sapphire radeon hd 7870 vs EVGA GTX 660

[JasonD95]

Which graphics card is superior with an i5 processor? Right now im leaning towards the radeon because the price is lower and on top of that it comes with 3 reputable games. But will either one work on the same motherboard? and which one is technially better than the other one for online gaming? Most people say the radeon, but a lot of people that seem to know what they're talking about say otherwise. Educated opinions are appreciated. Thanks

 

[Onus]

Consider http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=660
It would appear that it depends on the game, but the HD7870 looks to me to be a little stronger. For some GPGPU tasks (e.g. bitmining, not on the chart), it isn't even close; the HD7870 blows the GTX660 out of the water. The GTX660 does use less power though. Strictly for games, you'd likely be happy with either one. The three "free" games seriously tilts the value comparison in favor of the HD7870 though; even if you didn't think you'd play them, you could resell them, offsetting the price of the card.

 

[JasonD95]

Consider http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=660
It would appear that it depends on the game, but the HD7870 looks to me to be a little stronger. For some GPGPU tasks (e.g. bitmining, not on the chart), it isn't even close; the HD7870 blows the GTX660 out of the water. The GTX660 does use less power though. Strictly for games, you'd likely be happy with either one. The three "free" games seriously tilts the value comparison in favor of the HD7870 though; even if you didn't think you'd play them, you could resell them, offsetting the price of the card.

thank you. i think that solidified me getting the 7870. Can you give me your opinion on which motherboard I should get or if these are even compatible?
Motherboard-ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 or MSI B75MA-P45 Motherboard

 

[Onus]

That Asus board is an AMD board, not for Intel i5.
For motherboards, I would choose Asus, ASRock, Gigabyte, and probably even Biostar over MSI, especially if you plan to overclock.