Best Graphics Card for £180

[James13]

Hi all. I was just wondering what the best GPU I can get for about £180. I have an i7 3770 and 8gb of ram if that helps at all. I don't mind which brand either. Thanks for any replys in advance

 

[coozie7]

How 'about' is your budget ?
For a bit over you could collar a GTX660Ti or HD7950 for a bit under the GTX660 (non Ti) or HD7870 are the best choices.
All of those cards will need one or more extra leads from the powersupply to work so we'll need details of the installed unit before making any solid recommendations.
And what is the resolution of your display?
A few places t shop: Dabs, Aria, Scan, Misco, Novatech, Overclockers, Pixmania, Ebuyer and CCl.

 

[bigshootr8]

I would get something like this a 660Ti is nice but you will need to spend a little more to get to that point. Here is a card that fits your budget. If you plan on getting games like Bioshock Infinite or Crysis 3 I woudl recommend getting a 7950. I have GTX670 which seems to be the bang for the buck on the high end graphics spectrum and then the 660Ti seems to be the best bang on the mid market.

7870 MSI Twin Frozr.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-msi-radeon-hd-7870-twin-frozr-oc-4800mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1050mhz-hdmi-mdp

 

[djangoringo]

The 7870 tahiti le : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Club-3D-HD7870-Graphics-Processors/dp/B00AAAFE7E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360271844&sr=8-2

Review : http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/club_3d_7870_joker_xt_edition_review/16

 

[bigshootr8]

Well dang! Never mind then that is the best deal you will get at that price point. It's essentially a 7930 well that is what TTL's video refers to it as because its essentially a scaled back 7950.

 

[James13]

Ok thanks for the replys. That 7870 tahiti le looks like the best buy although I found the 7870 oem for £155 from Pixmania, though im not sure how good it is? What PSU does the tahiti require by the way?

PS Sorry about all the questions.

 

[djangoringo]

A decent psu with 500W will do for the 7870 tahiti le, if it's a quality one even for the 7950.
The 7870 tahiti le might be worth the extra, since it's a more powerful card.

 

[bigshootr8]

^+1 The tahiti name is just the gpu code name really. It has the same series of gpu as the 7900 series chips but is just a scaled down model.

 

[James13]

Ok thanks guys. Just checked my PSU and found its only 460w - a Dell one.

 

[bigshootr8]

I always get people arguing with me on this but I stand by this parts placed in store bought computers aren't very good they are built cheap enough to give it to you at the price they give it to you at where they make enough money off of it to continue on.

So I would say maybe look into getting a quality power supply if you are going to get something above a 7750 because I'd hate for you to spend the amount you would on a graphics card only to have your power supply kill everything not that it will but it can do damage if it can't handle the power.

 

[James13]

I dont think the PSU will be a problem because my dad has the same pc and is running a 7870 on the same PSU . Dell even sell them now with a 7870 pre installed - and im still under warrenty . Do you know how much more power the Club 7870 uses over a standard one?

 

[djangoringo]

I dont think the PSU will be a problem because my dad has the same pc and is running a 7870 on the same PSU . Dell even sell them now with a 7870 pre installed - and im still under warrenty . Do you know how much more power the Club 7870 uses over a standard one?

It uses a bit more :

http://tpucdn.com/reviews/Club_3D/HD_7870_jokerCard_Tahiti_LE/images/power_peak.gif
http://tpucdn.com/reviews/Club_3D/HD_7870_jokerCard_Tahiti_LE/images/power_maximum.gif

Still a decent psu with 500W, will do.

 

[bigshootr8]

Agreed to my knowledge the Tahiti version uses a little more then the 7870 normally would.

 

[James13]

I think I will probably get a 7950 because according to the charts it uses less power than the Club edition if im reading the graph right and I think I can stretch my budget a little more

 

[djangoringo]

You should look for the peak in power consumption, the 7870 tahiti le, still has a lower power consumption.
The 7950 is a better card, though, but it's more than 180£, but if you can pay the extra, it might be worth, it's a better card.
Also a 450W psu might not be suffice for it, either the tahiti le or the 7950.

 

[James13]

Dont know if I understand the graphs right. In peak power consumption the 7950 comes 3 places below the 7870 Club? Also the Club uses more power overall?

 

[djangoringo]

Yes, i was looking for the 7870, but i think it doesn't draw that much, the maximum tdp is 185W : http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/3698/club-3d-radeon-hd-7870-jokercard-2gb-review-undercover-7950!, the 7950 has a 200W tdp.
If you have a 450W psu, it's a bit risky going with any of those.

 

[James13]

Thanks guys - sorry about the late reply. I was wondering, how much of a performance loss would a EVGA superclocked 660 have over a 7870? I cannot find any graphs anywhere
Thanks btw

 

[bigshootr8]

In some areas quite a bit in others not much at all. With the pricing of the cards the 7870 lately has been at a more competitive price point.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=114,82,124&sort=a5

 

[djangoringo]

Thanks guys - sorry about the late reply. I was wondering, how much of a performance loss would a EVGA superclocked 660 have over a 7870? I cannot find any graphs anywhere
Thanks btw

The 7870 standard and 660 gtx will have about the same performance, the 7870 offers two games(or more, depends on certain store in the uk), the 660 gtx has a lower power consumption and better drivers and features.

 

[James13]

I finally bought the GTX 660ti for my XPS 500 - so far it runs floorlessly and is a big improvement over my 7770. I found it on offer for £190 from Pixmania in the end. Thanks to everyone for all their help and knowledge in assisting me