Best graphics card upgrade options?

[Prodigy22]

Hey guys new to Linus tech tips forum. Just need some advice on which graphics card should I get that would best fit my system, I play on 1080p and would like a card to play on Ultra at pretty good settings (bf4, Titanfall, tomb raider) and last me for the next 2-3 years. Price range is 250 to about 400 max. Note that I am not overclocking and I am upgrading my PSU to xfx xtr 650w.

Thanks!

PC specs:

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 32MB

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 OC 975MHZ 2GB 4.8GHZ

Ram: Kingston 8GB Kit 2X4GB HyperX CL9

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy mITX Mini-ITX Tower Case Midnight Black

CPU: Intel Core i5 3470 Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.2GHZ

Fan: Bitfenix Spectre 230MM White LED Case Fan

PSU: Corsair CX Series CX500 500W 80 Plus Bronze 120mm Fan

Motherboard: Gigabyte H77N-WIFI mITX LGA1155

Cooling: Noctua NH-L9i Low Profile Heatsink Cooler w/ Slim NF-A9x14 92MM

[PillowSmoke]

770/b-stock 780.

[KrutoyEegrok]

Get a 770 or if you prefer AMD get a 280X

[Prodigy22]

Get a 770 or if you prefer AMD get a 280X

Was definitely contemplating both of those but it seems like the price on the 280x is much more than any 770 iv seen. Iv seen some good prices on the 2GB Zotac 770, so leaning toward that. Also the new r9 280 is coming out sometime soon which fills the gap between the 270x and 280x, doubt the price would be worth it though. 

[dizmo]

Get a 770 or if you prefer AMD get a 280X

So much of this. 

You can get a 780 for $419.

[Prodigy22]

So much of this. 

You can get a 780 for $419.

$419? Please tell me where?

[mikeangeles 75]

$419? Please tell me where?

http://www.evga.com/Products/ProductList.aspx?type=8&family=GeForce+700+Series+Family

 

B-stock products doesn't come with accessories (I believe) and only comes with a 1 year warranty.

[Prodigy22]

http://www.evga.com/Products/ProductList.aspx?type=8&family=GeForce+700+Series+Family

 

B-stock products doesn't come with accessories (I believe) and only comes with a 1 year warranty.

Wow, I was unaware what a "b stock" product was, but damn thats not a bad deal. What "accessories" would I be losing out on tho?

[mikeangeles 75]

Wow, I was unaware what a "b stock" product was, but damn thats not a bad deal. What "accessories" would I be losing out on tho?

Whatever comes in the box I guess, even the SLI bridge. *sad

[dizmo]

Whatever comes in the box I guess, even the SLI bridge. *sad

Haha, yeah, saving that $170 is a real shame when it doesn't come with that $10 part...

 

Wow, I was unaware what a "b stock" product was, but damn thats not a bad deal. What "accessories" would I be losing out on tho?

Nothing useful or expensive.

I got an Nvidia branded 480 GTX the same way a few years ago. Not through EVGA, but directly from Nvidia. No accessories, just the card. Never noticed.

It's an excellent deal and something you should definitely consider.

It only has one year warranty but EVGA's warranty is top notch, and really, after a year you'll probably want to either upgrade, or you'll know the card isn't going to crap out. I've never had one die.

[mikeangeles 75]

Haha, yeah, saving that $170 is a real shame when it doesn't come with that $10 part...

 

Nothing useful or expensive.

I got an Nvidia branded 480 GTX the same way a few years ago. Not through EVGA, but directly from Nvidia. No accessories, just the card. Never noticed.

It's an excellent deal and something you should definitely consider.

It only has one year warranty but EVGA's warranty is top notch, and really, after a year you'll probably want to either upgrade, or you'll know the card isn't going to crap out. I've never had one die.

I NEED THE SLI BRIDGEEEEE. Joke.

[Prodigy22]

Haha, yeah, saving that $170 is a real shame when it doesn't come with that $10 part...

Nothing useful or expensive.

I got an Nvidia branded 480 GTX the same way a few years ago. Not through EVGA, but directly from Nvidia. No accessories, just the card. Never noticed.

It's an excellent deal and something you should definitely consider.

It only has one year warranty but EVGA's warranty is top notch, and really, after a year you'll probably want to either upgrade, or you'll know the card isn't going to crap out. I've never had one die.

Awesome thanks for the insight. Originally my plan was to get the 770, which I still can at a nice price point from b stock at $319 or 340 brand new Zotac 770 2GB. But now that I seen the $419 780 that's quite temping. My question is upgrading from the 7850 is it worth to go to the 780 rather than 770 for 100 bucks more?

[dizmo]

Awesome thanks for the insight. Originally my plan was to get the 770, which I still can at a nice price point from b stock at $319 or 340 brand new Zotac 770 2GB. But now that I seen the $419 780 that's quite temping. My question is upgrading from the 7850 is it worth to go to the 780 rather than 770 for 100 bucks more?

