760, R9 or 970 for occasional gamer

[FaleoMD]

Hi! I'm looking for new graphics card that will replace my well served 4850 😀 Use is mainly music mixing and producing & picture and video editing and normal use. I like to play the biggest FPS games through (Crysis, Far Cry GTA V) but i'm not huge gamer and medium settings are ok for me.

What do you recommend for most in my case GTX760, R9 280X or GTX970?

 

[Darkbreeze]

What resolution is your monitor used at?

 

[FaleoMD]

What resolution is your monitor used at?

Current 24" is 1920 x 1200 and I'm looking for 27" with 2560 x 1440

 

[Darkbreeze]

Considering you don't need ultra gaming and even a basic mid level card will support most single ultra hd resolutions, I'd go with the R9 280 or 280x. The 760 might be a bit weak for medium settings on those titles. The 970 is a great choice but you probably don't need something that powerful, even if you go with a dual monitor setup. And the 280x is about a hundred bucks cheaper yet will still play a lot of titles at high settings. Probably not at 1440, but maybe. Medium for sure. If money isn't really an issue it's a no brainer to go with the 970.

Here is the big question though. What is the brand and model number of your PSU?

 

[FaleoMD]

Considering you don't need ultra gaming and even a basic mid level card will support most single ultra hd resolutions, I'd go with the R9 280 or 280x. The 760 might be a bit weak for medium settings on those titles. The 970 is a great choice but you probably don't need something that powerful, even if you go with a dual monitor setup. And the 280x is about a hundred bucks cheaper yet will still play a lot of titles at high settings. Probably not at 1440, but maybe. Medium for sure. If money isn't really an issue it's a no brainer to go with the 970.

Here is the big question though. What is the brand and model number of your PSU?

It's Antec's own Earthwatts 500W

 

[Darkbreeze]

You'll want a new PSU for anything over a GTX 760 or R9 270. Those want 500 and it goes up from there. Which is too bad because that Antec unit is made by Seasonic and is a very solid unit but even so it only has a 408w continuous rating per the review at jonnyguru and the label on the side of the box.

So depending on what model of GPU you decide to go with will decide what you need as far as a PSU goes. Of course anything by Seasonic is going to be good, especially if it's an actual Seasonic branded unit. But the XFX units made by them are good as well and there are some other brands with really good models. It really depends on what the specific card needs regarding continuous wattage and amperage.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This unit is probably a good choice for any of those cards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $68.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-29 04:50 EDT-0400

 

[FaleoMD]

This unit is probably a good choice for any of those cards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $68.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-29 04:50 EDT-0400

Thanks a lot for tip Do you have any recommendation what brand is good at R9 280x?

 

[emerill]

Be really careful with the R9 280x they had quite big problems before with the vrm cooling. Many cards were giving artifacts. Research a bit if they fixed it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This unit is probably a good choice for any of those cards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $68.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-29 04:50 EDT-0400

Thanks a lot for tip Do you have any recommendation what brand is good at R9 280x?

Sapphire is my preferred brand. Well respected, good performance, not a lot of coil whine issues as some other brands and good customer service.

XFX is ok too.