Advice please: What GPU & Monitor to buy?

[joeflint82]

I have:
i5 3330S
8Gb RAM (I have a matched 8Gb module in my HTPC that I could sub out when required)
GTX 560 ti
SyncMaster T220 (1680 x 1050)
Windows 8.1

I am considering:
New monitor & new GPU

I'm not wanting to spend much more than £200 on the GPU, I was looking at this 680:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-083-GW

As for the monitor, it's not something I buy very often, so I'm willing to spend a bit more to future proof myself a little. The 24" AOC G-Sync monitor is what I'm considering. Obviously I won't get 144fps, but I reckon I'll comfortably do more than 60fps, so surely it's worth it? I do not want anything bigger than 24".

Should I wait for G-Sync monitors to iron out any potential bugs before buying one of the earlier ones? Is that 680 good value for money, or is there a better 770 / something else for a similar budget?

Thanks for any advice

 

[Videographer]

Both those choices are fine, but I find GSync a bit of a gimic, if you can do more than 60fps then good old vsync can keep the monitor in cheque - like you say you wont get 144fps. If you ditched gsync that then opens up loads of choices as well as amd cards which are worth looking at, but there is nothing wrong with what you have picked

 

[joeflint82]

I'm open to ideas for monitors.

I've had three GeForce cards in a row, so I'm used to their drivers / numbering system. I wouldn't rule out an AMD card, what's the equivalent, and are there any pros/cons between brands?

 

[Videographer]

Both amd and geforce are good, some games play better on one, some on the other. AMD has better opengl/opencl generally while Nvidia has Physx. A lot depends on the coding of the game.
An R9 280x would be your equivilant card, new they are generally cheaper than the card you have picked and they are neck and neck in performance, a lot depends on which games you play

 

[joeflint82]

Recent games I've played are Tomb Raider, Skyrim, Deus Ex etc. Elite: Dangerous is a game I am likely to play in the future.

 

[joeflint82]

970's seem to be really cheap, any idea why?

 

[Videographer]

Skyrim doesnt care which you use, it actually likes a fast cpu! Tomb Raider is better on AMD cards and Deus Ex is old so you'll easily max it out on either. Dont know about Elite.

Link to a cheap 970?

 

[joeflint82]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?catid=1914&groupid=701&sortby=priceAsc&subid=1010

Overclockers have three at £260, which seems cheap compared to 770's (which I've just read have been discontinued)

 

[Videographer]

The pricing is to make it competetive with the r9 290/290x although I havent seen much in the way of benchmarks yet. It will be marginally faster than an 770 I expect. Those brands are lower tier which also helps keeps the price low. They look like a good buy if you dont mind not having a Saphire or Gigabyte card and have the money

 

[joeflint82]

Are Gigabyte and Sapphire the recognised top brands then?

 

[Videographer]

Pretty much, although the name doesn't always mean they are better, as with all things, some brands command a premium just for the name, they have some nice cards though, its quite subjective if its worth paying for them

 

[joeflint82]

So for £290, this Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 could well be the winner?
http://www.ebuyer.com/664280-gigabyte-gtx-970-g1-gaming-4gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-gv-n970g1-gaming-4gd

One problem down, now I need to pair it up with a monitor.

 

[joeflint82]

Okay, so I got cold feet on the £290 purchase.
Instead I have just bought: MSI GTX 770 2Gb on eBay second hand for £168 (inc p&p).
I've definitely doubled my GPU power, and I can hopefully get £50 for my 560 ti.