New graphics card GTX 760 vs Radeon HD 7950 w/ Boost

rishiswaz · Aug 3, 2013

Ok I was wondering if a 4GB MSI Gaming edition GTX 760 would be better and more "future proof" than a Radeon HD 7950. I play games at 1080p and do use some OpenCL accelerated programs but they also support CUDA acceleration. I read that with consoles pushing more Vram games are going to start to use more as well which is why I thought of going with the 760 4GB version but am I wrong?

fnatic · Aug 3, 2013

Honestly at 1080p the 760 with 2gb of VRAM is more than enough. 760 is faster than 7950 as well. You can even go for the 760 Superclocked edition if you wanted. If you plan at running at a higher resolution 1440 or dual monitors then I'd consider the 4gb versions.

cuecuemore · Aug 3, 2013

The only thing I know of offhand that uses more than 2GB of VRAM at 1080p is Skyrim with *heavy* mods. Most other games use less than 1.5GB.

rishiswaz · Aug 3, 2013

If I planned on moving up to 3D or just adding 1 more monitor would 4GB come in handy? Would a 760 be able to push 2 monitors at 1080?

fnatic · Aug 3, 2013

Yes 4gb would be more handy if you added another monitor or 3D. You may not get the best frames but it'll handle two. Just lower the settings a bit if at all and you should be fine

In3rt1a · Aug 3, 2013

Radeon cards are more futureproof in the sense that they have much higher memory and bit-interfaces then similarly priced nvidia cards. Until then, performance is similar. If you're running two 1080p monitors, you might want to upgrade to a radeon 7970 or a gtx 770 for optimal performance.

In3rt1a · Aug 3, 2013

You can currently get powercolor's radeon 7970 for $320 at newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131468&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814131468&gclid=CMXAqLTw4LgCFU5xQgoduFEA0A

fnatic · Aug 3, 2013

If he wants to spend the extra 70 bucks for the 7970 then so be it but at his price range the 760 blows the 7950 out of the water.

In3rt1a · Aug 3, 2013

I don't believe he ever said what his price range is. The 7970 is the card that I think will get him the performance he wants at the best price. And if CUDA acceleration is needed, the 770 is also a great pick. For powering two 1080p monitors, those are the cards with the best price/performance ratio.

fnatic · Aug 3, 2013

I'd only trust ASUS or Gigabyte for the 7950 and at that price point it's already close to the 760. Also the 700 series beats out the 7000 series in almost all categories going head to head with the occasional game that swaps the two. For FPS though 700 series almost always wins.

In3rt1a · Aug 3, 2013

If you need a cheap card in the 250 dollar range, go 760, no doubt. 300 and up, I'd recommend the 7970. 7970=better price, more futureproof, and practically identical fps to the 770. Sometimes it performs better, others it falls behind.

rishiswaz · Aug 3, 2013

I am trying to keep it between 250-300 with 310 being the absolute highest I can go.

In3rt1a · Aug 3, 2013

In that case, I'd say go with MSI's gtx 760 for $260. It is unbeatable at the price, and if it isn't providing satisfactory performance, then just pick up another and do SLI when you can afford it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127745
Good luck.

fnatic · Aug 4, 2013

Like I said before and will continue to say. the 760 will blow away the 7950 without a doubt. Yes it's worth the money over it.

rishiswaz · Aug 4, 2013

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125466
I am probably going with this one, there is the EVGA and Gigabyte Windforce versions with 4GB that I might get for 299.99 but I am not sure yet, but one of the reasons I was looking for more VRAM was because I do GPU accelerated 3D modeling and I run game development and as of now I have no problems but I am starting a project with a lot more textures+high polygon models and dynamic lighting and I think VRAM is where that stuff is stored

In3rt1a · Aug 4, 2013

I'd go gigabyte, higher clock speed, better cooler. I don't think the extra vram, will be necessary, but if you have the money, by all means. It will extend the life of your card.

fnatic · Aug 4, 2013

I personally like EVGA the most but either card is very good. I LOVE the ACX cooling on my cards and I get well over what's advertised on my clock and boost speeds.

EVGA GTX 760 SC w/ ACX 2gb version
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932

EVGA GTX 760 FTW Edition 4gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130944

Either cards will be amazing.

rishiswaz · Aug 4, 2013

I am going with the Windforce 4GB version because I really do not like blower fans, I have adequate cooling in my case so I should be fine. I think that if I am going to be upgrading with SLI later in around 2 years then having a 4GB card would let me keep up with however much VRAM is needed for the games in the future. Thanks guys

fnatic · Aug 4, 2013

Np at all good luck with the installation!

game474 · Sep 15, 2013

When OCd HD 7950 blows away the 760 in some games!

Pavel Pokidaylo · Sep 15, 2013

All of these cards come with stock clocks. The Nvidia cards come with higher clock speeds from the factory so they are a little faster at stock. But the RAdeons tend to overclock fairly well. I have 2 Sapphire 7950 flex and I can easily run them at almost 1200 on the core without touching voltage. Not saying the 700s don't OC, they OC very well also. Then theres the fact that there are games that just run better on Nvidia and others that run better on AMD. And of course the price difference. You can get a 7970 for about 100 bucks cheaper than a 770 and the 760 and 7950 are about the same price with some 7950s going as low as $200. Theres a Sapphire 7950 on newegg for $220.

New graphics card GTX 760 vs Radeon HD 7950 w/ Boost

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