Nvidia/AMD for Intel Build

[rancineb]

I know Nvidia and AMD graphic cards are very close and you can't go wrong with either one. One is not better then the other to make a judgement other then preference and price. With that said, I'm doing and Intel build (i7 processor) and wondering if one of these GPUs work better with an Intel build versus an AMD build. Probably not, but thought I'd ask to see what people thought.

~Brian

 

[rancineb]

Also want to add that I plan on having 2 monitors so not sure if 1 works better then the other when having 2 monitors connected.

 

[Embra]

No difference using Nvida/AMD with intel.

With a multi-monitor setup I would recommend:
(assuming 1080p)
Nvida: at least a 670
AMD: 7870, 7950 7970

 

[ohyouknow]

Do you have a budget? Either brand will work well with your setup. If you plan to use 3 monitors or high resolutions then it gets a bit more interesting.

 

[Jay-Z]

Most cards can run 2 monitors. There are a few questions:
- Purpose (I assume work uses and not just gaming due to the i7 processor)
- Budget
- Expected Performance

I have a 2600k and a 560ti which both perform great on 2 monitors running CAD, Solidworks, ANSYS etc.

There are many choices from Nvidia and ATI which would work well. An Intel CPU will not favour either.

 

[Guest]

actually an i7-3770 (K or non K) has intel graphics 4000 and will be able to handle a 1080 multi monitor set up. so there is absolutely no need for a graphics card if you are only using desktop applications or just watching videos.

and there are plenty of ~$100 cards, or less, if you want one like the 7750 or gtx 650.

 

[rancineb]

Right now I'm running 2 monitors at 1920 x 1080 each. I plan to do the same on my new build. I assume that means 1080p as far as resolution. I don't plan on going more then 2 monitors, but you never know. Right now, even if I wanted to, I'm limited on desk space so probably not enough room anyway to add a third.

I don't really have a budget, but looking to get the best bang for the buck. I know I can spend $500 for a great card, but I'm sure there are ones that are just as good around the $200-300 range. I plan on some gaming, but not really FPS, more strategy games like Civilization and SimCity (when it comes out in Feb).

I also will be doing video editing with Adobe Premier, but assuming that's more CPU instead of GPU. Video editing is a big one because I would like to do some HD editing. If that involves a lot with the GPU then I would need a decent card, but I'm assuming that's more about CPU and memory.

There are so many graphic card choices out there. Difficult to find the right one.

 

[Guest]

7870 for the "best bang for your buck" hands down.

sorry can't find a sim city bench ATM.

 

[rancineb]

SimCity doesn't come out until Feb so not surprised that you couldn't find it. Thanks for the info.

 

[rancineb]

I looked at the Radeon 7870 and noticed that most of them only have 1 DVI/HDMI port. Is having 2 ports for hooking up 2 monitors uncommon? Would you hook one monitor up with the DVI port and another with the HDMI? I would assume you would want the same connection for both monitors so to ensure the same quality picture and format.

Speaking for DVI and HDMI, what would be the better connection? Is there a big difference or mainly depend on what monitor you're connecting and use what's available?

 

[ohyouknow]

Since you plan to use premiere for video editing. Nvidia may be the way to go since the program uses Nvidia's CUDA cores for editing. OpenCL, which AMD uses, is not fully supported under premiere as of yet if I remember correctly.

 

[Guest]

Since you plan to use premiere for video editing. Nvidia may be the way to go since the program uses Nvidia's CUDA cores for editing. OpenCL, which AMD uses, is not fully supported under premiere as of yet if I remember correctly.

Adobe and AMD Bring OpenCL Powered Real-Time Editing and Effects to Adobe Premiere Pro CS6
OpenCL and Premiere Pro CS6

In Premiere Pro CS6, nearly all of the things that can be processed with CUDA on certain Nvidia GPUs can also be processed by OpenCL on certain AMD GPUs.

there are some plug ins that still use cuda only . .for now.

 

[Guest]

I looked at the Radeon 7870 and noticed that most of them only have 1 DVI/HDMI port. Is having 2 ports for hooking up 2 monitors uncommon? Would you hook one monitor up with the DVI port and another with the HDMI? I would assume you would want the same connection for both monitors so to ensure the same quality picture and format.

Speaking for DVI and HDMI, what would be the better connection? Is there a big difference or mainly depend on what monitor you're connecting and use what's available?

the only difference between hdmi and dvi is that hdmi also has a audio signal. both have the same quality so one monitor with dvi would be the same as the other with hdmi. but personally i do prefer a dvi connection, cheaper cables.

 

[amuffin]

Well, you won't be able to game on 2 monitors.

7870 is fine.

 

[rancineb]

the only difference between hdmi and dvi is that hdmi also has a audio signal. both have the same quality so one monitor with dvi would be the same as the other with hdmi. but personally i do prefer a dvi connection, cheaper cables.

I agree. I'd rather use the DVI connection, but it doesn't appear that a lot of graphics cards come with two DVI connections. A lot that I looked at have 1 DVI and HDMI and 2 Mini DisplayPorts. Why would cards have 2 mini display ports? Seems like something that wouldn't be commonly used. Maybe I'm wrong, do a lot of people use this port?

 

[Guest]

I agree. I'd rather use the DVI connection, but it doesn't appear that a lot of graphics cards come with two DVI connections. A lot that I looked at have 1 DVI and HDMI and 2 Mini DisplayPorts. Why would cards have 2 mini display ports? Seems like something that wouldn't be commonly used. Maybe I'm wrong, do a lot of people use this port?

AFAIK the main advantage of a display port is the ability to daisy chain up to 3 monitors from one connection because it supplies more bandwidth.
Video Connectors Tutorial | Hardware Secrets

i don't know why that would make it more commonly used unless i am missing something.

 

[rancineb]

I guess I never saw it as something commonly used because I haven't seen any TVs or monitors with inputs of this type so everyone that uses a DisplayPort has to use an adapter.