any other cards in the list so the initial premium is a wash. This also comes with Steel Series Diablo III Mousepad.

At 1300mhz, Tahiti XT is at 5.3 Tflops in compute performance which isn't far off from the newly announced R9 290X which is going to be at least $599 I bet. Performance is on another level compared to everything else you listed.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...70-3gb-matrix-platinum-edition-review-20.html

hmmm.. i really like the asus matrix platinum hd7970... i am going to moniter its price for a little while but most probably will stay at that discounted price!.... i think if it doesnt drop in price sadly i will end up going for the 7950 because of how cheap it is - £185... i can sell the games it comes with and save a bit - upon reading it actually comes with 5 games and not 3... so i think i will be saving from 50 to 60 pounds by selling the 5 games hence getting the card for around £130 theoretically....

 

[Zanovar]

Enjoy .

 

[Davegod]

Since OP has decided and I'm in a similar situation, can I ask:

- why 670/680 over a 7xx?
- aren't we expecting a new gen of cards from AMD (nvidia?) in this price bracket before long?

I don't like to by too late in the cycle as that means they start ignoring the older cards in driver improvements sooner.

I did try to look up the benchmarks but the picture seemed a bit muddied, any ideas what kind of performance improvement there would be over a 6950? (1680x1024, not overclocking GPU, paired with 2500 at 3.4ghz). I have the money to upgrade but not sure worthwhile.

 

[raghu78]

Since OP has decided and I'm in a similar situation, can I ask:

- why 670/680 over a 7xx?
- aren't we expecting a new gen of cards from AMD (nvidia?) in this price bracket before long?

I don't like to by too late in the cycle as that means they start ignoring the older cards in driver improvements sooner.

I did try to look up the benchmarks but the picture seemed a bit muddied, any ideas what kind of performance improvement there would be over a 6950? (1680x1024, not overclocking GPU, paired with 2500 at 3.4ghz). I have the money to upgrade but not sure worthwhile.

OP the current best bang for buck card is HD 7950. get it before the current stocks are cleared in preparation of the R9 280X and R9 280 cards.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/07/02/msi_n760_tf_2gd5oc_gtx_760_overclocking_review/5

HD 7950 is faster than GTX 760 and on par with GTX 670.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131499
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202026

 

[ahmedelbehairy]

HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB - £185.99 with free shipping and 3 free games