660ti vs 7850 Overclocked

[nate_09]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Probably 2 weeks from now.

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:Heavy Gaming, Photoshop, other multi media work.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Last card i had was an extremely old but faithful hd 4670 that died a few months ago, i'm running on intel hd 3000 graphics atm.

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: 2500k @ 4.3 ghz, intel TZ68A+ mobo, 8 gb ddr 1333 ram, WD 500gb sata 2 Hd, Corsair CX600W v2 PSU

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:Amazon is i guess my 1st choice as i don't live in the US so i cant purchase from newegg.
PARTS PREFERENCES: (e.g., if you will only use ATI cards, want PhysX card, prefer XFX cards over Sapphire cards, etc., tell us)

OVERCLOCKING: Yes! SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Mobo only supports Xfire, but 2nd slot is only 4x so im not sure how much sense fire makes.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

I have a budget of about 200-300 to play with preferably 200-250 but i'll stretch to 300 only if necessary.

I'm torn between choosing either a 7850 and overclocking it as high as i can, or getting a 660 ti. An overclocked 7850 seeeeeems like the better deal because the 7870 and 660ti trade blows from what i'v seen, with the 7870 having an average just below the 660ti(correct me if i'm wrong) and hopefully an overclock would get a 7850 to 7870 level, for maybe about $50 less. However, the 660ti would still be better than the 7850 even if overclocked. And with nvidia comes physX and FXAA(which seems cool). I have no poreference really between nvidia and amd, but somehow ive always ended up with amd cards, wondering if its time for a change. I'm not sure if i should just cough out the dough, or go for a more value oriented/next best deal which i see in the 7850.

Any input and/or opinions would be greatly appreciated, as well as the possibilities of other options.

So far the only cards ive looked at are these >> http://www.amazon.com/HIS-DisplayPort-Express-Graphics-H785QN2G2M/dp/B007HYIDTC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=30UJ3TFR4QMBM&coliid=I175K2TP9SFWMO
and
http://www.amazon.com/GTX660-Video-Graphics-Cards-TI-DC2-2GD5/dp/B008TO35EW/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1345432136&sr=1-5&keywords=660+ti

Cheers,
Nate

 

[Unknownvirus]

I would say go with the GTX 660 TI. Something that many users have no control over is that overclocking is like playing a lottery. Some will be great, some aren't as great. I suggest getting the strongest card out of the box, than OC if you need extra power. That way your guaranteed to have extra power instead of banking it on an OC. There are also risks involved in overclocking with a possibility of killing your gpu.

 

[17seconds]

The GTX 660 Ti overclocks like crazy and is more in line with a 7950 at stock speeds.

 

[dudewitbow]

a 660ti is essentially a 7950 that does well in nvidia games and worse in games with crippling anti aliasing(crysis for example) with relatively similar overclocking levels. you would need at least a OC 7870 to be moderately close to a 660ti. an OC 7850 will only be as good as a 7870ish.

 

[Unknownvirus]

Not to mention when you get a 660 TI you get Borderlands 2 for free. $60 value right there. When you take that into account, no question you should get the 660 TI especially that Asus model, as pointed out by the user above, it's performance is really good.

 

[amuffin]

660TI for CUDA.

 

[nate_09]

Not to mention when you get a 660 TI you get Borderlands 2 for free.

Does this apply to amazon purchases as well?

 

[nate_09]

and btw my mobo is pci-e 2.0 will that be a bottleneck for the 660 ti?

 

[amuffin]

No.

 

[nacos]

I would get an overclocked 7870. Physx is not limited to nvidia cards. Do some Googling.

 

[dudewitbow]

I would get an overclocked 7870. Physx is not limited to nvidia cards. Do some Googling.

physx is still nvidia, you just need a special driver if your main card is an amd card. regardless, you still need a secondary nvidia card.

 

[nacos]

The. 660 ti is still somewhat of a flop for the $300+ pricetag, as proven by our very own tomshardware reviews. I would go for the 7950 if you love overclocking as the Tahiti 7900 cards are the undisputed kings of overclocking

 

[nate_09]

7950 is above my budget...but the borderlands deal is peaking my interest a bit...i cant decide..

 

[nacos]

If you really want borderlands then I say go for the 660 ti! Look up some gameplay vids and if its not interesting to you then I would go for a 7870 which is on par with the 660 ti for a few dollars cheaper according to our very own tomshardware reviews.

 

[Kiiro Neko]

660 Ti or wait for the Radeon price drops if you want a deal.