Choosing a graphics card

[xDanielxOossiex]

Hello guys! I am going to build a pc myself in a few months (I hope) and I need to choose a graphics card.

I'm a huge Nvidia fan (as you can see, my profile pic) and I don't think I will buy an AMD gpu.

I first wanted a GTX 750 Ti, after that I wanted to buy a GTX 760 or 770. When Nvidia has released the 900 series, I wanted a GTX 970 (also because I built a pc for my friend with a GTX 970) but now that I watched some videos, I want the GTX 960 with 4GB.

These are some games I own: BF3, BF4, DayZ I own these games but I just can't play them on my laptop with i5 3230M, Intel HD 4000 and 8GB RAM. Also I want to buy GTA5 for PC.

 

What do you guys think I should get? A GTX 960 4GB or a GTX 970 3.5GB? I know GTA5 loves VRAM.

 

Thanks if you help me out!

[Comessy]

The 970 will always be better than 960 no matter how much vram you throw at it.

[DimasRMDO]

Hello guys! I am going to build a pc myself in a few months (I hope) and I need to choose a graphics card.

I'm a huge Nvidia fan (as you can see, my profile pic) and I don't think I will buy an AMD gpu.

I first wanted a GTX 750 Ti, after that I wanted to buy a GTX 760 or 770. When Nvidia has released the 900 series, I wanted a GTX 970 (also because I built a pc for my friend with a GTX 970) but now that I watched some videos, I want the GTX 960 with 4GB.

These are some games I own: BF3, BF4, DayZ I own these games but I just can't play them on my laptop with i5 3230M, Intel HD 4000 and 8GB RAM. Also I want to buy GTA5 for PC.

 

What do you guys think I should get? A GTX 960 4GB or a GTX 970 3.5GB? I know GTA5 loves VRAM.

 

Thanks if you help me out!

GTX 970 has better specs, despite its VRAM issue. It performs beautifully in most games, therefore it's better.

[Lolzious]

maxed out at 1080p (with no filters) GTA 5 uses nearly 3gb of VRAM

I would get the 970 despite the whole vram gate thing.

[Reno2792]

Definitely 970. It's also a much better bang for your buck

[AdamH96]

970! I have both BF3 and BF4 and it runs VERY fast at ULTRA settings!

[Monarch]

960 doesn't even have enough horsepower to utilize 4 GB. Not at playable framerates. Get the 970. It's fine for GTA V at 1080p, and I've heard there are no issues with it running at 1440p either.

[xDanielxOossiex]

Or do you guys think I should wait for the GTX 970 6/8 GB?

[DimasRMDO]

Or do you guys think I should wait for the GTX 970 6/8 GB?

If it's going to be released then it's wiser to wait in my opinion.

[IateMApoo]

Maybe 290X ? Its as powerful as 970 and has full 4GB.

[incarnate]

the whole ramgate thing is a dead horse beaten with a red herring. look at all the 970 owners that have the card. most of them love it. myself included. it is a fantastic card for a great price. if you are gaming at 1080p there is no issue to speak of (from my experience, including Shadow of Mordor with ultra textures). it is definitely better than any 960 and has more features than a 290x (including full dx 12 support vs partial) more frequent driver updates etc.

 

if amd is an option it shouldn't be anything currently offered as the 300 series is so close. there are valid arguments to make for waiting for it. however the memory structure of the 970 is pretty much a non issue especially at 1080p, but prices will be high on the 390/390x models since low HBM memory yields will mean shortages of cards which will have higher demand than supply.... the 380/380x will be similar in performance to the 290/290x if not being simply rebranded cards, but they will offer full dx 12 support. if the .5 gigabytes of slow vram is really too much of a problem, then my recommendation would be to wait for the amd 300 series.

 

as to your other question, waiting for an 8gb model, no i don't think it would be worth waiting. nvidia cards (all cards really) charge a pretty high premium for a ram increase. this increase in ram would only help ward off fringe cases of performance problems. in my opinion it wouldn't be worth the cost or the wait. especially since it wouldn't really increase performance in games.

 

in the end it is your call. i was kind of in your situation myself wondering if going with a 970 was a good idea or if i should go with a 290. i learned the nature of the problem with the memory, opened my eyes and started paying attention to actual owners of the card. yes some people had an issue with the card causing stuttering and poor performance. the reality is however that the vast majority didn't.

 

if you plan on ultra wide screen gaming or 4k then ya, going with a 970 isn't a good idea. but you're other option was a 960 which causes me to believe you're shooting for 1080p, and at 1080p the 970 is just absolutely fantastic. i should know, that's the resolution i play at too

[xDanielxOossiex]

Maybe 290X ? Its as powerful as 970 and has full 4GB.

As I said, I'm a big Nvidia fan and I know a lot more about Nvidia than AMD GPUs.

[IateMApoo]

As I said, I'm a big Nvidia fan and I know a lot more about Nvidia than AMD GPUs.

Its useful to be fan of both brands.

[sgloux3470]

Hello guys! I am going to build a pc myself in a few months (I hope) and I need to choose a graphics card.

I'm a huge Nvidia fan (as you can see, my profile pic) and I don't think I will buy an AMD gpu.

I first wanted a GTX 750 Ti, after that I wanted to buy a GTX 760 or 770. When Nvidia has released the 900 series, I wanted a GTX 970 (also because I built a pc for my friend with a GTX 970) but now that I watched some videos, I want the GTX 960 with 4GB.

These are some games I own: BF3, BF4, DayZ I own these games but I just can't play them on my laptop with i5 3230M, Intel HD 4000 and 8GB RAM. Also I want to buy GTA5 for PC.

 

What do you guys think I should get? A GTX 960 4GB or a GTX 970 3.5GB? I know GTA5 loves VRAM.

 

Thanks if you help me out!

 

 

Just get the 2 GB 960.  GTA V only uses a ton of VRAM if you crank shadows and AA up to absurd levels.  And if you want to do that, you're going to need a more powerful card than a 960.

[incarnate]

As I said, I'm a big Nvidia fan and I know a lot more about Nvidia than AMD GPUs.

 

if you want to stick with nvidia, then just ask yourself, do you want to save money for a 980, sacrifice performance for a 960 or just get the 970? if you're playing at 1080p or even 1440p you'll be fine with a 970. the whole ramgate thing got blown way out of proportion.

[xDanielxOossiex]

Ok, thank you guys! I think I'm going to get the GTX 970! But now, from what brand should I choose? I like EVGA, Gigabyte and ASUS.