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Budget card upgrade

Tags:
  • Games
  • Sapphire
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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September 27, 2014 6:53:51 PM

Hey guys, I'm looking to upgrade my current cheap card, Sapphire HD 6770, in preparation for the upcoming games to be release in the coming months (namely borderlands, dragon age, and ff13 in steam). I like playing games, but am not a hardcore gamer by any means. I have a single 1080p monitor setup, don't do video anything, and would probably use the card just for the games (and obviously movies/videos).

My options are very limited mainly due to budget & card availability.
So I would like to get the opinion of the community regarding my options. (any would do)

I'm not in the US or Canada, and the selection of cards available are limited. So here's whats available locally: (price converted to $)

GTX 750 ti
MSI TF OC - $190
Palit StormX Dual - $170
Palit StormX OC - $150
Zotac - $150
Zotac OC - $170
EVGA FTW - $210
Asus - $200

R7-265
MSI OC - $180
Power Color Turbo Duo - $170
Sapphire Dual-X - $180

R9-270
Sapphire Dual-X Boost - $200

I'm really leaning towards the 750ti vs r7-265. Unless I find a compelling reason to go ahead and get the r9-270.

I do realize that the r7-265 smokes the 750ti on almost all benches. However, there are a few reasons why I am considering the 750ti. One would be driver support (and the relative ease to update it, compared to the almost non-existent one on my ancient amd card). Next would be phsyX, since I am looking forward to borderlands. I don't really care much about 750ti's efficiency or size.

Another thing is the brand, is it really worth the $10-20?

I would love to get your opinion on this, thanks :) 

More about : budget card upgrade

September 27, 2014 7:10:27 PM

Spend the extra and go for the R9, If your going to be planning on playing DA3, BF5, etc.. those games are made under the frostbite engine, which is optimized for AMD cards. Those two games will be using AMD's API, "Mantle". Which in a general sense gives you a FPS boost compared to standard DirectX. The 265 is also a very good option also.

Ignoring Mantle. R9/R7 performs a ton better than the 750 ti. It is well worth the investment :) 

A question for you tho, What is your PSU?
September 27, 2014 7:13:46 PM

well, R9 270 is the faster card here and it should be your first priority, after that you can consider the GTX 750 TI your second one due to its lower power consumption which means a lower Temp and a lower noise .. the brand can be worth yes in keeping the card cool, XFX and Gigabyte is one of the best
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September 27, 2014 7:46:37 PM

Dazinek said:
Spend the extra and go for the R9, If your going to be planning on playing DA3, BF5, etc.. those games are made under the frostbite engine, which is optimized for AMD cards. Those two games will be using AMD's API, "Mantle". Which in a general sense gives you a FPS boost compared to standard DirectX. The 265 is also a very good option also.

Ignoring Mantle. R9/R7 performs a ton better than the 750 ti. It is well worth the investment :) 

A question for you tho, What is your PSU?


Yeah, I figured that people will always recommend the highest performing card (also the most expensive one).

I won't really have a problem with PSU. I got a CX600M. I figured earlier on that I would eventually get a better card, and I know I wouldn't be getting into the upper-mid/higher tier cards so 600W seemed like the sweet spot.

Hm.. I honestly did not expect people would push for the 270. Given the choice is only between the r7-265 and 750 ti, which specific card will you go with? (Just in case, because the 270 is a little out of my budget at the moment).
September 27, 2014 7:52:38 PM

I personally like AMD, Alot of people will vouch for Nvidia's 750 ti.

But I'm going to go ahead and say get the 265, it performs a bit better. If noise/heat is not a issue that is.

The perk of the 750 ti is, it uses less power which results in less heat, which also results in the fans not moving as fast... which end results in less noise :p 

265 for performance - 750 ti for silence/no thermal problems
September 27, 2014 8:02:03 PM

Dazinek said:
I personally like AMD, Alot of people will vouch for Nvidia's 750 ti.

But I'm going to go ahead and say get the 265, it performs a bit better. If noise/heat is not a issue that is.

The perk of the 750 ti is, it uses less power which results in less heat, which also results in the fans not moving as fast... which end results in less noise :p 

265 for performance - 750 ti for silence/no thermal problems


To be totally honest, I couldn't really care less for silent operation and thermal problems.

So that's 1-0 in favor of the r7-265. I'm still open to hearing others' opinion regarding this. Thank you very much for your input.



September 27, 2014 8:46:14 PM

if power and noise not an issue for you then go with the R7 265, Saphire Dual-x ..almost same price and little faster
P.S: Physx demand higher graphics cards ..it will effect your frame rates noticeably with the GTX 750 TI
September 28, 2014 1:48:13 AM

whiteknights said:
if power and noise not an issue for you then go with the R7 265, Saphire Dual-x ..almost same price and little faster
P.S: Physx demand higher graphics cards ..it will effect your frame rates noticeably with the GTX 750 TI


Locally the MSI & Sapphire R7-265 are the same in price, do you recommend one over the other?

I guess it's now 2-0 in favor of the r7-265.

September 28, 2014 10:48:59 AM

when it comes to AMD i prefer Sapphire because its a well known brand, also if you take a look at the design of sapphire you will find it much nicer.
if you're using a FULL HD monitor try going with the R9 270 one .. it will give you a better performance with the 1920x1080p.
!