graphics card recommendations anyone?

[Akadi_Nor]

SO,,,

I'm in the process of building a computer, everything is running smoothly until

someone asks me "Hey Akadi, what graphics card are you going to get?"

So please people of the internet, suggest to me what I should spend my hard

earned money on, as I find equally good reviews for everything...

If its any reference, current PC specs are as follows...

Case; Bitfenix Shinobi

Motherboard; MSI H77MA-G43 mATX

Processor; Intel quadcore i5 3350P 3.1Ghz LGA1155

CPU Cooler; Antec h20 920

Just, please keep in mind that unless your going to buy it for me,

I'm not interested in cards costing more than about 280$ USD

Thanks everyone,

Akadi_Nor

[Tr3vor]

Next time, post this in the graphics card section.

You should bump your price limit up to $300, not 280. 280 is an odd price for a video card that leaves your stuck right in between 2 different price ranges of cards.

AMD Radeon 7950 or Nvidia GeForce 660 Ti is what I would go with.

[Dave :)]

What games are you going to play, on what resolution, and on how many screens?

[jamudin]

hd 7950, it goes around that price and clocks to a 7970

[ericlee30]

The AMD 7870GHz edition cards. Price around $249.99- $269.99

[jamudin]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

[ericlee30]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

You do understand that there is no 7930 right? and that the 7870GHz Edition is the one you are talking about, it may overclock to what the 7950. can do but the 7870 only has 2GB of memory and has 256-bit interface, which as the 7950 has 3GB of memory and a 384-bit interface, so saying the the 7870 is a 7950 is really not true. The 7870 is what I like to call a cross bread of a card

here is your version of the 7870 http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others

and here is mine http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150606&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

compare them and tell me how your card beats a 7870GHz Edition card

[jamudin]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

You do understand that there is no 7930 right? and that the 7870GHz Edition is the one you are talking about' date=' it may overclock to what the 7950. can do but the 7870 only has 2GB of memory and has 256-bit interface, which as the 7950 has 3GB of memory and a 384-bit interface, so saying the the 7870 is a 7950 is really not true. The 7870 is what I like to call a cross bread of a card here is your version of the 7870 [url']http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others and here is mine http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150606&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= compare them and tell me how your card beats a 7870GHz Edition card

The 7870(MYST--XT(LE) is what i am talking about

its a cut down 7900 processor--http://www.bjorn3d.com/2013/03/powercolor-hd-7870-myst-edition/#.UUUEmRynBPA

[jamudin]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

http://www.decryptedtech.com/forum01/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=2744-- review+benchmarks

[PCComputerGeek]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

Yes the HD 7870 XL/XT is an HD 7870 built on the HD 7900 PCB. It has fast memory clocks, samsung Vram, 1GHz+ Core clock, but it has a lower Vram and Bit interface. In most games it's very close to an HD 7950.

[ericlee30]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

Yes it is a cut down version of a 7900 pcb and it is cut down all right, 2GB on the memory and 256-bit on the interface as the 7950 and the 7970 have 3gb of memory and 384-bit interface, so tell me how you get a true 7900 card out of that, plus The 7870(MYST--XT(LE) card has a core clock of 925 w/ a boost clock of 975, the memory clock is clocked at 1500 which does beat the 7870GHz Edition but the GHz Edition is already clocked at 1050 on the core and you can smash that when over clocking it and I know for a fact that it can reach 1500 on the memory clock without raising the volts, so intense they are about equal with eachother when OCing if not the GHz Edition pulls ahead just buy a hair. Come on guys give me something hard to explain lol :) , The XT(LE) is a cross bread which can not come close to being a 7950 because it is messing 2 big key factors (1 extra GB of memory and 128-bit interface more on the 7950's and 7970's)

