Looking for a new video card
Tags:
-
Graphics
-
Graphics Cards
-
AMD
- Nvidia
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
macgreen
September 5, 2014 8:41:47 PM
Now, I know that Nvidia is announcing something later on this month, so this is just to help narrow my choices down for now. Honestly, I've done some narrowing down myself, but I could use some assistance in going the rest of the way here.
Here's my current specs of the PC I built with suggestions from this site's forum several years ago.
Intel Core i5-3470 @ 3.2ghz
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz
120GB Crucial M4 SSD - However, I'd be installing the game into a mechanical drive, most likely a 1TB WD Caviar Blue @7200RPM.
XFX Double D FX-787A-CDFC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5
SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI 80 PLUS BRONZE
First off, I've already bought a new PSU- an EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR unit. This will make sure that I've got some headroom with a new PSU, whether I go with Nvidia or AMD.
Now, I'm planning to just run at 1920x1080. I haven't seen a need to go with a higher resolution yet. That said, I am also planning to play Star Citizen eventually, and that is very un-optimized overall and with the GPU I currently have, I'd be lucky to play it well at Medium settings from what data I've managed to get from their forum. Other games I'd be playing would include Skyrim, various Civilization games including Beyond Earth when it's released, Total War: Shogun 2, but nothing that's as rough to run as, say, Crysis 3. Likely, Star Citizen will be the one game I'll be playing that will tax a GPU the hardest, especially before it's official release.
1920x1080 on Very High - Hangar 2800MB - Vanduul Swarm - 2600MB
Higher resolutions obviously have, well, higher needs. From what I can tell, my best bets would be either the r9 285, 280x, 290, or a GTX 770, though I'm going to wait on what gets announced from Nvidia (and possibly AMD) this month before I make any firm decisions. My budget for a new card is around $425. Any assistance would be great.
Here's my current specs of the PC I built with suggestions from this site's forum several years ago.
Intel Core i5-3470 @ 3.2ghz
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600mhz
120GB Crucial M4 SSD - However, I'd be installing the game into a mechanical drive, most likely a 1TB WD Caviar Blue @7200RPM.
XFX Double D FX-787A-CDFC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5
SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI 80 PLUS BRONZE
First off, I've already bought a new PSU- an EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 220-G2-0750-XR unit. This will make sure that I've got some headroom with a new PSU, whether I go with Nvidia or AMD.
Now, I'm planning to just run at 1920x1080. I haven't seen a need to go with a higher resolution yet. That said, I am also planning to play Star Citizen eventually, and that is very un-optimized overall and with the GPU I currently have, I'd be lucky to play it well at Medium settings from what data I've managed to get from their forum. Other games I'd be playing would include Skyrim, various Civilization games including Beyond Earth when it's released, Total War: Shogun 2, but nothing that's as rough to run as, say, Crysis 3. Likely, Star Citizen will be the one game I'll be playing that will tax a GPU the hardest, especially before it's official release.
Quote:
1920x1080 on High - Hangar 2000MB - Vanduul Swarm - 2300MB1920x1080 on Very High - Hangar 2800MB - Vanduul Swarm - 2600MB
Higher resolutions obviously have, well, higher needs. From what I can tell, my best bets would be either the r9 285, 280x, 290, or a GTX 770, though I'm going to wait on what gets announced from Nvidia (and possibly AMD) this month before I make any firm decisions. My budget for a new card is around $425. Any assistance would be great.
More about : video card
-
Reply to macgreen
Best solution
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 8:57:47 PM
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?p=AT-290TR4G&c=fr&p...
Lower than your budget, good performance. If you're feeling frisky you can flash the bios to the 290x and get 290x performance, but make sure you use a Tri-X 290x BIOS. AT YOUR OWN RISK, as always. Either way, you'll see good performance. Crossfiring another would add even more. The 290x isn't worth paying $150 more for a %5ish increase (says the guy who owns two) when a lot of people have had success flashing the bios to 290x. So, either way. You're good with that card. A 290x beats a stock 780, though. A 780ti is still pretty much king (Miss my two -tear-) for performance and price, because it's on par with the Titan at like $400 less.
