GTX 550TI or Radeon 7850? PLEASE READ AND HELP.

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PC420

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Jul 20, 2012
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Hi all,

I thank anyone in advance to help educate me a little bit about video cards. Believe I have already Googled and read some articles, but would like
to hear directing from some experts here. This post is not a typical A vs B video card question.

Every post I have read on video cards talks about gaming and overclocking. Well, what about simple tasks like playing a blue ray DVD on my blue ray drive? Will a higher end video card show better video on my compute screen or TV monitor? What about streaming online video from say Netlix or HULU? Also, what about video editing and Photoshop? How does a higher end video really help in these situations?

I get the impression from previous replies that any low end video card would be "fine" for what I want to do. Well okay, would a low end video card become a bottleneck for my high end CPU (i7-3770k, see below)? Conversely, will a high end video card maximize the performance of the CPU? Big KUDOS to anyone who would shed light on these questions and educate me without being condescending :)

I don't do any PC gaming and overclocking, and will never be such an avid gamer to notice minute details in the graphics (how much more realistic a mountain looks with a higher end video card as opposed to a low end video card, and so on), but still would like a nice enough video card for solid performance and 1080p videos, etc.

I will be building a system with the following componets (these components are more or less decided):
CPU: i7-3770k
MOBO: ASUS P8Z77-V (don't think I need the Pro, but will consider if someone can make a compelling case)
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W or SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold 650W (Haven't decided, don't really know which one will be fine for me)
Case: Corsair Obsidian 650D
Memory: Either 4x4GB or 2x8GB of any good brand (Corsair, G Skill, Crucial, etc. Any suggestion?)

What are your thoughts on the following? Any other suggestions?

Nvidia chip, GTX 550 Ti ~ $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121434

Nvidia chip, GTX 560 Ti ~ $245
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604

AMD chip, Radeon 6750 ~ $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161379

AMD chip, Radeon 7850 ~ $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986

For me, money is not an issue. But I always want value for my money. I can actually quite easily afford a $500 video card, but my philosophy is why buy a Ferrari when you're a mediocre driver? So I'll settle for a nice Camry (not a Corolla), which is reliable and smooth enough!

Thanks in advance!
 
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Those all would be gaming cards and your HD4000 IGP on the CPU will handle all these tasks well that you are going to do without a discrete GPU. No need for a card unless you game.

Ironslice

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The Radeon HD 7850 is definitely the one with the best value price. I have no idea why the GTX 550 ti and the GTX 560 ti are so expensive. The 550 ti used to be $110 and the 560 ti used to be $210....

The best buy here is definitely the HD 7850.

Now I'm going to list some more options:
GTX 570 @ $250: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127682
GTX 480 @ $220: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130759
HD 7870 @ $300: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

What you must be aware of is that the GTX 480 runs the hottest and consumes the most power of them, but has the best peformance/price ratio; it is slightly faster than an HD 7850.
The GTX 570 is slightly faster the 480 and slightly slower than an HD 7870.
The HD 7870 is the fastest out of all of them, but also the most expensive.
The HD 7850 is technically the slowest, but can be overclocked well and consumes the least power and makes the least amount of noise.

Here's a nice comparison chart for you: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7850_HD_7870/26.html
 

Maxx_Power

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I 2nd rolli on this. No need for a card. All those cards are gaming cards, and certainly any video will be easily handled by your HD4000 IGP.

Bottom line is, if you want to game, then get a discrete card, if not, they are just power hogs.
 

PC420

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Thank you rolli59!

At the very least, I know I can go ahead and build my system without a video card, and if I get into gaming in the future, then no reason why I couldn't add a card then, right?
 

PC420

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Thanks maxx_power. I know I asked a mouthful, but as long as I can get away with video editing and watching high def stuff without a card, I'm fine.
Right now I have a PS3 and play once in a blue moon. But in the future if I get into gaming, I'll add a card.
 
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