Asus GTX660 TiDirectCU II OC Edition Or XFX Radeon HD 7950 Double D Black Edition

[pats478]

Hey Folks,

I had a post over the weekend looking for an upgrade to my graphics cards. I've been looking over the last week and found the two cards listed above. Still searching for the right card; I'd like to play games such as BF3, Skyrim, GW2, Crysis 2-3, on high if not max.

Which card would be more ideal as they're both priced in similar values?
_________________________
Here's my current PC Rig:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition AM3 CPU 3.4GHzm 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (40000 MT/s)----> (Upgraded from the Phenom II X2 550 AM3 CPU 3.1GHz recently)

MB: Asus M4A785TD-V EVO (AM3)

RAM: HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB)

HD's: HyperX 3K Series SATA III Solid State Drive, 120GB w/ 2.5" Adapter &
Seagate SATA II 500 GB Hard drive @ 7200 RPM

VC: 1GB ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU with DirectX11 1GB at standard clock (790 MHz)

PS: Antec Earthwatts 650 Watts

Chassis: Antec 300 Gaming Tower (2 Factory fans included, I added 3 additional ones)

Monitor: LG W2353V (23 inch) @ 1920 X 1080 (HMDI cable)

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
_________________________

 

[festerovic]

[strike]The Asus 660ti is a 3 slot card[/strike]... other than that, you will have to pick which camp to join, both cards are pretty even with each other.

7950 has a good game bundle if you want it. Not sure if Nvidia is offering a similar bundle.

 

[markwp]

Hey Folks,

I had a post over the weekend looking for an upgrade to my graphics cards. I've been looking over the last week and found the two cards listed above. Still searching for the right card; I'd like to play games such as BF3, Skyrim, GW2, Crysis 2-3, on high if not max.

Which card would be more ideal as they're both priced in similar values?
_________________________
Here's my current PC Rig:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition AM3 CPU 3.4GHzm 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (40000 MT/s)----> (Upgraded from the Phenom II X2 550 AM3 CPU 3.1GHz recently)

MB: Asus M4A785TD-V EVO (AM3)

RAM: HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB)

HD's: HyperX 3K Series SATA III Solid State Drive, 120GB w/ 2.5" Adapter &
Seagate SATA II 500 GB Hard drive @ 7200 RPM

VC: 1GB ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU with DirectX11 1GB at standard clock (790 MHz)

PS: Antec Earthwatts 650 Watts

Chassis: Antec 300 Gaming Tower (2 Factory fans included, I added 3 additional ones)

Monitor: LG W2353V (23 inch) @ 1920 X 1080 (HMDI cable)

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
_________________________

Tough choice. You will certainly have the fanboys from both camps saying theirs is best, but IMO (1) I have always had good luck with Asus, and (2) I personally prefer Nvidia due to what I believe are smoother drivers. Even though I have an HD 6950, I would prefer to have a comparable Nvidia, but I got the 6950 for free.

Mark

 

[david cassar]

Get the hd 7950 it is a very good overclocker.
The gtx 660 ti is bottlenecked by its memory bandwith.
Also get a good cpu cooler and overclock the phenom ii and you are set.

 

[tadej petric]

asus

 

[tadej petric]

The Asus 660ti is a 3 slot card... other than that, you will have to pick which camp to join, both cards are pretty even with each other.

7950 has a good game bundle if you want it. Not sure if Nvidia is offering a similar bundle.

Metro last light.

 

[Duke Nucome]

660ti is a crippled card in a precious position plus it's overpirced.

 

[Mousemonkey]

The Asus 660ti is a 3 slot card... other than that, you will have to pick which camp to join, both cards are pretty even with each other.

7950 has a good game bundle if you want it. Not sure if Nvidia is offering a similar bundle.

which one is? I have two and they are both dual slot cards.

 

[The Q6660 Inside]

Honestly it is a tough choice, ASUS is a top-notch card distributor (and just about anything else technology related) and the 660Ti is a great card. I would try to find a SAPPHIRE 7950 or go for the ASUS 660Ti, since the 7950 is basically a $400 card in disguise, I must say it is better value for money. nVdia has always been with bettter drivers IMO, so that may be your deciding factor. Either way, the 6850 will be smoked.

 

[festerovic]

The Asus 660ti is a 3 slot card... other than that, you will have to pick which camp to join, both cards are pretty even with each other.

7950 has a good game bundle if you want it. Not sure if Nvidia is offering a similar bundle.

which one is? I have two and they are both dual slot cards.

you're right, the pic I looked at makes it look 3 slot: http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-121-656-TS?$S300$
/slinks away sheepishly

 

[Mousemonkey]

The Asus 660ti is a 3 slot card... other than that, you will have to pick which camp to join, both cards are pretty even with each other.

