Help with buying a video card

[Lilshady313]

I'm looking to upgrade my Video card to match what my computer can handle but I've never really been able to understand video cards to feel comfortable buying a high end one. I just got done looking at a few and noticed some were labeled as a "support video card". What is this? Is it suppose to be the second card in a dual card setup? I know GDDR5 is better than 3 and 2GB is obviously better than 1GB. That is the easy stuff. Lol.

On a different question/issue... I currently have a Radeon HD 6770 and I was looking at replacing it with a GeForce Card. I have an AM3+ processor. Will crossing these two brands work? cause cooperation problems? etc.

Finally, Does anyone have any suggestions on what card to buy. My limit is around $500. Thanks!

 

[Neospiral]

AM3 is the socket type for your processor. It's an AMD socket, but mixing an AMD processor with a different brand of GPU won't give you any problems. Do you know exactly what CPU you have?

Also, do you have a link to something you were looking at that says 'support video card' ?

 

[Lilshady313]

AM3 is the socket type for your processor. It's an AMD socket, but mixing an AMD processor with a different brand of GPU won't give you any problems. Do you know exactly what CPU you have?

Also, do you have a link to something you were looking at that says 'support video card' ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130781
Notice how at the end of the title it says: "SLI Support Video Card".

My cpu is 8-core AMD FX-8150 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103960)

 

[Neospiral]

Oh ok... on the video card, a better phrasing of the description might be "SLI Supported Video Card". It just means that this particular card can be used in an SLI configuration, as most nVidia cards can these days.

Well, the good news is that your CPU won't bottleneck anything. With a $500 budget, you have a lot of options. You can pick up a nice GTX 770, or a Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, (Both around $400), but what I'd recommend to get the most out of that budget is to get a pair of GTX 760's (around $250 each) and configure them in SLI. That setup will easily outperform a single GTX 770 or HD 7970GE. The only limitations to doing this are your motherboard and power supply. What motherboard and power supply do you have?

 

[Lilshady313]

Oh ok... on the video card, a better phrasing of the description might be "SLI Supported Video Card". It just means that this particular card can be used in an SLI configuration, as most nVidia cards can these days.

Well, the good news is that your CPU won't bottleneck anything. With a $500 budget, you have a lot of options. You can pick up a nice GTX 770, or a Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, (Both around $400), but what I'd recommend to get the most out of that budget is to get a pair of GTX 760's (around $250 each) and configure them in SLI. That setup will easily outperform a single GTX 770 or HD 7970GE. The only limitations to doing this are your motherboard and power supply. What motherboard and power supply do you have?

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028

ASUS Crosshair V Formula - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131735

 

[Neospiral]

Oh ok... on the video card, a better phrasing of the description might be "SLI Supported Video Card". It just means that this particular card can be used in an SLI configuration, as most nVidia cards can these days.

Well, the good news is that your CPU won't bottleneck anything. With a $500 budget, you have a lot of options. You can pick up a nice GTX 770, or a Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, (Both around $400), but what I'd recommend to get the most out of that budget is to get a pair of GTX 760's (around $250 each) and configure them in SLI. That setup will easily outperform a single GTX 770 or HD 7970GE. The only limitations to doing this are your motherboard and power supply. What motherboard and power supply do you have?

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028

ASUS Crosshair V Formula - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131735

Well, looks like you're in good shape with both of those components. My personal pick would be for you to grab a pair of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125466

The Gigabyte has the highest factory boost clock (max GPU speed) and the best cooling solution, but you can't go wrong with a nice eVGA (best warranty support/customer service) or Asus (by far the quietest cards) either.

 

[Lilshady313]

Ok sweet. I'm looking at this one also. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121775&IsVirtualParent=1
Same? Better? Worse?

Also, one final question. Since i've never set up or even seen a set up of dual video cards, do they connect with that thin, yet wide cord that is about 2-3 inches long?

 

[Neospiral]

Ok sweet. I'm looking at this one also. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121775&IsVirtualParent=1
Same? Better? Worse?

Also, one final question. Since i've never set up or even seen a set up of dual video cards, do they connect with that thin, yet wide cord that is about 2-3 inches long?

The Asus is absolutely a great card. It has a great cooling solution, and as I said, Asus cards tend to be the quietest. The main difference between it and the Gigabyte is that the Gigabyte has a higher boost clock, which means it will have the slightest edge in performance over the Asus.

For the SLI bridge (the connector that puts two video cards together), yes, a thin wide 2-3 inches long cord does describe the bridge, but it's less a cord and more of a ribbon. Some bridges are even made from PCB material for durability.

Does it look like one of these:

http://static.clickbd.com/global/classified/item_img/242493_0_original.jpg

 

[Lilshady313]

Does it look like one of these:

http://static.clickbd.com/global/classified/item_img/242493_0_original.jpg

Sure does. My motherboard came with one.

I think I'm going to end up getting the ASUS one. I tend to lean towards ASUS and the color goes with my red theme inside my tower. Aesthetics are a thing for me. Lol. Especially since I have a window on the side of my tower.

I appreciate all your help Neo. Thanks.

 

[Neospiral]

Sure does. My motherboard came with one.

I think I'm going to end up getting the ASUS one. I tend to lean towards ASUS and the color goes with my red theme inside my tower. Aesthetics are a thing for me. Lol. Especially since I have a window on the side of my tower.

I appreciate all your help Neo. Thanks.

No problem. Enjoy your build!