[jamudin]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

still the 7870 myst easily beats the 7870 GHz

Any ways what do you thinks happens when you OC a 7870 myst

[ericlee30]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

you get the same results as the 7870 GHz edition. Prove to me that the 7870 myst can oc 1700 on the memory clock, you know how I know that that is not likely. I have 3 7950's and only 1 can go up to 1200 on the core clock and 1700 on the memory clock with out bumping up the volts, I have 2 XFX 7950's, 1 Black Edition and 1 none Black edition, and I have a Sapphire 7950 Boost Edition. The Black Edition is the only on that can do 1200 on the core and 1700 on the memory, the non black edition oc's to 1200 on the core clock and 1600 on the memory clock, the Sapphire 1 sucks the worst and it gets 1200 on the core clock and 1525 on the memory clock without raising the volts. so if you can prove to me that the 7870 can do that the yes I will agree , :) oh and yeah some how the 7870 has to get 1 more GB on the memory and an extra 128-bits on it's interface in order to compete with the 7950's and the 7970's

[jamudin]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1651/pg4/sapphire-hd-7870-xt-with-boost-tahiti-le-graphics-card-review-3dmark-2011.html-- it hits 1760MHz at max oc

And i didnt mean 7950 performance i meant around that

[PCComputerGeek]

hd 7930--clocks to a 7950, easily beats 7870GHz, and 660ti

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=78372&vpn=AX7870%202GBD5-2DHPPV3E&manufacture=Others -- $230

It's a price/performance game Eric. Clearly an HD 7870 XT won't BEAT an HD 7950, well maybe a reference edition stock to stock. But for 230 an HD 7870 XT with maybe a 250MHz OC on it's core clock will come very close to an HD 7950 @ 1200/1500. To the point where is it worth an extra 70-100 dollars? The best HD 7950 with a custom cooler is the Sapphire one for 290. But it uses the HD 7950 PCB with lower grade Vram and 2x6 pin connectors. Yes my Vapor-X runs on the 7970PCB and at 1100/1500 will pull ahead of an HD 7870 XT @ 1200/1500 but is 5%-10% performance gain worth 100 bucks? 230 vs 330. My answer is generally not, not even the Cry Engine 3 can utilize the 3GB Vram unless you're at or above 1440p nor the 384 Bit well enough to justify a large difference. If there was a game that could utilize the HD 7950 to it's fullest, you'd see a 20-30% gain over the HD 7870 XT. Also the XT is about 10-15% ahead of the GHz edition at stock speeds.

[ericlee30]

The only thing that makes me thank that that is bogus, is the fact that AMD catalystst does not go up to 1425 on the core clock and 2000 on the memory clock. that is what Sapphire Trixx and MSI afterburner are for.

Here is the AMD catalyst that is at the bottom of the page you gave, and if you notice there is no monitor or what card is displaying which is also very odd as well. I personally call there page BS

Here is Mine from my actual rig and tell me what is different about there's compared to mine

[ericlee30]

That my friends is why I never believe anything on the internet :) I only believe what is real not what can be photo shopped.

Don't get me wrong do I think that the 7870's are good cards, heck yes they are but comparing a hybrid card to a real 7900 series card is like comparing apples to oranges

[Kev20914]

Next time, post this in the graphics card section.

You should bump your price limit up to $300, not 280. 280 is an odd price for a video card that leaves your stuck right in between 2 different price ranges of cards.

AMD Radeon 7950 or Nvidia GeForce 660 Ti is what I would go with.

its getting annoying.

[Akadi_Nor]

First, I'm going to apologize for not putting this in the GPU section...

I'm still fairly new, don't come here much, and don't have a long attent... sorry what?

Second... I really appreciate the help, and my current build can go up to about 300$ for a GPU i recalculated some totals...

Third, I'm mainly only interested in nvidia cards, I know amd is having a really good run right now, but i would very much like to stick with what i know... my next build will be on a radeon card... I promise.

Fourth, one of you asked what ill be using it for... my current plan is to use two 1920x1080 lcd panels, running programs like adobe premier, photoshop, minecraft, and other misc games.

Thanks again everyone...

Akadi_Nor

[Magic8Ball]

Since you edit on Premiere, it's probably a better idea to use Nvidia anyway. Cuda is your friend with that program. :) I think you'd do well with a 2GB or 3GB 660Ti. Any card with good reviews should do you just fine. Good luck!

