Which video card to buy to play 1920x1080 Skyrim, COD, BF3, Rage, BL2

[squirrelonfire]

Hi Guys, can you help me out picking the right card please? Thanks.

I do not have a budget but I also do not want to buy the most expensive video card just so a less expensive card can do the same job.

I am not running my game on 3 monitors with full AA and all of that. I only want to play the games at full resolution 1080 and all settings turned on (AA, shadering, etc...) without a hitch. I do not want frame lag or even a feeling that my game is etchy.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: October - December 2012

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming > Video > MS Office / Burning CD / etc...

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: GTX 260 with 700 W power supply

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: This is the spec I save on Newegg. Once I decide on a video card, I will place the order.

COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer SGC-1000-KWN1 Black SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional ...
Item #: N82E16811119240

GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814125423

CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC ...
Item #: N82E16817139010

Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007

CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMZ32GX3M4X1866C10
Item #: N82E16820233237

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131821

Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
Item #: N82E16819116501

COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler Compatible with Intel 1366/1155/775 and AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2
Item #: N82E16835103055

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: must be Nvidia

OVERCLOCKING: No
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

 

[maestro0428]

Many cards will fit the bill. I run a MSI 7850 and it runs all of my games at 1080p just fine. That said, faster cards will last longer as they will play new games at faster frame rates. If you must go Nvidia, I suggest the 670gtx. Its fast and efficient and should play games that come out next year at your resolution.

 

[Jay-Z]

GTX 660 ti or GTX 670 will be perfect for you.

Also, I had a look at your build. If this is for gaming and watching videos/office etc, change the following:
CPU: i5 3570 (non-k)
Mobo: Asus Z77 V-Pro (you really do not need the Sabertooth)
Cooler: Cooler Master 212+ (If you are not overclocking the stock cooler is fine)

That should save you a fair bit of money right there.

 

[redeemer]

GTX 660 ti or GTX 670 will be perfect for you.

Also, I had a look at your build. If this is for gaming and watching videos/office etc, change the following:
CPU: i5 3570 (non-k)
Mobo: Asus Z77 V-Pro (you really do not need the Sabertooth)
Cooler: Cooler Master 212+ (If you are not overclocking the stock cooler is fine)

That should save you a fair bit of money right there.

with current pricing/performance it very hard to recommend anything Nvidia at this moment, 7870 would be the choice!

 

[redeemer]

oh get get rid of that AS5 compound thats for newbs, pick up some MX-4

 

[DarkSable]

Redeemer's vote is seconded.

 

[Jay-Z]

I agree, the 7870 is a great card which I have recommended to quite a few people and looked at myself. However, if the OP wants Nvidia, then I will advise him of the most adequate choice there. Skyrim and BF3 favour Nvidia cards slightly too. Also, I agree with the MX-4.

I think the rest of the build needs a more thorough look.

 

[renz496]

based on the game he listed above thing it is better to go for nvidia cards. AFAIK skyrim and rage works better with nvidia cards. also with nvidia he has the option to turn set the physx on high in borderlands 2 with lesser frame rates impact. yes with the radeon you can still enabled advance physx in borderlands 2 but with nvidia cards the impact on performance will be lesser.

 

[bryonhowley]

based on the game he listed above thing it is better to go for nvidia cards. AFAIK skyrim and rage works better with nvidia cards. also with nvidia he has the option to turn set the physx on high in borderlands 2 with lesser frame rates impact. yes with the radeon you can still enabled advance physx in borderlands 2 but with nvidia cards the impact on performance will be lesser.

All the games the OP listed will play great on a AMD based card without any problems what so ever. I have to AMD/ATI rigs one with a 6950 and the other with a 7950 and both of them are more that capable at playing everything I have. ATI is the best option at this time hands down.

 

[Embra]

The 670 gtx you posted will do what you want very well. Skip the 660ti.

 

[17seconds]

Your list of games pretty much demands an Nvidia GPU. For less than $500 you can shoot the moon with the GTX 680 at $450, or the GTX 670 at $360.

All of those games perform better on Nvidia cards. In addition:
Borderlands 2: A PhysX game requires Nvidia for GPU accelerated PhysX
BF3/COD: Perform better on Nvidia
Rage: Well known to have major problems on AMD cards, and only Nvidia cards allow you to use the game's exclusive CUDA GPU Transcode feature.
Skyrim: Only Nvidia cards allow you to enable Ambient Occlusion and Transparency Supersampling
http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweak-guide?sf2686171=1/#19

In Skyrim, AMD cards look like the "Ambient Occlusion OFF" screenshot:

 

[renz496]

All the games the OP listed will play great on a AMD based card without any problems what so ever. I have to AMD/ATI rigs one with a 6950 and the other with a 7950 and both of them are more that capable at playing everything I have. ATI is the best option at this time hands down.

this not about nvidia vs amd. i'm just stating the fact. amd cards able to handle those games just fine but it also a fact those game runs even better with nvidia cards. i dont know what his reasons are but OP himself already mention that the card that he will get must be nvidia

 

[swifty_morgan]

32gigs of ram is overkill.

the 660ti I would never touch/price-performance- better with the 660............ agree to go with at least the 670. I didn't see a budget listed...................

 

[Jay-Z]

I recommend the GTX 670.

Both Nvidia and AMD produce high performance cards for reasonable prices. If it was my pc, (and I have seriously considered the 670 and a 7950) I would get the 670 for the games you are playing.

Further reasons for my advice:
- The OP is not running 3 screens at full AA which is where AMD cards shine.
- The OP has stated a preference for Nvidia.
- The 670 will provide great performance at 1080p.
- Currently the 670 is widely available for purchase.
- Price is reasonable.

 

[i8myhippo]

Stick to the 670.

Great performance, decent price, quiet and cool.

I have the same card.

 

[squirrelonfire]

Best answer selected by squirrelonfire.

 

[squirrelonfire]

Actually I bought the 7870 to find out it was inadequate. So I ordered the Gigabyte GHz 7970 yesterday. Woo hoo! No more video options disabled in my game !!!