New graphic card

[DCG2U]

Hey there,

I just want to know what graphic card should I buy for my computer? I want something that can run smoothly Mass Effect 3, highest settings without lag, something that will last 3-4 years max if possible. My uncle suggested me to buy a ASUS PCIE RAD EAH6770 DC 1024M but Im just asking your opinion here. Here are my sepcs:


-Budget: Between 100$CAN and 200$CAN
-Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9550 2.83GHz
-RAM: 4GB
-System type: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Operating system
-Graphic card: Nvidia 9400 GT
-Monitor: 22 inch Acer x223w
-Power supply: Antec Earthwatts Model EA-500D 500W max
-Case: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
-Hard disk drive: 465GB (239GB free)
-Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L

If you need to know anything else, tell me!

Thanks!

 

[kelthic]

based on http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mass-effect-3-performance-benchmark,3143-5.html and the 1680 x 1050 resolution of your monitor, a 6770 looks to be about the right level of performance if you use FXAA and not traditional MSAA. Note that this card will not supports 4x MSAA at the resolution your monitor runs at, unless driver updates have corrected this since the article.

You can use those charts as a reference, but i think your uncle gave you pretty solid advice.

 

[DCG2U]

based on http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mass-effect-3-performance-benchmark,3143-5.html and the 1680 x 1050 resolution of your monitor, a 6770 looks to be about the right level of performance if you use FXAA and not traditional MSAA. Note that this card will not supports 4x MSAA at the resolution your monitor runs at, unless driver updates have corrected this since the article.

You can use those charts as a reference, but i think your uncle gave you pretty solid advice.

Im not a computer expert by the way.

So that means that this card wont work on my monitor?

 

[kelthic]

no, that means that MSAA will not work with that card for that game. MSAA is a technique used to smooth out jagged edges and the like, and adds a considerable amount of fidelity to games. FXAA is a technique that aproximates MSAA by blending pixels that are close to eachother. It uses less processing power, but tends to blur images a little.

 

[Memnarchon]

The 6770 is a good card, but it isn't the best card you can get for that amount of money. You can get a GTX 560 which is a better card in almost every respect for about 175 (not the ti, the ti is more expensive). Or you can get the ATI equivalent the 6870 for a similar price. Those are about the best graphics cards below 200.

+1
With these cards you can max out all settings in almost every game at 1680x1050.

 

[kelthic]

I agree with Yobo also, if you can swing it in your budget, go for the cards he suggested. If not, stick with the 6770 your uncle recommended

 

[DCG2U]

The most important thing for is that the card performs well and will last long. So I hope there is a major difference in performance between the GTX 560 and 6770 because I dont want to spend to much (if I still have money, I might as well buy 2 stciks of 4GB RAM) but thanks for the adviced guys! Very helpful!

 

[Memnarchon]

The most important thing for is that the card performs well and will last long. So I hope there is a major difference in performance between the GTX 560 and 6770 because I dont want to spend to much (if I still have money, I might as well buy 2 stciks of 4GB RAM) but thanks for the adviced guys! Very helpful!

Well GTX560/HD6870 perform around +60% better than 6770 while they dont cost that much. And as I see, the only way to need something more in the future is via changing monitor (resolution).

 

[SuperDuper931]

I would suggest the ATI 6870 as well, although it is only slightly faster than the GTX 560. I personally have 2GB GTX 560ti that I love, but if I had the option I would purchase the 6870.

Here is some good info on the two cards http://www.hwcompare.com/11005/geforce-gtx-560-vs-radeon-hd-6870/

 

[Memnarchon]

GTX560 and 6870 are equal. Non of them is faster:
And since he is playing in 1680x1050 resolution here is the summary of 18 benchmarks:
Techpowerup (check gtx560-hd6870 not 560ti 448)
You can see also in tom's hardware 2012 index:
Tom's Hardware Index [A] Entry
Tom's Hardware Index Performance
Tom's Hardware Index [C] Extreme
Tom's shows gtx560 a little faster also.
However at the moment it seems that 6870 is cheaper by $15 so, it might be a better deal after all.

 

[DCG2U]

Hey guys!

My uncle replied and told me that buying a 6870 would be good but my procesor is not so great and there might be some "time lag". And its also 211$...goes a little higher than my budget but anyway 11$ is not that much.

http://www.microbytes.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=38453&osCsid=3565dd105e5999777e0259f0bfbc0901


And for the GTX 560, he told me its also a very good choice but he didnt mentionned if there might be the same "time lag" like the 6870 because of my weak processor. And the nvidia 560 GTX is also more expensive.

http://www.microbytes.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_24_25&products_id=39731&osCsid=f95dffd6c8ee421a40e4b2c8f6b02875

Maybe ill stick with the 6770, not so expansive and I think it will be a major upgrade in comparison with my old 9400GT!

I forgot to mention, here is the link for the 6770 my uncle suggested me.

http://www.microbytes.com/product_info.php?products_id=38847

 

[SuperDuper931]

Sorry, I should have looked over your system specs scrupulously before posting. Your uncle is right, your GPU will be bottlenecked by the CPU for CPU intensive games if you get a 6870. For games that are GPU intensive though, you will still see a major difference between the 6770 and the 6870. If you are wanting to save the money and get more balanced system, your uncle couldn't be more right. The 6770 is the way to go.

 

[Memnarchon]

Hey guys!

My uncle replied and told me that buying a 6870 would be good but my procesor is not so great and there might be some "time lag". And its also 211$...goes a little higher than my budget but anyway 11$ is not that much.

http://www.microbytes.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=38453&osCsid=3565dd105e5999777e0259f0bfbc0901


And for the GTX 560, he told me its also a very good choice but he didnt mentionned if there might be the same "time lag" like the 6870 because of my weak processor. And the nvidia 560 GTX is also more expensive.

http://www.microbytes.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_24_25&products_id=39731&osCsid=f95dffd6c8ee421a40e4b2c8f6b02875

Maybe ill stick with the 6770, not so expansive and I think it will be a major upgrade in comparison with my old 9400GT!

I forgot to mention, here is the link for the 6770 my uncle suggested me.

http://www.microbytes.com/product_info.php?products_id=38847

Its a good choice anyway as a card. It is the most popular card in steam.
I dont think you will see any stuttering with yorkfield. The only game might give you some stuttering is skyrim which anything apart from i5 2500 will kneel at ultra settings in some cpu intensive areas.

Oh and for $30 more check this one:
SAPPHIRE PCIE RAD HD6850 1024M
It costs $165.00.
I would suggest EVGA GTX460 that has there too but its $15 more expensive than 6850 when it doesnt offer it in performance.

 

[vdr369]

Hey there,

I just want to know what graphic card should I buy for my computer? I want something that can run smoothly Mass Effect 3, highest settings without lag, something that will last 3-4 years max if possible. My uncle suggested me to buy a ASUS PCIE RAD EAH6770 DC 1024M but Im just asking your opinion here. Here are my sepcs:


-Budget: Between 100$CAN and 200$CAN
-Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9550 2.83GHz
-RAM: 4GB
-System type: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Operating system
-Graphic card: Nvidia 9400 GT
-Monitor: 22 inch Acer x223w
-Power supply: Antec Earthwatts Model EA-500D 500W max
-Case: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
-Hard disk drive: 465GB (239GB free)
-Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L

If you need to know anything else, tell me!

Thanks!

best bang for buck is hd 6850 its available from 150 can$ try to get from asus.and it will run in ur rig smooth except its a borderline from ur psu.

 

[DCG2U]

Best answer selected by DCG2U.