Nvidia 550ti vs ati 6790

[livebriand]

Hello,
I'm wondering which is better - the evga nvidia 550ti or the msi ati 6770. It looks like, from the specs, the ati card is better, wider memory bus, more power in general (it's also about $15 more and needs a bit more PSU). But I've heard that many games are optimized for nvidia drivers, which explains why in benchmarks sometimes the 550ti beat the 6790. What would you guys recommend?

btw I have: Intel i5 750 (2.66GHz quad-core), 8GB DDR3 1600 (running at 1333MHz, I'll get around to overclocking to full speed someday), 640GB WD Caviar Black, 520W Seasonic S12II PSU, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1.

 

[k1114]

The 6790 rivals the 460 768mb, the 550ti being lower than both. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6790-barts-gpu-geforce-gtx-460,2917.html Specific specifications really mean absolutely nothing, it always comes down to fps. Just like in this review, the 6850 uses less power than the 6790 but is almost 20% better.

Some games work better on amd some like nvidia, it depends who the gaming company partners with.

With the rest of your specs, you could handle much higher than a 6790.

 

[livebriand]

My budget is ~$150. Also, I know a guy with a 5770/6770 who says the ram runs hot and needs heatsinks. Would any of the other cards mentioned need it?

 

[k1114]

Maybe get a 6850 if you can. Any gpu should come with sufficient cooling but if you are worried about heat, just get one with dual fans. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353

 

[livebriand]

How reliable are Gigabyte graphics cards? I definitely need this to last AT LEAST 3-4 years.

Also, remember that I only have a 1280x1024 monitor (two of them, I'll be playing this dualscreen if I can, which in windowed mode is often possible). I tend to prefer nvidia drivers but ati is ok too.

 

[k1114]

If you want nvidia, go with a 460 1gb. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600007323%20600062521%20600007779&IsNodeId=1&name=1GB

 

[pell380]

i you want to stick in budget of 550ti then buy 6790 they are almost same price but if you can invest more then buy gtx 460

 

[livebriand]

Best answer selected by livebriand.