Best GPU to max all games at 1600x900 res.

[datguy88]

Hello forums!

With Christmas right around the corner, I am looking into investing in my first gaming/recording-videos-for-youtube build, and as with many planned but un-bought builds I have done, I usually start off with a modest card for what I need, and end up with a card meant for 60fps at 2500x1440.

To avoid overpaying and throwing too much money away on unused performance, could anyone please recommend to me a video card that can max out most if not all games (Very high-Ultra) at 1600x900 resolution with 60fps, as my monitor is only 60Hz? The games I plan on playing and maxing are BF3, TF2, GTA IV with ICEnhancer and high texture mods, Far Cry 3, Saints Row III, etc...

My budget is about $500 max, but lesser would be great, and as of now I am leaning towards a gtx 670 with non-reference cooling; although, if an awesome HD7000 series card would fit my needs, please feel free to suggest it. Both companies are offering free games (AMD-Hitman, Sleeping Dogs, Far Cry 3; Nvidia-Borderlands 2, Assassins Creed 3) which is definitely something I am considering in my purchase.

Thank you to anyone who can offer me advice on what to buy without gouging my wallet for something crazy with power I will never be able to tap into!

P.S. My build contains an I5 3570k CPU and I plan on using a 256GB Samsung 840 PRO as my OS and most-played-games drive. Also, PhysX is something I am considering a little bit, but I have heard that people with AMD can use high PhsyX settings on AMD cards using their CPUs.

 

[forsaken2011]

You can get a HD 7770 and run perfect on 1900x600 and very high settings (it runs Skyrim maxed out on 77+ fps with that resolution) . They are between 120-150u$s

But if you want more performance, more power! I would suggest The 7870 all the way! For 230 u$s this baby rocks with Triple Windforce fans! and it's definitively the best card for the price.

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

 

[sam_p_lay]

The GTX670 you're looking at is a really excellent choice and will average in the mid-30s on Far Cry 3 1080p ultra (which is as demanding as any game gets at the moment). Since your resolution is a notch down from that, you'll probably be getting a smooth 40fps with it. I'd say stick with it! Far Cry 3 on ultra will bring lesser cards to their knees.

Excellent choice of SSD and CPU there! Only other thing - PhysX can indeed run on CPU, but the reason it's a bad idea (and therefore remains a selling point for nVidia) is that it will kick the crap out of your framerates. It's designed to take a much smaller performance hit when run on the GPU as intended.

 

[funguseater]

+1 for sam_p_lay

agree on all counts. The ASUS GTX670-DC2-2GD5 GeForce GTX 670 2GB would meet all your needs. As soon as you mention FarCry3 your requirements really jump up there, finally a game that kicked my 480's arse. You could get the same GPU with 4 GB but that might be overkill. Although with 4GB you could add every skyrim mod, or GTA4 effects enb etc.

Have Fun
Fungi