Looking to upgrade my graphics card, requesting psu and quality gpu suggestions.

[tatsuya1221]

Sorry if this seems template made and long but i'm listing off the required info in the stickied thread as well as trying to cover loose ends.

I will probably purchase the GPU sometime this week, and my price range is 250-300 us dollars before rebates, i can go as high as 330, however i would prefer to keep it as close to 300 as possible.
The card will be used for gaming, though i am not worried about full settings, i wouldn't mind them where obtainable, i do have metro 2033, so that should be a good benchmark of power.
This is my current PSU:
SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
40A on the 12V rail, Tier 2 i believe according to the list on the eggsperts site.

My current graphics card is a msi cyclone nvidia gtx 460 768mb.
the rest of my system specs are as follows:
Intel i5 2500k @4.5ghz overclock at 1.34v, cooler is cooler master hyper 212+, MX4 thermal paste.
Corsair Carbide series 400R mid tower case, with 6 120mm fans, and 1 200mm fan, all in proper cooling configuration.
2 HDD's, a samsung spinpoint F3 1tb os and gaming drive, and a seagate barracuda 3tb media drive.
G Skill 2x4GB DDR3 ram at 1333.
Asrock Z75 Mobo.
Asus Xonar DG sound card.
Most of my system is less than a year old.

I would prefer either amazon or newegg, but i'm willing to use other reputible sites if it is suggested, US based.
I would prefer an AMD card due to my display having a corrupted EDID, but i'm willing to get a nvidia card if it is more bang for my buck.
I may overclock in the future, but i will not be for a long time and probably not without a psu upgrade, i will only use SLI/Crossfire if i upgraded my psu.
My resolution is 1920x1080@60hz.
I would like to have a card good cooling and quality.

I believe my psu is capable of handling a 7950, but i am not sure, so my request is a suggested graphics card in my budget that can run on my psu i suppose.

Thank you for any assistance.

 

[fixer762]

A 7950 would suite you quite well. Take your pick.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=+100007709&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=-1&description=7950&hisInDesc=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc=

I have a Sapphire 7950 vapor X and it works well.


Although Ncix (canada based, but has a US presence) is having a great sale on a 7970 right now. It is a bit more than your budget at $375, but it is a steal at the price.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=79472&promoid=1304

If you want a better power supply upgrade to a Seasonic or Corsair @ 750W or 850W that is modular and 80 plus gold or platinum rated. I like my X-850 850W Seasonic.

 

[wa1]

^+1
You might try his suggestions..

 

[caydn12]

A 7950 would suite you quite well. Take your pick.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=+100007709&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=-1&description=7950&hisInDesc=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc=

I have a Sapphire 7950 vapor X and it works well.


Although Ncix (canada based, but has a US presence) is having a great sale on a 7970 right now. It is a bit more than your budget at $375, but it is a steal at the price.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=79472&promoid=1304

If you want a better power supply upgrade to a Seasonic or Corsair @ 750W or 850W that is modular and 80 plus gold or platinum rated. I like my X-850 850W Seasonic.

This guy has made very good recommendations.
However, I also recommend the XFX brand for power supplies you might be looking in to. They have very good parts, so if you see one on a good sale or something don't be afraid to grab it. Any of those 3 are the best choices

 

[tatsuya1221]

Thank you both, and i'd rather hang onto my psu if possible for the time being, as it's only about 6 months old, that said that gpu is quite nice (though if i get the vapor x it will probably be off of amazon as it's cheaper there).

I'll leave it open for a little bit to see if anyone has any suggested models of the 7950 (the 7970 is a little out of my price range unfortunately) to look into, as some models seem worse than others especially for cooling, if not i will close the thread in due time.

Thank you again.

 

[caydn12]

Thank you both, and i'd rather hang onto my psu if possible for the time being, as it's only about 6 months old, that said that gpu is quite nice (though if i get the vapor x it will probably be off of amazon as it's cheaper there).

I'll leave it open for a little bit to see if anyone has any suggested models of the 7950 (the 7970 is a little out of my price range unfortunately) to look into, as some models seem worse than others especially for cooling, if not i will close the thread in due time.

Thank you again.

Any time you buy an AMD GPU, you want to try and get a sapphire card if you can. They are one of the oldest, and the most well established AMD GPU manufacturing company.
Otherwise I would go MSI, or ASUS.

Avoid Gigabyte and XFX. Right now their cards just arent what they used to be.

IF YOU CAN
Check Ebay or Amazon for a MSI Twin Frozr Radeon HD 7950. If you can find one that has the Twin Frozr coolers, and has a BLACK PCB. (cant stress that part enough. It has to be a black pcb), then pick that one up. Also make sure it is the boost edition. The black PCB that they use is actually a 7970 PCB, which means you have all the 7950 parts, but running on the better 7970 PCB which will make you be able to overclock a little further than most 7950s. Its a hard card to find though, but give it a shot

 

[tatsuya1221]

Thank you for your response.

What are your opinions on the HIS IceQ Boost Clock H795QC3G2M?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420

From what i've seen when it comes to reviews, it seems to be one of the best cooling wise 7950 cards.
I should state that cooling is more important than OC potential to me, as if i do OC, it will not be for a while, and price is an issue, as i said plus shipping i cannot afford more than 330$.

 

[caydn12]

Thank you for your response.

What are your opinions on the HIS IceQ Boost Clock H795QC3G2M?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420

From what i've seen when it comes to reviews, it seems to be one of the best cooling wise 7950 cards.
I should state that cooling is more important than OC potential to me, as if i do OC, it will not be for a while, and price is an issue, as i said plus shipping i cannot afford more than 330$.

That card is good at cooling. You shouldnt be disappointed with the cooling on it.

 

[tatsuya1221]

Thank you for your assistance.

 

[fixer762]

A Seasonic X850 850 Power supply is on sale right now with an INSANE promo code. It costs like $120 right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL050713&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL050713-_-EMC-050713-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17151102-L09A
You have to act fast though the Deal ends on May 8th, Tomorrow or today depending on your time zone.

I only posted this because I saw the deal in my email and it made me look twice even though I'm not even looking to buy one right now.