GTX 550Ti or GTX 650

[a_question]

Hello, I found these 2 performance charts, they compare a bunch of other cards too but both contain the 2 cards I'm looking at and they both contradict each other for which card is better;

This favors the GTX 550Ti; http://media.bestofmicro.com/T/X/352293/original/AVG-Perf-LOW.png
This favors the GTX 650; http://tpucdn.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/images/perfrel_1920.gif

It would be great if someone could straighten out for me which card is better, they both cost just under $100.00 at NewEgg.

I would also like to know if there will be a bottle kneck in my system at my Intel i5 processor, or my PCIe 1 slot. I've heard conflicting statements that there will or will not be a bottlekneck trying to use a PCIe 3 card in PCIe slot.

Will the GTX550Ti which draws 116 watts produce more heat than the GTX 650 which draws 64 watts and will the extra heat be a problem?

The 650 is newer and comes with more recent DirectX and OpenGl, will I be able to update the older once I get it installed with the newest DirextX and OpenGl or are those versions the highest that the cards will support?

I currently have intel integrated graphics, I heard that I dont have to uninstall interated graphics before installing a discrete card, is that right? Also I'm sure the manuels will walk me through the process, but do I install the drivers before or after installing the card and will I have to boot into BIOS?

Finally there are many differnt cards with GTX 550Ti and GTX 650, will there be much difference betwen 2 different cards of the same type but different price? Here are the 2 specifically that I'm considering:

$84.99 GTX 650 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133471
$89.99 GTX 550 Ti http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133383

Thanks in advance for anyone who helps me!

 

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

I would go for 650. Just be sure you have enough room in your case. Its small but takes two slots.

 

[popatim]

The games that the 550Ti can play it plays well and almost always is able to pump out 5-7 more frames per second that the 650. The 650 can handle some games at settings that the 550Ti would just crawl with thanks to its updated processor. If it weren't crippled with a 128bit memory bus it would be a much better card. In your two benchmarks screens one is at x1080 and you see the 550ti do well and the other is at x1200 and the 550ti shows its weakness.

Just keep in mind that those cards are considered entry level so dont expect miracles and be prepared to game on low level graphics.

 

[PlanetaryPenguin321]

The games that the 550Ti can play it plays well and almost always is able to pump out 5-7 more frames per second that the 650. The 650 can handle some games at settings that the 550Ti would just crawl with thanks to its updated processor. If it weren't crippled with a 128bit memory bus it would be a much better card. In your two benchmarks screens one is at x1080 and you see the 550ti do well and the other is at x1200 and the 550ti shows its weakness.

Just keep in mind that those cards are considered entry level so dont expect miracles and be prepared to game on low level graphics.

+1

If you can and must have a Nvidia GPU try for a 650 Ti. I have one in my machine and it can max out Far Cry 3 @ around 30FPS so long as MSAA is off. It is above the $100 range though.

 

[sam_p_lay]

Yeah GTX650 Ti is a pretty cool card, well worth stepping up to if you can. Of the other two, performance is near enough the same - you're not gonna be able to tell the difference. So I'd take the GTX650 for the reasons you mentioned (particularly power consumption).

 

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