GPU for 37" HD TV 720p for WoW,Swtor,Tera,AoC

[Absynthe2k5]

Howdy,

Have always trusted Tom's and now faced with building my first PC in many years. I have a Vizio 37" HD TV I am planning to connect to and a bit worried about purchasing too low a video card. I have never been able to play games in ultra settings and sick of this trend. Almost 40 and I want something that will last a year or more and work on todays better games on high or ultra.

I play most mmo's including Swtor which seems to be hard on systems like BF3 (which i'll have on my xbox). Mainly Swtor,WoW,AoC and planning to play AoC also Tera/GW2 on release.

Planned build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5OJH

Intel Core i3 2120 (replacing with ivy down the road)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
WD 500GB HDD (6gb sata)
8gb Corsair Vengeance
630w sli ready raidmax PSU
Antec 300 case

Now I am more then a bit worried about underbuying a video card and just went with an EVGA Nvidia GTX 560 TI but if I don't have to spend $229.00 bucks It would be nice.

Cards I have been looking at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130752
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

If I really should have crossfire maybe a pair of these in Xfire?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490


Somewhat afraid of ATI had one years ago had nothing but problems with it but performance for the money they seem usually on top now a days. Again I can spend the money so if I am just better off getting a 560 TI then I will do so, also any input on the build itself is appreciated.

P.S I am hearing new gen cards incoming soon, should I wait a bit to build and see if prices drop?

 

[Absynthe2k5]

As an after thought should i bump up to the i5 2500k and OC it and then just buy the cheaper 6870?

 

[Guest]

As an after thought should i bump up to the i5 2500k and OC it and then just buy the cheaper 6870?

considering alot of games coming out are using more then 2 cores the i5 2500k is a good choice to upgrade.If your talking playing games high or ultra for atleast a year then a 560 ti is bare minimum.I had a similar setup as yours and noticed my gtx 460 was getting alittle bogged down by newer titles.Still a great card and it will stay play most games at high settings however a 560 ti would be a better chouce.I might even say the 560 ti 448 core is the best option for you

 

[Absynthe2k5]

Trying to keep it under $900.00 which the 448 might bust that but i was also thinking about it. thanks for the info on the 460 also! I guess i don't need ultra but def want to play at high settings for once ultra would be nice depending on the game. (wow mainly but rift is easy on the pc too i think) Swtor rips my laptop up averaging 3-8 fps in warfronts lol.

 

[Zen911]

I would recommend an I5 2400, i think it's a good 100 USD less expensive than the I5 2400, although not as overclockable as the 2500K, but it should be sufficient for a gaming setup.

For the VGA, if you're limited to a 720p as suggested by your title, even a 560 ti would be an overkill. a 6770 would be better suited to your resolution and it's 130 USD cheaper

Here's a good one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150540

 

[Absynthe2k5]

Alright I switched out the cards in my intel build and then for kicks made an amd build which ended up quite a bit cheaper overall and with a quad core processor at a bit higher speed out of the box. Both using the same gear overall but might lean towards the AMD due to pricing. Any thoughts?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5P2r

Versus

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5P2I

 

[Absynthe2k5]

Well for better or for worse I ordered and hope this works out.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5P2I

 

[sandyy24]

6870 would be overkill for 720p right now but considering future, probably a good choice!

 

[Guest]

I keep hearing the word overkill thats just not true.If he is talking ultra im assuming he is talking maxing out AA and AF as well.a 6870 is by no means overkill even at 720p its like saying a gtx 570 is overkill at 1080p.I also gave him an idea which would give him headroom if he decided to go 1080p eventually

 

[Absynthe2k5]

Best answer selected by Absynthe2k5.

 

[Absynthe2k5]

considering alot of games coming out are using more then 2 cores the i5 2500k is a good choice to upgrade.If your talking playing games high or ultra for atleast a year then a 560 ti is bare minimum.I had a similar setup as yours and noticed my gtx 460 was getting alittle bogged down by newer titles.Still a great card and it will stay play most games at high settings however a 560 ti would be a better chouce.I might even say the 560 ti 448 core is the best option for you

Hey guys thanks for all the advice, I ended up going with the 6870 radeon and the core i3. The processor never gets bogged it seems, so worked well. The video card I change from the 560ti down to the 6870 last minute and I am regretting it. While it does play WoW on high settings with 50-60 fps in loaded areas it can't handle ultra with everything maxed i drop to 30 non pvp or raid. BUT on a budget it works well as I can now actually enjoy games without having to turn view distances down and all settings to lowest like when playing on laptop. I end up using wierd resolutions on this tv wow maxs at 1280x720 yet swtor/aoc/coh/aion all run at 1600x900. (I guess that is 1080i?) The Antec 300 i went with over the rosewil challenger and it really is a great case plenty of room and makes me cold sitting beside it at night. 4 huge fans and a 5th on the door i haven't installed yet.

To be honest the rig works quite well is really quiet never seems to be choking on itself when on load. Oh and honestly to play the game on high versus ultra is stil a gigantic improvement over my 1-5fps in swtor and my 20fps in wow on the lowest settings on both lol.

Intel Core i3 2120 (bought the hyper 212 aftermarket cooler didnt use cpu hovers around 32-4c in a 70 degree room.)
Asrock extreme 3 (so i can upgrade to ivy)
8gigs corsair vengeance 1600 i think.
Saphire Radeon 6870
antec 300 illusion half tower
Raidmax 630 watt psu.

While a lot of good advice I picked Mikem as he was on the money with what I should be using I think. Zen911 was in total agreement on the 2400 though I would have just gone 2500k and oc'd but budget killed me lol. (that and ivy coming along anytime) @Sandy was thinking the same as you but it turns out it really is a bit boggy on the higher settings. I PVP daily so have alot of mass action going on all the time I shold have stressed that I guess.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey