Best GPU under $170?

[secretumpiratica]

Hello. I am building my first PC and I am very discouraged by the amount of GPUs there are and how many company's make the same card. I was originally going to go with the Sapphire Radeon R7 260X, but then found others that were more powerful for the same price. Here are the other components.

CPU: AMD FX-6350
MB: MSI 970A-G43 (or something similar)
PSU: Corsair CX 600W

I'm having second guessing with the GPU. I cant decide. I need a GPU that is:

1) Compatible with the above components.
2) Under $170.
3) Good for Cypto currency mining.
4) Good for gaming like Minecraft and COD.
5) Able to support 2-3 monitors.
6) 2-3 GB GDDR5

Help me please... Thanks!

 

[qwertyDS]

GIGABYTE GTX 660
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125443

 

[Guest]

^ does not know nvidia is bad for mining

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acdfc It is good for mining has 2gb vram can support 3 monitors and is compatible with your other components and is not bottlenecked by anything - for $170

 

[buzzrattie]

I would suggest an R9-270 or R7-265 and a different PSU.

http://smile.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11220-00-20G/dp/B00I0D81OG/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1399567967&sr=1-10

For Crypto mining, you'll want the R9 with its floating point performance

 

[Vlad Rose]

1.) Pretty much any single GPU video card should be compatible with your system. If you plan on going with dual GPUS or SLI/Crossfire, your power supply might not be big enough.
2.) At $170, your top card for AMD is the R7 265, unless you find a 270 on sale. For Nvidia, the 750i, but slower. They both start at around $150. Brands really aren't that much different outside their cooling solutions and if they choose to factory overclock it. It is the same silicon though and the others in the same class should be able to do the same. I don't really favor one brand over another either, so I can't help much there.
3.) For mining, AMDs handle crypto currency much better. With that said though, there is no card within the $170 range that would be considered viable as they aren't fast enough. You would be looking at multiple AMD 290s which start at over $500 each. And even then, the power draw required usually costs more than what the currency is worth.
4.) For gaming, the 2 series mentioned in #2 should work fine.
5.) Both AMD and Nvidia handle 2 monitors without much issue at all. Over 2 monitors, you're looking at more than likely having to use display port; currently an AMD exclusive.
6.) As far as I know, all the models listed in #2 are 2GB GDDR5 cards. For over 2GB, you're looking at a higher end card.

Hope this helps.

 

[maddogfargo]

At the risk of sounding like a smart@$$...

You do realize Tom's has JUST posted a GPU article here...right...???

http://www.tomshardware.com/

Direct Link:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

 

[secretumpiratica]

Thank you all for your help! I can't decide between the brands? What is a better card for me the 265 or the 260X?

Radeon R7 265 (should I pick ASUS or Sapphire)?

Radeon R7 260X (should I pick ASUS, Sapphire or MSI)?

Thank you

 

[Vlad Rose]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r7-265-review,3748-6.html

The R7 265 is faster. With brand, either or as both are respected distributors. They both have display port on them as well. However, the Sapphire has more reviews on NewEgg and is on Maximum PC's recommended list.