Please help me pick a graphic card.

Malanthor

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Jan 25, 2013
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So i am in the process of getting a new computer.
I will go for a MSI Z77A-GD55, Socket-1155 motherboard, i5 3570k processor, corsair tx750w power supply, corsair h60 hydro water cooling, a fractal r4 cabinet, 16 gigs of 1600mhz ram (whatever really) a seagata 2 tb 7200 rpm hardisk and a samsung 840 250 gb ssd. That just leaves the graphic card.
Im gaming in a resolution of 1920x1080 on a benq g2420hd, but i may change screen in the near future to a 120 ghz or a larger screen with higher resolution. In no way will i for the next 3+ years go near multiple monitors however so that is not something i am taking into consideration for my graphic card needs.
I play games 95% of the time and want a single core graphic card that i can use now and for the next 3 years to run whatever comes my way at a resolution of at 1920x1080+.

So as far as i know the best Radeon hd7970 card is the Asus Matrix Platinum and the best gtx 680 is the Asus gtx 680 DirectCU II TOP? I was also considering the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 670 2GB AMP which supposedly is better than a stock gtx 680 and a stock hd7970?

Can anyone enlighten me as to which of these cards or even a different card would be best for my needs (gaming+regular crap which takes no power at all)?

Single monitor, right now only 1920x1080 perhaps in the future a 2560x1600 but not multiple monitors.

And money is not important, well within a limit. If i can get a card that does 4% worse for a hell of a lot less money thats a winner ofc, but im not into the power/$ stuff.

Hope anyone can give me a good logical answer and not the typical amd vs nvidea crap or results based off old drivers that are no longer relevant. :)
 
Well with the AMD side of things I would go for the Sapphire Vapor-X its a Ghz edition card which to this time is the fastest chip out. Also, you get the Vapor-X card for less then you would with the TOP card. Also, I wouldn't get a 680 I feel the performance increase isn't enough to make it worth it a 670 TOP card beats out a 680 stock by 1 percent so that could be a option as well.


http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=70,112&sort=a5&m=8,41
 
So the Sapphire Vapor X Ghz edition is faster than the asus matrix platinum?
All the tests ive seen says the opposite. Maybe i was really tired when i read them. :)
 
The page you listed has different stats than the cards beeing sold by the shop in my country. Here the vapor ghz edition has a core clock speed of 1050 and the asus matrix plat at 1100. Hmm. And im pretty sure those stats are accurate. Seen them mentioned in professional reviews done over here aswell.
 
You have several options. If you can wait a month, the Nvidia 780 is coming out that will have maybe 70% more power than the 680 with much more VRAM. This will come in real handy if you go with your 2560X1600 display.

If you look at reviews, the latest games can bring a 680 or 7970 to their knees, espcially if driving a 2560 X 1600 monitor.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_680_SLI/14.html

As you can see, a single 680 or 7970 are in the very low 20's frames per second on a 2560 X 1600 monitor, even at 1920 X 1200 you are at upper twenties to lower thirties, not enough to brag on Facebook about.

If you want to power through games for the next three years, you are looking at SLI/CF or the next generation super cards, 780/8970. Espcially with a 2560 X 1600.
 
Hmm i read it and your right, it wasnt very positive. What is sad is that some other sites gave it great reviews. Was this site specially geared towards overclocking? From the name of it i reckon maybe so? I have no real intention to go for a massive overclock, at the start i prob wont overclock at all and when i begin to see tiny slowdown in the future ill prob overclock a bit, dont want to fry my warranty. :)
Why oh why do it has to be so hard, hehe.
 


Hmm yeah you may have a point there, i dont want to buy a card today for 500-600 dollars (what these cards cost in my country) and have to buy a new in 1-2 years time. :)
 
Thats a really nice card but my wife would murder me in my sleep if i spent that much on a graphic card. That card is like 1600-1700 $ here. :)
Thanks for the tip though hehe.
Okay so i guess the consensus is that the sapphire 7970 vapor x ghz ed is what is the best thing to go for right now, and rather save the money for when the new better cards come out later.
Thanks to everyone for the input. But by all means if you have something more to say please do. Im always eager for more inputs or different oppinions.
 



Hi :)

There is one advantage to the 7990... it WILL last for at least 3 to 4 years ...

7970 ...1 to 2 years max...

For decent gaming I mean...

So you could tell your wife its an economy measure... :)

Where are you by the way ?

All the best Brett :)

 
Norway. :)
Also im getting a company to build the pc for me (i havent built a pc in 10 years)
im just sitting on my ass and picking parts here.
Yeah i guess i could do that hehe, well see well see.
Im debating building it myself though, it might even be easier today than what it used to be 10 years ago.
 



Hi :)

Its easy to build yourself these days...with a little help from here...

The labour money you save could go for that card.... ler....

All the best Brett :)