By the way, you never know if the launches will happen. And as far as I know it's a paper launch, not a literal product launch. You could be waiting 3+ months worst case scenario. If you have $600 and want to call it quits there a 7990 might do, but the drivers on those things are horrid. If you have $600, scrape up a little more and get a 780ti and be happy.
Lower than your budget, good performance. If you're feeling frisky you can flash the bios to the 290x and get 290x performance, but make sure you use a Tri-X 290x BIOS. AT YOUR OWN RISK, as always. Either way, you'll see good performance. Crossfiring another would add even more. The 290x isn't worth paying $150 more for a %5ish increase (says the guy who owns two) when a lot of people have had success flashing the bios to 290x. So, either way. You're good with that card. A 290x beats a stock 780, though. A 780ti is still pretty much king (Miss my two -tear-) for performance and price, because it's on par with the Titan at like $400 less.
By the way, you never know if the launches will happen. And as far as I know it's a paper launch, not a literal product launch. You could be waiting 3+ months worst case scenario. If you have $600 and want to call it quits there a 7990 might do, but the drivers on those things are horrid. If you have $600, scrape up a little more and get a 780ti and be happy.
-
Reply to Etorpine
Share
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 9:04:28 PM
Too long; Don't read: Skip to bottom. Otherwise I have put some examples of both cards right below this line:
If you're planning on getting a second monitor or anything like that: definitely 290X. Its about $430. Now you could go with a R9 290 which is said too only have a 5% performance difference, so if you want to save the extra $30-$40, go with the 290. Also if you are planning on video editing or light 3D rendering go with a AMD chip.
A GTX 780 is around $420 dollars, about the same as the AMD alternative, but some people say the R9 290X is a little faster. If you were to read the specs of the 2 cards and compare them, there are more ups to the 290X than the 780(Will link comparison below). But then again, Nvidia cards are said to have slightly better driver support.
Conclusion: Pure performance, I would go with the 290X. 780 is a awesome competitor, and would recommend, but 290X squeezes out a tiny bit more performance.
GPU comparison: http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-7...
They seem like they are the same score but make sure to scroll down to the "Reasons to choose [GPU]" part. It will compare the specs.
Hope I helped, and good luck. Feel free to ask any more questions
If you're planning on getting a second monitor or anything like that: definitely 290X. Its about $430. Now you could go with a R9 290 which is said too only have a 5% performance difference, so if you want to save the extra $30-$40, go with the 290. Also if you are planning on video editing or light 3D rendering go with a AMD chip.
A GTX 780 is around $420 dollars, about the same as the AMD alternative, but some people say the R9 290X is a little faster. If you were to read the specs of the 2 cards and compare them, there are more ups to the 290X than the 780(Will link comparison below). But then again, Nvidia cards are said to have slightly better driver support.
Conclusion: Pure performance, I would go with the 290X. 780 is a awesome competitor, and would recommend, but 290X squeezes out a tiny bit more performance.
GPU comparison: http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-7...
They seem like they are the same score but make sure to scroll down to the "Reasons to choose [GPU]" part. It will compare the specs.
Hope I helped, and good luck. Feel free to ask any more questions
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Related resources
- Im looking to upgrade my hp p7-1234 witha new video card - Forum
- I am looking for a new video card. - Forum
- Looking for a new video card - Forum
- Looking for new video card - Forum
- Looking for a new video card. - Forum
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 9:26:09 PM
Matthew-san
September 5, 2014 9:37:37 PM
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 9:39:15 PM
Etorpine said:
Did you complete forget to read my answer too? You said the same thing as me except a little more longly worded. Mister TL;DR.You don't understand that I was writing my comment in the time that you were so I didn't get to see the comment you wrote. There is no need to be so rude.
And BTW your post was longer than mine. I was doing the TL;DR only because some people don't want to read me reason.
