Best Graphics Cards For The Money: October 2014 (Archive)

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Mine has been light, but not nonexistent. My old GPU has been sufficient, but I would like to play Shadow of Morder ( hoping they release a GotY with all the DLC. ) A five year-old GPU probably won't cut it, at least not to the detail level I would like.
 
For all those who continuously confuse TDP with power rating, please follow the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_design_power

Thermal Design Power (TDP) is not the power rating of a card. One should know how it is defined and being used before comparing the values. Comparing across manufacturers it can be misleading.

Quote:

Lars Weinand (Nvidia), Senior Technical Marketing Manager, EMEA, told us that, ‘The problem with TDP is there is no “standard” for this. So everyone is measuring TDP in a different way and TDPs are only really comparable within the same manufacturer… We are using TDP in a way that makes most sense for us.’ Even Lars ultimately suggests that we put more faith in our power consumption tests than a number written on a spec sheet.

Knowing what it is you are talking about is important. Certainly the power ratings for AMD cards are higher but relying on TDP specs to tell you this is silly. Even the GTX 970 and 980 cards run hotter and draw more power than the reported TDP once under full load. The gap between gpus decreases across manufacturers at full load.

One should really consider the full set of system components, as well as budget considerations, when talking about a potential gpu. Its value always will lie within the context of the whole system.
 
Rangers have been able to use great swords since the beginning ( I think. ) If not, at least for over a year. I actually like the play style of it, but am not as fond of my ranger as my warrior, elementalist, and mesmer.

But we're derailing the GPU discussion a little.
 
Is there much difference between the XFX radeon r9 280 933mhz vs the r9 280x 1000mhz boost ready? Currently on amazon @ $209.99 vs $239.99.
 

Yes. The 280 is a cutdown 280X. The 280 only has 1792 shaders and 112 texture units compared to the 280X's 2048 shaders and 128 texture units. Both cards have the same memory controller and raster backend, though.

Whether that's enough graphical horsepower to be a difference that you'll notice depends on what games you play, your resolution, and detail settings.
 
Still thinking of upgrading to GTX 960 (from HD 7770) rather than r9 280/285. Here in my country, Nvidia's way cheaper than AMD. R9 280 and 285 costs about 250-275$ here, so I had no choice but to go with $210 GTX 960.
 
This is what bothers me. Most people throw around the "Less Total Draw Power (TDP) of the GTX 960. Seriously....I can't imagine people actually care about draw power once you're at this level. Sure the 960 isn't a flagship, but we're already well past consumer level. If we were creating just basic desktop workstations, sure, that's a legitimate concern as well as cost. When you spend over $200 on a single PC component, in this case the GTX 960, you stop caring about draw power. You've already set your sights on solid performance at very viable and capable frame rates without breaking the bank. Nobody will ever win the "OMG, look! Less power on a performance GPU!" with me...

That's like saying, "Man my Corvette sure does get good gas mileage! That's why I bought it!" Seriously, nobody cares about their gas mileage when they buy a 'Vette...
Click to expand...

A lot of people is concerned about heat and noise. Lower power draw becomes immensely important in this case. It also expand the cards lifespan.
 


Better card, less money, win win!
 
Would anyone have any idea what current card I could buy today to replace an nvidia 8600gt that is just being used in an HTPC? No gaming, just WMC and watching videos.

I had a fanless 8600gt, but it recently died and I haven't bought a card since 2009, so I'm not sure what's equivalent. Thanks.
 
How big is the case? What's the airflow inside like? Can you fit a double-slot GPU? Single-slot only? Half height? You can find many passively cooled R7 240, 250, or GT 730 and 740 cards that should be fine for HTPC use. If you have good airflow in your case you might even squeeze in something a little stronger for some light gaming. I know, you said you didn't care about it, but it might be an option.
 
Hey I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me, I want to ungrade my graphics card I have a Radeon hd 6670 with a and fx 4100 quad core 3.6 I think ghz, I was wondering if the r9 270x was a good buy I'd like to play games like the witcher 3 game coming out, I don't know much about computers but I'd like to learn so any info would be appreciated thanks
 

That answer isn't always straightforward. It depends on your budget, your location ( which determines pricing, ) your power supply, and how big a card you can fit in your case, and what resolution you play at. If you start a question thread in the forum you can get some more detailed answers specifically for your situation.

Assuming you play at 1080 and have both space and power available in your case for the 270X, it's a nice card for the money. But if you can stretch your budget a little more, I would look at the r9 280, GTX 960, or 280X. 280 and 280X prices have fallen a lot the last few months, so spending $20 extra on the 280 is a good buy. With a little luck you can even find a 280X in the $200 range.
 
Hi, guys don't know much about cards, but my budget is limited, it's either a 960 2gb or r9 280, about $200, I'm a little worried about power draw, and I'm upgrading from a HD 6970. I'm playing on a TV 26" 1360*768 resolution and kinda want the free Witcher 3 game from Nvidia promo, TY.
 
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