Recommend me a GPU and Soundcard for 700$

[Shocking777]

Hey there, i'm upgrading my rig sooner or later(might wait for 800 series to come or wait for price drop from the 790 and Titan Black). I'm looking to upgrade my GPU and get a soundcard and probably add another HDD. I have a budget of 700$ might stressed it to 800$ but the point is all i want is quality, if it is over budget but the quality is worth it then i will go with it. I'm planning on buying the 800 GPU series from nvidia if it comes out around Q2 or Q3 but won't wait for Q4. I really don't know about soundcards, probably Asus Xonar 7.1/Phoebus but recommend me something good. If i have some leftovers i might also snatch up an HDD preferably 1TB 7200RPM

Current Rig

i7 3770k
GeLix GX-7 Cooler
MSI TF GTX 660
1TB WDC Blue HDD
120GB SSD
700Watt Silverstone PSU
Lian Li Lancool PC-K63 Case
16GB Patriot PVI RAM

 

[ModernWarfare]

Titan black is a TOTAL waste of money doesnt even have the performance of a gtx 780ti with this card you will run any game you wish at 1080p. also this sound card is also amazing in sound this you must have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($699.99 @ Newegg)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $744.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-20 11:06 EDT-0400)

 

[Shocking777]

What i meant was i'll wait for the 780 Ti Price drop when the 790 and Titan Black comes out, I'll also consider buying the Astro MixAmp, what's better the Astro MixAmp or Soundcards?

 

[ModernWarfare]

soundcards.

 

[Shocking777]

As i heard the Sound Blaster Xi-Fi is better in surround sound while Asus Soundcards are mostly for Music. So i assume the Xi-Fi is overall better in Gaming while the Asus Soundcards are good in everything but lacks on gaming rather then the sound blaster xi-fi?

 

[ModernWarfare]

sound blaster xi-fi is intense in games audio and also music and surround sound like you mentioned it will be better over asus sound cards.

 

[Shocking777]

Alright thanks. i might go for the soundcard first and wait a while to see if theres any news regarding the 800 series

 

[ModernWarfare]

good luck. tell me how it goes

 

[Shocking777]

Hey i'm going to go and upgrade my PC this saturday. But i think i'd go likely with 290X but if the price difference with the 780 Ti is not that high in my country i'd go with the 780 Ti.

Just a question,is the creative omni external soundcard good? Cause i might use it also for my Xbox 360. But if it's not worth it i'd go with the internal soundcard.

 

[ModernWarfare]

Yes that is a solid brand go for it .

 

[Shocking777]

Is it better going for external or internal soundcards? As i have problems deciding between the Creative Sound Blaster Z SBX(people said that its the best in term of surround sound for gaming, how about music though?) or the Creative Omni.

And in terms of GPU which brand should i go with the 290X? I have these options Asus,Sapphire,MSI,Gigabyte. Which one is the coolest and quiet?

 

[ModernWarfare]

i use Asus R9 290X-DC2OC-4GB its perfect also can overclock and runs cool and quiet.

 

[ModernWarfare]

Although internal sound cards are better than external.

 

[C12Friedman]

While I agree that the 780Ti is a good way to go, I completely disagree about the sound card - until you get into the $100+ range, the on board sound of most motherboards is better and cleaner than a sound card (just without as much amplification). This video may be informative, take it for what you will https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1rXcJuEsy0

 

[Shocking777]

I heard that internal soundcards picks up the PC hardware noise, is that true?

The ASUS 290X i found in the local store site was cheaper then i'd expect. I might go with a HDD as games are just gigantic in size.(Titanfall is reaching 48GB, ESO is reaching 60GB).

 

[ModernWarfare]

Not for most cards it wont do any noise or harm the system.

 

[Shocking777]

While I agree that the 780Ti is a good way to go, I completely disagree about the sound card - until you get into the $100+ range, the on board sound of most motherboards is better and cleaner than a sound card (just without as much amplification). This video may be informative, take it for what you will https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1rXcJuEsy0

As for the 100+$ range which one is good? Because if i could get a good deal on the 290X i could boast up the soundcard budget.

 

[Shocking777]

Turns out the SBX isnt available, is the Recon 3D PCie Fatality good? And is the Titanium HD good also? Which one is better?