Torn between the choices. Help me choose, thanks!

[monchee]

I am so lost in what to get for my system. I'm upgrading from a very old GT 240 1GB DDR5 card and I need help in choosing from the list.
I'm from the Philippines and the prices are a little higher compared to the newegg prices.

$1 = 41PHP
Converting using xe.com/ucc

If we're gonna maximize the budget:
Sapphire HD 7850 1gb/256bit ddr5 = PHP 8160.00 (200 USD)

Sapphire HD 7850 2gb/256bit ddr5 (OC Ed) = PHP 9080.00 (222 USD)

Power Color HD 7850 2gb/256bit ddr5 = PHP 8000.00 (196 USD)

Power Color HD 7870 2gb/256bit ddr5 = PHP 8900.00 (218 USD)



I can't afford to go over 10,000..

 

[timarp000]

Your 2 best options are an Nvidia GTX 660 or the Radeon 7870. You cant say that one is better than the other because the AMD card is better in games like Deus Ex Human revolution, Dirt 3 etx and the Nvidia card performs better in games like Battlefield 3, Batman Arkham City etc.


You can look at benchmarks on various games in the link below
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=660

Resolutions are listed there so take the benchmark according to your monitor resolution. or the closest one.


The R7870 does better at higher reloutions like 2560x1440 and 2560x1600 so if you plan to game on those high res displays buy the R7870. But a R7870 can power a 2560x1440 monitor, you will have to Crossfire it in the future.

Choose the cards according to the games you play...

 

[monchee]

I'm selecting between the cards posted above. The GTX 660 here is way out of my budget. Here, let me list them:

Asus GTX 660 DirectCU II 2gb/192bit (OC Ed) = PHP 12490.00 (306 USD)

EVGA GTX 660 Super Clocked 2gb/192bit ddr5 = PHP 10980.00 (269 USD)

Gainward GTX 660 2gb/192bit ddr5 = PHP 9580.00 (235 USD)

Inno3d GTX 660 2gb/192bit ddr5 = PHP 9580.00 (235 USD)

MSI GTX 660 Twin Frozr III 2gb/192bit ddr5 (OC Ed) = PHP 11740.00 (281 USD)

Palit GTX 660 2gb/192bit ddr5 (OC Ed) = PHP 9790.00 (240 USD)


As far as my budget is concerned, I am willing to spend 8000-9000 PHP at most, because I also need to get myself a good PSU.
That's why I'm considering the 4 cards listed in the first post.

 

[timarp000]

Asus is usually expensive and the cheaper cards wont have good enough warranty services.

IF you cant afford the GTX 660 then just buy a Radeon 7870. The 7870 does do better in some games so you can flip a coin aswell and you wont regret any card.

Buy an Asus Radeon 7870 Direct CU II card and Overclock it yourself using Asus' GPU Tweak Software.



Hope this Helped!!

 

[monchee]

Asus is usually expensive and the cheaper cards wont have good enough warranty services.

IF you cant afford the GTX 660 then just buy a Radeon 7870. The 7870 does do better in some games so you can flip a coin aswell and you wont regret any card.

Buy an Asus Radeon 7870 Direct CU II card and Overclock it yourself using Asus' GPU Tweak Software.



Hope this Helped!!

As stated, I cannot get a card with that high of a price because I still need to get a good PSU.

Will Powercolor be okay? I've been hearing good and bad things about it, that's why the Sapphire 7850 came to play, but I don't know which variant to get.

 

[timarp000]

Powercolor is a good brand. They make some nice cheaper cards.
Warranty supports is good but not the best.

What resolution are you gaming at? is its Higher than 1080p then go for the 7870.
If you are gaming 1080p then buy a superior quality Radeon 7850 like an Asus Direct CU II or MSI Power Edition. XFX Double Dissipation are also very good.

I dont think that you are gaming more than 1080p so id say go for a 7850. But a good one...

 

[timarp000]

And if you feel that you need more power Crossfire it in the future. Since its a low power card, you can do it with a 650W PSU.

And buy a 2GB version IF you are gaming at 1080p. That extra gig will make a difference when playing at higher resolutions and higher Anti-Aliasing Settings...

 

[monchee]

Powercolor is a good brand. They make some nice cheaper cards.
Warranty supports is good but not the best.

What resolution are you gaming at? is its Higher than 1080p then go for the 7870.
If you are gaming 1080p then buy a superior quality Radeon 7850 like an Asus Direct CU II or MSI Power Edition. XFX Double Dissipation are also very good.

I dont think that you are gaming more than 1080p so id say go for a 7850. But a good one...

I actually only have a monitor at 1600x900. But I plan to upgrade sometime in the future but not anytime soon.

I just really can't get me a GTX 660 as much as I want to.. but I'm really lost in what I should get.

There's no Asus Direct CU II 7850 available here, just the 7870 one, which is also way over my budget. Same goes for the MSI Power Edition, only a 7770 available.
And as for the XFX Double Dissipation, the local shop only has the 7970 one..

I think my choices now are the first 4 cards in my first post and maybe the Palit, Gainward and Inno3d GTX 660s..

 

[timarp000]

Just Buy the Sapphire Radeon 7850 1GB version. for the price its amazing and since your only gaming at 1600x900 you should be fine. Use the cash that Youve saved to buy a quality power supply. At least an 80+ Bronze and 650W so you can do a Crossfire in the future.

But if you Can afford a Powercolor 7870 and a good Power Supply (80+Bronze at least) go for it. but if i were you i wouldnt skimp on the Power Supply. If the power delivery to your components get messed up, then there chances that your whole system will die.

 

[monchee]

To be honest, I've only found out recently that I should upgrade my PSU from a generic one if I want to use a better card. So I had to lower my budget for the card..

Is there a specific brand that you suggest?

 

[timarp000]

For what the PSU?

 

[monchee]

Yes, the PSU. I currently have a generic one. Here are my PC specs btw:

Intel Core i3 530 @ 3.71 GHz (OC'ed)
Intel DH55TC (LGA 1156) Mobo
Kingston DDR3 2x2GB 4GB RAM
Crucial M4 128GB SSD
Western Digital 320GB HDD
Palit GT 240 1GB GDDR5
Generic 650W PSU

 

[timarp000]

the good brands in my opinion are:
Corsair
Coolermaster
Seasonic
Thermaltake
Antec


Ok seeing from your motherboard specs it doesnt support pcie 3.0 but it does support pcie 2.0 so you cannot crossfire. You can run 1 card though. Also it has only 1 pcie 16x slot so you cant corssfire. Therefore you only need a 500-550Watt PSU.


You can buy any one of these :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151093

These are both modular power supplies thats why i recommend them to you.



Or you can buy any of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094

the one above is non-modular. This will work too but modular will be better for cable management.



If i were you i wouldnt go any lower than that.

Ok so now buy any one of the PSU's above and the cheapest Radeon 7850 from the brands- Asus, MSI, XFX, Powercolor or Sapphire.