Anything better for the money than the 580?

[Michilius]

All,
I'm a computer neophyte thats looking to get a new computer with a graphics card that will make the current games I want to play look fantastic (skyrim, starcraft 2) and be able to handle new games relatively well for the next 2-3 years.

I was advised on another forum to get the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB. I see on newegg and other websites that this card is ~$500.

Any opinions on whether there is a better card for the money (within $75 of the 580) for the purposes I've described above?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Build:

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155
Cooling Fan: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan
Motherboard: [CrossFireX/SLI] ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Intel Z68 ATX Mainboard
Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB 16X PCIe Video Card
Power Supply: 850 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready
Hard Drive: 60 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD
Data Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache
Monitor: 24" Widescreen 1920x1080 Asus VS247H-P LCD

 

[wa1]

Before saying anything, why don't you tell us your FULL specs, first?
CPU? RAM? Mobo? PSU? Monitor? Case? Budget?

 

[gnomio]

Two 6950 2gb versions or the Gtx 570

 

[mikeny]

won't the crossfire of the 6950's cause microshuttering and 2 6850's is over $570. Reason I'm wondering also is Im in the market for a new VC.

My specs:
i7-920
HAF 932 Full tower
Saphire factory OC'd 4890
6GB GSKILL ddr3-1600
EVGA x58 sli/crossfire ready mobo
Auzentech Forte XFI
24" LG LCD
Corsair 850w PSU
1TB WD Caviar Back SATA II
300GB WD Velociraptor

 

[Warmacblu]

If you are looking for an AMD card, then wait a few more months to see what the 7000 series is all about.

If you are looking for a nVIDIA card, the GTX 580 is a great buy for future proofing. It may not be the best value, when compared to a GTX 560 Ti or even a GTX 570, but it should last you a little longer.

Having said that, the GTX 600 series may be around the corner. Don't let that discourage you from purchasing now because rumors suggest that they will be released from the bottom up so don't expect any high end Kepler cards until summer. Even then, you may want to wait a bit for a few iterations on the 28nm process which could put you into next holiday season for a smart purchase.

I really have no clue about the HD 7000 series but I don't expect anything spectacular until February, maybe March of next year (personal speculation).

 

[gnomio]

won't the crossfire of the 6950's cause microshuttering and 2 6850's is over $570. Reason I'm wondering also is Im in the market for a new VC.

My specs:
i7-920
HAF 932 Full tower
Saphire factory OC'd 4890
6GB GSKILL ddr3-1600
EVGA x58 sli/crossfire ready mobo
Auzentech Forte XFI
24" LG LCD
Corsair 850w PSU
1TB WD Caviar Back SATA II
300GB WD Velociraptor

6870s? I said 6950s and they don't have micro stuttering problem. Two 6950s goes for 530
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Y66A4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8

 

[mikeny]

6870s? I said 6950s and they don't have micro stuttering problem. Two 6950s goes for 530
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Y66A4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8

570, I saw on newegg. No, i said 6950 crossfire. I probably typed and thought 2 different things...bahhh case of the mondays!! LIke I said in previous post...Im torn but I replied, my 24" n/r is 1920 x 1080. Im torn,,,6950 crossfire (afraid of possible micro shuttering and might need new PSU), 6970, or Nvidia 570 or even 580.

 

[thrakazog]

If you decide to go the single card route, then the GTX580 is the one to get.

If you go dual cards, then the HD6950 x 2 is the way to go.

I run 2 x MSI R6950 twin frozr 3's, and they perform beautifully. I've had no problems with them.

 

[mikeny]

If you decide to go the single card route, then the GTX580 is the one to get.

If you go dual cards, then the HD6950 x 2 is the way to go.

I run 2 x MSI R6950 twin frozr 3's, and they perform beautifully. I've had no problems with them.

frozr....i like these names. iceQ also! That's the one with the twin fans? How is MSI? I usually look at Saphire, XFX, and sometimes Powercolor but I read in a post; don't overlook MSI. I just noticed in the forums for one of my games that crossfire will not work and will crash the game.

 

[Michilius]

Best answer selected by michilius.

 

[jk47]

If you're like me, and aren't a big fan of AMD, then stick with Nvidia.
I would have been really irritated, if I had dual 6950's, and wasn't able to use Crossfire for Skyrim (is the AMD driver out finally..?) AMD is habitually poor for driver support. Also, I had a 6950 and was unimpressed with performance.


I recommend the GTX 590! For some reason it has a bad reputation around here, but it's performance corresponds with it's price. Sure, 2 X GTX 580's is more powerful, which is why it costs $1000+....