Need Good Advice On a Video Card.

[The_Midknight05]

Hi I am looking for a low power video card. I am willing to spend an absolute maximum of $375 dollars on a video card.


CPU- i5 3550p
PSU- Dell 460w (actually supplies a full 460, is very good)


I just want a video card that will perform very well but is low on power consumption. I was kinda between Asus 660ti TOP, EVGA 660ti FTW+, or Zotac AMP! Extreme edition 660ti but I'm kinda having doubts about them now.

Any help is appreciated.


Lydia

 

[ASHISH65]

You need to upgrade psu at any cost.hd 7950/gtx 670 + corsair cxv2 500w psu would be good.

 

[Guest]

Just get a 650w psu they are cheap and you run a gtx 670 from them easy. If you don't have the budget for new psu + gpu just get the 660ti FTW and you will be fine but the gpu is not the only component that draws power it's true that it draws the most but I just won't trust a 460W psu to power a modern system.

 

[hizodge]

Pay no mind to these two. 660ti should work just fine with a 460W PSU unless it's either very old or complete crap. Either way it's not really a gaming PSU per se and I have my doubts that the power supply would give you a full 460W.

This review: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/09/03/msi_gtx_660_ti_power_edition_oc_video_card_review/9#.UTjj8VfZl1I claims the total power usage with an overclocked Intel gen 2 CPU to be 321W at its most while gaming. I remember seeing another one which used LGA2011 CPU and peaked somewhere around 360s. So with a 3rd gen CPU which has lower power draw than those two, you should have no problems.

As for the card, I would personally go with this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696

 

[hizodge]

Double post so I'll make use of this space and say that the Asus 660ti outperforms the MSI Power Edition in terms of acoustics and as such it is one of the most silent cards out there.

 

[The_Midknight05]

Double post so I'll make use of this space and say that the Asus 660ti outperforms the MSI Power Edition in terms of acoustics and as such it is one of the most silent cards out there.

Thanks for the help but I am very confident in my power supply. So you think the asus is the best of those three cards.


Lydia

 

[Samuelquick]

Get the Thermaltake 600w Power Supply (TR2). < 100.
GTX 560 TI (Nvidia) card < 200(?).

 

[The_Midknight05]

Get the Thermaltake 600w Power Supply (TR2). < 100.
GTX 560 TI (Nvidia) card < 200(?).

I am not going to buy a new PSU. That is pretty much final. Give me advice on what I asked for advice for.

 

[hizodge]

Thanks for the help but I am very confident in my power supply. So you think the asus is the best of those three cards.


Lydia

Well yes and no. I said that it beats the MSI 660ti PE in acoustics, which is true. However the MSI card comes with both higher base- and boostclock speeds out of the box so it's marginally faster and it overclocks better than the Asus one. Either way they're priced about the same and both offer very high overall quality. Let me just put it this way:

MSI 660 Ti PE has marginal core frequency advantage.

Asus 660 Ti has marginal acoustics advantage.

If you can't still can't make up your mind just take whichever suits your system's color scheme better.

 

[The_Midknight05]

Well yes and no. I said that it beats the MSI 660ti PE in acoustics, which is true. However the MSI card comes with both higher base- and boostclock speeds out of the box so it's marginally faster and it overclocks better than the Asus one. Either way they're priced about the same and both offer very high overall quality. Let me just put it this way:

MSI 660 Ti PE has marginal core frequency advantage.

Asus 660 Ti has marginal acoustics advantage.

If you can't still can't make up your mind just take whichever suits your system's color scheme better.

While I appreciate the advice I feel as if you guys are not taking the EVGA and Zotac cards seriously as competitors against the MSI and ASUS. Oh and I am not sure if I missed this but the ASUS is a TOP edition. So take that into account.



Lydia

 

[hizodge]

While I appreciate the advice I feel as if you guys are not taking the EVGA and Zotac cards seriously as competitors against the MSI and ASUS. Oh and I am not sure if I missed this but the ASUS is a TOP edition. So take that into account.



Lydia

Sorry I just went with whatever was available on Newegg, assuming it was the Asus TOP version as it shared the exact price with the MSI's best 660 Ti. Seeing you're quite capable of making such critical remarks I wonder why are you asking for help in the first place.

Now the Zotac's 660 Ti is a smaller card, enabling it to fit inside small form factor systems, as well as making the cooler somewhat louder than it needs to be. It's also a bit hard to come by. EVGA on the other hand likes using reference coolers, which aren't known for being exactly quiet either. These are the main reasons why I would leave them out of the question, but hey... If you don't mind the noise...

In the end you asked for my opinion and I still would go for the MSI Power Edition.