EVGA GTX 760 vs. Sapphire Radeon HD7950

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

As the title says I want to know which card is better(obviously). Will be used for a gaming build and I'm on the fence. The 760 seems to be a little faster but I want the extra gig of memory from the 7950. I've read that games today are starting to reach 2 gigs and future games will exceed that. So basically it comes down to which is the better card and will i actually need the extra gig of memory? Found the 760 for 20 bucks cheaper but that gap doesn't make that much of a difference to me.

Blaise170 · Jul 29, 2014

Some games like Watch_Dogs are already using more than 2GB of memory. It nearly maxed out the 4GB on my 290. I'd go for the 7950... But have you considered any of the newer R9 series cards? They shouldn't be far off in price.

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

Blaise170 :

Haven't really looked at them yet. Any suggestions?

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

seems like the one in my price range is the R9 280. how does it stack up against the 760 and the 7950?

Alex Kelly · Jul 29, 2014

I'd suggest the 760. You don't need more than 2GB. Watch Dogs is the only game that can take advantage of over 2GB on 1080p right now and that doesn't mean it runs badly on 2GB or less. The 7950 is an older card and I know for a fact the 760 is great, as I have one myself and prefer it over my old MSI Twin Frozr R9 290

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

The 280 and 280X are just rebranded 7950/70's respectively.

blue17echo · Jul 29, 2014

The r9 280 is simply a slightly overclocked 7950.

Alex Kelly · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

If you are going to go with AMD, get the 280. It's a really good card. I personally prefer Nvidia so I'd go with the 760 but it's up to you

Blaise170 · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

270X is about the same as the 7950. 280X is about the same as the 7970 GHz. So you are looking at right in the middle with it.

By the way, if you don't mind buying used, I got my 290 off ebay for $250 and it works like new. They are literally flooding ebay after the mining craze. Just be sure to use Buyer Protection if necessary.

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

Alex Kelly :

I REALLY wish people would stop saying you don't need more than 2GB's of VRAM. If you want to play with the high quality textures, games like Titanfall, The Witcher 3, Watch Dogs, Battlefield 4, modded Fallout 3/New Vegas, and Skyrim will need at LEAST 3GB of VRAM to play with a stutter-free experience. That list is only going to grow faster and faster as time goes on.

Source: I have a 2GB 770. The power of my card is great but it's held back by only 2GB of VRAM. To the OP - I would say you want at least 3GB of VRAM, not 2GB. If you're going for the 760, you probably won't have enough power to put the extra VRAM to use except for in modded Fallout/Skyrim since they aren't as demanding as those other, newer games.

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

So does the extra gig of memory future proof it at all? ill gladly pay an extra $20 bucks for the R9 280 if it will be more viable in the future

Alex Kelly · Jul 29, 2014

zaysk :

Alex Kelly :

I REALLY wish people would stop saying you don't need more than 2GB's of VRAM. If you want to play with the high quality textures, games like Titanfall, The Witcher 3, Watch Dogs, Battlefield 4, modded Fallout 3/New Vegas, and Skyrim will need at LEAST 3GB of VRAM to play with a stutter-free experience.

Source: I have a 2GB 770. The power of my card is great but it's held back by only 2GB of VRAM. To the OP - I would say you want at least 3GB of VRAM, not 2GB. If you're going for the 760, you probably won't have enough power to put the extra VRAM to use except for in modded Fallout/Skyrim since they aren't as demanding as those other, newer games.

Do you have any evidence to back that up? I feel like that's what every AMD enthusiast says. I play battlefield 4 and hardline on my 760 maxed out with no stuttering.

Alex Kelly · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

Yes, the 280 will probably hold up better in the future

It's a good choice.
The 760 4GB is also an option if you're worried about VRAM but it's a little more expensive.

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

I'll just go with the R9 280 then. Even if i dont need the extra gig right now $20 bucks is a small price to pay for the peace of mind it will give me. Thanks everyone

Blaise170 · Jul 29, 2014

Personally I'd shell out the money for the 280/280x. It's an amazing card.