7950 has a good game bundle if you want it. Not sure if Nvidia is offering a similar bundle.

which one is? I have two and they are both dual slot cards.

you're right, the pic I looked at makes it look 3 slot: http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-121-656-TS?$S300$
/slinks away sheepishly

No worries mate just blame it on the beer, I always do! :lol:

 

[pats478]

Appreciate the feedback I'm getting here. I've always been an AMD fan however this has never discouraged me from going Nvidia, I've simply looked for the best value (and as I got my 6850 as a replacement card thanks to warranty, it was the best value lol). That being said, I'm most likely going for the Asus 660ti as I do trust Asus (my last two cards: Sapphire and XFX didn't perform too well), and most reviews/benchmark tests I read online state they are more or less the same card with Nvidia having the slight edge. On top of that, as the 7990 from ATI is supposed to be coming out in the next couple days, I'll wait and see if a possible price drop will occur for the other 7900 series cards (one can only hope).

I do once again appreciate the insight everyone provided here and if anyone still has additional suggestions for the best GC worth around $300 give or take please let me know!

 

[pats478]

Get the hd 7950 it is a very good overclocker.
The gtx 660 ti is bottlenecked by its memory bandwith.
Also get a good cpu cooler and overclock the phenom ii and you are set.

I was never much of an overclock-"er," and I think I may risk voiding the replacement warranty I have on my components; it is something I'd be interested in trying down the road. Do you think the processor would still last for a decent amount of time if I did actually OC it?

 

[pats478]

Honestly it is a tough choice, ASUS is a top-notch card distributor (and just about anything else technology related) and the 660Ti is a great card. I would try to find a SAPPHIRE 7950 or go for the ASUS 660Ti, since the 7950 is basically a $400 card in disguise, I must say it is better value for money. nVdia has always been with bettter drivers IMO, so that may be your deciding facot. Either way, the 6850 will be smoked.

Essentially the same battle I've had in my head for weeks now. Perhaps with the 7990 slated for release real soon it might help with the decision making lol

 

[pats478]

660ti is a crippled card in a precious position plus it's overpirced.

Care to provide any reason? I know Nvidia tends to be more expensive then normal, but they still make phenomenal cards.

 

[david cassar]

Get the hd 7950 it is a very good overclocker.
The gtx 660 ti is bottlenecked by its memory bandwith.
Also get a good cpu cooler and overclock the phenom ii and you are set.

I was never much of an overclock-"er," and I think I may risk voiding the replacement warranty I have on my components; it is something I'd be interested in trying down the road. Do you think the processor would still last for a decent amount of time if I did actually OC it?

When overclocked the phenom will match an i5 at stock. If you get a good cooler and also get the overclock stable then you wouldn't damage the processor.

 

[pats478]

Hey Folks,

I had a post over the weekend looking for an upgrade to my graphics cards. I've been looking over the last week and found the two cards listed above. Still searching for the right card; I'd like to play games such as BF3, Skyrim, GW2, Crysis 2-3, on high if not max.

Which card would be more ideal as they're both priced in similar values?
_________________________
Here's my current PC Rig:

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition AM3 CPU 3.4GHzm 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (40000 MT/s)----> (Upgraded from the Phenom II X2 550 AM3 CPU 3.1GHz recently)

MB: Asus M4A785TD-V EVO (AM3)

RAM: HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB)

HD's: HyperX 3K Series SATA III Solid State Drive, 120GB w/ 2.5" Adapter &
Seagate SATA II 500 GB Hard drive @ 7200 RPM

VC: 1GB ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU with DirectX11 1GB at standard clock (790 MHz)

PS: Antec Earthwatts 650 Watts

Chassis: Antec 300 Gaming Tower (2 Factory fans included, I added 3 additional ones)

Monitor: LG W2353V (23 inch) @ 1920 X 1080 (HMDI cable)

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
_________________________

Tough choice. You will certainly have the fanboys from both camps saying theirs is best, but IMO (1) I have always had good luck with Asus, and (2) I personally prefer Nvidia due to what I believe are smoother drivers. Even though I have an HD 6950, I would prefer to have a comparable Nvidia, but I got the 6950 for free.

Mark

I got my 6850 for free thanks to replacement warranty haha. And yes I too prefer Asus over other manufacturers. Not really a fan boy on either side, just looking for the best value at the budget I have set. Thanks for the tip though!

 

[pats478]

Get the hd 7950 it is a very good overclocker.
The gtx 660 ti is bottlenecked by its memory bandwith.
Also get a good cpu cooler and overclock the phenom ii and you are set.

