Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

Need help deciding on a video card

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
Share

I'm looking to replace my current 8800GTS with something that matches the rest of my hardware:

-Intel Core i5 2500K @ Stock
-Intel DH67CL motherboard (I'm waiting till the Z67 motherboards come out)
-12 GB DDR3 1333 Ram (2x 2GB Caorsair XMS, and 2x 4GB OCZ Reaper) (I bought the corsair first, but kept running out of ram so I added in the OCZ, I'm thinking of swapping the Corsair for a matching second set of the OCZ)
-Antec Two Hundred Case
-Corsair GS 600 Watt PSU (Continuous)


I think that's all the info that matters. I do some light gaming, and am planning on setting a second monitor (something that is 1920x1080, for movie watching), but my currant one is a 1680x1050. As long as it has DVI I don't really care what other ports it has. (VGA support through an adapter would be useful.) I'd also like it to run on the cool side, but that's not a requirement. Lastly, my budget is flexible, but the cheaper the better.

Thanks in advanced for any help!

More about : deciding video card

Register or log in to remove
Graphics card Expert

What kind of games do you play? At the 1680x1050 rez you should be able to pick up a 6950 1GB for 200$ w/ 30$ rebate or a GTX 560Ti for 200 w/o rebate. But i do not know what you mean by light gaming? Light as in Crysis/2033/ect or light as in Packman? :lol: 

(Edit) The GTX 560 is 200$ the GTX 560Ti is 240$-Discounts-Rebates~200$

It occurred to me right after I posted that I forgot to mention what I play. ^_^' It's mostly Source based games, and my Video card whines at high res. It only has 320MB of ram is the main problem I think. I also do a small amount of work in Photoshop, and I spend a lot of time in Premiere Pro. (Which is also why I want dual monitors) I'm looking to play some newer games, but my card most certainly can't handle them in any manner I'm willing to look at, so I haven't even bothered.

I normally do the research for this myself, but I haven't had the time lately, so I figure I'll ask for help. Thanks again!
Related ressources
Ask the community

$200 to $250 was my goal, but if it's worth the money, I'd go as high as $350. Also, one thing I'd like to take into consideration is the heat output. It's in my bedroom at home, and I hate how hot my room gets right now the the 8800GTS installed. (I know it's the card because when I was running on integrated with the card removed, it was a lot cooler.)
Graphics card Master

Why did you get the 2500K instead of 2500 if you're going to leave it at stock? You should overclock it.

Regardless, at that resolution you do not need a 350 dollar graphics card.

The best you could do around that price range is get a 6950 2GB and unlock it to a 6970. If you don't mind messing around with it.

6970 > 6950 Unlocked to 6970 > 6950 2GB > 6950 1GB = GTX 560ti

For performance reasons.

Does Premier benefit from Cuda technology? I have no idea, but if it does a GTX 560ti would be the way to go.
Graphics card Expert

Helltech said:
Does Premier benefit from Cuda technology? I have no idea, but if it does a GTX 560ti would be the way to go.


Yes, it does. You can only use GPU acceleration if you have a CUDA card. Which means that nVidia is the way to go, :lol:  ignore my last comment. If you want something that is faster than the GTX 560 Ti, but want acceleration go with the GTX 570.

(Edit) With my GTX 460 and GPU acceleration enabled I put 15 1080p videos on top of each other, and arranged them on a 1080p (Dont remember the pixel aspect ratio, ect) sequence and played witohut rendering. Played at 29.9 FPS flawlessly.

Thanks for all your help! Sorry I didn't respond, life gave me hell for a bit.

Given that Premiere does use CUDA makes me want to go with a 560 or 570. The only thing making me hesitate is that I've heard the AMD cards have an about equal performance at a lower price point? (i.e. 6870 ~ 560)

@Helltech Three reasons: first, I'm upgrading the motherboard to a Z Series board when they hit the market so I can overclock (H series chipset can't OC). Second, I wanted the better integrated graphics so I could take out my video card (to keep the computer cooler) and still have smooth graphics and movie playback. Lastly, I bought the computer locally on Feb 1st - one day after the announcement by Intel about the bad chipsets - and got the processor for only $126 (he sold it to me at what I presume to be a loss because he wanted to get rid of it, it was his last sandy bridge in stock). :D 
Graphics card Expert

Its the ATI 6950~GTX 560 Ti... Almost neck to neck... AMD is the one that usually is quieter and cooler. Though the new gen of cards seems to break all the stereotypes of each company. If you want me to link a toms or another sites article I can later...
Register or log in to remove
 
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Graphics & Displays categories
!