Higher End GPU advice

ninju D

ninju D

CAGiversary!
Need an upgrade. I have an i7 2600K, 16GB RAM, SSD etc beastly rig. But only rocking an XFX 6870. So time for an upgrade. Looking at either a GTX 670 or a 7950/7970. Anyone have any experience with these? Also looking for brand recommendations. I have stuck with XFX and EVGA in the past but I am open to changes. Thanks!
 
I'm looking at similar cards to you I believe. I have a 6950 right now, but just picked up a Dell 2713HM and am looking for a single card that can do a better job keeping up at the higher resolution.

My friend suggested a 7970 or a 680, so I'm looking for any deals on either. I don't know much for brands, I have MSI as my only brand so far, and it's been solid.

If you wanted a 7950, this may be a good deal for you: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814202006&cm_sp=
 
[quote name='ninju D']Need an upgrade. I have an i7 2600K, 16GB RAM, SSD etc beastly rig. But only rocking an XFX 6870. So time for an upgrade. Looking at either a GTX 670 or a 7950/7970. Anyone have any experience with these? Also looking for brand recommendations. I have stuck with XFX and EVGA in the past but I am open to changes. Thanks![/QUOTE]

[quote name='pjb16']I'm looking at similar cards to you I believe. I have a 6950 right now, but just picked up a Dell 2713HM and am looking for a single card that can do a better job keeping up at the higher resolution.

My friend suggested a 7970 or a 680, so I'm looking for any deals on either. I don't know much for brands, I have MSI as my only brand so far, and it's been solid.

If you wanted a 7950, this may be a good deal for you: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814202006&cm_sp=[/QUOTE]

GTX 680 should be ruled out. It's not a good deal bang for your buck wise.

Back when the GTX 670 was first released, it was by far the best video card. for its price Only 10% slower than the 680 and 25% cheaper. For now, I would recommend going with the 7950 which is on par or even better than GTX 670, it's also a notch cheaper.

If you want a top of the line card that isn't a dual GPU or a thousand dollars(GTX Titant I'm looking at you), go for the 7970. It beats the GTX 680 in almost all mainstream games. Ever since AMD released their latest drivers, their cards performances improved tremendously.

It's almost universally agreed upon the 7950 is a better choice. Not only that, but it's also far better for overclocking.

As for brands, EVGA is widely viewed as having the best customer service and support but they lack in the cooling department, still using old style blower coolers in their GPU's. MSI has some awesome coolers but I heard their customer service wasn't great. I'm happy with my EVGA GTX 670 2GB but I would gladly trade it for a 7950.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127667

This is what I would go for. If you really want it, you can go for the 7970 but 7950 is enough to play most games maxed out.

I suggest reading this article to have a good idea of what card you want to pick.

http://www.techspot.com/review/603-best-graphics-cards/
 
honestly i like evga like people do nikies :)

just the other week i was building a new pc and i had to get a crappy asus mobo. well i put the thing together and guess what, the sound dont work. knew i should of gone evga (although they dont really have any good mobos for ivy cores yet hehe). got to go through the hassle of rma now! =p

on my current pc though i got an evga 670 FTW and i can pretty much max out any game with it. i'll most likely get another one for this new system if i can get it up and running. :)
 
I have a 7970 GHZ and I can pretty much max anything out yet, Crysis 3 being the lone exception as I have to turn down AA a smidge to get it to max and playable.
 
[quote name='Juub']GTX 680 should be ruled out. It's not a good deal bang for your buck wise.

Back when the GTX 670 was first released, it was by far the best video card. for its price Only 10% slower than the 680 and 25% cheaper. For now, I would recommend going with the 7950 which is on par or even better than GTX 670, it's also a notch cheaper.

If you want a top of the line card that isn't a dual GPU or a thousand dollars(GTX Titant I'm looking at you), go for the 7970. It beats the GTX 680 in almost all mainstream games. Ever since AMD released their latest drivers, their cards performances improved tremendously.

