Which GPU to get?

shaunw50

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So I am looking to build a new PC but I am just not sure which GPU to get.

I plan to play at 1920x1080 resolution so fully HD.
I don't care which it is Nvidia or ATI but must be PCI 3.0

I be playing a lot of RPG games, so like Guild Wars 2. I might be playing demanding games like Battlefield 3.

My budget I'm not sure, I don't want to pay a full £300+ (In dollars $477) for a gtx 680 or something but I would like a card
that can play most games on good settings but not to high price.

I also have intel ivy bridge 3570K.

Hope you can help.

 

squirrelonfire

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That 680 will play anything right now on max settings. Get the 680 but make sure you have at least 600 W PSU, 650 to be safe.

Can't recommend a card if you don't have a budget.

But to play GW2 or SWTOR or WOW, all you need is a GTX 260 or comparable ATI card. GTX 260 will also play battlefield 3 but only on medium settings and no AA. Sure you can turn on AA but when things starting to blow up (grenade, bombs, etc...) in a 30 players game, your screen will start stuttering.
 

eojhet

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An HD 7850 Goes for 180 to 200 bux and will play anything on max settings. If you'd like to blow your load on a 680 then you will be fine for a while, EVGA offers trade up programs as well if you'd like to look into that. I would go for something cheaper than the 680, it is too rich for my blood.
 

He said he didn't want to pay the full price for a 680, but to get a good card at a reasonable price.
And you don't need a PSU with that kind of wattage even for a 680, unless you plan to SLI or something.

OP, how about a GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7870. They're still going to handle eg. Battlefield 3 fairly well, and are much cheaper than a GTX 680.
 

shaunw50

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Thank you for your replies. I been looking at the ati 7850 or 7870, I heard that all 7000 series gpu have had a big improvement with a driver.

Which would you prefer which will keep me going to a couple of years even if I have to turn down the settings in the future?

Nvidia 660?
ATi 7850 or 7870?

Also I am really worried that sometime in future like 2 years my gpu will fail, that why I don't want to spend much on a gpu as well.
 
Good question with no hard answers. First you have to look at the classic question, Nvidia or AMD?

Nvidia: Better, and faster to market drivers, more eye candy, Physix etc. Lower power so tend to be quieter. BUT tend to cost more and have but 2GB ram which could be a problem in the future with massive upcomming games in 2650X1600 or multiple screens. As of now tend to lag just a bit in performance
AMD: Tend to cost less and have an edge in performance. No Physix and less innovations. Draw more power with drivers that tend to lag Nvidia's

Now which card to get? 680 & 7970 are top performers with highest prices. 670 & 7950 give up maybe 10% performance for $100 to $140 dollars less.

I'd not recommend getting lessor cards since you can afford these top four.

One path is get a 670 with the ability to SLI it in a year or two as games become more and more demanding.

Another path is to get a 7950 with the ability to CrossFire it in the future.

I myself am torn on which of those two paths to take. The 7950 path is lower in cost and with 3GB ram will be more future proof, yet the 670's will give you Physix and lowered power/quieter. You need to make the call as I will for I myself will be pulling the lever next week.
 

shaunw50

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You see I want my pc build to be less than £500, 670 and 7950 is to much... I been looking at the 7850. What do you think?
 

reickmey

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I’m not sure why people are trying to make a budget gaming computer and then skimping on the video card...It’s really the only part of the computer that you need to perform well...you could purchase an entire computer without the gpu for $325 and then purchase a $650 gpu and it could play anything…ANYTHING...just my opinion.

See below:

AMD Athlon II X4 640($79):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871

AM3 Motherboard($59):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157274

Crucial DDR2 800 ($66):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148163

Western Digital HDD($30):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136096

DVD drive and burner ($19):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136247

Coolmax 700W PSU ($57):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159126

Computer case ($15):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353006

So why are we kicking this around?

HD 6990…get the used one($650):
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-100310SR/dp/B004R1Q4VW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353442377&sr=8-2&keywords=hd+6990

Done!
 


Only you can answer that. Look at that link I gave you. It gives you the best graphics card for a wide range of dollars. Simply take the amount of money you are willing to spend and see which card costs that much.
 


He's trying to make a point, that the gpu is the most important thing by far for gaming. He just pushed it a bit too far, but point taken.
 

shaunw50

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I'm thinking of getting ati 7870, question is which brand
 

spookyman

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Well for the same price just break down and get the 7970 GHZ model. Its a fast and capable card and will last you a few years till your next upgrade. Its good deal to spend and get the best card for your money.
 

reickmey

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Hmm, worst build ever...I bet that "worst build ever" would play BF3 and crysis 2 fairly well...but yes I was just making a point.
 

ikaz

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If your thinking about getting a 7870 (great card) then check the price range and then come back and ask which one of "X" cards should I get. Really the main price difference will be in cooling solution used (fans), factory overclock and warrentee (kinda goes with reliability).
 


Good choice, 7870 is a fine board, not too much slower than the 7950.

I am sort of a Gigabyte fan so my first choice would be:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

The three fans are actually quieter and cool better than the stock single fan on the reference boards. Normally you don't want to purchase a reference board, too noisy. It is $240 though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161411

Now this card costs a paltry $210 bucks if money is of top priority.
 

I would also recommend the 7870.

Something like this MSI 7870 for £176 should serve you well:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-msi-radeon-hd-7870-overclocked-28nm-4800mhz-gddr5-gpu-1050mhz-1280-cores-dl-dvi-i-hdmi-mdp