looking for a new graphics card for around 200 euros

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dark_globe

dark_globe

Splendid
Aug 16, 2013
1,187
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hello i´m from slovakia and as you can see i´m not a novice here .
i know a thing or two about hardware but now i find myself in need of little advice because i got kind of stuck here .
my options are :
brand new GTX 760 WindForce 2X OC for 194 euros and free shipping :
http://datacomp.sk/gigabyte-gv-n760wf2oc-2gd_d245645.html#.VPwhzeHApHA
gtx 960 : basic gainward oc model for 197 :
https://www.alza.sk/gainward-gtx960-oc-2gb-ddr5-d2298375.htm
or aging and power hungry radeon 280 sapphire dual X or msi gaming for 195/200 euros
i´m also considering throwing a little extra cash for better aftermarket model of 960 :
http://www.tichepc.sk/Inno3D-GeForce-GTX-960-OC-HerculeZ-X2-2048-MB-GDDR5.html?arg1=001001162001025
but 215 euros are really the most i´m willing to spend on 960 .

i´m not really overexcited by my current choices on the market ,
i kinda feel it´s not the right time to buy a new graphics and
maybe i should wait for 960Ti for around 250 bucks or new radeons 3xx
to get the best value for my money but i don´t want to wait any longer ...
in case i decide to wait i´m considering to grab some second hand gtx 660 or amd 7850
for temporary usage and wait a few months for new options and prices .

i really wanted gtx 960 for its power efficiency and performance :
but my concerns are 128 bit memory bus and 2gb of vram .
i know it´s a new architecture and works with that bus more efficient and
in theory the card is about 5-10% faster than gtx 760 with 256 bit bus
i ´m also avare of the fact that overclocking 960s memory will help to increase the overall bandwith , but
what concerns me are minimal fps and fps drops :
wouldn't i experience smoother overall gameplay with 760 even if average fps would be on 960 site ?

i will be playing at 1080p resolution and i want to play most games at least at high settings
(i really like the new features MFAA and dx12 support which 960 offers) .
my favourite games are total wars (currently rome 2) , but i also want to play moded skyrim
and here comes the problem of 2gb frame buffer .

i´m replacing amd sapphire radeon 250x 1gb

my system specs:

i5 4460
Z97 anniversary asrock
8gb memory
corsair 200R

430w be quiet l8 power supply
(6+2 and 6pin , 33A on 12V rail)
 
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V
I've never used Gainward or Inno3D.
The Gainward looks like a reference cooler.
Of the two, I would probably choose the Inno3D.
I have used Asus in my own builds and Gigabyte where someone was looking for something a bit cheaper.

I don't know why you would call the R9 280 a "dinosaur". It is a little slower than the GTX 960 so I would probably choose the GTX 960, but an R9 280X or R9 290 are the same age as the R9 280 and are better than the GTX 960.

On your power supply, you should be aiming to keep the +12V rail under 80% of rated load. In your system I wouldn't use any card over 180W with the current supply. TDP of the R9 280, 280X and 290 are 250W. It's entirely up to you, but I wouldn't do it or recommend it to anyone.

The GTX...
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blazorthon

Glorious
Sep 24, 2010
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The GTX 960 has advanced lossless compression in use with its memory bus. That's why it works out so well despite being only a 128 bit bus.

In my opinion, the GTX 960 would be the best option of those choices. 2GB should be plenty for the next few years and its memory bus isn't holding it back much. The GTX 980 has double most of the GPU components and double the memory bandwidth, but only 85% more performance, so it seems that the memory bandwidth the GTX 960 has is ideal for it.

That power supply is pushing it a little, but I think it should be alright with the 960. It definitely can't handle the other cards and upgrading it would be a good idea.
 
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VincentP

Splendid
Oct 18, 2013
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Ignoring ACU, which is a mess at the moment, every other benchmark shows the average frame rate for the GTX 960 at least 15% higher than the GTX 760:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-960,4038-4.html
Minimum frame rate is higher for the GTX 960 in every benchmark as well (again ignoring ACU).

To run the R9 280 you would need a new power supply, so the GTX 960 seems your best bet by far unless you want to wait for new cards to be released.
 
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dark_globe

dark_globe

Splendid
Aug 16, 2013
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thanks for the reply
so basicaly what you are saying is
i should not be worried about fps drops due to the memory bus
and i should go for 960 ...

btw:
i know something about power supplies so don´t worry ,
i´m pretty confident mine could handle 760 or even 280 perfectly fine ...
few years back i had phenom 965 and amd 6850 system running on seasonic g 360w
(it is still powering that system for third year now with no issue)

but if i would experience any problems i still have corsair cx 600w on the shelf .
but anyway system with 4460 and 960 would consume something between 200-230w during gaming ...
4460+760 about 250-270w ... i know this be quiet is not top tier by any means (teapo caps) ,
but it does its job and can pull even more for what it is rated for .
 
