New graphics card or not?

[Andy38416]

I have recently just built a new skylake computer running i5 6500, 8gb ram and 550w power supply.

My old graphics card was an AMD R7 260x 2gb and even though the new i5 has made a big difference I'm still looking for more power.

The way I see it I have 3 options

1 - hold fire on new graphics card for now and wait to see new releases from Nvidia or AMD

2 - replace the graphics card with either a R9 380 or GTX 960 4gb versions

3 - blow my £200 budget and get the GTX 970

I should point out my budget is £200, could be tempted to raise to get the 970 but that is total max. Also I only want to do 1080p gaming for now, so no need for a crazy expensive card.

Looking for a little help from everyone, I keep reading good things about the new cards that will be coming out this year from both companies so unsure to buy one now or invest in a new one.

Thanks

 

[minemarcius]

970 is a perfect option for you if you play 1080p. anything beyond that is a waste for 1080p and buying lower tier cards is also a waste for that CPU

 

[clutchc]

If you are a gamer, yes... a better gfx card for sure. All 3 of your choices are viable. Cost and time to wait is the only drawback. And only you can make that final decision. But that processor deserves the best gfx card you can afford.

 

[lucas_7_94]

If you can wait some months (like i'm doing), save some bucks and go for Polaris/Pascal new AMD/nvidia GPU's.

 

[Andy38416]

I'm thinking I'll go with the 970, even though I will need to check it will fit in my case, 99% sure it will but 10.5 inches long sounds a lot so want to check.

I know what you mean about the Polaris/Pascal cards being released later this year but from the rumours they will all be 2nd half of the year.

I will have a think but I think the choices are wait a good few months or buy the 970 now, I think the 970 would tie me over for a good couple of years considering I only can have 1080p so far

 

[Wendi_TechFlow]

I have recently just built a new skylake computer running i5 6500, 8gb ram and 550w power supply.

My old graphics card was an AMD R7 260x 2gb and even though the new i5 has made a big difference I'm still looking for more power.

The way I see it I have 3 options

1 - hold fire on new graphics card for now and wait to see new releases from Nvidia or AMD

2 - replace the graphics card with either a R9 380 or GTX 960 4gb versions

3 - blow my £200 budget and get the GTX 970

I should point out my budget is £200, could be tempted to raise to get the 970 but that is total max. Also I only want to do 1080p gaming for now, so no need for a crazy expensive card.

Looking for a little help from everyone, I keep reading good things about the new cards that will be coming out this year from both companies so unsure to buy one now or invest in a new one.

Thanks

I would actually suggest getting the MSI GTX 970 as it is definitely one of, if not the best GTX 970 card and it is such good value for the money. In fact, overclocked it actually reaches the same base clock as the GTX 980 which is close to double its price.

 

[clutchc]

I would actually suggest getting the MSI GTX 970 as it is definitely one of, if not the best GTX 970 card and it is such good value for the money. In fact, overclocked it actually reaches the same base clock as the GTX 980 which is close to double its price.

Don't let clock speed be your only comparison. The 980 still has 384 more shading units, 24 more texture mapping units, and 8 more render output processors than the 970. But I agree, the 970 is one of the sweet spots in gfx cards today.