Just looking for some advice

[agiste101]

So I'm just building a system for gaming and other stuff. So can you guys help me choose the graphics card. Here are the parts that contribute to speed:

The Processor is an i5 2400
8 GB RAM

So the highest I'm willing to go is about $220 but since I use my 1440x900 screen at 720p(Don't ask me why because I personally have no idea) I don't think that a card like a GTX 560(TI) will be necessary. Frame rates need to be at least 30-35 fps stable.

I also saw a video of someone maxing out BF3 with a 7770 with 80 fps at 720p(although I find this hard to believe) but according to Anandtech the 7770 should get like 28-30 fps at 1900x1200(or was it 1080p?(too lazy to check)) which again I find hard to believe.

Well then the processor and RAM are not going to change so help with the GPU.

 

[angaddev]

You could probably upgrade ur monitor to 1080p and get a 7770 for $250~

 

[nekulturny]

How about a GTX 480? They're only about $200 bucks on newegg right now, sorry I can't link you atm. Theres other concerns that come into play though, what kind of power supply are you using? These cards do get very hungry.

I also have a question, you say that you don't think a card like a 560 TI is necesary, (which I think there are better choices than it anyway), 560 TI and non-ti kinda are sitting in a fairly useless place at their price point since cheaper 6870s perform almost as well as they do. and 7850s cost a little bit more and stomp them into the mud. At any rate, if you're looking for something under $220 my advice to go as strong as you can regardless of your monitor.

 

[Chairman Ray]

A gtx 460 or hd 6850 fit your budget with room to spare and will run mostly anything at that resolution and framerate.

 

[nekulturny]

GTX 460s indeed are very good video cards, and they run very well in SLi should you decide to add a 2nd one.

 

[geofelt]

Gaming performance(fps) is determined mainly by the graphics card. Your cpu is more than capable for any card you want.
I suggest you buy the strongest graphics card you are willing to pay for.
The benefit of a stronger card is not so much the maximum or average fps, but the consistency of a higher minimum fps.

Read this older tom's article on best gaming cards for the money. (We are due for an update soon). Prices will have changed, and there are some new cards. Look at the heirarchy chart at the end to compare the performance tier of different cards.
You mostly get what you pay for, and there is really very little difference in performance of modern cards selling in the same price range. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-3.html

 

[ram1009]

I agree that you should not consider your monitor restrictions in the equation as you could decide to change monitors anytime. Also, IMHO you should not allow anybody to talk you into a Radeon as the drivers are and always have been buggy.

 

[nekulturny]

I keep hearing this about radeon cards having bad drivers. Yet, I've never seen any real evidence of this that suggests that its any worse than Nvidia.

I will state for the record, I'm almost always gone with Nvidia over the last 12 years of owning various computers within my family. And honestly, I have more trouble to report with Nvidia than Radeon. I was unfortunate enough to own a laptop with the infamous mobile chip which literally melted itself to death because of its poor design.

I'm not saying you're wrong on the driver thing, but I'd like to see some real evidence of it from a reputable source is more what I'm saying. I have NEVER had a problem with AMD catalyst drivers.

 

[agiste101]

I agree that you should not consider your monitor restrictions in the equation as you could decide to change monitors anytime. Also, IMHO you should not allow anybody to talk you into a Radeon as the drivers are and always have been buggy.

I really cant see the difference between the HD res(es?) so even if I were to change my monitor I dont think that I would go 1080p.And the only reason I'm letting the monitor res influence me is that I really dont think that 50-100 fps(stable) is necessary IMO.Remember it is just my opinion that 100 fps or 50 fps is necessary since my frames for some older games range from 100-60 and in modern(I dont know why I use this word because my pc cant run modern games so more recent) I get 30 FPS and I cant tell the difference. So

 

[nekulturny]

I still think you should get the best video card you can at the price you're willing to pay. You're right, theres not much practical differene once you hit 40-50 FPS. Only the most hardcore techifile gamer will notice a differnce above that, and I still say largely the difference is all in their head.

That being said, dare I use the phrase I hate so much, a stronger video card gives you some degree of longevity (phew! I didn't use the word "future proof") as new games come out.

As far as how many FPS your monitor is capable of displaying, remember monitor frequencies=FPS. So if you have a 60hz monitor, it will display 60FPS, 120hz=120FPS, etc. You have an i5-2400, its one of the best gaming CPUs you could possibly get, it will keep up with any video card on the market today, why not give it the best performance you can in a video card?

I just come back to my initial concern, you said you were willing to spend $220 on a video card,, spend it lol.

 

[SmartGeek]

So I'm just building a system for gaming and other stuff. So can you guys help me choose the graphics card. Here are the parts that contribute to speed:

The Processor is an i5 2400
8 GB RAM

So the highest I'm willing to go is about $220 but since I use my 1440x900 screen at 720p(Don't ask me why because I personally have no idea) I don't think that a card like a GTX 560(TI) will be necessary. Frame rates need to be at least 30-35 fps stable.

I also saw a video of someone maxing out BF3 with a 7770 with 80 fps at 720p(although I find this hard to believe) but according to Anandtech the 7770 should get like 28-30 fps at 1900x1200(or was it 1080p?(too lazy to check)) which again I find hard to believe.

Well then the processor and RAM are not going to change so help with the GPU.

Hi agiste101,

You have got a nice build and to shine it up you need a perfect Graphics Card. As far as I know, the AMD HD Radeon 6870 will be best for you. It will let you game at 720p with around 60 FPS. You can even get 30-40 FPS or more when playing at 1080p.

Get this one---
XFX HD Radeon 6870 2GB---
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563
(This GPU has 2GB memory instead of 1GB which helps in playing games at higher resolutions.)

Regards,
SmartGeek

 

[jessterman21]

You'll get a much sharper picture if you use your monitor's native resolution. Aliasing (jagged edges) is the worst offender at low resolutions like 720p.

What model (or at least max wattage) is your PSU?

 

[jessterman21]

Hi agiste101,

You have got a nice build and to shine it up you need a perfect Graphics Card. As far as I know, the AMD HD Radeon 6870 will be best for you. It will let you game at 720p with around 60 FPS. You can even get 30-40 FPS or more when playing at 1080p.

Get this one---
XFX HD Radeon 6870 2GB---
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563
(This GPU has 2GB memory instead of 1GB which helps in playing games at higher resolutions.)

Good call, but at that price you might as well get the HD 6950 2GB while it's on sale. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

 

[SmartGeek]

Good call, but at that price you might as well get the HD 6950 2GB while it's on sale. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

Hi jessterman21,

Nice find mate. AMD HD Radeon 6950 2GB is significantly faster than HD 6870. Being on the same price point, HD 6950 will be worth the purchase.

Regards,
SmartGeek

 

[agiste101]

Good call, but at that price you might as well get the HD 6950 2GB while it's on sale. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102987

I put the card on my list but if it goes to high in price and I havent bought it yet, I might either go with the GTX 560 GTX 480(Don't mind this card regardless of the price),6850 or 7770.