Best video card for ~$300?

[Exarkun007]

Upgrading from a 550ti in the next month or so, what recommendations do you all have?

 

[winkay]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-xfx-radeon-hd-7950-dd-5000mhz-gddr5-gpu-800mhz-dvi-dvi-hdmi-mdpplusfree-games

By far the best GPU for that money, if you have any spair pennys, try getting the 7970 DD

 

[edtheguy]

Winkay is spot on, for $300 the 7950 is the best card on the market, if there is any wiggle room the 7970 is around $400 or, in between, the gtx 670 is a step up from the 7950 at around $360.

Tom's actually just did their monthly breakdown article, which is on the front page of the website and recommends specific models as well.

 

[marshallbradley]

The 7950 is indeed the card for the $300 mark. Personally though I think the XFX boards are some of, if not the worst aftermarket ones out there though. They are also the cheapest in the UK, but I've heard in the US they can be the most expensive, so it's really not worth it at all! Having owned one, it was REALLY noisy under load. Like people I was Skyping would be complaining! I've heard very good things about the Gigabyte edition though (3 fans for the win!) and the Asus model and MSI would be solid picks.

If you want to save a little bit of money, try and find a good deal on the 7870 XT. It's only 2-3% behind the 7950 in most metrics, and (assuming you can find it for a decent amount less than the 7950) you can upgrade something else as well.

EDIT: Your probably also better off looking/posting in the graphics card sub-forum.

M

 

[ba12348]

AMD may make a better card for the money in the 7950, but I have had experiences with AMD that would make me kill myself before I buy any more of their products, I would spend the extra money and get the 670 over the 7950 ANY day.