Best Graphics card for gaming

[JakeTheEpic]

So my birth day is in 5 months(Sweet 16) and I want a better graphics card than what I have now.

(I overclocked)
Radeon HD 6670 1gb DDR5
960MHz core clock
1260MHz (5040MHz affective).

I don't want to spend more than $250-270 because I will have to get a better PSU.

I was looking at the Radeon R9 280X for $279 after rebate and I'm willing to spend that much if its worth it in the long run. I want a good card that can run games like watchdogs and wolfenstein on max graphics (or high) at 60fps. If there isn't a card out there for that cheap then give me your best thoughts on a really really good graphics card for $250-270 that is great for games.

 

[bignastyid]

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

 

[Jak Atackka]

According to Tom's Hardware's GPU Guide, the R9 280X is your best option at that price point. I own a 270X and it can easily run new games on high or ultra at 60fps, so you should be just fine.

Just as a warning, Watch_Dogs has some major efficiency issues, so you may have problems playing that at max settings (until they patch it).

 

[JakeTheEpic]

According to Tom's Hardware's GPU Guide, the R9 280X is your best option at that price point. I own a 270X and it can easily run new games on high or ultra at 60fps, so you should be just fine.

Just as a warning, Watch_Dogs has some major efficiency issues, so you may have problems playing that at max settings (until they patch it).

What manufacturer makes your card? MSI and asus are the only ones I can find. I know there is an AMD one but i cant find it anywhere. Also I thought it was just my GPU when playing watch_dogs. Also would this be a good card too? its $50 cheaper but the core clock is down by 120MHz and the memory clock is down by 400MHz. Would that effect performance? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8592351

 

[shadow187]

You say your birthday is in 5 months, yet you're looking at something currently? By then prices might shift a bit lower and what we suggest now will be an out-dated answer in the future.

That said, the R9280x is a wonderful piece of tech. I have one myself, the His IceQ X^2. It runs a cool 65c whilst gaming (with an overclock), and will more than satisfy the performance needs you're looking at.

A word on your selection: for $30 more you can acquire an ASUS version that has larger heat pipes running off of the card, and is overall in my opinion a better quality build. The R9280X overclocks like a champ and not doing so because of heating would be a shame.

To directly answer your question, 120mhz core/100mhz memory would indeed affect the performance of a card, close to 6-10% in frames. As my previous statement suggests, I think the XFX card purposefully underclocks in order to make the card run cooler, as it lacks the advanced cooling the ASUS offers.

 

[JakeTheEpic]

You say your birthday is in 5 months, yet you're looking at something currently? By then prices might shift a bit lower and what we suggest now will be an out-dated answer in the future.

That said, the R9280x is a wonderful piece of tech. I have one myself, the His IceQ X^2. It runs a cool 65c whilst gaming (with an overclock), and will more than satisfy the performance needs you're looking at.

A word on your selection: for $30 more you can acquire an ASUS version that has larger heat pipes running off of the card, and is overall in my opinion a better quality build. The R9280X overclocks like a champ and not doing so because of heating would be a shame.

To directly answer your question, 120mhz core/100mhz memory would indeed affect the performance of a card, close to 6-10% in frames. As my previous statement suggests, I think the XFX card purposefully underclocks in order to make the card run cooler, as it lacks the advanced cooling the ASUS offers.

I just wanted to know what card would be good for gaming. The prices might shift but the card I bought a year ago is still going for the same price. I might go for the asus r9 280x but there might be better cards that come out before then for the same price. The price range I gave was just to see what my options where. Also I could oc a cheaper card to run the same as the asus r9.

 

[shadow187]

You didn't read everything I've written.

My thought behind the underclock on the XFX card is to reduce temperatures, as the lack of any visible cooling represents. You're investing $30 into buying a card that will fare better for temperatures.