Gtx 580 vs Gtx 660 vs 7850/7870

[BaneD2]

Hello everyone!

I would really like to receive advice on which of the following cards to buy:

1. MSI Lightning Xtreme Gtx 580 3GB ~$250
2. EVGA Gtx 660 ~$270
3. CLub 3D Gtx 660 ti ~$310
4. Club 3D 7850 1GB ~$195
5. Gigabyte 7850 2GB ~$210
6. HIS 7870 2GB (Pitcairn one) ~$290

Previous card was a 5770. I initially went for the 7870 LE, however, not only did the card quickly sell out, the next stock is significantly more expensive as well. Now am extremely confused on which is the best card to buy (primarily between the Gtx 580 and 7850/7870).

Based on the prices above, I would really like to hear your opinions. I game at 1920X1080. Keep in mind I keep my cards for around 2-3 years, so a little extra performance in the tank doesnt hurt I want the maximum performance possible for my budget (around $250). And yes, overclocking is an important factor too. Also, am not partial to nvidia or amd, performance above all!

System specs: Case CM 690 II, Power Supply Corsair HX 620, Cpu Core i5 750 OCd to 3.6 GHz, 8GB Corsair vengance RAM, Asus P7P55D board.

 

[tadej petric]

580 is the best. Its somewhere in high 660tis today.

Hope it helps!

 

[17seconds]

If you can get a MSI GTX 580 LIghtning Extreme for that price, that will be your best option. This chart shows stock cards at reference clock speeds. The Lightning is highly overclocked and built to push to extreme overclocking limits.

 

[BaneD2]

Hmmmmm...it is the lightning Xtreme version indeed, complete with 3GB of memory. It seems to be my best bet right now, though I may have to deal with outdated drivers and sky high power consumption!

btw, will that thing fit in CM 690 II advanced? Its huge! Looks awesome though.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

580 is the best. Its somewhere in high 660tis today.

Hope it helps!

No.
in order of worst to best card
7850 1gb < 7850 2gb < gtx660/7870 (trade blows depending on game and review site) < gtx580 3gb < 660ti
You will need a good quality 550w+ psu to run the 580 depending on the rest of your system specs, where a good quality 400-450w psu would run any of the other cards, not to mention the power bill will be higher with the 580, adding to your overall cost.

 

[BaneD2]

Thanks to everyone who replied

Got the Msi Gtx 580 Lightning Xtreme...looks amazing. Really solid build quality, was quite impressed coming from a standard HIS 5770. Excellent performance wise as well, and posts some great thermals.

Now to see how far it overclocks....

 

[17seconds]

Thanks to everyone who replied

Got the Msi Gtx 580 Lightning Xtreme...looks amazing. Really solid build quality, was quite impressed coming from a standard HIS 5770. Excellent performance wise as well, and posts some great thermals.

Now to see how far it overclocks....

Excellent, be sure to fire up a good PhysX game to see what you were missing.