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 9:41:41 PM
Matthew-san said:
If you want to save some money then choose the GTX 770. It is good for ultra at 1080p resolution even for games like Crysis 3. GTX 780 and higher is not needed unless you require a steady 60 fps on all demanding games.GTX 770 is nearer to the 280X. If he wants some good frame rates at 1080p on Star Citizen then a 780 or 290X would be the way to go. Otherwise, you are right, save the extra $200 if 60fps is not what you're looking for.
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 9:42:07 PM
I figured having a steady 60 FPS was something most people wanted. I rage out if I get like 55.. but I have an 80hz monitor, so 80FPS is actually visible to me. Either way, a 290, 290x, 770, 780 or whatever you go with is a good option. Unless you're trying to 1440p+ Ultra set your games at over 60FPS outright there's no point waiting until next generation. Especially when crossfire/SLI can do that now. You'd be better off with two next-gen GPU's right now than waiting months for a single new next-gen. Although I plan on upgrading immediately. I might hold off on the 8-core, but DDR4, the X99 and probably at least two GTX 880's are being bought. I don't see a point going 8-core when I have a 6-core that can't even be fully utilized in gaming now. Quad-cores are about the most a game can use, and single thread clocks are more important than more cores in most games. But I'm getting off topic now.
If I were you, unless you can find a hell of a deal on a 290x, I'd just get a 290. AFTERMARKET COOLER, though. One of my 290x's is reference and I have to deal with hairdryer level noise to keep it from downclocking itself on throttle and overclocking them with the reference cooler is pretty much not going to happen. Same with the 290.
PS: Wasn't being rude. Just didn't know the circumstances.
If I were you, unless you can find a hell of a deal on a 290x, I'd just get a 290. AFTERMARKET COOLER, though. One of my 290x's is reference and I have to deal with hairdryer level noise to keep it from downclocking itself on throttle and overclocking them with the reference cooler is pretty much not going to happen. Same with the 290.
PS: Wasn't being rude. Just didn't know the circumstances.
-
Reply to Etorpine
m
0
l
Matthew-san
September 5, 2014 9:49:01 PM
-
Reply to Matthew-san
m
0
l
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 9:50:46 PM
Etorpine said:
I figured having a steady 60 FPS was something most people wanted. I rage out if I get like 55.. but I have an 80hz monitor, so 80FPS is actually visible to me. Either way, a 290, 290x, 770, 780 or whatever you go with is a good option. Unless you're trying to 1440p+ Ultra set your games at over 60FPS outright there's no point waiting until next generation. Especially when crossfire/SLI can do that now. You'd be better off with two next-gen GPU's right now than waiting months for a single new next-gen. Although I plan on upgrading immediately. I might hold off on the 8-core, but DDR4, the X99 and probably at least two GTX 880's are being bought. I don't see a point going 8-core when I have a 6-core that can't even be fully utilized in gaming now. Quad-cores are about the most a game can use, and single thread clocks are more important than more cores in most games. But I'm getting off topic now.If I were you, unless you can find a hell of a deal on a 290x, I'd just get a 290. AFTERMARKET COOLER, though. One of my 290x's is reference and I have to deal with hairdryer level noise to keep it from downclocking itself on throttle and overclocking them with the reference cooler is pretty much not going to happen. Same with the 290.
PS: Wasn't being rude. Just didn't know the circumstances.
Just a note, Nvidia is skipping the 800s and going to the 900s instead. Its because they want the Mobile and normal GPU to have the same numbers just different letters a the end.
Also I doubt games will continue using only 4 cores after around 2 years.
And he is right, make sure to get a nice aftermarket cooler. Gigabyte WINDFORCE, Sapphire Tri-X, XFX Double Dissipation, MSI Twin Frozr, and lastly(but not least) Asus CUII are all very good GPU coolers. Most people argue that XFX's and Gigabytes are best for the majority of the cards.