I was never much of an overclock-"er," and I think I may risk voiding the replacement warranty I have on my components; it is something I'd be interested in trying down the road. Do you think the processor would still last for a decent amount of time if I did actually OC it?

When overclocked the phenom will match an i5 at stock. If you get a good cooler and also get the overclock stable then you wouldn't damage the processor.

This may sound stupid, but if I literally type in how to OC my processor in Google and follow their instructions, is that the correct way of doing it?

 

[The Q6660 Inside]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

 

[Duke Nucome]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

Guess you have not played GW2, Hitman Absolution, Fable III, PlanetSide2, WoW, SC2, Skyrim etc .. on an OCed Phenom II CPU. I have an OCed AMD Phenom IIX4 970 and it bottlenecks the HD 7850 in all the games previously denoted plus many more. If OP doesent play any of those games then he might be alright but I would not want to chance. ((Edit)) AMD FX 6300 on order and I suggest the OP to do the same if he wants minimal CPU bottlenecks.

 

[pats478]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

Guess you have not played GW2, Hitman Absolution, Fable III, PlanetSide2, WoW, SC2, Skyrim etc .. on an OCed Phenom II CPU. I have an OCed AMD Phenom IIX4 970 and it bottlenecks the HD 7850 in all the games previously denoted plus many more. If OP doesent play any of those games then he might be alright but I would not want to chance. ((Edit)) AMD FX 6300 on order and I suggest the OP to do the same if he wants minimal CPU bottlenecks.

Don't play WoW anymore, still play SC2, and GW2. Only problem is my motherboard is AM3, not AM3+ :S

 

[The Q6660 Inside]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

Guess you have not played GW2, Hitman Absolution, Fable III, PlanetSide2, WoW, SC2, Skyrim etc .. on an OCed Phenom II CPU. I have an OCed AMD Phenom IIX4 970 and it bottlenecks the HD 7850 in all the games previously denoted plus many more. If OP doesent play any of those games then he might be alright but I would not want to chance. ((Edit)) AMD FX 6300 on order and I suggest the OP to do the same if he wants minimal CPU bottlenecks.

Trust me, the Phenom II will be able to cope with it. Bottlenecking is an overused term.

 

[The Q6660 Inside]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

Guess you have not played GW2, Hitman Absolution, Fable III, PlanetSide2, WoW, SC2, Skyrim etc .. on an OCed Phenom II CPU. I have an OCed AMD Phenom IIX4 970 and it bottlenecks the HD 7850 in all the games previously denoted plus many more. If OP doesent play any of those games then he might be alright but I would not want to chance. ((Edit)) AMD FX 6300 on order and I suggest the OP to do the same if he wants minimal CPU bottlenecks.

Don't play WoW anymore, still play SC2, and GW2. Only problem is my motherboard is AM3, not AM3+ :S

AM3+ CPUs work in select AM3 boards, just like the AM2+ Phenom worked in AM2 boards, however your ASUS M4A board can only do the Phenom II X6 at max.

 

[Duke Nucome]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

Guess you have not played GW2, Hitman Absolution, Fable III, PlanetSide2, WoW, SC2, Skyrim etc .. on an OCed Phenom II CPU. I have an OCed AMD Phenom IIX4 970 and it bottlenecks the HD 7850 in all the games previously denoted plus many more. If OP doesent play any of those games then he might be alright but I would not want to chance. ((Edit)) AMD FX 6300 on order and I suggest the OP to do the same if he wants minimal CPU bottlenecks.

Don't play WoW anymore, still play SC2, and GW2. Only problem is my motherboard is AM3, not AM3+ :S

Look into a Bios Flash as it may support AM3+ with just a simple BIOS flash.

 

[Duke Nucome]

Honestly, get yourself a good cooler and OC that Phenom! Your Phenom = ~i5 750 @Stock, so I would give it a nice OC to 3.9GHz and walk away with absolutely no possibility of even remotely bottlenecking your 660/7950 (term used WAAAY to much) .
Also: Follow a guide on how to OC your Phenom II 965BE.

Guess you have not played GW2, Hitman Absolution, Fable III, PlanetSide2, WoW, SC2, Skyrim etc .. on an OCed Phenom II CPU. I have an OCed AMD Phenom IIX4 970 and it bottlenecks the HD 7850 in all the games previously denoted plus many more. If OP doesent play any of those games then he might be alright but I would not want to chance. ((Edit)) AMD FX 6300 on order and I suggest the OP to do the same if he wants minimal CPU bottlenecks.

Trust me, the Phenom II will be able to cope with it. Bottlenecking is an overused term.

I am saying I own an OCed Phenom II x4 and you wrong.