MMORPG+ Build

[xxrod17xx]

Hi guys, I am inexperienced with hardware and I currently am using a build that is coming up on 7 years old that I pieced(sorta, friend help with compatibility) out, but did not build myself.  It is time for an upgrade for sure. It is a Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @2.4ghz with 4 GB of DDR2 RAN at 1333(I believe) Running Windows 8.1 Pro with a Geforce 9600GSO.  My motherboard is an ASUS P5QL-E that I cannot update drivers for anymore now that I am using Windows 8.  I have a cable internet service and an ASUS RT-N66U Dark Knight wired currently.  I am going to attempt to put my first build together and this is what I got for you:

 

Location and Budget

I live in the United States, and my budget isn't really all that important as my aims shouldn't be so high that I would need an expensive build, but lets say ~$2000US.  If i upgraded Vista to Windows 8 Pro, do I need to buy a new copy for the new build?  That would factor into budget.

 

Aims

MMO gaming(Dual Clienting), SimCity, Internet Browsing, Twitch Streaming(maybe), Speadsheets, and if it ever comes back to the US Online Poker (data basing of Hand History's (basically a few million textfiles))

 

I currently play Ultima Online dual clienting (i know i know its old, but for whatever reason I love it), I am playing the Enhanced Client which is a little more of a graphics upgrade and with a UI that seems to slow down my current build a bit.  The recommended specs are:

Recommended Specs

Operating System:

• Windows XP or Vista

CPU:

• Intel Core 2 Duo 1800 MHz or
• AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1000MHz

RAM:

• 1024 MB or more

Video:

• 128 MB 3D graphics card
• NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6600 class card or above
• ATI® Radeon™ x1500 or above

 

I also play SimCity 5 and Civ 5.  I may in the future want to play the Elder Scrolls Online MMORPG if it ever comes out and that is a huge step up from what I am playing now I would assume.  The only other thing is I would like to be able to browse the internet a bit while playing and possibly be streaming on twitch, but that is not essential if it complicates things (i kinda just wanted to try it and see if I liked it)

 

From what I have read around is my RAM and my Hard Drive choices are key in improving the performance of my MMO experience.

 

For poker, the actual client is not a concern as much as the HUD (Heads Up Display) and HH (Hand History) software that runs side by side with it, basically the client creates a text file for each hand played and the software takes that file and breaks down the information into all different stats that you can look up later or actually have displayed on screen for each player you're playing against. While online poker is unlikely to be legal in FL or the entire US in the near future this is much less of a requirement of this build, but if it is easy to add this functionality just in case here are the requirements for the current version(while they dont state anything about HDD's or SSD's I know the speed of your hard drive is a huge factor in how fast this software functions):

 

Optimal System Requirements:

 

 

CPU:

  Intel Core i5 or i7 multi-core 64-bit processor

RAM:

  8+ GB

 

Monitors

 

I will be running two, although I will likely stick with my Samsung Syncmaster 2494's for now as I don't play anything that needs epic FPS or Resolution I don't think.  It gets me to 1920X1080.  

 

Peripherals 

 

I do need a new keyboard and mouse, but I am waiting for the Corsair Vengeance K95 to come out with Cherry MX Browns, and I could use a mouse, but i really like the razor I have now.  If you want to factor cases into this section I have my heart set on the Corsair Obsidian 750D, its just Secksy, but I currently am using a Coolermaster Cosmos, so if you feel I can just re-use that to save money I would consider it, but I would like to go a bit smaller case wise so I can have it on my desk not on the ground (I have cats).

 

Reasons for Upgrading

 

Rubber banding all the time playing online (maybe an upgraded NIC would help???), coming into the current age (cant update motherboard drivers for windows 8, cant update ram really either (would still need DDR2, cant find the kit i have to add up to 8)) better multi-tasking, making use of an ssd for speed, possible upgrade in the PC games I play, unlikely but possible multitasking playing online poker.  I currently had a few parts in mind:

 

Motherboard:

 

Asus Z-87 Sabertooth Tuff Series

 

CPU

Haswell, but dunno which I really need (def don't need to overclock)

 

Ram

 

I'm guessing 2X8 16gb at 1866ish?  Found some nice Corsair Vengeance Pro stuff

 

GPU

 

I have no idea

 

Storage

 

a 120-240gb boot drive that I put my MMO and other games on (maybe would have to add more if I played online I don't know)

and possibly a HDD for more mass storage (maybe this for poker, pictures, video)  Is this how I maximize speed and what you buy ssds for?