It's a 10 - 20% improvement over a 770.

Worth is completely subjective

[Skiiwee29]

Since you have a mITX case and platform, you should look at this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127772

[Faceman]

Awesome thanks for the insight. Originally my plan was to get the 770, which I still can at a nice price point from b stock at $319 or 340 brand new Zotac 770 2GB. But now that I seen the $419 780 that's quite temping. My question is upgrading from the 7850 is it worth to go to the 780 rather than 770 for 100 bucks more?

The actual in-game performance is going to be 10-20%.  However, the specifications of the 780 compared to the 770 are 50% greater in almost all important categories: Cuda Cores, Memory Bus Size, VRAM, and Capacitors which are actually 7.1 million compared to 3.5 million on the 770.

 

The reason I mention all of this is because the in game performance of 10-20% is not worth that additional $100, this is my own opinion, not everyone will share this point of view.  If I were to rationalize the purchase of a 780 over a 770 it would be longevity.  My style of computer building is to buy a rig, component by component and have it last me as long as possible. That additional $100 will give you some much needed headroom to be able to run future games.  The 770 is based on the 680, which is now almost 2 years old.  The 780 is much newer, and more powerful.

 

EVGA B-stock means they are refurbished, just be aware of this.  Many people are not bothered by this and will happily pay less for a manufacturer refurbished card with a 1 year warranty.  I just wanted you to be aware.

 

I think you need to address something else before you upgrade your GPU, and that is your power supply.  You mentioned you have a Corsair CX 500M.  This PSU will unfortunately not cut it for a 770 or a 780.  I personally have a CX600M and I would consider this the bare minimum required to run those cards.  Lots of people will say the CX series is not suitable for gaming, and yes it was not designed for a higher end system, but this is a very capable power supply when you are running just 1 GPU.  It probably has the best mix of price to performance to capability which summed up into one word, value.

[Prodigy22]

The actual in-game performance is going to be 10-20%. However, the specifications of the 780 compared to the 770 are 50% greater in almost all important categories: Cuda Cores, Memory Bus Size, VRAM, and Capacitors which are actually 7.1 million compared to 3.5 million on the 770.

The reason I mention all of this is because the in game performance of 10-20% is not worth that additional $100, this is my own opinion, not everyone will share this point of view. If I were to rationalize the purchase of a 780 over a 770 it would be longevity. My style of computer building is to buy a rig, component by component and have it last me as long as possible. That additional $100 will give you some much needed headroom to be able to run future games. The 770 is based on the 680, which is now almost 2 years old. The 780 is much newer, and more powerful.

EVGA B-stock means they are refurbished, just be aware of this. Many people are not bothered by this and will happily pay less for a manufacturer refurbished card with a 1 year warranty. I just wanted you to be aware.

I think you need to address something else before you upgrade your GPU, and that is your power supply. You mentioned you have a Corsair CX 500M. This PSU will unfortunately not cut it for a 770 or a 780. I personally have a CX600M and I would consider this the bare minimum required to run those cards. Lots of people will say the CX series is not suitable for gaming, and yes it was not designed for a higher end system, but this is a very capable power supply when you are running just 1 GPU. It probably has the best mix of price to performance to capability which summed up into one word, value.

Yes I forgot to mention that I'll be upgrading to a xfx xtr 650w PSU.

[Musikman]

The GTX 770 will be your best option unless you can get your hands on a cheap 780.

[KrutoyEegrok]

If you upgrade to a 770, it will still be a significant upgrade, but if you get a 780, and spend the 100 dollars, it will last longer as a good card. The same way that someone with a 680 basically now has a 770, if you have a 770 later it could be an 860 or like 865, but if you get a 780, it will be like an 870 later. So, spend the 100 dollars now, play games on high settings and it will be longer before you will have to play games at medium ish low settings and buy a new card, or buy the 770 and play medium ish high and wait a shorter amount of time before having to play games on mediumish low and buy a new card.

 

Now, without run-on sentences and fake words.

 

Save 100 now and buy the 770. Play games on medium to high settings and get a new card in 1.5 yrs to 2 (unless it dies)

 

Spend 100 now and buy the 780. Play games on high to ultra settings and get a new card in 2 to 3 yrs. (unless it dies)

 

 

IN the end, its up to you.

[KrutoyEegrok]

Yes I forgot to mention that I'll be upgrading to a xfx xtr 650w PSU.

If you look at OC3D on youtube, you will see one of his most recent videos, he has a 780 and a 4770K on 430W. 600 watts is PERFECT for a 780 or 770 if you want it to run quiet. THe fan wont spin up, and you will have some extra headroom for like a CPU upgrade, but dont think you can stick 2 GPUs under 600 unless they are like 760s or 750 tis