Best GPU around £150, HD 7870?

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H4X3R
probably not going to see a price drop.

For around 150 pounds i suggest the 7870 ghz from AMD for about 137 pounds:
http://www.pritamelectronics.com/sapphire-technology-radeon-7870-edition-gddr5-pciexpress-111991621g-p-75287.html

on the nvidia side, the gtx 660 at 140 pounds:
http://www.ksn-online.co.uk/asus-geforce-gtx-660-directcu-2gb-gddr5pci-express-301020mhz-p-14703.html

ofcourse there is another good card from nvidia at 169 pounds, the GTX 660ti. This is faster than an overclocked 7870 and it also comes with a good cooling solution.
http://www.micom.co.uk/gainward-gf-gtx-660-ti-phantom-2gb

On AMD's 163 pound mark, there is the AMD 7950. This card absolutely makes the gtx 660ti look like its not worth anything. This card is...
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H4X3R

H4X3R

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probably not going to see a price drop.

For around 150 pounds i suggest the 7870 ghz from AMD for about 137 pounds:
http://www.pritamelectronics.com/sapphire-technology-radeon-7870-edition-gddr5-pciexpress-111991621g-p-75287.html

on the nvidia side, the gtx 660 at 140 pounds:
http://www.ksn-online.co.uk/asus-geforce-gtx-660-directcu-2gb-gddr5pci-express-301020mhz-p-14703.html

ofcourse there is another good card from nvidia at 169 pounds, the GTX 660ti. This is faster than an overclocked 7870 and it also comes with a good cooling solution.
http://www.micom.co.uk/gainward-gf-gtx-660-ti-phantom-2gb

On AMD's 163 pound mark, there is the AMD 7950. This card absolutely makes the gtx 660ti look like its not worth anything. This card is comparable to a 670 or a stock 680 (maybe). I highly suggest this card.
http://www.lambda-tek.com/FX-795A-TDJC-XFX-Radeon-HD-7950-Graphics-Card-3GB-PCI-Express-3-0-x16-HDMI-Mini-DisplayPort-Dual-Link-DVI-Single-Link-DVI-D~cs/B1187882&origin=skinflint12.8


So eventually its up to you whom you trust more. Nvidia has the new geforce experience with shadowplay to record games at 1080p while not incurring a high loss of frames while AMD has CCC which isn't as developed yet.

So, do u value pure performance or some extra features from Nvidia.
 
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indigo5

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Thanks. I should add that I'm new to all this although I've been reading up for a couple of weeks. This will be a new build for my 13 year old son so just trying to get the best for the money.
 
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H4X3R

H4X3R

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Thats interesting since i am actually 14 :D
For your son, the 7870 would be just great (which games does he play?). But i have to warn you, DO NOT BUY MSI. Many people wouldn't agree with me but i highly suggest XFX or Sapphire. XFX has or at least had a lifetime warranty on their graphics cards.
link to 7870 xfx:
http://www.lambda-tek.com/FX-787A-CDFC-XFX-Radeon-HD-7870-Graphics-Card-2GB-PCI-Express-3-0-x16-HDMI-Mini-DisplayPort-DVI-I-DVI-D-Double-Dissipation-Edition-~cs/B880834&origin=skinflint12.8

Regarding the R9 270x, its not really competively priced against the 7870 while still being the same (if you OC the 7870)
I could also help you with the rest of your build or are you just upgrading?
 
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indigo5

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He currently plays Minecraft on a laptop and things like COD on xbox and also does a bit of Youtubing. The pc is a new build and I think we know where we're going with that (FX 6300 based) apart from the gpu but I'm hearing good things about the 7870 for the money. Sapphire and XFX are actually the ones I was looking at.
 
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magneezo

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If you are thinking about XFX and the 7870 just at least give this a read.

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/33010-xfx-dd-r9-270x-1050m-2gb-previewed
 
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indigo5

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Thanks Magneezo that's interesting. So the 270x is an improved 7870?
 
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thomasd221

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Hello. This is just an idea, but the old 5970's are going for around £150 on eBay. In performance terms, it will blow all these other cards out of the water. But you may run into issues with scaling/heat/power consumption.

Anyway, just an idea :)

Like these ones:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HD-5970-DELL-OEM-With-Arctic-Cooling-XTREME-/251371152897?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item3a86e36601

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sapphire-AMD-Radeon-HD-5970-/301013645211?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item4615cfb79b

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HIS-AMD-Radeon-HD-5970-2GB-video-card-/300995390233?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item4614b92b19

I would recommend the first one with the Arctic Cooler. :)
 
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magneezo

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That really looks almost exactly like the XFX card.

 
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photonboy

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If you give a BUDGET and specify what it is to INCLUDE (Windows, monitor? or just case/internals) you can use pcpartspickeruk as a guide and people can create builds:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/

PC vs PS4:
Have you considered the PS4 at all? Gaming performance is going to be better than what you're building with an FX-6300/HD7870 and the console's isn't very expensive.

It's possible to buy a MONITOR and have both the laptop and PS4 attached as well.

You may not be interested, but I'm just suggesting it anyway. I studied computers and have estimated you'd have to spend about 2.5x the cost of PS4 to get a PC that's roughly comparable. Most won't believe me.
 
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indigo5

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There's a curve ball! Thanks Thomas I'll check it out.
 
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indigo5

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http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/indigo5/saved/2GLI
Thanks. Budget's around £500 excluding OS and monitor.
PS4 really? I didnt know that but he wants the pc anyway.
 
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thomasd221

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The 5970's were AMD's top of the line card about 2-3years ago. They have 2 GPU's on them, they are very power hungry but have great performance.

Today, the 5970 competes with the 7950/7970 in terms of raw performance. It will destroy the 7870/270X

But, it does have issues. It's very power hungry, it runs hot (Unless you get one with an aftermarket heatsink), they sometimes have issues with Crossfire Scaling.

But, if you can get over these issues, the 5970 is one beast of a card. You will need a good 600+ watt PSU to run this card.

Hope I Helped :)
 
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indigo5

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Thomas would this fit with my build (see above)?
What is scaling?
Thanks.
 
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thomasd221

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The card is 12.2 Inches long, measure your case to make sure it can fit.

Scaling is the measure of how effectively games use both the GPU's on the 5970. Most new games/future games will work fine. The only issues you will have is when you try to play games that are older or stuff like low-budget simulators. When you run a game that does not support Dual GPU's (The 5970 has "Dual GPU's") the game can only use one of the 5970's GPU's, this means performance is limited.

You will need a 600+ watt PSU with 1x 8pin and 1x 6 pin connectors. The card needs 340W just by itself, this is an extreme amount, considering normal office desktops have a 300 ish watt PSU, and that's for the whole computer!

Temperatures should not be an issue, they go up to around 60 degrees, which is fine.

If you just want to plug the card in and need it to work, go for one of the new R9 270X's. But, if you want a performance beast that can take some optimizing, get the 5970.

Hope I Helped :)
 
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indigo5

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Thanks for your help Thomas. I think with everything considered, issues with the 5970, the fact that it will be second hand and me being new to this building and configuring lark, I'd be safer buying the new 270x.
 
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H4X3R

H4X3R

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I'd not get a 2nd hand card as well. Good choice with the 270X. I'd suggest the r9 270 which will be available in the UK in less than week. That card is basically an underclocked 270x. So you save money and you just gotta overclock it then you have a 270X :)
 
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indigo5

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Really? How do I overclock it? What about cooling?
 
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indigo5

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Great! That looks like a good deal. What about overclocking the 270x? Would it be worth the extra money?
Thanks Haxor.
 
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