GPU for my build

[lazyaznricicle]

Hey guys so i'm about to buy a new custom desktop, but i'm still stumped at what graphics card to get.

I like to play games like starcraft 2, borderlands 1/2(when it comes out), fallout series, mass effect, minecraft, jade dynasty and other mmorpgs.
I also video edit and use software like sony vegas, photoshop, illustrator.
I do a lot of internet surfing,watch al ot of movies, and school work.

I also was wondering if should get an i3570k or i3770k for everything that i will be doing.

My rig will be this

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gQtN

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gQtN
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gQtN/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gQtN/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($90.95 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech 920-000914 Wired Slim Keyboard ($61.61 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech M310 Wireless Laser Mouse ($26.64 @ B&H)
Other: Rosewill RCR-IC002 74-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate ($9.99)
Total: $1244.10
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-08 13:19 EDT-0400)

Monitor: HP 2710m 27-Inch Diagonal HD Ready LCD Monitor - Black

Current my list of graphics card that i'm deciding on are:

EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

or the cheaper

HIS IceQ H787Q2G2M Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

----------------------- below this are a bit more pricey, i may or may not go for them if i can keep the whole rig under $1400

EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

SAPPHIRE 21197-00-40G Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

ASUS GeForce GTX 670-DC2T-2GD5 VGA - 1137 MHz Boost Clock - 2GB GDDR5 - GPU Tweak - PCIE 3.0 Graphics Card Graphics Cards GTX670-DC2T-2GD5


I will may overclock and possible Crossfire or SLI depending on which GPU i get.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I will most like dual monitor with another 25'' i have
I also live near a microcenter and fry's electronics

 

[bigbasedrum]

I'd go for either of the Radeon HD 7870 cards. I personally have the MSI version of one of those cards and I'm really impressed by its performance. You'll probably get in the region of 100+ FPS on High settings at 1920x1080. That gives you plenty of room to play with. Go check out the charts section of Tom's Hardware so you can compare for yourself

 

[bigbasedrum]

I was referring to Starcraft 2 with the 100+ FPS....

 

[lazyaznricicle]

Hmm i see, yea ive been mostly leaning towards the 7870 also, could u suggest a brand of 7870 or is the one i have good.

The nvidia free borderlands 2 is tempting tho

 

[bigbasedrum]

Both the HIS and the Gigabyte version are good brands. The Gigabyte is probably the best of the two (It comes with a factory overclock and its got a good cooler). I only recently upgraded to my 7870. I was personally looking at three brands MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte. I must say that I'm very satisfied with my MSI version, but I expect any of the three above mentioned brands will be just as good. Just keep in mind if you want to overclock the Gigabyte card you'll probably have to use MSI Afterburner. I know it may seem very bad, but really its nothing to worry about the MSI Afterburner program is pretty good.

You are right that the Borderlands 2 deal looks good. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Nvidia. From quickly checking the charts it appears the 660 Ti is pretty powerful, but like I said I know nothing about Nvidia.

 

[lazyaznricicle]

Oh i see and yes the nvidia borderlands 2 deal is very tempting for me, but ill will most likely settle for the 7870 since its in budget.

On a side note, im really wondering how the 7870 will fair in boarderlands 2.

 

[4745454b]

If the versions you use of sony vegas, photoshop, illustrator, etc support CUDA you should look at getting an Nvidia card. You'll be able to add effects and whatnot much faster then by using the CPU. GTX660/TI?