 

 

I am sorry for length, but I wanted to give you all the information I have.  What are your thoughts?

 

[AlwaysFSX]

You know, for $2k for an mmo computer you can copy my exact build, throw away two of the monitors, and you're golden

 

I'm not sure if upgrading your NIC will alter your online experience much unless it's an olddddddddddd 56k modem.

[ShadowRaven]

Hi guys, I am inexperienced with hardware and I currently am using a build that is coming up on 7 years old that I pieced(sorta, friend help with compatibility) out, but did not build myself.  It is time for an upgrade for sure. It is a Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @2.4ghz with 4 GB of DDR2 RAN at 1333(I believe) Running Windows 8.1 Pro with a Geforce 9600GSO.  My motherboard is an ASUS P5QL-E that I cannot update drivers for anymore now that I am using Windows 8.  I have a cable internet service and an ASUS RT-N66U Dark Knight wired currently.  I am going to attempt to put my first build together and this is what I got for you:

 

Location and Budget

I live in the United States, and my budget isn't really all that important as my aims shouldn't be so high that I would need an expensive build, but lets say ~$2000US.  If i upgraded Vista to Windows 8 Pro, do I need to buy a new copy for the new build?  That would factor into budget.

 

Aims

MMO gaming(Dual Clienting), SimCity, Internet Browsing, Twitch Streaming(maybe), Speadsheets, and if it ever comes back to the US Online Poker (data basing of Hand History's (basically a few million textfiles))

 

I currently play Ultima Online dual clienting (i know i know its old, but for whatever reason I love it), I am playing the Enhanced Client which is a little more of a graphics upgrade and with a UI that seems to slow down my current build a bit.  The recommended specs are:

Recommended Specs

Operating System:

• Windows XP or Vista

CPU:

• Intel Core 2 Duo 1800 MHz or
• AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1000MHz

RAM:

• 1024 MB or more

Video:

• 128 MB 3D graphics card
• NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6600 class card or above
• ATI® Radeon™ x1500 or above

 

I also play SimCity 5 and Civ 5.  I may in the future want to play the Elder Scrolls Online MMORPG if it ever comes out and that is a huge step up from what I am playing now I would assume.  The only other thing is I would like to be able to browse the internet a bit while playing and possibly be streaming on twitch, but that is not essential if it complicates things (i kinda just wanted to try it and see if I liked it)

 

From what I have read around is my RAM and my Hard Drive choices are key in improving the performance of my MMO experience.

 

For poker, the actual client is not a concern as much as the HUD (Heads Up Display) and HH (Hand History) software that runs side by side with it, basically the client creates a text file for each hand played and the software takes that file and breaks down the information into all different stats that you can look up later or actually have displayed on screen for each player you're playing against. While online poker is unlikely to be legal in FL or the entire US in the near future this is much less of a requirement of this build, but if it is easy to add this functionality just in case here are the requirements for the current version(while they dont state anything about HDD's or SSD's I know the speed of your hard drive is a huge factor in how fast this software functions):

 

Optimal System Requirements:

 

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5 or i7 multi-core 64-bit processor

RAM:  8+ GB

Monitors

 

I will be running two, although I will likely stick with my Samsung Syncmaster 2494's for now as I don't play anything that needs epic FPS or Resolution I don't think.  It gets me to 1920X1080.  

 

Peripherals 

 

I do need a new keyboard and mouse, but I am waiting for the Corsair Vengeance K95 to come out with Cherry MX Browns, and I could use a mouse, but i really like the razor I have now.  If you want to factor cases into this section I have my heart set on the Corsair Obsidian 750D, its just Secksy, but I currently am using a Coolermaster Cosmos, so if you feel I can just re-use that to save money I would consider it, but I would like to go a bit smaller case wise so I can have it on my desk not on the ground (I have cats).

