Which graphics card for (at least) console quality on workstation?

[armaneo]

I recently built my first PC.  I know very little about building PCs and computer hardware generally, know nothing about GPUs, and can't seem to grasp how you go about selecting one.  I initally thought that the PC would be just a workstation for the bare essentials, such as Citrix, word processing, surfing, watching 1080p video, and very light photoshopping.  So, I bought the following parts (see assembled PC below):

• CPU: Intel Core i3-4370 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
• Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
• Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
• Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
• Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
• Case: Inwin 901 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
• Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
• Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($19.99 @ Amazon)

I'm left wanting more.  I feel like I didn't do enough.  Now that I'm done building, I realize that I would really like to game on the machine (if that is even possible).  I toyed with the idea of buying a PS4 this last weekend, but decided against it. 

 

So, with that said, what graphics card could I possibly put in this machine to give me--at least--console quality gaming?  Budget is $200, so if I can go higher, I'm all for it.  I believe I can put a full size card in there.  I would also like to avoid using something that would require more sophisticated cooling, because I don't know/think I can do that on this case.  I dont know if it matters, but I have an older Samsung 1080p monitor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001314).

 

[JoaoPRSousa]

GTX 750 Ti is what I would get

[ELSknutson]

just throw a GTX 970 in it and you will be fine

[Jade]

R7 260x / 750Ti can easily match it. Just because of how cheap it is now, you might as well buy a r9 270X.

 

 

just throw a GTX 970 in it and you will be fine

That's not really good advice. That's literally two times the price of the lower end GPUs that can even beat consoles.

[ThatAngryGnome]

What's your budget? Consider an R9 270x for an amazing price to performance ratio and a better-than-PS4 graphics quality. 

[SuperPug]

R9 280X is pretty cheap, waaay more powerful than consoles and will should last you a while @1080p

 

Edit: Theres a forum member called 1080p? well i just mentioned you in this post i guess lol

[ThatAngryGnome]

That's not really good advice. That's literally two times the price of the lower end GPUs that can even beat consoles.

Well, he did buy the InWin 901, so he could have a higher budget.

[Jade]

Well, he did buy the InWin 901, so he could have a higher budget.

Could, yes. But he asked for "at least." The clear answer for the budget of around $300 is the 970. It's praised so highly that this wouldn't be even a question if the budget was that far up there. Also, he didn't say gaming or 3d work, so I'm 200% sure he doesn't need a 970.

[Sauron]

bang-for-the-buck: R9 270, great card, great price

 

power efficiency: gtx 750ti

 

Both cards are better than a ps4, the 270 has better price/performance but the 750ti has better performance/watt

[armaneo]

Well, he did buy the InWin 901, so he could have a higher budget.

 

Wait, the GTX 970 is $350 at base?  No.  Definitely no.  I can't swing that.  My budge is probably $200 at the top end.

[armaneo]

Could, yes. But he asked for "at least." The clear answer for the budget of around $300 is the 970. It's praised so highly that this wouldn't be even a question if the budget was that far up there. Also, he didn't say gaming or 3d work, so I'm 200% sure he doesn't need a 970.

 

Just to be clear, yes for gaming.  No for 3D.

[armaneo]

R7 260x / 750Ti can easily match it. Just because of how cheap it is now, you might as well buy a r9 270X.

 

 

That's not really good advice. That's literally two times the price of the lower end GPUs that can even beat consoles.

 

Really sorry, but I have a dumb question.  When I'm researching these cards, say, for example, on Newegg.  And, I type in R9 270X, I get multiple manufacturers (e.g., Saphire, MSI, Asus) that have cards with that text in the name.  Are these essentially the same cards, but from different manufacturers?  I don't really get why that would be, but I can go with it.

[MoonSpot]

Really sorry, but I have a dumb question.  When I'm researching these cards, say, for example, on Newegg.  And, I type in R9 270X, I get multiple manufacturers (e.g., Saphire, MSI, Asus) that have cards with that text in the name.  Are these essentially the same cards, but from different manufacturers?  I don't really get why that would be, but I can go with it.

 

AMD makes the GPU chip itself and third parties/partners have their own solutions attached for better cooling, overclocking and even different I/O's

 

R9 285 is a current mid range card that the odd time can be had for $200.  Has a decent amount of claimed future feature support and uses less power.  Worth looking at, and the one I'd probably get if a new video card was a possibility for me.

 

[WoodenMarker]

Really sorry, but I have a dumb question.  When I'm researching these cards, say, for example, on Newegg.  And, I type in R9 270X, I get multiple manufacturers (e.g., Saphire, MSI, Asus) that have cards with that text in the name.  Are these essentially the same cards, but from different manufacturers?  I don't really get why that would be, but I can go with it.

They are different cards built around the same gpu.

I'd suggest getting a 285 if you can afford it: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-axr92852gbd5tdhe

Otherwise, the 270 will be fine but is a worse value atm: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/club-3d-video-card-cgaxr927614

[Sauron]

Really sorry, but I have a dumb question.  When I'm researching these cards, say, for example, on Newegg.  And, I type in R9 270X, I get multiple manufacturers (e.g., Saphire, MSI, Asus) that have cards with that text in the name.  Are these essentially the same cards, but from different manufacturers?  I don't really get why that would be, but I can go with it.

 

AMD and NVIDIA provide the gpus themselves (although they don't always produce them personally), then each manufacturer slaps the chips on their own card design OR adopt the reference specifications. Reference cards are all identical, custom models are not.