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VincentP

Splendid
Oct 18, 2013
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You should be fine with the GTX 960 on your current supply anyway. I think it is a good choice.
 
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dark_globe

dark_globe

Splendid
Aug 16, 2013
1,187
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thanks , as i have said i´m confident my psu is able to handle 960 , 760 or even 280
my concern is just about which graphics should i get .

radeon 280 is kind of a dinosaur so i really don´t want to go that way anyway .
besides in my country the cheapest i can get is currently for 195 .
(some time ago it could be find even below 180 but not now)

so i will probably settle for 960
do you think i should get the basic model for 197 euros or pay extra 15-20 bucks
for dual fan cooler and higher OC out of the box?
which of the aftermarket gtx 960s has the best VRM quality ?
 
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blazorthon

Glorious
Sep 24, 2010
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The problem with pulling more than it is rated for and age considered is that PSUs degrade over time, especially when overdrawn. Like we said, with a GTX 960, it should be alright, but I wouldn't recommend that you overdraw that model with a GTX 760 or a Radeon 280.

Sure, it might be fine for a while, but there is no wondering if it would fail, only when it fails. It might not happen in the lifetime of the system, but it might happen in a mere year or two. I used to risk that and got burned twice. Never again. PSUs are designed to optimally operate between 20% and 80% power draw, and do especially best around 50%. As a general rule of thumb I estimate typical power consumption of the system and multiply by 1.4 to find a power supply value that is almost guaranteed to not give problems.

Still, ofc it is your choice.

Yes, you shouldn't be worried about issues with the GTX 960. If it wins in every benchmark against the 760, then it does not have a problem :)
 
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blazorthon

Glorious
Sep 24, 2010
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I don't know which of the non-reference models has the best VRM. Are you interested in overclocking it or something? If not, then I wouldn't worry about that.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=208&sort=a8

There are plenty of non-reference models that you can get that aren't even more expensive than reference models if you want to. Spending an extra about 20 euros from the cheapest to this:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-044-IN&campaign=affiliate/tag

That seems like a good idea. The more powerful cooling means you can have the fans run at a lower rpm if you want to, or you can overclock farther if you want to. Or whatever else you choose.
 
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dark_globe

dark_globe

Splendid
Aug 16, 2013
1,187
106
26,390
in my country i can choose between these models
(considering 215 euros as maximum limit i´m willing to pay)

https://www.alza.sk/gainward-gtx960-oc-2gb-ddr5-d2298375.htm
https://www.alza.sk/gigabyte-n960ixoc-2gd-d2303031.htm
https://www.alza.sk/gainward-gtx960-phantom-2gb-ddr5-d2298376.htm
http://datacomp.sk/zotac-gtx-960-2gb-ddr5_d270233.html#.VPw_NOHApHA
http://www.tichepc.sk/Inno3D-GeForce-GTX-960-OC-HerculeZ-X2-2048-MB-GDDR5.html?arg1=001001162001025
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/GTX-960-2GD5T-OC-.html#hero-overview

i will certainly tweak the card a bit to get little extra performance .
 
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blazorthon

Glorious
Sep 24, 2010
14,022
7
43,265
Between the cards, if you looked at them gaming side by side, then you would not notice a difference. Factory overclocks are generally not to such extremes that you can see the difference. Paying a little extra for more cooling, however, is easily something you can notice. I'd recommend a two fan model like the gainward phantom.
 
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VincentP

Splendid
Oct 18, 2013
4,105
1
26,965
I've never used Gainward or Inno3D.
The Gainward looks like a reference cooler.
Of the two, I would probably choose the Inno3D.
I have used Asus in my own builds and Gigabyte where someone was looking for something a bit cheaper.

I don't know why you would call the R9 280 a "dinosaur". It is a little slower than the GTX 960 so I would probably choose the GTX 960, but an R9 280X or R9 290 are the same age as the R9 280 and are better than the GTX 960.

On your power supply, you should be aiming to keep the +12V rail under 80% of rated load. In your system I wouldn't use any card over 180W with the current supply. TDP of the R9 280, 280X and 290 are 250W. It's entirely up to you, but I wouldn't do it or recommend it to anyone.

The GTX 760 isn't even a competitor against any of these cards.
 
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