P.S. Its fine, it happens
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 9:52:35 PM
Matthew-san said:
I use a 144 Hz monitor ran by a GTX 770. Ultra = no problem. Most games stay above 60 and much higher. Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite 100+. All the choices given so far will be more than adequate for Star Citizen and more demanding games like Crysis 3; speaking from experience here.Yeah, but if he has the budget that he is fine with spending, he might as well go with a more future proof card, rather than have to change it out next year or a year after that(Or go CrossFire/SLI).
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
macgreen
September 5, 2014 9:54:31 PM
Funny, I've been looking at the Tri-X 290 for about a week now, so I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that considered it. I've been looking at all sorts of reviews on them, especially the Tri-X, so I've learned quite a bit about the reference card's sound and heat problems. Unfortunately, I can't crossfire thanks to my mobo being incapable of it, hence the looking for another single-card solution. The 290x, I looked at, but considering the minimal difference in performance between it and the 290, I can't really justify going for it. And when several benchmarks show that the 290 can be overclocked to match or better a 290x or even a 780, I'm definitely not that interested in either of those or a 770.
And I'd love to have a stable 60FPS going on in as many of my games as possible. My 7870 has some trouble with that in Skyrim (HD packs and mods and such installed), and as of right now, that and Civ V are probably my most demanding games, resource-wise. And honestly, Star Citizen isn't optimized yet (not even close!), so I'd expect it's recommended system requirements to be just a bit below the 290x at launch. That's just a shot in the dark though, so who knows?
Wasn't sure if a 280x would be enough for Star Citizen at High or Very High, but I figure the extra resources of the 290s would be better anyway. And really, XFX is higher rated than Sapphire? Is that because of the warranty?
And I'd love to have a stable 60FPS going on in as many of my games as possible. My 7870 has some trouble with that in Skyrim (HD packs and mods and such installed), and as of right now, that and Civ V are probably my most demanding games, resource-wise. And honestly, Star Citizen isn't optimized yet (not even close!), so I'd expect it's recommended system requirements to be just a bit below the 290x at launch. That's just a shot in the dark though, so who knows?
Wasn't sure if a 280x would be enough for Star Citizen at High or Very High, but I figure the extra resources of the 290s would be better anyway. And really, XFX is higher rated than Sapphire? Is that because of the warranty?
-
Reply to macgreen
m
0
l
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 9:56:11 PM
The GTX 770 is still a fairly powerful card. A lot of people out there are still using them. Can't say the same about the 280, though. It's a good card, but MAN it flopped. I agree though, a 780/780ti or a 290/290x is your best bet here.
Anyone else curious as to why the GTX 690 is still $1,000? So is a Titan, and a Titan is better. I mean, I love the 690's, wonderful cards. If they had a little more vRAM and didn't cost so much way more people would be using them. Though there's a fair amount of hate for SLI/Crossfire and Dual GPU cards, so I can see why it's dying out.
And Mac, provided you know what you're doing you can easily turn a 290 into a 290x with a BIOS flash. Just, make sure you DO know what you're doing. AYOR.
If you think Star Citizen is poorly optimized, go play Day Z. Love the game, but my 290x crossfire (minor overclocks, VERY minor) runs at 80-90FPS standard maxed out at 2560x1080. I feel like I should be pulling 120+ no problem considering I can get the same frames at the same settings in Crysis 3 for the most part.
Anyone else curious as to why the GTX 690 is still $1,000? So is a Titan, and a Titan is better. I mean, I love the 690's, wonderful cards. If they had a little more vRAM and didn't cost so much way more people would be using them. Though there's a fair amount of hate for SLI/Crossfire and Dual GPU cards, so I can see why it's dying out.
And Mac, provided you know what you're doing you can easily turn a 290 into a 290x with a BIOS flash. Just, make sure you DO know what you're doing. AYOR.
If you think Star Citizen is poorly optimized, go play Day Z. Love the game, but my 290x crossfire (minor overclocks, VERY minor) runs at 80-90FPS standard maxed out at 2560x1080. I feel like I should be pulling 120+ no problem considering I can get the same frames at the same settings in Crysis 3 for the most part.
