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,

 

[Commandermadi]

Abuse no, exercise yes.

I am kidding man you the best

 

[Mousemonkey]

I am kidding man you the best

Thank you, its very kind of you to say that.

 

[xFriarx]

What attitude? I'm not trying to be argumentative, I was being serious.

If you would have at least offered an explanation of why my viewpoint, which is echoed by many others, is wrong, then this would be an entirely different story and I would have no issue.

Instead, the issue I have, is that you're insulting someone, with a coy little one liner no less, who is offering widely echoed advice, while provide no alternative, reasoning or proof to support why said information is incorrect. (Which I consider trolling).

I have no problem admitting my faults, but without information to show that my view is incorrect, how can I change the advice I give?

 

[littleleo]

I'd get the GTX670 especially if you're thinking in the future you may add a 2nd GPU, SLI still has the smoothest gaming feel.

 

[Mousemonkey]

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,

That is something that you really need to sit down and think about, 2x 660Ti's will give you the same or better performance than a single 680 in games that support SLi (and most games do these days) but will leave no room for upgrading but then if you go for a single 680 and decide in a years time to go SLi will you be able to find another one new or will you have to get a second hand card that may have been OC'd to within an inch of its life? And what about cards that have been released in the meantime? A single one of them may be a better upgrade than running two of whatever you decide to go with in the first place. There are other considerations but I hope you get the gist.

 

[Commandermadi]

I'd get the GTX670 especially if you're thinking in the future you may add a 2nd GPU, SLI still has the smoothest gaming feel.

Agreed. SLI is much better than Crossfire imo.

 

[iceclock]

i prefer 1 great card than running 2, less power hungry, stable performance, and less heat desipated in ur case.

 

[Derza10]

That is something that you really need to sit down and think about, 2x 660Ti's will give you the same or better performance than a single 680 in games that support SLi (and most games do these days) but will leave no room for upgrading but then if you go for a single 680 and decide in a years time to go SLi will you be able to find another one new or will you have to get a second hand card that may have been OC'd to within an inch of its life? And what about cards that have been released in the meantime? A single one of them may be a better upgrade than running two of whatever you decide to go with in the first place. There are other considerations but I hope you get the gist.

So... how are you worse off going with the 680 over 2 660 ti's? Sure you might get slightly better performance in SOME games with the 660 ti.. but you would need a bigger PSU, use more power to run... produce more heat.... and have a harder upgrade path. You argue your point by supporting his, I don't get it. lol

 

[Mousemonkey]

What attitude? I'm not trying to be argumentative, I was being serious.

If you would have at least offered an explanation of why my viewpoint, which is echoed by many others, is wrong, then this would be an entirely different story and I would have no issue.

Instead, the issue I have, is that you're insulting someone, with a coy little one liner no less, who is offering widely echoed advice, while provide no alternative, reasoning or proof to support why said information is incorrect. (Which I consider trolling).

I have no problem admitting my faults, but without information to show that my view is incorrect, how can I change the advice I give?

I run two SLi rigs and always do SLi from the get go, that's why I would never listen to your advice. SLi has advantages that the OP may or may not be interested in but if you don't or have never used SLi then you wouldn't understand.

 

[maui67]

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

The only thing that can be taken from that article is that that specific HD7950 card exhibited high latency periods as compared to that specific GTX 660Ti card. Unless you test multiple cards across multiple platforms, you cannot simply state "AMD has a latency problem". For instance, in that same article it mentions a similar test conducted between an HD 7970 and GTX 680 and there were no latency issues.

OP: Look at benchmarks for games you like to play and buy the best card you can comfortably afford. Some games favor AMD cards, some games favor nVidia cards.

 

[Mousemonkey]

So... how are you worse off going with the 680 over 2 660 ti's?

If your single 680 develops a problem that results in an RMA then you will be without a GPU until it's returned, if one of my 660's needs to be RMA'd I will continue to game on a single 660 until the second one is returned.

 

[Derza10]

You also seem to think because getting a new card when you need more power vs getting a second 680 in sli is more of an issue than needing to replace BOTH 660 ti's with a new card?

 

[Derza10]

If your single 680 develops a problem that results in an RMA then you will be without a GPU until it's returned, if one of my 660's needs to be RMA'd I will continue to game on a single 660 until the second one is returned.

Hmmm well going sli because you are counting on hardware failing seems.... well crazy lol...

