Need help buying new card

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iahwhite

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Jul 29, 2009
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Hey guys!

I am going to buy a new graphics card to play all of the top of the line games (BF3, Skyrim, etc.) and I want something really powerful that will last a few years (or at least will PROBABLY last a few years, I know how things can develop rather quickly). I was hoping the community could help me pick out something really good. I am looking for top of the line stuff here, but if I can get a card that will save me some money at the cost of only a few fps that would be fantastic. I think the specs I will provide will be enough for you guys to help me find a card that will work on my system. Thanks a ton in advance, I am a noob :p

My specs are as follows:

Motherboard: ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDX945FBGIBOX

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1600C9DHX
 
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purple stain

purple stain

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Nov 2, 2010
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What is your budget?

I would agree with jtt283, a GTX570 would probably be your best options.Although I don't know why he suggested a 6970 since it's more expensive yet it performs the same as a GTX570.

Although a GTX570 might get bottlenecked by your current CPU and I think it would be wise to O.C.
 
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iahwhite

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I can go up to $350 I guess. I'm looking at the graphics charts for Metro 2033 1920 x 1080, 4x MSAA, 16xAF, and it seems like those two cards only have about 30fps unless they are crossfired or SLI. Do you guys think I won't be able to get BF3 and skyrim and other high end games up to 50fps without crossfiring?
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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Check benchmarks to see if your intended games heavily favor nVidia or ATi (that's why I suggested those two cards; it may depend on the game which you'd prefer).

If you're limited to $250, check out a HD6950 or GTX560Ti. Considering that even "Medium" settings look pretty darn good with even the newest games (e.g. the BF3 beta), I wouldn't be too upset if I had to turn a few settings down to "High" from "Ultra."
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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here's the benchmarks from nVidia for the BF3, as you can see a GTX 570 can max out the game easily, even a GTX 560Ti can get above 40s which i believe that with some overclocks you'll get 50 FPS.
http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/battlefield-3-beta-performance-guide
with the Exception for the Crysis 2, Metro 2033 you'll be able to max out any game out there. those two games particularly needs a CF/SLI setup
if you're going with a multi GPU setup in the future, i would recommend getting the HD 6970 cause AMD scales better in crossfire than nVidia SLI, and for sure you're going to change your PSU, OCZ StealthXtream & ModXtream have awful reviews about crossfire/SLI and add CoolerMaster GX Series in consideration too.
 
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Onus

Onus

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Jan 27, 2006
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Coolermaster GX are NOT good PSUs; the 650W one was described by HardOCP as a "polished turd in a box." Besides, any Coolermaster product should be avoided because the company is dishonest (liar labels on some PSUs, and missing claimed protections; both facts turned up in HardwareSecrets reviews).
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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Disagree with you in this point. Coolermaster Silent Pro PSUs are one of the bests.Thermaltake are known for their "Toughpower" PSUs which are the bests as well.
OCZ is known for it's "Fatalty1" PSUs. Antec for their "True Power and HCG" PSUs......
Each Brand has advantages and disadvantages, small segment products & high end products.
 
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FlintIronStagg

FlintIronStagg

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May 3, 2011
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I will +1 you there ; I own a silent pro, and it is a GREAT PSU. I wouldnt buy their other PSU's though.
I use alot of CM products from my case, to case fans, to my hyper 212, i havent found anything negative so far. Then again, i didnt buy a GX from them because i did my research and found the silent pro to be top notch. a friend of mine has a GX, and nothing bad has happened so far (fingers crossed)
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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My comment had nothing to do with the quality of CM (or anyone's) products, only that the facts clearly indicate that Coolermaster is a dishonest company. Based on these facts, it is my opinion that Coolermaster does not deserve anyone's business, regardless of quality of any other products they sell. Fortunately, in every market where Coolermaster is found, there are are competing products with at least equal quality for the price, so you need not take a personal hit for voting with your money against dishonesty.
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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Oh, I didn't take it personally, I just wanted to be certain it didn't appear that I was making baseless claims about the performance or quality of anyone's products, that I wouldn't deny that CM has some high-quality stuff, but I'll always advise against it because CM as a company is dishonest.
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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Oct 30, 2010
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Apologies for putting this in two threads but the first one I put it in is apparently SOLVED and I was afraid no one would see my post/questions there.

I have an Alienware ALX Area-51 with an Extreme i7 processor and a GTX OC 295.

I have two questions that I need help with - thanks in advance.

I am wanting to get into DX11 and the Battlefield 3 "Is your computer ready test" of course tells me that while my card is fast it's on DX10 and if I want the best experience I need to upgrade. Well so I am thinking about it. I understand my card is still fairly good in terms of performance but I do want the DX11 if its going to be a standard tech showing up in all the games.

I play a LOT of games and use my Dell 3100FWP 30" Montitor that is native at 2560x1600. I never multi-screen.

Should I upgrade now or wait is one question, and if upgrade to what and if wait for what?

I also have noticed lately that in CERTAIN games (only specific ones) the fans on the 295 will cycle up pretty loud. The temps on the card according to my Aleinware controls say the card is around the 35C range..but it feels alot hotter to touch, I dont know.

I know that the machine didnt really ever do this before (I've started to notice it lately), or at least I didnt ever notice it. It is because the games I am playing are stressing the card more and its heating up and the fans are just working more? Or is the card starting to fail you think? Once I quit the game and go back to idel the fans quiet down quickly in 10 secs or so.

Not a real problem but concerning.

This issue and the DX11 thing have brought me here hoping to find some real GPU gurus to help a brother out.

I dont have a budget per se other than I want the best value for money option and I prefer a single card solution versus SLI or Crossfire.

thanks
Chris
Click to expand...
delete this post after giving us the link for your thread, Don't confuse threads by another questions.
 
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