Help me choose an adequate graphics card for the new rig I'm building, please

[rapiergv]

Hey guys!

Basically the title, I'm building a new rig and I'm unsure what graphics card to get.

The specs are:

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 4670 3.4GHz box
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS H87-PLUS
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit
PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX600 80 PLUS Bronze

The following are a few of the choices I was looking at for a graphics card:

Gainward GeForce GTX 770 Phantom 4GB DDR5 256-bit
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 OC WindForce 3X 4GB DDR5 256-bit
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 SuperClocked 2GB DDR5 256-bit
ASUS GeForce GTX 770 DirectCU II OC 2GB DDR5 256-bit
Sapphire Radeon R9 280X Toxic 3GB DDR5 384-bit
Sapphire Radeon R9 280X OC Vapor-X Tri-X WITH BOOST 3GB DDR5 384-bit

I read some threads that said that 4GB is actually too much for 770's processing power, and 2GB is the way to go. I have a dual-monitor setup (2x 1920x1080), but only run games on one of the screens, the other is just for internet/media stuff.

Also, is there a chance that the above cards may be bottlenecked by the processor?

I don't know if this matters, but just throwing it out there: I want to use the new rig for streaming games on twitch.tv heavily. As far as I know, for streaming, the CPU is much more important than the graphics card, but I mentioned this just in case.

Any input / advice is greatly appreciated!

LATER EDIT: I can also get a more expensive, R9 290 card, but I would only consider that if the performance difference is highly noticeable or if you guys strongly recommend it. Here are a couple of cards that are (barely) in my price range:

Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 OC WindForce 3X 4GB DDR5 512-bit
ASUS Radeon R9 290 4GB DDR5 512-bit
MSI Radeon R9 290 Gaming Twin Frozr IV OC 4GB DDR5 512-bit

 

[coozie7]

Games are already pushing 3Gb of VRAM and they're not going to reduce that requirement, so the more memory you can have the better, not for now, you understand but later on.

No, that CPU will drive any card you have mentioned without a restriction.

I think your planned CPU will laugh at streaming video.

The 'CX' series are not the best Corsair make, they're still good but better are available, same Wattage, just better quality, try to work one into the build.

The R9 290 is a fair bit faster than the GTX770: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290/ (this review is at stock speeds and uses the lousy reference cooler the ones you have in mind are much better) and comes with 4Gb of VRAM as well, naturally it would be my choice but if the budget can't reach the GTX770 is still a powerful piece of kit!

 

[luckybanger7]

First of all 4GB of VRAM isn't going to help on a 4GB GTX770 because it simply can't use it unless you go SLI but your PSU doesn't support that. I had the exact same question about my rig and i did what coozie7 said and blew my budget and got the R9 290 TRI-X and i have to tell you that that thing is a beast! ( I'm sure the Winforce X3 is good too) Also 2GB of VRAM can cause trouble in newer games... I also was going for a CX750M but as coozie7 also said it's OK but with high quality components you don't want to cheap out on your PSU! Remember that! A cheap one CAN cause you alot of trouble...
And no the CPU will not bottleneck any of the GPU's.
That's all I can add.

 

[coozie7]

The extra memory doesn't help performance as such, but some games want more memory-Wolfenstien TNO wants 3Gb or more for its max res textures while BF4 and Watch Dogs also like plenty of memory, hence my suggestion of a 4Gb card.
Yes, I know it's only a few games, but this is a new build not an upgrade for some ancient fossil (like mine 😉 ) so I'm aiming for the future, not the now.

 

[rapiergv]

Thanks for the suggestions! Follow-up question regarding the PSU: some of the other options I have at nearby stores are:

Cooler Master V650S 650W
Super Flower Golden Green SF-700P14XE 700W
Cooler Master GM Series G750M 750W
Corsair CS Series Modular CS650M
Corsair RM Series RM650
EVGA SuperNOVA NEX650G Gold
Antec High Current Gamer 620W
Seasonic S12G-650 650W
Seasonic S12G-750 Gold 750W
EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2

Would you recommend any of these?

Also, as buying a better PSU stretches my budget a bit too thin, would you guys think I'd get away with the box cooler for the processor, or would it still be recommended to buy a specific one?

Thanks!

 

[coozie7]

If possible, go for the R9 290, it's the strongest card in your range, and you can always swap out cheaper parts like the CPU cooler or PSU later, at your leisure, a stronger card will last longer.
Having said the above, I'd keep the CX600, they're not THAT bad just not the best available, but of those listed the cheaper of the Seasonics would be good as would the Antec.
The system you've specced up isn't really set to overclock so the stock cooler would be fine but take a little time to get a case with a cutout in the motherboard tray, (it's a big hole in the metal behind the CPU socket) you may decide to upgrade to a better/quieter cooler later and this will make fitting one so much easier.

 

[rapiergv]

If possible, go for the R9 290, it's the strongest card in your range, and you can always swap out cheaper parts like the CPU cooler or PSU later, at your leisure, a stronger card will last longer.
Having said the above, I'd keep the CX600, they're not THAT bad just not the best available, but of those listed the cheaper of the Seasonics would be good as would the Antec.
The system you've specced up isn't really set to overclock so the stock cooler would be fine but take a little time to get a case with a cutout in the motherboard tray, (it's a big hole in the metal behind the CPU socket) you may decide to upgrade to a better/quieter cooler later and this will make fitting one so much easier.

Thanks man, awesome advice! Gonna go with a Seasonic S12II-620 Bronze 620W and a Fractal Design Arc Miditower case, it has the cutout you were referring to. Thank you!

 

[luckybanger7]

Also if it helps i have the V650SM from Cooler Master and it's great to me! The only problem i got with it was that my case isn't able to do good cable management so my CPU 4+4-PIN is a little too short! For your own good make sure the case has cable management holes above your motherboard! I was a first time builder almost 2 weeks ago and i really had alot of problems with my cable management -> result: It took me 3 hours to get the back panel closed!
This might be different for you but i really had issues with it (first time builders between each other?).
Good luck and please private message me some FPS's to compare mine versus yours.