Best GPU for i5-2500k

rc9331 · Jul 26, 2013

I have recently built a computer with an i5-2500k processor and I was wondering what the best GPU would be for me. Would a gtx 760 be too powerful and create a large bottleneck? Would a 7870 be enough to run most things on high/ultra high for atleast a year?

any help is much appreciated

caydn12 · Jul 26, 2013

A GTX 760 would be a great card and cause no bottleneck. Especially if you will be overclocking your CPU.

Maybe list your price range? The GTX 760 is one of the best Value/Dollar cards on the market right now

inzone · Jul 26, 2013

Please list what your budget is for the video card, what resolution you want to play at, what games you might be playing and settings. There are a lot of factors that go into what you want to do so the more info that you can provide the better the suggestions.
You have a CPU that can be overclocked so is that something that you might want to do.

rc9331 · Jul 26, 2013

Thanks so much for the quick reply, I was wanting to spend around 200 but i could spend a little more for a good card like the 760

caydn12 · Jul 26, 2013

I think your best bet at the price range of $200 is a radeon 7870, and if you can put the extra $60 on the table, then the gtx 760 is worth the upgrade

inzone · Jul 26, 2013

Here at Tom'shardware there is an article that is put out each month called "Best Graphics Cards for the Money" and included in that article is a Hierarchy Chart that helps give you an idea of where cards fall in order of best to worst , so that you can get an idea if the cards that your looking at are competitive.
The 760 is one level above the 7870 as you can see and as caydn12 has said is an upgrade. If you can find a sale or rebate to help with the price a 760 would be a good choice.

inzone · Jul 26, 2013

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130935

For $250 you can get this card.

rc9331 · Jul 26, 2013

I would be playing a variety of games like skyrim, battlefield 4 and indie games as well. I have a 24'' monitor and would like to play at a resolution of 1080, how likely is it that a gtx 760 would go on sale in the next month or two? just to take like 20-30 dollars off that $250 price tag

inzone · Jul 27, 2013

It is hard to find a sale on a newly released component , you may find a rebate offer but you will have to look around. Newegg, Tiger Direct, Buy.com and Amazon are you best options online. If your lucky and live near a Micro Center you may find better prices in there.
I just did a quick check on Newegg, Amazon and Micro Center and the $250 is the lowest I found for now. I guess it will depend on how long you want to wait and to keep looking for a lower price.

inzone · Jul 27, 2013

The MSI card is a very nice card but it goes in the wrong direction for price ($260) when on Newegg it's a little closer to his $200 budget ($250).

rc9331 · Jul 28, 2013

Newegg currently has the msi 7870 on sale for 165 dollars shipped, is that a good model first of all, and secondly is the 760 worth almost 100 dollars more than the 7870? Or would it be better at that point to pick up the 7870 and possibly get another later on and run it in crossfire?

inzone · Jul 28, 2013

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

With the 760 being only one level above the 7870 I would say that it's not worth the $100 difference. Being on a tight budget you sometimes have to make some decisions based on cost vs performance and while the 760 is faster it's not that fast to warrant a $100 difference. It will be easier to pick up a second 7870 then it will to get a second 760.
However I would go with the Saphire model for $5 more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202025

rc9331 · Jul 28, 2013

thanks so much inzone, I had previously thought about getting the Saphire model but heard it had issues with BSOD, were those issues fixed or were they nonexistent to begin with?

DjDafiDak · Jul 28, 2013

litreally no single GPU will be bottlenecked by the i5 2500k.

rc9331 · Jul 28, 2013

I could also get the Saphire 7950 on newegg for 250 but I believe I could use a google wallet code to bring it down to 235 after rebate... would that be worth getting? I dont know if the extra gb of VRAM would make a difference compared to the 760

inzone · Jul 28, 2013

If you want to get the 7950 then that would be an upgrade from the 7870 and put you on even footing with the 760, as you can see from the chart. At that point it would be a toss up based on price in which to get.

rc9331 · Jul 29, 2013

Thanks for all the help everyone, Im still undecided between the 7870, 7950 and 760, but all the input has been helpful.

iam2thecrowe · Jul 29, 2013

keep in mind for future, nvidia dual card SLI solution is much better than AMD's crossfire.

Dayday831 · Jul 29, 2013

The 760 is bang for your buck and they come with Splinter Cell Blacklist, which is releasing in 3 weeks. Also the code unlocked Splinter Cell Conviction, only thing is you have to use UBIsoft games service. I would wait until the 7870 start offering games again, makes the value much greater.

inzone · Jul 29, 2013

I would take everything into consideration when buying a video card. Brand , price, game package (if any) and drivers. All things being equal it may come down to drivers and over time Nvidia has had the edge when it comes to drivers. So when your wanting to play the best games it may be a good choice to go with the better drivers.

Irtoo De · Aug 4, 2014

What will be the best GPU for core i5 2500k in 130$ budget??

Irtoo De · Aug 4, 2014

inzone :

What will be the best GPU for core i5 2500k in 130$ budget??

Best GPU for i5-2500k

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