Time For A New Graphics Card

[Ian Davis]

I'm really in need of a new graphics card but recently it seems like there's been a flurry of activity. I'm looking to play current gen games on high graphics comfortably without breaking the budget. Recently I've been looking at the R9 270X, GTX 660Ti, GTX 660, GTX 760, and Radeon 7950. Is there any distinct advantage to any of these? Does anybody have a link to a reliable bench between these?

Edit: My current rig is as follows
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE
G.Skill Ripjaws Series 2x8gb
Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT
Cooler Master 600w Power Supply
Samsung 840 128gb SSD
Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3

 

[Agent69]

R9 270x > 7950 > 760 >660 TI > 660
Hope this helps you. To round it up, R9 290X is the best one, but not by a lot. The best one i would get for under 500$ is r9 290

 

[Sakkura]

The GTX 760 and HD 7950 are the fastest of the bunch. The 660 Ti isn't much behind. The R9 270X is a ways slower than that, and the GTX 660 brings up the rear.

 

[Sakkura]

R9 270x > 7950 > 760 >660 TI > 660
Hope this helps you. To round it up, R9 290X is the best one, but not by a lot. The best one i would get for under 500$ is r9 290

Dude, the R9 270X is a rebadged 7870. It's not better than the 7950, it's the other way around.

 

[Ian Davis]

R9 270x > 7950 > 760 >660 TI > 660
Hope this helps you. To round it up, R9 290X is the best one, but not by a lot. The best one i would get for under 500$ is r9 290

I'm not willing to drop the cash on a 290x, but you say the 270x is the fastest?

 

[Ian Davis]

The GTX 760 and HD 7950 are the fastest of the bunch. The 660 Ti isn't much behind. The R9 270X is a ways slower than that, and the GTX 660 brings up the rear.

So any definite advantage between the 760 or 7950?

 

[Liam Joyce]

iv heard some disapointing things about the 760 ... ended up getting a 2nd hand 680 for near the same price and i couldnt be happier

 

[Sakkura]

The GTX 760 and HD 7950 are the fastest of the bunch. The 660 Ti isn't much behind. The R9 270X is a ways slower than that, and the GTX 660 brings up the rear.

So any definite advantage between the 760 or 7950?

If you check Tom's review of the 760, it's basically too close to call. The GTX 760 uses less power, but the 7950 overclocks a little better.

 

[Agent69]

7950 is a lot faster than the 760
While your playing at 45FPS on BF4 with 760. Youre playing at 50-60FPS with a 7950 on medium.

 

[Ian Davis]

Now does anybody know when AMD plans to have its Gaming Evolved optimization profiles finished? GeForce Experience is the only thing intriguing me about the 760 right now. Also, what are the three games that come with the 7950 and are there any manufacturers I should avoid?

 

[Sakkura]

If you get a 7950 with the Never Settle Forever game bundle, you get to pick 3 games from a list.

The XFX 7950 has had some poor reviews, apparently the cooler isn't much good.

 

[Sam Hain]

My rig is similar to yours (and still games smooth, with high settings and at high fps) using a MSI GTX 760 OC 4gb on an Asus 27" 1080p 144hz display and it's a perfect match for me.

The HD 7950 is a comparable and capable card as well, and has a HUGE price drop right now. I'd have to ask at what resolution you are gaming at, as that would help determine what card to pick. But again, for 1080p and the chipset/CPU you have, the GTX 760 and HD 7950 are both great.

I've not read much on the R9 270X, but have a feeling it's not as powerful as either of the aforementioned cards, so maybe looking at the R9 280/R9 280X as another option as well.

I'm not upgrading my mobo/cpu/ram until 2014, waiting to see what (if) AMD plans on doing or see if Intel release Haswell-e and go 6 or 8 core then... Good luck on your GPU hunt!

My specs:
MSI 790FX-GD70
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE (3.8 Ghz)
Mushkin Blackline Series 4x2gb DDR3 1600 (7-9-7-24, 1T)
MSI GTX 760 Gaming OC 4gb
Thermaltake TR2 TX 850 PSU
WD 500gb 7,200 rpm HDD
WD 750gb 7,200 rpm HDD
Soundblaster Z (SB1500)
Corsair SP-2500 speakers
Asus VG278HE Monitor

 

[Ian Davis]

Alright, thanks guys.