 

 

Both of these are R9 290s (I have the first one btw ^^), but sapphire and asus chose to use different (and hopefully better-performing) coolers and pcbs from the reference design. Usually there isn't a huge difference in terms of performance between aftermarket coolers, so it's often safe to say you should get the cheapest. Reference designs can be pretty good (like the ones nvidia uses on 980s and such) and are usually better for multi-card scenarios because they exhaust heat out of the case instead of circulating air inside it, however some particular cards (for example the R9 290) have mediocre reference cooling solutions (meaning loud and/or not very effective) and getting an aftermarket design is a better choice even for a small price premium.

 

For R9 270s and gtx 750tis (the 750tis in particular) it honestly doesn't matter what cooler you get. Buy the cheapest, baring in mind some coolers for the 750ti add the need for a 6-pin power cable (normally 750tis can run just off of the pcie slot's power).

[armaneo]

Thanks everyone for the great advice.  I'm either going with the GTX 750 Ti or the R9 270/280/285 (not sure which one yet). 

 

Last question (I think): Will any other part of my PC bottleneck gaming performance?  For instance, I have one middling 4GB ram stick from Crucial.  Will that suffice for something like an R9 285? 

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks everyone for the great advice.  I'm either going with the GTX 750 Ti or the R9 270/280/285 (not sure which one yet). 

Last question (I think): Will any other part of my PC bottleneck gaming performance?  For instance, I have one middling 4GB ram stick from Crucial.  Will that suffice for something like an R9 285? 

The 750 Ti isn't really worth getting.

4GB might not be enough for some games but wouldn't bottleneck your graphics card.

[SoftenButterCream]

Well desktop graphics will beat out consoles, but consoles are optimzied better. But go for a r9 280

[Clarkey]

Dont get the 750ti. The 280 is much better for not a huge amount more and its in your budget.

[MoonSpot]

Just to egg ya on a bit with more of my thoughts on these cards when I was trying to pick a card for myself a little while ago.

4k, mantle, freesync. 285 may cost a bit more then the other offerings in this bracket(which are notably all last gen or older), but when tomorrow comes she'll be able to allow you to partake in tomorrows tech unlike the others. And even if you don't invest into that other newer tech with this card, you'll still have the extra utility and greater potential for resale or better yet for use in a 4k htpc later(H265 may change that, but that's pretty far up in the air IMO at this point).
All that while remaining a value card makes it a pretty enticing offering.

[FruitBasketSilex]

AMD and NVIDIA provide the gpus themselves (although they don't always produce them personally), then each manufacturer slaps the chips on their own card design OR adopt the reference specifications. Reference cards are all identical, custom models are not.

Both of these are R9 290s (I have the first one btw ^^), but sapphire and asus chose to use different (and hopefully better-performing) coolers and pcbs from the reference design. Usually there isn't a huge difference in terms of performance between aftermarket coolers, so it's often safe to say you should get the cheapest. Reference designs can be pretty good (like the ones nvidia uses on 980s and such) and are usually better for multi-card scenarios because they exhaust heat out of the case instead of circulating air inside it, however some particular cards (for example the R9 290) have mediocre reference cooling solutions (meaning loud and/or not very effective) and getting an aftermarket design is a better choice even for a small price premium.

For R9 270s and gtx 750tis (the 750tis in particular) it honestly doesn't matter what cooler you get. Buy the cheapest, baring in mind some coolers for the 750ti add the need for a 6-pin power cable (normally 750tis can run just off of the pcie slot's power).

What is that second GPU, the trifan one? It is GORGEOUS.

[Sauron]

What is that second GPU, the trifan one? It is GORGEOUS.

 

A sapphire R9 290 tri-x http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/sapphire-r9-290-tri-x-oc-review-1600p-ultra-hd-4k/ the second best R9 290 on the market, often more expensive than the asus one above it but cooler. The only R9 290 that surpasses it is its bigger cousin, the sapphire vapor-x:

 

[zlolslavez]

If you are comparing the four choices you picked 

 

 

Thanks everyone for the great advice.  I'm either going with the GTX 750 Ti or the R9 270/280/285 (not sure which one yet). 

The GTX 750 Ti best compares to the R9 270. It is strictly worse than the R9 270, 280, and 285, but cost ~ $30-40 USD less for maybe around 5-15 FPS in High/Ultra settings 1080p fps difference (compared to 270).

If you are working in 4k, or want that extra kick in gaming, or don't have a small budget, I would pick up a R9 270 80 or 85. But other than that the 750 TI isn't THAT MUCH worse than the other cards for the cheaper price. I personally own a 270x and it plays most "average esports games" such as LoL and CS:GO 60 FPS 1080p Ultra.

[armaneo]

What is that second GPU, the trifan one? It is GORGEOUS.

 

Those Sapphire tri-fan models are so awesome (looking), especially with the slick backplates.  Unfortunately, none will fit my case as they are too long.  Damn.

 

*edit* - oh wait, nevermind.  Those tri-fan models require 750w minimum! lol.  I'm not even in the ballpark.

[dragoon20005]

Those Sapphire tri-fan models are so awesome (looking), especially with the slick backplates.  Unfortunately, none will fit my case as they are too long.  Damn.

Have you look at the Sapphire R9 285?

 

It an in between card of the 280 and 280x but uses a less power hungry GPU

 

there is an iTX version which is great for HTPC