7870 enough for my needs?

7870 will struggle at that res playing games like BF3,batman arkham city,sleeping dogs,crysis2 to name a few.Don't get carried away by online benchmarks which shows 60 frames.Most online benchmarks are done with some 1 min time demo.Which doesn't represent real world gameplay esciaplly in demanding titles.I always follow this rule if online benchmarks shows 100 frames in game then real world gameplay would always be over 60 in that game.

If online benchmarks show 60 frames in a game then real world gameplay would be around 40 to 60.

Some games which comes with built in benchmarks like arkham city is very bad at showing real world gameplay.You can easily hit 100 frames in that benchmark but while playing you will get severe frame drops all the time.Well this applies to arkham city only.

Cooldude is right. Another point he did not mention is unless you match the specs of what ever rig they are doing the testing with then your results will vary from theirs.

It will give you decent fps @ 1920x1200 res with almost all game. No struggle.

The fps will very from benchmark if there is cpu bottleneck. Without bottleneck its fine.

So I won't be getting 60fps on average with the 7870 on graphically intense games such as BF3, BM:AC, and Crysis2?

I'm thinking i5 3570k, 8GB RAM, and no ssd. So I don't think the gpu will be bottlenecked.

there isnt a gpu that can score at crysis 2 at 60fps when its maxed IIRC. Benchmarks for BF3 are done by a test or single player, actual fps will be lower. for Batman, batman is a game that has times where it can spike heavy. If 60 fps is what you are aiming for(at 4x msaa or lower), you WILL need a larger budget.

No , not on ultra, the games you want to play favor nvidia except crysis 2 , so i would get a gtx 660ti or gtx 670 if its in your budget

With a i5-3570k no gpu will get bottleneck.

7870 will give you nearly 60 in all game. BF3/Crysis 2 give you around 50 fps. Check those benchmark for 7870:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/bench...

I don't need all the obscene, minute settings all the way up. I would be fine with 60fps on high settings with 4xAA in that resolution.

Yes, I already checked out the benchmarks. However, they're just that benchmarks. I want to know whether people with the card get these frames before I decide to get this card.

As dudewitbow said, BF3 in multiplayer give you less frame then the benchmark. But benchmark will match for singleplayer.

Get real that crysis2 benchmark was done with some adreline benchmark tool that also in times square map.Which is one of the least demanding map of c2.Bottomline OP you won't be getting 60 frames continiously in any demanding games with that card.

Online benchmarks are mostly vague and they don't represent real world gameplay.For some real world benchmark i suggest u check hardwarecanuks site.

Again i don't see where toms mention which map was benchmakred in BF3.I see many sites benchmakr the going hunting map of BF3 SP.Now the truth is that map is not demanding at all.There are several maps whcih are far more demanding than that map.

Option 1:
HIS 7870 Ghz Edition $200 with rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

This card is of really good value and should give avg 50fps in all games @max settings, if overclocked

Option 2:
EVGA 660Ti OC edition $290 with rebate + Borderlands 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If you're gonna play pro-nvidia games -- BF3, Super Street Fighter 4, Borderlands 2, Arkham City -- (which work better with nvidia cards rather than amd) then go with the 660ti

This cards of great value, thanks to Borderlands 2 being bundled with it. And, this card should give you above 65 fps @max settings in most games if not all.

Option 3:
XFX 7950 $275 with rebate + Sleeping Dogs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

This card, IMHO, has the best value as you get Sleeping Dogs Bundled with it and is a 3GB card which will keep your gaming system future-proof. Its an extremely good overclocker and it should at least match (if not surpass) 660ti performance in pro-nvidia games.  

It's below the price of the 660Ti, 'nuff said   !!

My Graphics Card??
I've got the MSi 660Ti Overclocked at 1299Mhz Core + 1795.5 Mem
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/279489-29-660ti-overc...

I'm happy with it. But IMHO you should get the 7950  

If that's what it takes to max out games, then wouldn't I be better off just getting the 670? I've seen it on sale for less than $350 a couple of times over the last couple weeks. There are only two pro nVidia titles that I am thinking of getting: possibly BF3 (have it on ps3) and Borderlands 2 for sure. I will be playing a lot more titles that aren't pro nVidia as well (mostly RPGs and FPSs).

I don't think I will be going with the 660ti because from a price/performance perspective, both the 7870 and 7950 make more sense. However, I wouldn't be against moving up to a 670. Will that get me my desired frame rate?

Best answer selected by TheShepherd.

Hard to disagree with the comments above however sticking to the OP's original resolution of 1920 x 1200... at the moment the 7870 is fine. I'm using that on 1920 x 1080 and running almost everything maxed out. It's a great price/performance card "right now". Value always changes as time goes on.

Thank you, that was exactly the kind of anecdotal evidence I was looking for.