Help figure out which Graphic Card is Better for the $$$

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
michael06

michael06

Distinguished
Jan 23, 2012
136
0
18,680
Hello I'm in the process of building another gaming computer I come across on something on Amd gonna get the Fx 8120 Cpu
with mobo http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0375772...... Can I use a Gtx Gpu for this mobo or does it have to
be Amd Crossfire??


My Budget on the Graphic card is $300 Bucks or Less No higher then that.. If I cant use Gtx video cards Ill go with Xfx or w/e that is good will run
Games like Bf3, Prototype 2, Grand Theft auto 5 coming soon, & all Games out now & coming in future as well like hitman revolution want to play on Ultra Settings I do sometimes play on 1080p monitor. I want to get the most out of this card so I dont have to buy another for awhile
 
Solution
geofelt


To overclock, you want a "K" suffix cou. 2500K or 3570K.

To overclock, you only need a $20-$30 cooler like thecm hyper212. Water cooling is totally unnecessary for any sane overclock.
Sort by date Sort by votes
You'll be fine with a single Nvidia card, you just won't be able to run two of them.

If you are building a gaming computer however I suggest an Intel CPU. Look at the best gaming CPUs for the money articles here on toms. AMD is barely even in there. $300 GPU is the 7850, or maybe the 7870. Good gaming cards.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote



oh ya that sucks cause i prob will run sli or crossfire here down the road & You want me to get intel instead of amd cpu?? I have been trying to build a system under 700 bucks or lil over but cant seem to figure out what to get lol... I'm selling my current system now with Gtx 480 gpu I just got 2 weeks ago it is a good card but not sure on which 7850 brand to get msi or w/e there is that is really good
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Upvote 0 Downvote



your links wont work since its your shopping cart on the web site.

Try copy and pasting!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Your links to the carts do not work for me.

The FX-8120 I a $150 cpu that is not good for gaming.
The reason is that few games use more than 2 or 3 cores, and the bulldozer cores are not very effective.

The $150 3450 would be a hugely better choice.
Even the $90 i3-2100 would be better.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-fx-pentium-apu-benchmark,3120-6.html

There are some great cpu deals at microcenter for walk in's.

At the $300 price point, the 7850/7870 is a good card. But it might pay you to wait a couple of weekd for the similrly priced GTX660 launch.

I would not plan on sli/cf as an upgrade path.
Here is my reasoning:
a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX560 or 6870 can give you great performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX560ti or 6950 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single 7970 or GTX680 is about as good as it gets.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, then sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX560ti needs a 450w psu, even a GTX580 only needs a 600w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.
A single more modern 28nm card like a 7970 or GTX680 needs only 550W.
Even the strongest GTX690 only needs 650w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual cards do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual card support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) cf/sli up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If you want to stay with AMD, the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition seems like a great choice based on price/performance. no need to over pay on AMD FX series if your focus is going to be on gaming.

personally, I'd go with an Ivy Bridge i5 and either a ATI HD7950 or wait for the Nvidia GTX 660ti to release soon. In fact, I'll be making that decision myself soon.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote



oh ya hmm I really wanted to get a Intel Cpu but not sure on which Motherboard on the intel side that is really good for the money??
When is the New Gtx 660 gonna release & is that better then the 7000 series Gpu???
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


The supposed launch date for the GTX660 is August 16. It is supposed to give amd competition in the $300 and lower category.
With competition, you can be assured that you will get fair value for your money. Pick your budget, and buy the best card available at that price.

The only difference you will see coming from amd to intel is the cpu mounting. The Intel lga array mount is very simple and foolproof.
No worries on that score.

Any Z77 based motherboard will be good for Intel. Pick your favorite brand.
Past that, there is very little differentiation, except for size. Sometimes M-ATX motherboards are a bit cheaper, and they fit in some really nice small cases. How many expansion slots will you need? For most of us, the answer is none, past the graphics card pcie-x16 slot.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Upvote 0 Downvote
If you want to do some extreme overclocking then go with the i5 3570K.

I think the i5 3450 is more than sufficient though. I'd use the remaining money to fund the best GPU you feel comfortable buying.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


To overclock, you want a "K" suffix cou. 2500K or 3570K.

To overclock, you only need a $20-$30 cooler like thecm hyper212. Water cooling is totally unnecessary for any sane overclock.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom