Which graphics card would be best for this set up

[mednoob]

Kk this question is on behalf of my friend
I will state his system first:
amd fx 6100 (not sure why he got BD for gaming but w/e)
8 gb viper 1866 RAM
Win 7 64 bit
1 tb hdd i think it is at 72 rpm
ASUS M5A78L-M LX (not the plus version which i think he wanted but again w/e)

The question he wants me to ask is what would be the best video card for that set up that can play games now and possibly future on highest settings on a 1680 * 1080 or 1600*1200 set up?
He wants to spend maybe no more then $275 CAD( i thnk US and CAD are pretty much same maybe few cents difference)
Im not too sure if he really cares for physx or anything like that so amd or nvidia cards can both be stated.

He is going to hold of buying a psu until the card has been decided.
If there is anything else you guys wanna ask feel free to post

 

[mednoob]

i was searching for cards myself and found two cards, are these two cards any good? I think he would be interested in flashing the bios and turning the cards into 6970 if possible. Based on the reviews i think both of the cards have had success

First one:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131393

Second one:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385

 

[Rustyy117]

Either a HD6950 or GTX560Ti, they both perform roughly the same and will be well suited to 1680 x 1050 or 1600 x 1200 gaming.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500190

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385

 

[Rustyy117]

i was searching for cards myself and found two cards, are these two cards any good? I think he would be interested in flashing the bios and turning the cards into 6970 if possible. Based on the reviews i think both of the cards have had success

First one:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131393

Second one:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385

Its a bit hit or miss with regards to successful flashing. Don't get your hopes up

 

[mednoob]

oh really haha ok i guess since were both nooobs prob a good idea that neither of us try to flash those. Ok so 6950 vs 560Ti eh...alright. Would you say one is better then the other in terms of longitivity as well as performance and this is important electrical bill. In edmonton where we live the electrcity is high already. He games alot like 2-3 days for few hours but his computer is on 24/7 usually

 

[Rustyy117]

Here's a comparison, they seem to trade blows depending on the game, also note that the HD6950 uses slightly less power.

EDIT: forgot link, Doh! http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/331?vs=330

 

[Onus]

For his resolution, anything stronger than a GTX560 or HD6870 may go to waste; actually he'd probably find a HD6850 perfectly suitable.
To simplify the PSU choice, for any of these cards he would not go wrong with a 500W Antec Earthwatts.
A quality modern PSU has full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and some level of 80+ certification for efficiency. Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, and Enermax/LEPA are among the better brands.

Edit: Note in the benchmark that if he wants to play Civilization, he should definitely choose nVidia.