 

Reasons for Upgrading

 

Rubber banding all the time playing online (maybe an upgraded NIC would help???), coming into the current age (cant update motherboard drivers for windows 8, cant update ram really either (would still need DDR2, cant find the kit i have to add up to 8)) better multi-tasking, making use of an ssd for speed, possible upgrade in the PC games I play, unlikely but possible multitasking playing online poker.  I currently had a few parts in mind:

 

Motherboard:

 

Asus Z-87 Sabertooth Tuff Series

 

CPU

Haswell, but dunno which I really need (def don't need to overclock)

 

Ram

 

I'm guessing 2X8 16gb at 1866ish?  Found some nice Corsair Vengeance Pro stuff

 

GPU

 

I have no idea

 

Storage

 

a 120-240gb boot drive that I put my MMO and other games on (maybe would have to add more if I played online I don't know)

and possibly a HDD for more mass storage (maybe this for poker, pictures, video)  Is this how I maximize speed and what you buy ssds for?

 

 

I am sorry for length, but I wanted to give you all the information I have.  What are your thoughts?

Here is my suggestion for a modern gaming system 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XvaT

 

 

[spoiler=

]

[xxrod17xx]

Here is my suggestion for a modern gaming system 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XvaT

 

 

[spoiler=

]

 

Few questions, as a newbie to this stuff, AMD GPUs are fine with intel chipsets right?

 

Why did you go with the i-5 k?  I literally know nothing about overclocking should I be going with a K version or just the normal one? 

 

So why AMD over Nvidia or whomever makes the G760-770 780s

[ShadowRaven]

Few questions, as a newbie to this stuff, AMD GPUs are fine with intel chipsets right?

 

Why did you go with the i-5 k?  I literally know nothing about overclocking should I be going with a K version or just the normal one? 

 

So why AMD over Nvidia or whomever makes the G760-770 780s

my response to your questions 1 yes it is fine to pair together & vise versa   2 basically the same  except that the i5 works better with the games 3   no bios I also like NVidia I think this card is good too

 

[WoodenMarker]

You stick your os and programs on the ssd. You will notice the difference right away. Everything seems faster and more seamless.

 

You're going overkill here. What you want to run is very, very light. Even the dual client thing. 

My recommendations: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XDVE

This is still quite overkill and will max out many games for quite a while.

[Yoinkerman]

I like this build, however I'd swap the 120gb for a 240gb (more room for games, plus you have the budget)  And a 280x.  The 280x is current gen, marginally more than that 7950, and will be very strong for many years.  I would also grab a arctic cooling alpine 11 pro because it's super quiet, very inexpensive, and performs a bit better than stock cooling.

 

You stick your os and programs on the ssd. You will notice the difference right away. Everything seems faster and more seamless.

 

You're going overkill here. What you want to run is very, very light. Even the dual client thing. 

My recommendations: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XDVE

This is still quite overkill and will max out many games for quite a while.

[WoodenMarker]

I like this build, however I'd swap the 120gb for a 240gb (more room for games, plus you have the budget)  And a 280x.  The 280x is current gen, marginally more than that 7950, and will be very strong for many years.  I would also grab a arctic cooling alpine 11 pro because it's super quiet, very inexpensive, and performs a bit better than stock cooling.

You shouldn't be putting games on the ssd. 

Also, the 280x is literally a rebrand of the 7970--same card.

The stock cooler is actually pretty quiet as long as your case has decent cooling. The Define R4 is definitely decent at this even if it isn't stellar.

If you want to get a 280x, you'd need a bigger psu for overclocking room. It's not worth the extra money. 

[Yoinkerman]

For the $50 more a 240gb costs, why not put games on the ssd?  

 

280x is a 7970 yes, but you've got a 7950 in there.  for $30 more he can get a 7970, or $50 more get a 280x.  it will last longer before he's unhappy with it.

 

for $13 the arctic cooling fan doesn't ever get loud.

 

plus he's not overclocking.  even then a 600w corsair is like $54.

 

You shouldn't be putting games on the ssd. 

Also, the 280x is literally a rebrand of the 7970--same card.

The stock cooler is actually pretty quiet as long as your case has decent cooling. The Define R4 is definitely decent at this even if it isn't stellar.

If you want to get a 280x, you'd need a bigger psu for overclocking room. It's not worth the extra money. 

[WoodenMarker]

For the $50 more a 240gb costs, why not put games on the ssd?  

280x is a 7970 yes, but you've got a 7950 in there.  for $30 more he can get a 7970, or $50 more get a 280x.  it will last longer before he's unhappy with it.

for $13 the arctic cooling fan doesn't ever get loud.

 

plus he's not overclocking.  even then a 600w corsair is like $54.

There's little point putting games on the ssd. Also, the op is mostly playing mmorpg's that for the most part don't benefit whatsoever from the ssd. 

The 7950 is overkill as is. Also, I said you'd need a better/more expensive psu. It's not worth the money. 

The stock cooler is pretty much just as quiet as the arctic cooler for the most part in the Define R4. No point in wasting money. He can always get a quieter cooler if he finds it too loud.

He should be overclocking. An oc'ed 7950 passes the stock 7970. The cx600 is $54 after rebate. 

[xxrod17xx]

Thanks for the responses guys!  

 

Few more questions, I have been loyal to NVIDIA all my life, prolly going to stay loyal, what is a comprable to the AMD GPU's you've mentioned?

 

Second, all I hear about SSD's is sick load time, I do play other games CIV 5 from steam takes like a year to load now so I would think I would want sim city and civ 5 on there.  

 

I am all about saving money here and there, but I have the budget and I am looking to get another 6 or so years out of this build, I don't think I will ever play a AAA game(I am not into shooters), but I don't want to be behind the times if a decent game I want to play comes out and my "new build" isn't up to snuff.  I also want a full size case and motherboard, I don't know why, but I am not into the mini and micro ATX stuff.  I have a bedroom that is converted into my office so if I have the space why not use it?  

 

WM, I appreciate the crap out of your responses and the pclist, but if I can use a chip, board, and gpu that is a little more high end won't it keep me happy longer?  Your build is half of my budget, which pumps me up because a tweak here and there, bringing it up to full sized ATX and I can likely come pretty far under budget.

 

I don't know how much the haswell chipset helps with efficiency, but I want to run as efficient as I can, and it seems the new chips are really doing a good job of that.  I was assuming I would be going for the higher end i-5(non-K) or the i-7 4770 or whatever, I know I don't need them now, but what about later if I do decided to play Elder Scrolls Online or poker comes back and I will require some more multi-tasking?  I am not looking for what the minimums or what will work for the next two years, I want something that will last a bit, although I know there is no such thing as being future proof.  

 

Also I am sure this is way overboard, and forgive me because I am excited, but I am having so much fun running different stuff in my head, but I really want to try and use the Corsair h100i it seems pretty easy to use and, um, awesome...talk me down if you have to but I think it would be fun to cool with this.

 

Again, my thoughts are everywhere, sorry and thanks for the help so far everyone!

[WoodenMarker]

Few more questions, I have been loyal to NVIDIA all my life, prolly going to stay loyal, what is a comprable to the AMD GPU's you've mentioned?

 

Second, all I hear about SSD's is sick load time, I do play other games CIV 5 from steam takes like a year to load now so I would think I would want sim city and civ 5 on there.  

 

I am all about saving money here and there, but I have the budget and I am looking to get another 6 or so years out of this build, I don't think I will ever play a AAA game(I am not into shooters), but I don't want to be behind the times if a decent game I want to play comes out and my "new build" isn't up to snuff.  I also want a full size case and motherboard, I don't know why, but I am not into the mini and micro ATX stuff.  I have a bedroom that is converted into my office so if I have the space why not use it?  

 

WM, I appreciate the crap out of your responses and the pclist, but if I can use a chip, board, and gpu that is a little more high end won't it keep me happy longer?  Your build is half of my budget, which pumps me up because a tweak here and there, bringing it up to full sized ATX and I can likely come pretty far under budget.

 

I don't know how much the haswell chipset helps with efficiency, but I want to run as efficient as I can, and it seems the new chips are really doing a good job of that.  I was assuming I would be going for the higher end i-5(non-K) or the i-7 4770 or whatever, I know I don't need them now, but what about later if I do decided to play Elder Scrolls Online or poker comes back and I will require some more multi-tasking?  I am not looking for what the minimums or what will work for the next two years, I want something that will last a bit, although I know there is no such thing as being future proof.  

