Best graphics card for under £150?

RunBack159 · Apr 1, 2014

I used search, but the results showed $, not £.

I just bought a new HDD, so decided to buy a new GFX card.

So, what's the best card I can get for £150? I currently have a HD 6870 1GB, I can get 30-35 FPS in most games, but with Watch Dogs and The Division coming out, I'm going to need more power.

CPU = i5 2500

Also, I can keep my current card and use the new one with it, right?

Thanks

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

Well you can't just corssfire/sli with any card, it has to be in the same family/ card area, I would go for a 660 in your budget, It's a solid GPU and will give you adequate fps, more than your current GPU, unfortunately you will not be able to use both cards.

ak47jar3d · Apr 1, 2014

You can crossfire 6870 with another one or 6850 and that pretty much it. I would say that the 760 is in your price range and is a huge upgrade over 6870. To paraphase, go gtx 760 or r9 270x as a second option.

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

ak47jar3d :

agreed, by chipping about £20 you could get a 760 which would be a fantastic upgrade for your system and delivers fantastic, solid performance. If you prefer AMD then like ak47jar3d said a 270x is also a good upgrade.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nvidia-GeForce-DirectCU-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B00DBPKEOI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396325663&sr=8-1&keywords=760

AMD Radeon · Apr 1, 2014

gtx 760 is on par with Radeon 270X
unfortunately, 760 cost very high in UK

so my vote goes to sapphire 270x
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-112170120g

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

AMD Radeon :

How much do you think it is in £? not really expensive.

RunBack159 · Apr 1, 2014

Hey, thanks guys. So far, I'm leaning towards the 270, it's pretty much double the FPS in games compared to my 6870. As my 6870 and the 270 are both Radeon, can I use them both together. If so, excuse my noobiness, would it mean if I got 30FPS on my 6870 and 60FPS on the 270, would my total FPS in a game be 90?

AMD Radeon · Apr 1, 2014

^ no, different model cant be paired
use this list for your reference
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#sort=a6&c=154,147

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

No, the fps doesn't add, I'm not an AMD expert but I'm not sure if you can even crossfire these cards, although crossfire doesn't add the fps, the chip performance is used in addition to the main GPU chip increasing performance.

Here is a good video about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS5rBS8n-LM

coolcole01 · Apr 1, 2014

crossfire low end cards is usually a bad idea there can be quite a few problems with crossfire. And the general rule is to have a card that at its least can play what you want if you have to disable it and can destroy when you can use both. A 6870 while still ok will really be struggling in the years to come. Get a gtx 760.

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

The 760 is a little dearer but it outperforms the 270x and that £20 will make a difference, the 760 would be my choice always as it performs much better.

coolcole01 · Apr 1, 2014

and no you can not crossfire a 6000 generation card with a r9 anything

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

coolcole01 :

He can't even crossfire the cards so I would totally recommend the 760 all day every day.

coolcole01 · Apr 1, 2014

here is a great example I have crossfire hd 7950's when running together they are about as powerful as a 780ti( my brother has one). But now a certain game called titanfall came out and it has bad crossfire support artifacts every where blinking its horrible. But when i shut off one card I can still max out that game on ultra @ 1080p@60 with 8xmsaa. Now if i had two 6870 my world would be much different if both were supported it would be ok but when running one i would be extremely unhappy.So if you are gonna go the crossfire route do it with powerful cards or just try to get the most powerful single card you can.

RunBack159 · Apr 1, 2014

OK, seems like it'll be the 760 then. I appreciate all the help. Last question, would it be compatible with my motherboard - Gigabyte Z68AP-D3?

coolcole01 · Apr 1, 2014

yep just make sure your psu is up to snuff

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

You would regret getting a 270x as it doesn't perform as well as the 760 and for the sake of £20 the 760 will give you much more performance, even if you prefer AMD the 760 is the better choice.

Google some benchmarks as it will prove our points further.

RunBack159 · Apr 1, 2014

Ah I forgot the PSU. I have a 800W.

i5 2500
SPOINT 500GB 5400 SATAII 16MB
WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive - Caviar Blue
HD 6870 1GB
(GTX 760)
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB 1600 DDR3
KINGSTON HYPERX BLU 4GB 1600

Will all that be fine with the new card?

Edit - Wrong wattage for PSU

coolcole01 · Apr 1, 2014

dude your all good

IRyannHD · Apr 1, 2014

Yeah 800w is way more than you need, your PSU is fine, have fun!

Best graphics card for under £150?

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