Need a new graphics card for BF3.

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caleapple

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Mar 17, 2010
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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Today hopefully
BUDGET RANGE: 200$Ish

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: It NEEDS to run BF3 on full this is main reason that I asking for help.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: HD 3800 ( 8800GTS burnt out last week using this as a temp GPU ) and CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified


OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: MoBo, Antec 900 case, Ram

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: None

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: It would be nice to OC the card and for SLI/Crossfire maybe in the future but for now I looking for a single card.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: A litte backstory of me just for no reason at all. I am A+ and N+ certified and I run a very small computer repair business in my town. I also have built around 40-50 computers rangeing from 200$ internet browsers to 1500$ monster computers. But for some reason I think I need help just browsing for a card that can run BF3 on max with 0 lag issues. I know that my rig is outdated by alot but I want to start with the video card and hope to delay upgraded the mobo ram and processor later. But thanks for any help.
 
Solution
japps2
yeah, so you have a 2-core CPU that's not really fast or a powerhouse. definitly not a great gaming CPU unless you overclock it. The GTX 560 Ti would be great for that CPU, and even the GTX 580 later in step-up you would see some improvement. But doing something like 2x GTX 560's in sli would start to bottleneck that CPU. Stick to a single card solution. Either NVidia or Ati.
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I personally have a GTX 560 Ti, and it hasn't even flinched at anything I have thrown at it (except for the time I had WoW open on 2 separate monitors at 1920x1080, at Ultra settings) and you can find them for mid to low $200's.

I feel that the nVidia drivers tend to be a little more stable than the ATI counterparts, and therefore perform a little better. Also, I believe the game was designed / optimized for nVidia.
 
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EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-TR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $339.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130614
I know this is over your budget but if I were building a computer and I was starting with the video card and adding parts later as you intend to do This is what I would start with , you will have no problems whatsoever playing bf3 and Evga is a great co. with outstanding warrenty and tech support .
 
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Why do you think bf3 is optimized for nvidia? Any sources?
 
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Both BF 1942, and BF2 pasted a big nVidia logo on the screen as soon as you opened the game. Unless it is an entirely new dev team, I would assume they would still design their games the way they know how, which is nVidia optimized.

No, I don't have any sources, it's just a personal opinion.

I know this is an old benchmark (heck it is from BF2) but I feel that BF3 will mirror it fairly well.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/1728/2
 
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http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-560-ti-review/18

BFBC2 doesn't look like its optimized for either amd or nvidia and I definitely wouldn't think BF2 benchmarks are anything to go by (6 year old game with really old ATI cards).

lol we're the exact same age if your toms account is correct :)
 
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haha, it is correct :)

I know those cards in the benchmark are very old, but so is the game. I feel that when BF3 is released it will have similar benchmarks with the current cards.

No one can say for sure, and there will be no way to tell until it is released but that is my 2 cents :)

Also... in general unless a maker specifically optimizes a system for AMD, nVidia cards tend to come out as higher performance.

This is kind of weird, because an apples to apples comparison will show that the ATI cards have higher clocks, more processors, and faster memory. But, where nVidia shines is in their driver support. ATI kind of sucks with drivers, which slows their otherwise stellar components down.
 
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I feel my MSI Lightning Extreme in SLI (580's) will do well with BF3.

I had Crossfired ATI in BFBC2 and until it was patched, I was always the last to load and the first to die over and over.

Now the new Crossfired cards that are coming out now are mighty fast and powerful. I rather wait until BD and other new things are released later this year. Since my system is already built, I can only tweak and eliminate flaws.
 
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Thanks for all the replys and I am really liking the card that Johnners2981 posted does anyone have any experiance with this card at all? And I am going to be price hunting for a bit to see if i can find it for cheaper. And if anyone has any 2 cents please post it always takes me forever to buy video cards 😀
 
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as I said originally the 560Ti is an excellent card that I use daily.

All of the different "breeds" (manufacturer / line) are going to be pretty similar.

Gigabyte is known to have good quality, well made products. EVGA is known to have high performance products, Asus is known to be both reliable, and high performance.

No matter who you purchase it through it should do everything you need it to do.
 
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Well after reading all the reviews for this card I feel kinda iffy about it. A lot of talk about how the card goes ded in 3-4 months and how Gigabytes customer support is terrible. Can anyone else confirm this?
 
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EVGA is great on their warranty. AND the have the "step-up" program where you can trade in your card for the newest thing for the price difference within 90 days. So wait until BF3 drops (October 25th) and get an EVGA card...then that gives you 90 days until your step-up time is up (right around the end of January) to see if a better card is out.

I bought a GTX 460 last summer when they came out and at the 90 day mark the GTX 470 was the same price...so for $15 shipping I got a free trade up to a GTX 470.
 
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I've never had any trouble with Asus mobos, and will continue to buy them, but I had two Asus video cards die, one in a matter of days. For GPUS, I tend to get HIS, MSI, and Sapphire. I've also bought Powercolor, and would probably at least give Zotac a try.
 
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Since this thread seems so one sided..

1gb versions of the hd 6950 can be had at newegg.com for as little as $220! I'm inclined to think that this is a fantastic option to consider. it contends with the 570 at stock, never mind if u unlock it to 6970 specs...

I'm on a droid at lunch atm... And can provide links later... But I can't see a better option if your willing to spend a few bux more.
 
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Can you in theory keep doing this over and over or is it a one time deal.
 
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Since you have a budget of $200 and you have a crossfire capable board I would go with a Radeon 6870 like this one

GIGABYTE GV-R687OC-1GD Free Dirt 3 $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125357

A GTX 560 is also a good choice but you will of course be limited to single card operation till you upgrade your system to include an SLI capable motherboard. If you have an overclocked quad core CPU then I think it makes even more sense to go the AMD route and add another 6870 latter on. If you have a dual core CPU then yeah perhaps not as much ^_^.
 
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that would be a great card. And you could put more $$ together and upgrade to a GTX 580 in January if prices drop...or if they come out with a GTX 600 series.

what will also play into this is your CPU...using a LGA 775 motherboard the best you could get would be a QX9770...this is going to start bottle necking your videocards if you get too much GPU power.
 
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what CPU do you have? I meant to say that the QX9770 was the absolute best you could have and even that CPU will start to bottleneck with really good videocards in sli. plus, as someone else said...you have a x48 motherboard...you can only crossfire, not sli
 
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