Asus gtx 580 or Radeon HD 6950

The 6950 competes with the GTX560ti, so yeah obviously the GTX580 is much faster. However it also requires a massive amount of power compared to a 6950, so make sure you have a beefy power supply.

Is it worth the extra 60 pound tho ? And i have a 85o watt power supple but also have the amd fx 8120 ( which eats power ) think the minimum is 650 watt i think i need ??

I don't know what a pound is compared to a dollar and I'm too lazy to look it up.

Which 850w psu do you have?

I have this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-850W-ATX-Quad-Rail-PC-Gam...

850W ATX Quad Rail PC Gaming Power Supply Unit 850 Watt PSU With 2 x PCI-E


Power Rating:
+3.3V - 24A
+5V - 30A
+12V 1 - 34A
+12V 2 - 34A
+12V 3 - 34A
+12V 4 - 34A
-12V 0.5A
+5VSB 3.0A

Good luck.

Why not ? Its a good power supply.... I have had a few good cards which it has powered. Like 2xs the ati readon 5870 x2 ( 2 of them ) which it powered ok ....

Where did you find a GTX 580 for only 60 pounds more than a 6950??

A GTX 670 is usually much better and in the same price range.

well

ASUS DirectCU II GeForce GTX 580

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASUS-DirectCU-II-GeForce-GTX-...

Then the

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140777781638?ssPageName=STRK:...

Has i have said i do not know if its worth the price difference...

You decide ... haven't checked prices in two weeks:

Guru3D uses the following games in their test suite, COD-MW, Bad Company 2, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Metro 2033, Dawn of Discovery, Crysis Warhead. Total fps (summing fps in each game @ 1920 x 1200) for the various options in parenthesis (single card / SL or CF) are tabulated below along with their cost in dollars per frame single card - CF or SLI:

$ 200.00 6950 (479/751) $ 0.42 - $ 0.53
$ 240.00 6950 Frozr OC (484/759) $ 0.50 - $ 0.63
$ 200.00 560 Ti (455/792) $ 0.44 - $ 0.51
$ 320.00 6970 (526/825) $ 0.61 - $ 0.78
$ 210.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $ 0.42 - $ 0.49
$ 240.00 560-448 (501/835) $ 0.48 - $ 0.57
$ 310.00 570 (524/873) $ 0.59 - $ 0.71
$ 450.00 580 (616/953) $ 0.73 - $ 0.94

But they both last generation ..... I'd consider some of the new stuff

Guru3D uses the following games in their test suite: Hard Reset, COD-MW2, Far Cry 2, ANNO 1404, Metro 2033, ANNO 2070, BFBC2, BF3, Crysis 2, AvP, Lost Planet 2. Total fps (summing fps in each game @ 1920 x 1200) for the various options in parenthesis (single card / SL or CF) are tabulated below along with their cost in dollars per frame single card - CF or SLI:

Card - Cost ( Single / 2-way SLI /CF ) $ / Frame - $ / Frame SLI/CF
GTX 680 - $ 500 ( 989 / 1578 ) $ 0.51 - $ 0.63
680 DCII Cu TOP - $ 520 ( 1077 / NA ) $ 0.48 - ERR
GTX 670 - $ 400 ( 917 / 1539 ) $ 0.44 - $ 0.52
670 DCII Cu TOP - $ 430 ( 999 / 1679 ) $ 0.43 - $ 0.51
7970 - $ 480 ( 872 / NA ) $ 0.55 - ERR
7970 DCII Cu - $ 580 ( 924 / NA ) $ 0.63 - ERR
7970 Ghz - $ 500 ( 952 / NA ) $ 0.53 - ERR
7950 - $ 400 ( 746 / NA ) $ 0.54 - ERR
7870 - $ 360 ( 701 / NA ) $ 0.51 - ERR
7850 - $ 260 ( 596 / NA ) $ 0.44 - ERR
7770 - $ 150 ( 375 / NA ) $ 0.40 - ERR
7750 - $ 110 ( 291 / NA ) $ 0.38 - ERR


In the table above for example, the Asus 670 Cu DCII TOP costs $430 each and gets 999 fps in single card configuration at a cost of $0.43 per frame and 1679 in SLI at a cost of $0.51 per frame. The AMD cards w/ NA did not complete all games in the test suite. This should be resolved in an upcoming driver fix. The nVidia card w/ NA and the new 7970 Ghz Edition was not tested in SLI. For some reason, they didn't test ANNO 1401 of the GHz Edition....to compensate, the % increase from the 7970 to 7970 GHz Ed. was applied to the 7970 score to get a comparable score for the Ghz Edition.

So which do you think is best ??The nVidia card ?

For my money, the Asus 670 TOP has the best bang for the buck at $0.43 per frame.....999 fps in the test ..... tops the new "special binned" 7970 for $70 less.

do you have a link to one of them ?? The Asus 770 ? So i could get a idea of prices in pounds.

Just check the BENCHMARKS and decide for yourself. There are plenty around.

If you can afford it, then I agree on getting a GTX670 as they not only run great, but are very cool and efficient.

If you factor in the total cost for your computer, your games, internet connection etc, then the extra money for the graphics card is well worth it IMO.

The ASUS DirectCU II 670 is a little more money than a stock 670 but it runs far, far quieter, has more reliable components and runs at the same level as a stock 680.

Here's a must-read review. I linked to the conclusion:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_670...

It also contains benchmarks. Your power supply is more than adequate.

CPU:
I wouldn't invest in a card of this performance unless you have a CPU that has nearly the performance of an i5-750, i7-860, i7-920 or BETTER:

You can compare your CPU here. I'd say the bare minimum would be 80% of an i5-750 or you'll get severe bottlenecking in some games. It varies by the game. If your CPU is say 75% the performance of an i5-750 then overclocking would help. In which case look for a reasonably good heatsink. You should have one anyway if only to reduce noise.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

Good value CPU HSF:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&vpn=RR-B10-212P...

(this is just an example from NCIX Canada. It must not only be compatible with your CPU socket, and fit the case, but also have good reviews. This is the best value I know of and far quieter and cooler than a stock CPU fan. Well worth the price for noise control. I'm a fan of Noctua but they are expensive.)

I have a amd fx 8120 running at 5.0ghz

I have noticed the card needs a power supply that can supply
+12V 41A

But i have a quad rail which supply's
+12V 1 - 34A
+12V 2 - 34A
+12V 3 - 34A
+12V 4 - 34A


Im getting the 4 34a would make up for it ?