MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk vs HIS 6870 IceQ X TURBO (Please consider CUDA)

[Arterial]

Dear everyone,

I am planning to make a new computer and I need help deciding which graphic card to choose.

Planned specs:[I already bought most of the things, except the motherboard and power supply. So if I need to change it due to the graphics card, please warn me.]

Case: Cooler Master Elite 430-KWN1
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68V-PRO
CPU: i7-2600K @ 3.4Ghz
RAM: ADATA 4GB 1333 X 4
PSU: Delta 650W

My first pick was the 6870, as the 6870 is around 30% cheaper ($1499 compared with $1999)[HKD]. (This is because I don't reside anywhere near the U.S.)

However, I heard that nVidia cards with CUDA can drastically increase the performance of the Adobe programs that I occasionally use.

Also, according to my research(not sure), the 560 should have better cooling, as the idle and full load temperatures are 29 and 69 degrees Celsius respectively.

Furthermore, if the 560 has better cooling, I might consider overclocking.

Thanks!

 

[chesteracorgi]

You are right about the CUDA aspects, they may produce a performance boost (over the AMD alternative) to Adobe graphics programs. With Virtu on the Z68 you will be able to use both the iGPU and descrete GPU. The cooling depends on the model and brand of GPU that you choose. Stick with the reference models (non-OC'd) because you can OC on your own with MSI Afterburner software (yes it works on other brands of cards). And if Afterburner doesn't work there are other programs to OC GPUs.