gpu Help deciding between 2 GPUs

[Tylerlay]

Hi I'm trying to decide between 2 graphics cards that I found on Craigslist(kind of my own super scrap yard wars deal so the retail price doesn't matter). the comparisons I saw on gpu boss arnt right and I couldn't find any other comparisons for the right cards

 

The first card is a

gigabyte 670 windforce 2gb

P# GV-N670OC-2GD

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16814125423

 

The second is a

HIS 7870

P# H787F2G2M

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16814161411

 

Can anyone let me know what would be the best card for when I eventual upgrade my system to a decent budget gaming pc? Currently I'm only looking at graphics cards but my current used pc I'm using has a

core 2 quad 

8gb ram

I believe the motherboard and psu are stock for a t3400 dell precision

 

I can only assume it was used for cad designing because it had 2 fx3700 quadros in it when I got it. I don't plan on upgrading the gpu for a while so I want to make sure I pick the one that will give me the best graphics for as long as it can. Despite the gpu being ancient in computer years.

 

From what I can't tell the 670 is the better card for gaming but the 7870 is better for crunching number? Would that make a difference when playing emulators?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

 

[DXMember]

get the cheapest one, emulators generally don't use GPU at all

[xgn]

Im guessing the nvidia card because of faster vram.

[Ridska]

First of all , Welcome to the Linus Tech Tips Forum , Great to have a new member.

second , Go with the Nvidia one , Faster Vram and better than a Redeon HD.

[Tylerlay]

Thanks Ridska! Nvidia it is! Thanks for the help everyone

[jwill58]

I know I'm just a newbie here, but I always go look for facts, and based on Toms Hardware "Desktop GPU Performance Hierarchy Table", these two cards are on the exact same level, meaning it probably wont make a giant difference either way. Some people like Nvidia better than Radeon, some people like Chevys over Fords. What do you like ?   Maybe use PC Parts Picker when you start that new system you mentioned, see whats most compatable. In the end, which one do you like besty. These are used. Maybe one has been OC'd more than the other. Ask questions and go with your gut. In the end , You're the one who must live with your decision. Hope this helps. :-) 

[ybriK]

670, much better and also less load on your CPU due to its poor IPC and AMD Drivers having a higher CPU overhead.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1034?vs=1349

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_670_review,22.html

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

Gidday @Tylerlay welcome to the forums!!

 I looked up the system you mentioned on the dell site it says...

"Support for Dual PCI Express x16 graphics cards up to 300 watts and with up to 768MB discrete graphics memory. All graphics cards support dual monitor configurations."

...and that bit in the middle...768MB discrete graphics memory....worries me. To me that says there is no point in putting better hardware into that particular mobo, maybe start saving for that system upgrade instead. Here the price of the GeForce GTX 670 AUD$80 to $150, that would buy a really good SSD that would speed up your boot times even though your interface is only SATA 3.0Gb/s (SSD would be double what the mobo can do!)

 

Not trying to be harsh just my op is all...