Best Graphics Cards for My Setup

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Meriwether_R

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Sep 13, 2012
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I'm looking to upgrade my video card at sometime in the future. I'm not sure of my budget yet, as I would like to see what I need to save up for (I currently only have a couple hundred to put toward it, but I can spend more in the future).

Here are my current peripherals:

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-750 750W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular Design, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31/EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active-PFC Power Supply

G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAB

I currently have a XFX Double D HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Is the graphics card the best upgrade to make? I'm looking for better gaming performance at higher resolutions (highest settings at 1080). If I simply add a second graphics card, does it have to be the same type as the one I currently have? I'm probably leaning toward Nvidia as my monitor is capable of 3D with this type. Let me know if there is any other info needed for an informed answer. I'll get back with you quickly.
 
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toyftw


Hi - The gtx770 is the way to go if you don't mind spending the xtra $80 or more. If you want a high end
card at an excellent value there are some 7970's at $280 right now. The 770's are over $350 and many over $400.
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Eyedeology

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May 8, 2013
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Updating graphics is the single best thing you can possibly do to upgrade gaming performance. In most cases, you will NOT see a noticeable improvement from upgrading CPU with the same GPU, this is called bottlenecking.

Currently, your GPU is bottlenecking your system, meaning the only thing holding you back from playing at higher resolutions/settings is your current card.

Honestly I'd drop the 6870 and go for something more powerful rather than have to deal with CrossFire.

What's your price range? nVidia and Radeon both have very competitive cards at all price ranges, but if your target is 1080p ultra settings and you're shooting for nVidia, I would take a look at the GTX760:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130933
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130938
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130953

It is an excellent card at a relatively low pricepoint (~USD250). The next step up would be the 670, which runs about 50-100USD more, and is only better by a small margin.

If you wanted to go Radeon or have a lower budget, you can HD7950's for under 220:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127737
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420

The 7950 is undoubtedly superior to the 760, but you lose out on PhsyX and its not nVidia.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

Hope this helps!

Eyedeology

 
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ikaz

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Dec 27, 2005
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I aggree with Eyedeology but just to add if you are looking to use 3d then you may to shoot for a 770 it cost about $400 but you may need the extra gtx power since since you have produce twice the frames (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Also note that I have a AMD bases system so it probably a bit slower than your and I went from a 6870 to a 7870 xt (i.e. baby 7950) and it almost felt like night and day different in gaming so if you can't go wrong with going to a 760 or 7950 don't bother with xfiring that card as I think at best it will perform like a 6970 which ist still less that either of the base cards suggested.
 
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Meriwether_R

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Sep 13, 2012
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What is the difference between these three cards besides the dual fans and the overclock ability?
 
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Eyedeology

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May 8, 2013
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The first 2 cards are the same other than fans, and the third card is stock clocked slightly higher than the previous 2. If you're planning on overclocking, stock clock becomes insignificant because you can just adjust it yourself.

As far as the fans go, the single fan solution will pull case air into your GFX card and then exhaust it in the back where the video plugs are.

The dual fans push air from your case directly onto the GFX, and then the air is exhausted back into the case. It is relatively important to have substantial case airflow when using the dual fan config.
 
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Meriwether_R

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Sep 13, 2012
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I'm thinking Nvidia doesn't matter as much anymore, because I'll probably just get an Oculus Rift later, and I believe either should be plenty to work with this. I noticed that the Radeon HD 7970 and the GeForce GTX 770 both got rated as great higher end value on this site. Would you recommend one of these over the other?
 
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toyftw

toyftw

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Jul 29, 2012
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Hi - The gtx770 is the way to go if you don't mind spending the xtra $80 or more. If you want a high end
card at an excellent value there are some 7970's at $280 right now. The 770's are over $350 and many over $400.
 
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