 

Also I am sure this is way overboard, and forgive me because I am excited, but I am having so much fun running different stuff in my head, but I really want to try and use the Corsair h100i it seems pretty easy to use and, um, awesome...talk me down if you have to but I think it would be fun to cool with this.

At the moment, AMD simply has similar or better performance for the same amount of money for the most part.

Go Nvidia if you really want PhysX, G sync, or are getting an Nvidia Shield. 

 

You get better performance for your money if you upgrade as you need to instead of just spending more because you feel like it and not upgrading for 6 years.

If you must get a full tower case, that's fine. I do warn you that it's an easily regrettable decision after comparing it to a smaller case for handling and overall convenience.

 

Getting a higher end cpu or mobo will give little to no tangible improvements. The next 'better gpu' that you would even be a big enough upgrade from the 7950 would be the 290x or 780. Those cards aren't meant for 1080p. It'd be overkill for that.

 

The xeon I recommended is basically an i7 without integrated graphics and runs cooler with less energy. It is plenty for gaming and multitasking. It will last at the very least more than 2 years.

 

The h100i will give pretty much no performance boost unless you're overclocking. The stock h100i fans are also quite loud and you should be replacing them if you're going that route. That combined with a z87 mobo and K series cpu and you're spending ~$100-200 for an overclock that won't do much for you. What you're doing isn't that cpu intensive. Getting something like the h100i should be for those who actually need the cpu power for rendering or have money to blow.

 

I know you're excited and all. It's a fun experience and you should have fun doing so. If you would like to splurge, getting better peripherals will definitely enhance your experience more than a hardware bump that doesn't do something you notice.

Btw, you want to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

[xxrod17xx]

At the moment, AMD simply has similar or better performance for the same amount of money for the most part.

Go Nvidia if you really want PhysX, G sync, or are getting an Nvidia Shield. 

 

You get better performance for your money if you upgrade as you need to instead of just spending more because you feel like it and not upgrading for 6 years.

If you must get a full tower case, that's fine. I do warn you that it's an easily regrettable decision after comparing it to a smaller case for handling and overall convenience.

 

Getting a higher end cpu or mobo will give little to no tangible improvements. The next 'better gpu' that you would even be a big enough upgrade from the 7950 would be the 290x or 780. Those cards aren't meant for 1080p. It'd be overkill for that.

 

The xeon I recommended is basically an i7 without integrated graphics and runs cooler with less energy. It is plenty for gaming and multitasking. It will last at the very least more than 2 years.

 

The h100i will give pretty much no performance boost unless you're overclocking. The stock h100i fans are also quite loud and you should be replacing them if you're going that route. That combined with a z87 mobo and K series cpu and you're spending ~$100-200 for an overclock that won't do much for you. What you're doing isn't that cpu intensive. Getting something like the h100i should be for those who actually need the cpu power for rendering or have money to blow.

 

I know you're excited and all. It's a fun experience and you should have fun doing so. If you would like to splurge, getting better peripherals will definitely enhance your experience more than a hardware bump that doesn't do something you notice.

Btw, you want to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

 

I couldnt figure out how to tag people, so i just quoted you two.  I appreciate you talking me down a bit, I needed that, I was thinking the H100i because of silent cooling, but I guess it isnt so silent haha. Ok now that I have learned a bit about what I need for what I am doing right now, as far as the GPU goes, I am currently only at 1920x1080, but these are monitors that 100% will be getting swapped out in the future, it just doesn't make sense from a cost standpoint and what I am doing currently with them to change them. Given that, does one of the higher end gpu's make sense? Keep in mind I am not just saying this so I have cooler stuff, just really don't want to have to swap parts so quickly. The Nvidia comparable to the 280x appears to be the 770...

 

 I will likely take your advice on the CPU, as 2 years down the road if all i have to change is the CPU and the Motherboard its not that big of a deal.  Although I am not sure if I understand the concept correctly, but the Haswell CPUs say that they are more energy efficient and I like the idea of that.

 

For the $50 more a 240gb costs, why not put games on the ssd?  

 

280x is a 7970 yes, but you've got a 7950 in there.  for $30 more he can get a 7970, or $50 more get a 280x.  it will last longer before he's unhappy with it.