[TechFan@ic]

First' date=' I'm going to apologize for not putting this in the GPU section... I'm still fairly new, don't come here much, and don't have a long attent... sorry what? Second... I really appreciate the help, and my current build can go up to about 300$ for a GPU i recalculated some totals... Third, I'm mainly only interested in nvidia cards, I know amd is having a really good run right now, but i would very much like to stick with what i know... my next build will be on a radeon card... I promise. Fourth, one of you asked what ill be using it for... my current plan is to use two 1920x1080 lcd panels, running programs like adobe premier, photoshop, minecraft, and other misc games. Thanks again everyone... Akadi_Nor [/quote']

If you have a budget of 280-300$ and you're "only" interested in Nvidia cards, why the heck ask for advice then? there is only one Nvidia card in that price range.

[TechFan@ic]

The only thing that makes me thank that that is bogus, is the fact that AMD catalystst does not go up to 1425 on the core clock and 2000 on the memory clock. that is what Sapphire Trixx and MSI afterburner are for.

Here is the AMD catalyst that is at the bottom of the page you gave, and if you notice there is no monitor or what card is displaying which is also very odd as well. I personally call there page BS

Here is Mine from my actual rig and tell me what is different about there's compared to mine

It's not fake mate, it's got to do with the maximum power limit on your vBios.

http://www.guru3d.com/miraserver/images/2012/r7800/Image1.png

http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1854/7770-overdrive.jpg

It differs with every card and with every different bios on the same card.

The power limit slider also affects it & it doesn't show up unless you've got a reference card or a card with a reference PCB.

[ericlee30]

The only thing that makes me thank that that is bogus, is the fact that AMD catalystst does not go up to 1425 on the core clock and 2000 on the memory clock. that is what Sapphire Trixx and MSI afterburner are for.

Here is the AMD catalyst that is at the bottom of the page you gave, and if you notice there is no monitor or what card is displaying which is also very odd as well. I personally call there page BS

Here is Mine from my actual rig and tell me what is different about there's compared to mine

You are right TechFan@ic, I just looked at my Sapphire card that I have and it is at 1200 on the core clock max and 1575 on the memory, tell me how that in catalyst on the 7870 Tahiti LE goes 1425 on the core clock and 2000 on the memory clock, and JW how does the Tahiti LE gets and oc past 1200 on the core and 1760 on the memory clock? most if not all 7950's can't do that. I'm mind boggled about that. I do think that it's still just a hybrid 7900 series card, not a real 7900 series card though. What do you think TechFan@ic?

I'm confused on your last statement though "The power limit slider also affects it & it doesn't show up unless you've got a reference card or a card with a reference PCB." My 2 XFX 7950's do have Reference PCB's but my Sapphire 7950 Boost Edition is not a reference PCB and on that card it still shows the Power limit slider and you can still adjust it.

[Testbuilds]

If you want the most performance for your money, go with a 7950 (sometimes available for $260 with Bioshock and Crysis 3 free). If you can't find that deal, try a 7870XT.

[Akadi_Nor]

First' date=' I'm going to apologize for not putting this in the GPU section... I'm still fairly new, don't come here much, and don't have a long attent... sorry what? Second... I really appreciate the help, and my current build can go up to about 300$ for a GPU i recalculated some totals... Third, I'm mainly only interested in nvidia cards, I know amd is having a really good run right now, but i would very much like to stick with what i know... my next build will be on a radeon card... I promise. Fourth, one of you asked what ill be using it for... my current plan is to use two 1920x1080 lcd panels, running programs like adobe premier, photoshop, minecraft, and other misc games. Thanks again everyone... Akadi_Nor [/quote'] If you have a budget of 280-300$ and you're "only" interested in Nvidia cards, why the heck ask for advice then? there is only one Nvidia card in that price range.

i have a budget up to 300$... eg... 0-300$

or i have an umlimited budget if you want to pay for it.