-
Reply to Etorpine
m
0
l
macgreen
September 5, 2014 10:05:05 PM
When it comes to flashing BIOS, I certainly have no clue what I'm doing. If not for how easy it is to OC a graphic card these days, I wouldn't really know how to do that either. I'd probably not try turning it into a 290x, I'd be happy enough getting so much more performance compared to a 7870 that I wouldn't have even thought to do that.
-
Reply to macgreen
m
0
l
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 10:06:33 PM
@Etorpine Agreed, but I wouldn't really go with the whole "flash my bios" unless that card has 2 stock BIOS. Otherwise not only did you void the warranty, but you also put the card in danger if you mess up.
XFX usually sells their cards with unlocked voltages. That will help you overclock to achieve almost 290X performance. If you dont want to go through all the hassle, just go with a 290X.
Also I believe the 690 is still really pricey because they stopped producing them as much and people still buy them so the price went up. Thats just a guess though.
XFX usually sells their cards with unlocked voltages. That will help you overclock to achieve almost 290X performance. If you dont want to go through all the hassle, just go with a 290X.
Also I believe the 690 is still really pricey because they stopped producing them as much and people still buy them so the price went up. Thats just a guess though.
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Matthew-san
September 5, 2014 10:10:44 PM
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 10:12:24 PM
Matthew-san said:
The 770 will run Skyrim at 144 fps if you had the monitor to display the frames. Same story with Civ 5 I imagine.Yeah but he will be playing Star Citizen and as he stated, he wold like to get 60FPS in that game. If hes fine with paying the price of the card, then why not. Its a good card and it will last.
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 10:14:46 PM
I'm an NVIDIA guy at heart, but I praise the 290/290x for matching NVIDIA performance and costing less. Because a 290x beats a stock 780, and costs a little less. The 290 costs a good bit less and has around the same. If the cooler on these cards (reference) were better, AMD would've struck perfection for once. It's certainly a redeeming factor after what happened with the 7990 and its trash drivers.
-
Reply to Etorpine
m
0
l
Scoutdrago3
September 5, 2014 10:18:25 PM
Etorpine said:
I'm an NVIDIA guy at heart, but I praise the 290/290x for matching NVIDIA performance and costing less. Because a 290x beats a stock 780, and costs a little less. The 290 costs a good bit less and has around the same. If the cooler on these cards (reference) AMD would've struck perfection for once. It's certainly a redeeming factor after what happened with the 7990 and its trash drivers.Yeah, those drivers were actually pretty funny, but none the less, horrible. I'd say just go with the 290. Its not too big of a difference and you should get some nice performance off of it.
-
Reply to Scoutdrago3
m
0
l
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 10:23:22 PM
macgreen
September 5, 2014 10:29:00 PM
Etorpine
September 5, 2014 10:30:56 PM
Matthew-san
September 5, 2014 11:54:42 PM
Related resources
- SolvedI'm looking to buy a new video card for between $150-$250 Forum
- SolvedLooking to buy new Video card Forum
- SolvedLooking for a new cpu and video card for my motherboard Forum
- SolvedLooking to pair a new video card with GeForce GTX 670 - input needed! Forum
- SolvedIm Looking for a New GPU/video card for my computer,Since the one it has (its integrated) Sucks, my MOBO is a ASRock H61m-vg3 Forum
- SolvedLooking for a new graphics card for video games but not sure what to get. Forum
- SolvedLooking to buy a new video card Forum
- SolvedLooking to add a new video card, not sure what I'm doing Forum
- Solvedlooking for a new motherboard, harddrive + processor that is compatible with my current ram and video card Forum
- Solvedlooking for a new motherboard, harddrive + processor that is compatible with my current ram and video card Forum
- SolvedLooking for new video card :o please help~ Forum
- Looking for advice on purchasing a new video card Forum
- Looking for a new video card. Forum
- Three Benq XL2720Z. Need a new video card, maybe two. Looking for suggestions. Forum
- SolvedPrice spiked on my video card - looking at new setup - advice plz Forum
- More resources
Read discussions in other Graphics & Displays categories
!