HD 6870 vs 460GTX vs ????

[mulberry05]

Unfortunately, this is my 3rd thread today! :lol: I have been learning a lot from this site and just want to thank everyone for being so patient with all the hardware newbies on here such as myself. The last important piece of hardware I need to purchase is the GPU. I am aiming to spend somewhere around 200, more or less.

The most important thing is I don't plan on running SLI/CF and I don't know how to overclock (L@L). I'll be running this card on stock settings most likely unless I spend time reading up on how to OC a GPU. I'm sure it can't be that hard but i've never OC'ed anything before. forgot to mention this is for a gaming machine, nothing high end though.

Purchased specs:
intel i5 2500k sandy bridge
g.skill 8gb ddr3 1600
ASUS P8Z68-V LX Z68 LGA1155
cooler master 700w PSU
still deciding between some cases

I was aiming towards the 460 GTX but now I'm hearing more about the 6870. What suggestions do you guys have for a GPU for around 200 dollars with these specifications?

 

[hapkido]

Unfortunately, this is my 3rd thread today! :lol: I have been learning a lot from this site and just want to thank everyone for being so patient with all the hardware newbies on here such as myself. The last important piece of hardware I need to purchase is the GPU. I am aiming to spend somewhere around 200, more or less.

The most important thing is I don't plan on running SLI/CF and I don't know how to overclock (L@L). I'll be running this card on stock settings most likely unless I spend time reading up on how to OC a GPU. I'm sure it can't be that hard but i've never OC'ed anything before. forgot to mention this is for a gaming machine, nothing high end though.

Purchased specs:
intel i5 2500k sandy bridge
g.skill 8gb ddr3 1600
ASUS P8Z68-V LX Z68 LGA1155
cooler master 700w PSU
still deciding between some cases

I was aiming towards the 460 GTX but now I'm hearing more about the 6870. What suggestions do you guys have for a GPU for around 200 dollars with these specifications?

6870.

But, you may be able to save a little getting a p67 motherboard and getting a lower wattage psu (550w to 600w is more than enough for any single card setup), and use the money you save upgrading to a 6950 1GB card.

 

[monsta]

Better off going with a 2GB version of the 6950 if you want some good perfromance for gaming.

 

[hapkido]

Better off going with a 2GB version of the 6950 if you want some good perfromance for gaming.

He'd be even better going with a 6970, but he's on a budget. 1GB vram is fine for today's games.

 

[17seconds]

If you plan to do any overclocking, the GTX 460 has a lot of headroom and is known as a great overclocker. The 6870, on the other hand, is known to have very little headroom for overclocking. Nvidia drivers are also beating the crap out of AMD drivers on the new game releases right now.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

For a little over 200 you could get the 6950 2gb, I concur with the above post

 

[mulberry05]

where are you seeing "a little over 200"? the cheapest 6950 2gb is like ~260 UDS

 

[monsta]

$219 with rebate , 2GB and will perform very well for "just" over $200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

 

[mulberry05]

$219 with rebate , 2GB and will perform very well for "just" over $200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

I've heard bad reviews on XFX products =\ I don't want to deal with their costumer service if my card happens to fail (knock on wood).

 

[monsta]

Had 3 XFX cards and all worked perfectly, never had a problem with them , I even sold them on ebay and none of the buyers complained of any problems with them. If you really dont like them for little more you can get another brand , its worth getting a 6950 2 gb in my opinion, alot of the new games like BF3, Syrim and Metro are surpassing the 1 gb vram.

 

[jeffredo]

Ignore the "after rebate" stuff. You pay full price up front and that $20-$30 is out of your pocket for two to three months (if you do the rebate correctly).

If you want to stay under $200 the HD 6870 is your best performer at stock clocks. If you can OC, the GTX 460 will match it once both are OC'd to their max.

