Which Nvidia Card should I buy?

[juicycrapachino]

I'm planning to upgrade my graphics card to something that can sustain what games I'm playing. I play at a 1920 x 1080 and want to get everything to max settings, which card is best for me?

CPU: AMD Phenom X4 955 @ 4.0GHz
Mobo: ASUS M4A89TD PRO
PSU: Thermaltake TR2 RX 850W
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600 (2X2GB) ((Planning on getting another 4gb set))
Cooler: Corsair H50

1.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127532

2.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125365

3.) Note: These Cards will be in SLI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127518

Thanks for reading and I hope I can come to a decision soon!

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

Out of those, I would recommend the 570 GTX. It's probably the best price/performance ratio of the two single cards you listed, cheaper than either other option, and allows you to get another 570 GTX to SLI sometime down the road.

EDIT: And according to this review, it about matches the 480's raw performance while bringing all the architectural improvements of the 5xx series over the 4xx series.

 

[17seconds]

Both of those cards you listed are excellent, the Gigabyte 570 and MSI 480 Lightning. In fact, that MSI card is one of the few 480's I would recommend. But since it is so much more expensive than the 570, I would go for the Gigabyte 570.

I'm not sure what your #3 means. Are you saying that you will be SLI'ing with a GTX 460? Because that is not possible.

 

[juicycrapachino]

Both of those cards you listed are excellent, the Gigabyte 570 and MSI 480 Lightning. In fact, that MSI card is one of the few 480's I would recommend. But since it is so much more expensive than the 570, I would go for the Gigabyte 570.

I'm not sure what your #3 means. Are you saying that you will be SLI'ing with a GTX 460? Because that is not possible.

No, I was stating that I would SLI the two GTX 460's.

 

[17seconds]

No, I was stating that I would SLI the two GTX 460's.

Then that would be your fastest option.

 

[orangegator]

Your motherboard only supports crossfire. If you want to do sli, you'd have to use the sli software hack. Why do you want a Nvidia card? Your best bet would be to get a HD 6950 2GB and flash it to a 6970. Then you can get a second one later for crossfire if you want.

 

[asantesoul]

gtx 560! Can be oc to run on par with a stock gtx 570 ..but I let mine stay @ stock and it tears through most of my games wodnerfully.. makes me wonder what people with sli gtx 580's feel like...must be ludicrously overwhelming

 

[juicycrapachino]

Your motherboard only supports crossfire. If you want to do sli, you'd have to use the sli software hack. Why do you want a Nvidia card? Your best bet would be to get a HD 6950 2GB and flash it to a 6970. Then you can get a second one later for crossfire if you want.

Hmm... I did not know this, thank you for pointing this out. In that case, here's another card I'm looking at. Feel free to leave your thoughts on it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-121-432-_-Product

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

Hmm... I did not know this, thank you for pointing this out. In that case, here's another card I'm looking at. Feel free to leave your thoughts on it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-121-432-_-Product

You won't see too much difference between individual 570 models, at least between those that aren't 1337 pr0 OC Editions.

But knowing now that you have a AMD/ATI-centered board (figured you knew that your board was Nvidia-focused), I would strongly recommend you consider what the previous person said who recommended a 6950 (even if you don't want to do the unlock operation, still a very good mid-end card, comparable to the Nvidia cards you considered). Again, better that you go with what your mobo supports than having to rely on hacking.

That said, if you're fixed on Nvidia, I stand by my 570 recommendation. True that 460s SLI'd will beat a single 570, but you are investing for future improvements if you go with the 570 (IE get another one!) The pair of 460s is a dead-end.

 

[17seconds]

Stick with that factory overclocked Gigabyte GTX 570 you listed in the first post. It will be very quiet and will perform better than a 6950 flashed to a 6970. You will also be able to enjoy better drivers, PhysX, 3D Vision, and the other benefits that make Nvidia a better overall choice.

 

[BeCoolBro]

Look at this thread first before getting the 570.I would get a 6950 just because of this.

 

[BeCoolBro]

Asus 570 i linked has different VRM's and a beefed up power phase so it won't blow up

He should know so that he doesn't get a cheaper model without one.
I still insist on the 6950 though.The 1gb version performs close to the gtx 570 and is much cheaper,while the extra RAM of the 2gb version is better for larger resolutions and vram heavy games.

 

[17seconds]

He should know so that he doesn't get a cheaper model without one.
I still insist on the 6950 though.The 1gb version performs close to the gtx 570 and is much cheaper,while the extra RAM of the 2gb version is better for larger resolutions and vram heavy games.

I think you mean to say the 6950 1GB is close to the GTX 560. The GTX 570 competes with the 6970 2GB.

This discussion of the AMD 11.2 drivers is very illuminating:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/309630-33-post-results#t2321378