It's almost universally agreed upon the 7950 is a better choice. Not only that, but it's also far better for overclocking.

As for brands, EVGA is widely viewed as having the best customer service and support but they lack in the cooling department, still using old style blower coolers in their GPU's. MSI has some awesome coolers but I heard their customer service wasn't great. I'm happy with my EVGA GTX 670 2GB but I would gladly trade it for a 7950.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127667

This is what I would go for. If you really want it, you can go for the 7970 but 7950 is enough to play most games maxed out.

I suggest reading this article to have a good idea of what card you want to pick.

http://www.techspot.com/review/603-best-graphics-cards/[/QUOTE]

Is this not the same card from newegg, because I was [ ] close to ordering it last night, but was still trying to read and debate whether it'd be an appreciably upgrade at 2560x1440.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NG3WR2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

That's the one I was leaning to because I have a Twin Frozr 2 6950 right now (and really like it), and I know the card would fit in my case without problems because it's actually shorter than my current one.
 
If you guys are looking at 7950s/7970s don't forget the AMD Never Settle Reloaded promotion where you get Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite is going on.

Newegg and Amazon are the main stores participating but there are a few others, though they are mostly system builders.

If you want to go completely nuts and get two 7900 cards in crossfire you Crysis 3, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Hitman Absolution and Far Cry 3.

For brands, I've had good luck with Sapphire. Of course YMMV.

They have a Sapphire Select club that does give aways from time to time if you register your Sapphire card. Definitely not a reason along to buy from Sapphire but if you end up getting one anyway you might as well sign up. I got Dirt 3 free from them a little while back.
 
Thanks all. I've been leaning toward toward the AMD for all the reasons listed. It's just good to hear other people not inside my head saying it. And the free games are a definite bonus.
 
[quote name='ninju D']Thanks all. I've been leaning toward toward the AMD for all the reasons listed. It's just good to hear other people not inside my head saying it. And the free games are a definite bonus.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I would definitely settle for AMD. Performance is just as good, price is lower and they offer free games on top. Nvidia used to be the undisputed king of high-end GPU's but AMD really surprised everyone with their latest drivers that improved their cards dramatically. Wasn't expecting that as it's really out of character for AMD.
[quote name='pjb16']Is this not the same card from newegg, because I was [ ] close to ordering it last night, but was still trying to read and debate whether it'd be an appreciably upgrade at 2560x1440.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NG3WR2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

That's the one I was leaning to because I have a Twin Frozr 2 6950 right now (and really like it), and I know the card would fit in my case without problems because it's actually shorter than my current one.[/QUOTE] Yeah they are the same. Sorry, I think I put the Canadian newegg site which is why the price is higher. Amazon seems to offer the better deal on that one.
 
[quote name='ninju D']Need an upgrade. I have an i7 2600K, 16GB RAM, SSD etc beastly rig. But only rocking an XFX 6870. So time for an upgrade. Looking at either a GTX 670 or a 7950/7970. Anyone have any experience with these? Also looking for brand recommendations. I have stuck with XFX and EVGA in the past but I am open to changes. Thanks![/QUOTE]

What Motherboard? Does is Support SLI or Crossfire?

You can get PNY GTX 670 for $290 right now after rebate

http://slickdeals.net/f/5936068-PNY...0-2-GB-GDDR5-with-Assassin-s-Creed-III-290-AR
 
[quote name='ninju D']Yes, Mobo supports it but not terribly interested in SLI/Xfire.[/QUOTE]

Forget about SLI/CrossfireX for now. Many games don't even acknowledge multiple GPU's and it's a pain in the behind to set them up correctly. If you use multiple monitors, sure, go for it. If you use a single one, stick to a more powerful singe GPU.
 