 

[FtsArTek]

A) Get ASUS.
B) Get HD6950 - good performance, good value, and if you get the right one you might be able to unlock it to a 6970

 

[de5_Roy]

what is the exact model of your coolermaster psu? afaik not all coolermaster psus are good.
input your specs here and see how much wattage you'd need. the amperage on +12v rail is important.
gtx 460 is a good card but it's older generation. aim for a gtx 560/560 ti/ the new (unreleased, untested)560 448 cores or amd's 6870 or 6950 (2gb one is recommended over the 1 gb version for higher than 1080p gaming). iirc 6870 offers the best value for price.

 

[refillable]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121418

get asus 6870, very good for you man

6950 is just too expensive for you You said you want 200$ or <200$

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

See if you can go for the 2GB 6950, as you can unlock it to be a 6970. Otherwise, 6870. Had one, great card! if I didn't have eyefinity I would still have that card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150530

249 without rebate, a 2GB 6950. See if you can sqeeze out the 50 either from the mobo or such, or your will to have a kickass machine!


EDIT:
I see my card had already been mentioned before, it's a good card. I've had quite a few XFX cards, and never any horror stories. Plus they offer double lifetime warranty (2nd owner get's lifetime warranty as well). (correct me if I'm wrong).


I remember right after I got the 6870 that I had regrets that I didn't wait 3 weeks and picked up a 6950, since there was little price difference. Loved the card nonetheless.

Either way you go, you will have an amazing rig, so just do what your wallet allows you to do

 

[jeffredo]

Are three separate posts three minutes apart necessary to get your point across? One would think with your "veteran" status you would be aware of the edit button. Actually, such spammage is probably how the veteran came about.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

No it's called working on my phone in the train and not being bothered to go and edit everything manually.

But I'll join them for you, if it makes you smile

EDIT: Happy now?

 

[17seconds]

Here's your best deal for ~$200:
Galaxy GTX 560 Ti with free Batman: Arkham City game $199 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162074

It has gotten some great reviews:
"We are impressed with the overclock the Galaxy GeForce GTX 560 Ti GC achieved. We are also continued to be impressed by the cooling solution on this video card."
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/01/galaxy_geforce_gtx_560_ti_gc_overclocking_review/3

"If you can pick up a card like this one which carries the same MSRP as a reference designed card from NVIDIA and then proceed to crank the core up to around the 950MHz mark and the memory to around the 4400MHz QDR, you're going to have one of, if not the best valued card on the market."
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3811/galaxy_geforce_gtx_560_ti_1gb_gc_video_card_overclocked/index21.html

"Two big thumbs up to KFA2 and Galaxy, these are certainly very impressive products highly worthy of a Top Pick recommendation from Guru3D.com."
http://www.guru3d.com/article/kfa2-geforce-gtx-560-white-edition-and-anarchy-review/23

 

[Onus]

From what I have read about two recent games, BF3 and Skyrim, nVidia is the better choice, if only because of unresolved driver issues for AMD. For example: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/11/21/elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_performance_iq_review/7

 

[mulberry05]

what is the exact model of your coolermaster psu? afaik not all coolermaster psus are good.
input your specs here and see how much wattage you'd need. the amperage on +12v rail is important.
gtx 460 is a good card but it's older generation. aim for a gtx 560/560 ti/ the new (unreleased, untested)560 448 cores or amd's 6870 or 6950 (2gb one is recommended over the 1 gb version for higher than 1080p gaming). iirc 6870 offers the best value for price.

This is my PSU:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6389009&CatId=2533

Will it suffice?

edit: i went with the xfx 6950 2gb

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Looks like it has a single 12V rail that provides 52A if I didn't see that wrong. No problems there!

Have fun with the beast!

 

[Illest]

6870 ALL THE WAY

 

[mulberry05]

6870 ALL THE WAY

too late, got the 6950 2gb instead

 

[refillable]

I think PSU will be sufficient. It's 700W. If you want to be sure, check this power supply calculator http://www.coolermaster.outervision.com/advance.jsp

 

[FlintIronStagg]

too late, got the 6950 2gb instead

Good choice! grats on the upgrade, and happy gaming!