 

for $13 the arctic cooling fan doesn't ever get loud.

 

plus he's not overclocking.  even then a 600w corsair is like $54.

 

I am still set on the SSD with games, but never got a real reason why not to in my opinion, I get that for the MMO, but the other games...it has to be an upgrade right?

[A10-FTW]

(not that you need this much amount of power :lol: but this will be my build for you)

 

FX 8350 

 

R9 290  :wub:

 

8GB of ram at 1600mhz (oc at 1800)  B)

 

2TB hdd (the hell with the ssd) 

 

 

 

coming back to the topic when you restore a old PC, don't worry for use old components

 

4GB of DDR2 at 800mhz (2GB x2 on dual channel) can do the job fine

 

and PCIe 1.0 (if you use "only one" gpu) is not a bottleneck (yes, you have read right)

 

 

 

a old cpu may be a problem, but just ignore that part  <_<

 

 

 

grab a good gpu is the most important part friend

 

(a cool cheap gpu for MMORPG is the 7850 2GB)

[WoodenMarker]

I couldnt figure out how to tag people, so i just quoted you two.  I appreciate you talking me down a bit, I needed that, I was thinking the H100i because of silent cooling, but I guess it isnt so silent haha. Ok now that I have learned a bit about what I need for what I am doing right now, as far as the GPU goes, I am currently only at 1920x1080, but these are monitors that 100% will be getting swapped out in the future, it just doesn't make sense from a cost standpoint and what I am doing currently with them to change them. Given that, does one of the higher end gpu's make sense? Keep in mind I am not just saying this so I have cooler stuff, just really don't want to have to swap parts so quickly. The Nvidia comparable to the 280x appears to be the 770...

 

 I will likely take your advice on the CPU, as 2 years down the road if all i have to change is the CPU and the Motherboard its not that big of a deal.  Although I am not sure if I understand the concept correctly, but the Haswell CPUs say that they are more energy efficient and I like the idea of that.

 

I am still set on the SSD with games, but never got a real reason why not to in my opinion, I get that for the MMO, but the other games...it has to be an upgrade right?

If you're planning on swapping out soon, just get the new displays now. If not, something like the 7950 will last 2 years just fine before you might want to upgrade.

The 280x and 770 are only a bit better than the 7950 but are quite a bit more expensive atm.

 

I doubt you'd change the cpu/mobo in 2 years. I was just saying it would easily last 2 years. 

Putting games on the ssd gives no benefit most of the time. If you have long loading screens, that would be a decent reason to put games on it. Other than that or heavily modded games, there's little point in putting games on the ssd. 

If you really want to put games on the ssd, get slightly larger one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct240m500ssd1

 

Btw, this is how you tag: @xxrod17xx

[Yoinkerman]

The 1080p benchmarks I'm looking at say the 280x is about 20% better than a 270x/7950.  That's a pretty big difference for the price of a meal for two.

 

An even bigger SSD isn't a bad idea either, you can put games on one with reckless abandon.  Or I suppose two SSDs would work as well, a 120gb for windows, a 240gb for games, and then a storage drive.

 

I'm all for finding the sweet spot on a decent budget, but it seems like settling to get a lesser gpu/ssd at the moment.  And we don't have to settle because the budget is there.

 

If you're planning on swapping out soon, just get the new displays now. If not, something like the 7950 will last 2 years just fine before you might want to upgrade.

The 280x and 770 are only a bit better than the 7950 but are quite a bit more expensive atm.

 

I doubt you'd change the cpu/mobo in 2 years. I was just saying it would easily last 2 years. 

Putting games on the ssd gives no benefit most of the time. If you have long loading screens, that would be a decent reason to put games on it. Other than that or heavily modded games, there's little point in putting games on the ssd. 

If you really want to put games on the ssd, get slightly larger one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct240m500ssd1

 

Btw, this is how you tag: @xxrod17xx

[WoodenMarker]

The 1080p benchmarks I'm looking at say the 280x is about 20% better than a 270x/7950.  That's a pretty big difference for the price of a meal for two.

That's at stock. The 7950 overclocks more than the 280x. 

Also, the 270x is a 7870 rebrand, not a 7950 rebrand. 

 

The bump from the 7950 to the 280x is not worth the money atm.