[quote name='Juub']Yeah, I would definitely settle for AMD. Performance is just as good, price is lower and they offer free games on top. Nvidia used to be the undisputed king of high-end GPU's but AMD really surprised everyone with their latest drivers that improved their cards dramatically. Wasn't expecting that as it's really out of character for AMD.
Yeah they are the same. Sorry, I think I put the Canadian newegg site which is why the price is higher. Amazon seems to offer the better deal on that one.[/QUOTE]

I ended up ordering from NewEgg. Wanted to order off Amazon and had planned to order it in the next couple days, but it went out of stock. Ended up just ordering it off NewEgg today and using shoprunner for faster shipping (I got shoperunner for free).

One of my friends said he might buy my 6950 off me, so that'll help defray some cost if he does.
 
[quote name='ninju D']Need an upgrade. I have an i7 2600K, 16GB RAM, SSD etc beastly rig. But only rocking an XFX 6870. So time for an upgrade. Looking at either a GTX 670 or a 7950/7970. Anyone have any experience with these? Also looking for brand recommendations. I have stuck with XFX and EVGA in the past but I am open to changes. Thanks![/QUOTE]

Well I own an eVGA GTX 670 FTW that I scored for $300. You can easily find them via rebates or specials and even ebay. I love the card. It can play just about every game on ultra settings at 1920x1200 (16:10) full screen.

I used to have the ATI Radeon 7970 (non GHz) edition and I could overclock it to 1.2 GHz but I did not like the drivers (had a lot of weird blue screens due to the drivers from ATI) and the card was loud with the stock reference heatsink fan. I paid $360 for that card. It was ASUS brand.

Both are excellent cards. I don't think it's worth the money for a 680 or 7970 GHz edition. I really liked ATI for the games that supported ATI better but all in all...the 670 FTW was a bit faster (cheaper) and the drivers have been rock solid for the 7 month's Ive had the card now.

Oh I'm playing Bioshock Infinite on Ultra settings and it hovers between 40-60 FPS except on outside areas that have lots of floating blimps. It dips down to the 20-30 FPS.
 
[quote name='s0undwav3']Well I own an eVGA GTX 670 FTW that I scored for $300. You can easily find them via rebates or specials and even ebay. I love the card. It can play just about every game on ultra settings at 1920x1200 (16:10) full screen.

I used to have the ATI Radeon 7970 (non GHz) edition and I could overclock it to 1.2 GHz but I did not like the drivers (had a lot of weird blue screens due to the drivers from ATI) and the card was loud with the stock reference heatsink fan. I paid $360 for that card. It was ASUS brand.

Both are excellent cards. I don't think it's worth the money for a 680 or 7970 GHz edition. I really liked ATI for the games that supported ATI better but all in all...the 670 FTW was a bit faster (cheaper) and the drivers have been rock solid for the 7 month's Ive had the card now.

Oh I'm playing Bioshock Infinite on Ultra settings and it hovers between 40-60 FPS except on outside areas that have lots of floating blimps. It dips down to the 20-30 FPS.[/QUOTE]
With the latest drivers the 7970 outclasses the GTX670 and beats the 680 most of the time.
 
[quote name='Juub']With the latest drivers the 7970 outclasses the GTX670 and beats the 680 most of the time.[/QUOTE]

Can you point me to some real world benchmarks that compare the latest drivers of the Geforce series to ATI series? Specifically drivers from Nvidia version 314.22 vs ATI 13.1 Drivers.

Thanks. Just curious to know your exact source.
 
[quote name='s0undwav3']Can you point me to some real world benchmarks that compare the latest drivers of the Geforce series to ATI series? Specifically drivers from Nvidia version 314.22 vs ATI 13.1 Drivers.

Thanks. Just curious to know your exact source.[/QUOTE]

The 680 beats the 7970 in lot of benchmarks
The 7970 beats the 670 in most benchmarks
The 7970 ghz beats the 680 pretty much in every benchmark I give a crap about

That was before the 13.1 came out. The gap is a bit wider now especially with
Nvidia failing at tomb raider and bioshock infinite drivers.

You might have got a better deal on the 670 than the 7970 but the 7970 is overall
A more powerful gpu.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top