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

Yes, it WILL help. I can't run Titanfall with insane texture quality simply because I only have 2GB's of VRAM, my card is more than powerful enough to handle it but it starts stuttering pretty quickly. The Witcher 3 locks out Ultra settings unless you have 3GB of VRAM. Battlefield 4 recommends at least 3GB for ultra settings as well. Fallout and Skyrim both stutter pretty often thanks to 2GB of VRAM and high quality texture packs. (Yes, my own fault but still)

My only regret when I was building my system was that I listened to some genius on this website who said I didn't need more than 2GB of VRAM. You want at least 3GB.

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

Alex Kelly :

zaysk :

Do you have any evidence to back that up? I feel like that's what every AMD enthusiast says. I play battlefield 4 and hardline on my 760 maxed out with no stuttering.

Careful, your IQ is showing. If you looked at my signature, and actually READ my post you would've seen that I have a 2GB 770. I play Battlefield 4 maxed out as well with minimal stuttering, but that still doesn't get over the fact that most games being released these days want at least 3GB of VRAM for ultra settings.

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

zaysk :

Alex Kelly :

Careful, you're IQ is showing. If you looked at my signature, and actually READ my post you would've seen that I have a 2GB 770. I play Battlefield 4 maxed out as well with minimal stuttering, but that still doesn't get over the fact that most games being released these days want at least 3GB of VRAM for ultra settings.

lul that made me laugh. I hate when people call other people enthusiasts or fanboys just because they have an opinion on something

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

zaysk :

Alex Kelly :

Careful, you're IQ is showing. If you looked at my signature, and actually READ my post you would've seen that I have a 2GB 770. I play Battlefield 4 maxed out as well with minimal stuttering, but that still doesn't get over the fact that most games being released these days want at least 3GB of VRAM for ultra settings.

lul that made me laugh. I hate when people call other people enthusiasts or fanboys just because they have an opinion on something

See, now here's a man(woman?) with some brains.

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

zaysk :

do your ollivers :

zaysk :

lul that made me laugh. I hate when people call other people enthusiasts or fanboys just because they have an opinion on something

See, now here's a man(woman?) with some brains.

haha thanks (man). Thanks for confirming that i need 3GB. dont want to be held back by 20 bucks

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

do your ollivers :

zaysk :

do your ollivers :

See, now here's a man(woman?) with some brains.

haha thanks (man). Thanks for confirming that i need 3GB. dont want to be held back by 20 bucks

Not a problem man, buy it right or buy it twice! The only *small* blessing of getting the 2GB 770 is that it gives me an excuse to upgrade to an 880 when they're released.

do your ollivers · Jul 29, 2014

zaysk :

do your ollivers :

zaysk :

haha thanks (man). Thanks for confirming that i need 3GB. dont want to be held back by 20 bucks

Not a problem man, buy it right or buy it twice! The only *small* blessing of getting the 2GB 770 is that it gives me an excuse to upgrade to an 880 when they're released.

oh yea the 800s look enticing, but i wanna build this sucker now

zaysk · Jul 29, 2014

I understand completely! That's how I felt when I was building my first PC, which is why I settled for a 2GB 770 rather than saving a bit longer and getting a 780. Now I'm glad I did, considering the latest leaks indicate that the 880 will be 15-20% more powerful than a 780ti. (Being leaks/rumors, take it with a grain of salt though! Still interesting, nonetheless.)

Alex Kelly · Jul 29, 2014

I didn't say you were an AMD enthusiast. I just said a lot of AMD enthusiasts like to use that argument if they regret their purchase and are trying to make themselves feel better. I do agree that 3GB of VRAM is indeed useful for mods and newer games. It's just not completely necessary most of the time. I don't need you guys telling me I'm stupid or have a low IQ because of one thing I said. You shouldn't criticise and be awful to someone that is putting their time into trying to helping you out. Says a lot about what kind of person you are.

Enjoy your 280.

EVGA GTX 760 vs. Sapphire Radeon HD7950

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