Graphics Card Recommendations (Occasional Gaming)

[djkmod83]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some guidance on choosing a video card. Im jumping back in to building a new box as the last one I built was about 10 years ago. I'll be using this for every day use, occasional gaming as well as housing my Plex server. I'm looking to spend about $150 - $175, if I have to go a little past I'm fine with that. Only caveat is I'm running two monitors both with DVI so it needs to have two DVIs. Here is my current build:

Intel Core i7-4790k
Asus Maximus Hero VII Motherboard
2 G.Skill TridentX 4GB sticks
Corsair Carbide 400R
Corsair CX600 PSU

Any suggestions/guidance you may have is appreciated. I've looked but just can't decide.

 

[cin19]

GTX750ti is more than enough, like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487024

 

[Vosgy]

That Motherboard just seems like overkill to me, can get most of the features on lesser boards for cheaper only real advantage it has is it can Sli/Crossfire up to quad, since we appear to be going with more mid ranged GPU's I'm guessing that isn't really going to be happening, also looking at the PSU only being 600w I'm guessing you an't planing on Sli/crossfire.

 

[Darkbreeze]

This would probably be the best choice at or near your price range. The price vs performance is much better than on similarly tiered Nvidia cards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $179.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-14 00:04 EST-0500

I run three simultaneous displays off my R9 280 with no issues. Two 1080 panels via DVI and a 1080 TV via displayport active adapter to HDMI.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'd have to agree on the motherboard. Unless you need features found on the Hero that are not available on the ASUS Z97-A or Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5, you'd be just as well off with one of those. If you've chosen that board for aesthetic reasons, that is of course your option.

 

[djkmod83]

This would probably be the best choice at or near your price range. The price vs performance is much better than on similarly tiered Nvidia cards.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $179.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-14 00:04 EST-0500

I run three simultaneous displays off my R9 280 with no issues. Two 1080 panels via DVI and a 1080 TV via displayport active adapter to HDMI.

Thanks, I will definitely look into this

 

[djkmod83]

I'd have to agree on the motherboard. Unless you need features found on the Hero that are not available on the ASUS Z97-A or Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5, you'd be just as well off with one of those. If you've chosen that board for aesthetic reasons, that is of course your option.

Probably should have done my research a little more but I have already purchased and installed it, but one of the reasons was for the aesthetics, have always like the black and red look. Luckily it didn't set me back all that much compared to the other options.

 

[Math Geek]

i was thinking the 270x would be right about where you want to be but that 280 posted is a great price and not much more than a 270x would cost right now. that looks like a good buy for your needs.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, it's a fantastic board, so you should have no regrets there. MY only concern here really, is the CX series PSU. We see an overwhelming number of people with issues related to those units when paired with gaming cards, despite it having a few positive reputable reviews. A more general consensus among PSU techs is that the unit doesn't pair well with overclocking or gaming cards unless it's a fair amount larger than the recommended minimum that would be passable with a higher end PSU.

It's probably ok for now, with an R9 280 or lower tiered card, but my recommendation would be that you look into replacing it at some point in the near future, especially if you plan to overclock either the CPU or GPU. Being a tier 3 unit, it's really not recommended for either.

PSU Tier list: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

 

[Math Geek]

how did i miss the psu as well? darkbreeze to the rescue!! the 280 is a 250w card. factor in another 175w or so for the system and you are pulling most of what the psu can offer. 425w/12v = 35.4 amps on the 12v rail and ~45 amps available to "be safe". your psu has 40 amps available. it will provide enough power but at 88.5% usage it is not recommended to do this for long. if the system is oc'ed and uses more power you will quickly max out the psu which is not recommended for any psu.

i would replace that psu very soon to avoid it failing. i do not say it will fry the pc or burn down your house but it could fail and maybe take a part or 2 with it. more than likely it will simply shut down and not restart but failure is surely a possibility at this high usage from a lower tiered psu. here are a few quality units that will power the system and are a good price right now http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr%2Cseasonic-power-supply-m12ii620bronze/