What GPU I should get for gaming? MB Asrock z77 extreme4 & I5 3570K

[Xants]

I'm new to this. I'm building a new one for gaming and photo editing right now. I have Mobo Asrock Z77 Extreme4 and CPU i5 3570k. What GPU should i get? a single high quality one or 2 mid range for SLI?
budget is about $300-$400.
Thanks,

 

[TheBigTroll]

the gtx 670 would be your best choice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

if you want more value and fps at the cost of a bit of stablility (not major for the most part), you can get a 7970
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[iceclock]

7970 is quite stable dude, and yeah the gtx 670 is quite good also.

both make great choices.

and if u can afford 60$ more the gtx 680 is def choice, if not the above is great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768

 

[Derza10]

Going to have to agree with TheBigTroll, Get the GTX 670. A single high end card is pretty much always better than going 2 mid range cards. In my opinion the only reason to do SLI/Crossfire is if 1 high end card isn't enough power so you need 2 high end cards.

 

[iceclock]

there no reason the 7970 should be less stable, i know a few people who have em and run great.

any proof of instability?

 

[Derza10]

7970 is quite stable dude, and yeah the gtx 670 is quite good also.

both make great choices.

and if u can afford 60$ more the gtx 680 is def choice, if not the above is great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768

Err your math is a bit off lol that is ~$97 more.

 

[Derza10]

there no reason the 7970 should be less stable, i know a few people who have em and run great.

any proof of instability?

I think he is referring to the frame latency issue. It is not a huge deal but it is slightly less "smooth" than the nvidias.

 

[TheBigTroll]

yeah they are good. just that i heard somewhere where they tested the cards and when slowed down, you can see the 7950 or 70 have a bit of stuttering

 

[Derza10]

yeah they are good. just that i heard somewhere where they tested the cards and when slowed down, you can see the 7950 or 70 have a bit of stuttering

Yea the AMD cards have higher frame latency that causes some slight "stuttering" and really isn't anything you will really notice unless you are looking for it... But it is still there. For me that is enough to go with nvidia, but by no means is the 7970 a bad card.

 

[iceclock]

i guess, but for 99% of the time does it matter? i dont know much about this frame latency issue. care to expand ur answer and explanation.

because the only thing i know is active vsync is better on nvidia cards currently than on amd.

this latency issue i dont know about.

 

[Derza10]

i guess, but for 99% of the time does it matter? i dont know much about this frame latency issue. care to expand ur answer and explanation.

Video : http://www.techpowerup.com/177173/HD-7950-May-Give-Higher-Framerates-but-GTX-660-Ti-Still-Smoother-Report.html

Article : http://techreport.com/review/23981/radeon-hd-7950-vs-geforce-gtx-660-ti-revisited

 

[TheBigTroll]

thanks. i was kinda relating to that article

 

[iceclock]

is this fixable via a new driver that amd could pull out, or is this permanent problem? also is this micro stuttering happening on other ati cards, and if so witch please thanks.

 

[Derza10]

is this fixable via a new driver that amd could pull out, or is this permanent problem? also is this micro stuttering happening on other ati cards, and if so witch please thanks.

This was an issue with both nvida and amd for a few years now... Nvidia has fixed it AMD has not. Sure you could get an AMD but it could be as long as years or as short as days before the issue is fixed. I believe it is mainly a driver issue, but as i said it has been around for awhile and AMD has not fixed it yet.

 

[iceclock]

also thats stuttering doesnt seem to be active in every game, and most 99% of people wont notice this issue.

its the type of issue that seems to happen only if u really look for it.

 

[geofelt]

I'm new to this. I'm building a new one for gaming and photo editing right now. I have Mobo Asrock Z77 Extreme4 and CPU i5 3570k. What GPU should i get? a single high quality one or 2 mid range for SLI?
budget is about $300-$400.
Thanks,

Your budget for a graphics card is appropriate with a 3570K.
My rule of thumb for a gamer is 2x the cpu cost for the graphics card. You are good there.

Some photo editing apps can use the CUDA capabilities of a Nvidia card, so I would favor NVIDIA.
Perhaps a GTX670.

sli of lesser cards may look good in synthetic benchmarks, but be prone to annoying microstuttering.
Read about it here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html
And, some games do not play well with dual cards.

Add in higher psu, motherboard, and cooling costs, and I would stick with a good single card when there is one that will do the job.

 

[xFriarx]

Don't start off in a crossfire/sli setup. It limits your upgrade options in the future and can cause undue headaches in some titles that may not support dual card solutions 100%. My advice is always to buy the best single card you can. That way you can crossfire/sli in the future if you so choose. Now if you start off with 2x670/680 or 2x7950/7970, that's another story.

Personally I'd say grab a 670. A stock 670 runs within 5-10% of a 680 for $100 less and you can get a factory OC'ed 670 that will match/beat a stock 680 for a slight premium over the stock 670 price. IMHO 680's are not worth the cost increase for the slight performance bump, unless of course, you have the money to burn and want the absolute best. Otherwise the extra $100 is better spent on a SSD/CPU cooler or saved toward your next upgrade.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Don't start off in a crossfire/sli setup. It limits your upgrade options in the future and can cause undue headaches in some titles that may not support dual card solutions 100%. My advice is always to buy the best single card you can. That way you can crossfire/sli in the future if you so choose. Now if you start off with 2x670/680 or 2x7950/7970, that's another story.

Personally I'd say grab a 670. A stock 670 runs within 5-10% of a 680 for $100 less and you can get a factory OC'ed 670 that will match/beat a stock 680 for a slight premium over the stock 670 price. IMHO 680's are not worth the cost increase for the slight performance bump, unless of course, you have the money to burn and want the absolute best. Otherwise the extra $100 is better spent on a SSD/CPU cooler or saved toward your next upgrade.

There's a good reason to never ask you for advice! :lol:

 

[Commandermadi]

GTX 670 will be the best bang for your buck. Both the 7970 and 670 will run amazingly on 1920 X 1080. There might be a game that favors amd more or nvidia more but you won't feel any difference in any game on the 1080p. If you are going for multiple monitors or higher res, then the 7970 is your definite choice. So flip a coin and make your choice.

 

[xFriarx]

There's a good reason to never ask you for advice! :lol:

Then what do you recommend? If your going to snipe people trying to help, back up your response with an alternative. Or else quit trolling.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Then what do you recommend? If your going to snipe people trying to help, back up your response with an alternative. Or else quit trolling.

Watch the attitude.

 

[Commandermadi]

Then what do you recommend? If your going to snipe people trying to help, back up your response with an alternative. Or else quit trolling.

Watch the attitude or Mmonkey might abuse his power

 

[iceclock]

hes a mod, just go with what he says. nothing else to say here.

continue the good work mousemonkey

 

[Mousemonkey]

Watch the attitude or Mmonkey might abuse his power

Abuse no, exercise yes.

 

[Mousemonkey]

continue the good work mousemonkey

Thank you and I shall endeavour to do so.