Buying a new graphics card for gaming that will run new games high for atleast a

[aztekklown]

Hi guys

I am stuck in deciding on which graphics card to get. I am looking at the ENGTX560 Ti DC2/2DI/2GD5
ASUS GTX 560 Ti DirectCU II overclocked graphics card with 2GB memory

The ASUS GeForce GTX660-DC2-2GD5

Only thing that is keeping me from deciding is that the 560 has 256bit and the 660 192bit. My motherboard is pci 2.0

 

[VitaminB]

What is your budget? If it is at least 450$, go for EVGA GTX 680 Superclocked

 

[mactronix]

Agreed, we need to know a budget and where you are shopping so we can compare prices properly. A card that works out a better deal in say America may not be the same value in Canada or Europe etc.

Having said that I would suggest you look at the HD 7850 or 7870 as a better performing option within the same ballpark price wise, dependant as I said on your local pricing.

Mactronix

 

[mactronix]

Oh sorry as to the actual question I would personally rather have the 560Ti, and that does in part come down to the 256 vs 192 issue. the 660 has been shown to have reduced performance in some cases due to the narrow bus width.

Mactronix

 

[aztekklown]

Thanks for the reply guys, i am looking at $369, i am from South Africa.

 

[aztekklown]

does the Core clocks also play a major role in gaming?

 

[aztekklown]

my original choice was the HD7850, but i am worried that it is pci 3.0 and i will lose performance if i have it in my pci 2.0 motherboard

msi h61m-p25 b3 motherboard
intel i5 3.3ghz 2500k cpu
8 gig ram
600w psu

 

[mactronix]

The core clocks and memory clocks can only be compared between like for like cards.
If you are choosing between 2 similar 7850's then the one with the highest numbers is usually going to be the fastest. (not always the case but usually)
You do also need to consider the bundle that comes with the card as well as the warranty period and things like is the card from a top tier maker/does it have standard or third party cooling.

The 7850 is an excellent card and would outperform either card in most cases.
You can of course over clock the cards settings yourself with a high number of today's "standard" clocked cards being easily capable of running at the higher factory over clocked settings.
You need to decide is the extra money for the guaranteed factory over clock worth it or not when comparing two similar cards ?
Usually the answer is no, unless you really hate the idea of doing the over clock your self or don't want to risk your card not over clockng and would rather have guaranteed performance.

The PCIE 2.0 - 3.0 will make no discernible difference.

Why not link a couple of options and we can narrow it down for you with Pro's and con's so you can make a decision ?

Mactronix

 

[aztekklown]

thanks alot for the advice mactronix. I will compile a list and send it and you can hav a look at it. One more thing is that i have never owned a Radeon card, i have always had nvidia. When it comes to games and physix can the radeon do the same as the nvidia cards. I would like to play all the new games on high for atleast 2 years or so

 

[mactronix]

Depends on the game to be honest borderlands 2 for example can be played with PhysX on high with the CPU doing the PhysX instead of the GPU. there is also a Mod to allow greater performance on this game using PhysX on an AMD GPU.

If you want guaranteed dedicated PhysX support you need an Nvidia GPU. However I would not personally make PhysX the basis of a buying decision at this level of card.
While these cards are capable of performing PhysX as well as general rendering duties, personally I would want to be using say a 560Ti with a second dedicated lower end GPU for the PhysX.

Also this level of card most probably wont play games without physX for 2 years at high. Never mind with PhysX.

If you intend to get as far into the future as possible and must have PhysX then you would need to be looking at least at a 670 in my opinion. But then as with myself I guess that's outside your budget as you are looking at the 7850 ?

Mactronix

 

[maestro0428]

I have an MSI 7850 and it runs all of my games at 1080p on high settings. I have not played Borderlands 2 yet, so I cannot comment on that. For the money, I believe the 7850 is the best bang for your buck on the market right now. The 660 GTX is faster though, even with its 192 bit bus. I wouldn't let the bus size hold you back as long as it is fast enough in the games you like and you don't play on a screen higher than 1080p. There is a review of several 660s right on this site.

 

[aztekklown]

Thanks everyone for the advice much appreciated. Ok well now its between the gtx 660 and the 7850. I have a samsung 24" Full HD screen so i am not going to go higher than 1080p. Is that what the bit bus is usually for?? I read another forum that said they had problems with the 7850 on the Sandy Bridge machines where the pc would not start up properly etc, is this true? I can get either the 660 or 7850, My main games i would love to play with no problems is Far Cry 3 and bioshock 3 and the new GTA.

 

[mohit9206]

get the 7850. those people facing problems with some 7850 are rare one off cases so no need to worry.
you would be able to play all above mentioned games with the 7850 at high settings.
get either the msi power edition or the sapphire vapor x edition 7850

 

[aztekklown]

thanks for the reply, I have then two 7850's in mind. The Sapphire HD7850 O.C edition with dual fan and the Asus HD7850-DC2T-2GD5 v2