Overkill? Need help picking a video card for a new build

[1911]

I'm getting back into the gaming scene and would like to try and future proof this custom build as much as I can. If someone wants me to post all the components I plan to buy I can, however I'm currently stuck trying to decide on a proper graphics card. I would like to game on max settings (what ever that entails) for any game out there. Currently my budget for this PC is 1500 and I'm going Intel (i7 3770k) with it.

The Monitors I'm buying are (dual monitor setup):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236175

Eventually I plan to upgrade to something like a Dell Ultra sharp, however that won't be for quite a while.

The GPU that I'm looking at is:
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-3777-KR
-or-
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-3776-KR

Can someone tell me if this is overkill or recommend another card if it is? Primary function of this PC is work (VPN and VMs) and a very strong second is gaming on any game I can think of as I don't know what games are currently out there since I'm just now returning. I do have plans to play Crysis 3, Battlefield 3, age of empires, sim city, new batman, etc.

Not sure if this needs said, but I plan to only game on the 1 monitor and use the second for skype, excel, outlook, browser, etc.

 

[H4X3R]

I would recommend the 780 Dual Classified Edition.
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=03G-P4-3788-KR

Or if this is too much, i'd stick with a gigabyte 770 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125462

 

[iblowuup]

I would recommend the HD 7970 Ghz edition. -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001

It is cheaper plus it performs better according to Tom's GPU hierarchy.

 

[1911]

To the 7970 GHZ Edition, is the 6GB model worth the up charge of 100 bucks?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202005

I'm nervous to buy an AMD GPU btw, not that I've ever owned a high end gaming gpu before, but when I bought an AMD laptop (first and last time buying AMD) it ran super hot and that kind of made me leery of AMD chips.

Also is the gigabyte one better than the second EVGA one I listed? It's only 10 dollars difference and from my readings on here, that ACX cooler is a really nice cooler.

 

[iblowuup]

To the 7970 GHZ Edition, is the 6GB model worth the up charge of 100 bucks?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202005

I'm nervous to buy an AMD GPU btw, not that I've ever owned a high end gaming gpu before, but when I bought an AMD laptop (first and last time buying AMD) it ran super hot and that kind of made me leery of AMD chips.

Also is the gigabyte one better than the second EVGA one I listed? It's only 10 dollars difference and from my readings on here, that ACX cooler is a really nice cooler.

The 6gb edition is absolutely not worth the extra money. I don't think you would ever use that much VRAM. Also AMD is just as good as Nvidia when it comes to graphics cards. Laptops tend to run hot no matter what but as long as the card you select has a good cooling solution then you will be just fine. The gigabyte card would be equivalent in performance but it appears to have a better cooling solution (3 fans compared to 1).

 

[1911]

I was comparing the AMD laptop to all my other Intel Laptops (I know laps run hotter than desktops).

Also the EVGA I supplied in the link has 2 fans (not 1), I've just read really good things about the ACX cooler.

I was told to SLI two GTX 760s or crossfire two HD 7950s on another part of this forum. At the same time I've always thought the best process was to buy the best single card setup you can afford and get another one later on when it lowers in price to run SLI.

I don't care if I run SLI/crossfire or not, as long as I'm getting good graphics and the best chance to upgrade down the line.

Can I get some Graphics & Displays community discussions / recommendations on which to buy out of the 3 current options:

1 GTX 770
2 GTX 760s in SLI
2 HD 7950s in Crossfire

I'm trying to keep the overall build around 1800 (i7 3770k, 16GB RAM, 2 1080P 23" Monitors) so my budget for the card is up to 500.