 

[Mousemonkey]

You also seem to think because getting a new card when you need more power vs getting a second 680 in sli is more of an issue than needing to replace BOTH 660 ti's with a new card?

What! That makes no sense at all, take a minute to breath and try again.

 

[iceclock]

i see it like this, i prefer 1 card working stable and not having to deal with a second faulty one, etc. also sli is alot more expensive.

but ur right mouse, sli does have it advantages .

i never get sli or crossfire because i find its more expensive than its worth.

 

[Derza10]

I run two SLi rigs and always do SLi from the get go, that's why I would never listen to your advice. SLi has advantages that the OP may or may not be interested in but if you don't or have never used SLi then you wouldn't understand.

Why not provide these advantages rather than just saying we wouldn't understand? Your arguement seems very flimsy to me.

 

[Derza10]

What! That makes no sense at all, take a minute to breath and try again.

OK well i might have rushed my post there lol.. What i meant to say... if you need to upgrade from a single 680 but can't find a second one and end up getting another single card solution... how is that any different then needing to upgrade your 660 ti's and getting a single new card to replace them?

 

[Mousemonkey]

Hmmm well going sli because you are counting on hardware failing seems.... well crazy lol...

It's called hedging your bets, the problem with failures is that they can and do just happen sometimes and if they don't happen I still have more power than a single 680 and by the time a single 680 is not enough there should be newer cards on the market and my two cards can go into two different machines.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Why not provide these advantages rather than just saying we wouldn't understand? Your arguement seems very flimsy to me.

Your single card argument is just as flimsy to me, why would I want to put all my eggs into one basket?

 

[iceclock]

read ur pm mouse,

 

[Rockdpm]

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.

hey watch your tone. Your talking to a moderator

 

[jaquith]

Hmm...and folks wonder why I steer clear of this section...I wonder?! 😗

What GPU should i get? a single high quality one or 2 mid range for SLI?
budget is about $300-$400.

A single GPU is always best and SLI/CF if a single simply won't cut it or after the fact if you need better (faster) rendering.

Unless you state what specific games you play, resolution & refresh rate of your monitor(s), average FPS is 'your' minimum tolerance, and level of details that your like (eg. MSAA) then all anyone can do is simply guess.

In the $300-$400 range either the HD 7970 or GTX 670 are the typical options. Some games are 'nVidia' optimized to utilize PhysX special effects and therefore can only be seen with an nVidia GPU. The HD 7970 in raw FPS is typically faster but AMD lacks nVidia's 'Adaptive vSync' so often the 'average' FPS is higher on the nVdia's even though the raw FPS is faster on the AMD; tearing. If you have a >60 Hz monitor then I'd go for the HD 7970, and I'd check out MSI or XFX; on the nVidia side MSI, ASUS or EVGA.

 

[Derza10]

It's called hedging your bets, the problem with failures is that they can and do just happen sometimes and if they don't happen I still have more power than a single 680 and by the time a single 680 is not enough there should be newer cards on the market and my two cards can go into two different machines.

And my 680 can go into another computer when i upgrade it... And from what you just said i would assume you have other computers.. as do i... so if my 680 fails i still have that computer... Your arguement seems to be for very specific situations that most likely won't apply to the OP. Sure you can always find some reason to justify anything, but putting someone down for recommending a very solid suggestion just isn't the right way to go about getting your views out.

 

[Mousemonkey]

And my 680 can go into another computer when i upgrade it... And from what you just said i would assume you have other computers.. as do i... so if my 680 fails i still have that computer... Your arguement seems to be for very specific situations that most likely won't apply to the OP. Sure you can always find some reason to justify anything, but putting someone down for recommending a very solid suggestion just isn't the right way to go about getting your views out.

and just because you don't like the idea of dual cards that is no reason to belittle the idea if that is what the OP is asking about is it? Some of us have been running dual card rigs for years without any of the problems that the naysayers are always harping on about but but somehow our opinions don't matter because those advocating the use of a single card are always the ones making "solid suggestions", well you can take that suggestion and shove it where the sun doesn't shine for all I care because I know for a fact that SLi is also a "solid suggestion".

 

[iceclock]

i agree sli is better but more costly, thats the only downside of running sli or crossfire, the extra cost, but when u can get a decent deal on 2 cards i have no reason to say otherwise for the performance increase, even since the voodoo days sli has existed, but today it shines compared to oldschool cards.