Which GPU Should I use?

[Danny Moody]

Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 5 $147.99

Processor: Intel i5-4690k $239.99

Ram: G-skill 8 GB 2x4 $79.99

HHD: WD Black Series 1 TB 7200 RPM $79.99

SSD: Samsung 840 Evo 256 GB $144.99

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 $139.99

Power Supply: Antec HCG 620M $79.99

Other Components: Coolermaster Evo 212 CPU Fan $34.99
DVD Drive: $19.99

My Budget is $1500. Without the GPU, this build is $970. Please let me know the best graphics cards that would be ideal for my setup. (Links would be very helpful)

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The MSI 780 Ti was $600 till midday on newegg till stock ran out....leaving you $70 short. I'd get $40 of that back by upgrading to the Phanteks Enthoo Pro (9.5 rating) for (Case for the Year 2014) $100..... Gran another $20 with the 500R (9.25 rating) . The HAF 932 (8.8 rating) was an excellent case back in the day but it's a bit outdated.

http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=427&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=8
http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=5
http://benchmarkreviews.com/15792/phanteks-enthoo-pro-tower-case-review/6/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139010

Reviews:

MSI 9.9 Rating (prices rise every time they run out but every other week for the past 8 weeks it's been $600
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_780_Ti_Gaming/29.html
$600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127770

Asus 9.4 rating
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_780_Ti_Direct_Cu_II_OC/29.html
$665 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121838

EVGA 9.5 rating
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_780_Ti_SC_ACX_Cooler/31.html
$660 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487003

Best card is 10% cheaper than the competition, how can ya go wrong ?

As for the HD, the WD Black is about 30% slower than the Seagate's....for throughtput, the Seagate Constellation and Barracudas take 5 of the top 6 spots on THG charts.....

The 1TB Seagate 7200.14 is 3rd on the list
The 3TB WD Red is 23rd on the list
The 2TB WD Black is 29th on the list
The 1TB WD Green is 40th on the list
The .5TB WD Blue is 52nd on the list

Similar rankings for the gaming rankings

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/hdd-charts-2013/-17-PCMark-7-Gaming,2915.html

 

[TechCIDLC]

Way better build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($62.51 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($489.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1442.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[helper800]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bvZNgs -1445 after rebate and if u live in california the taxes are there for you to see 780 Ti build

 

[MANOFKRYPTONAK]

R9 290x would be the best for the money for AMD in you rprice range, for Nvidia single card would be the 780. I like EVGA a lot, easy to work with and quality all around. But the 290x is faster than the 780, as long as its not stock lol.

 

[helper800]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6cM9t6 i7 4790k 290x 16 gb RAM with the better case for 1502$.

 

[helper800]

The MSI 780 Ti was $600 till midday on newegg till stock ran out....leaving you $70 short. I'd get $40 of that back by upgrading to the Phanteks Enthoo Pro for (Case for the Year 2014) $100

Reviews:

MSI 9.9 Rating (prices rise every time they run out but every other week for the past 8 weeks it's been $600
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_780_Ti_Gaming/29.html
$600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127770

Asus 9.4 rating
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_780_Ti_Direct_Cu_II_OC/29.html
$665 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121838

EVGA 9.5 rating
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_780_Ti_SC_ACX_Cooler/31.html
$660 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487003

Best card is 10% cheaper than the competition, how can ya go wrong ?

As for the HD, the WD Black is about 30% slower than the Seagate's....for throughtput, the Seagate Constellation and Barracudas take 5 of the top 6 spots on THG charts.....

The 1TB Seagate 7200.14 is 3rd on the list
The 3TB WD Red is 23rd on the list
The 2TB WD Black is 29th on the list
The 1TB WD Green is 40th on the list
The .5TB WD Blue is 52nd on the list

Similar rankings for the gaming rankings

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/hdd-charts-2013/-17-PCMark-7-Gaming,2915.html

The asus premium of ten % is worth every penny if you work out the price incorporating lifespan.
I would not buy an Abacus off of M.S.I. But it is only my personal choice..

Nothing wrong with MSI motherboard but sure ASUS will live for 20+ years while MSI will live for 16+ years but by that time they are both obsolete anyway.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

How so..... ?

I have seven Asus cards in my house so I know them quite well but the Asus 780 Ti just doesn't make the grade. MSI is faster, and has the better cooler.

MSI = 1020 Mhz / 30 dbA under load

EVGA = 1006 Mhz / 35 dbA

Asus = 954 Mhz / 39 dbA

So looking at the three cards reviewed why pay the most money for the slowest and loudest of the 3 ?

The Asus is 11% more money, 7% slower and with 1 more dbA it would be 100% louder

Nothing wrong with MSI motherboard but sure ASUS will live for 20+ years while MSI will live for 16+ years but by that time they are both obsolete anyway.

For motherboards, while I'd stick with the Asus above $200, I stopped using them below that point. Use the compare feature on newegg for example for the Asus Hero and GD65 .... they are a virtual feature for feature match up and down but the MSI is $40 cheaper.....and..... the reviews are better.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/msi_z87_gd65_gaming/12.htm

MSI has been using components that meet or exceed MIL-STD-810G for some time as part of its Military Class build philosophy. Parts such as Super Ferrite Chokes that run at up to 35 degree Celsius lower temperatures, have a 30% higher current handling capacity, and a 20% improvement in power efficiency; Tantalum filled Hi-C Caps that are are up to 93% efficient; and "Dark Capacitors" that feature Lower ESR and a ten-year lifespan all tied into a PCB with improved temperature and humidity protections as part of the "Military Essentials" package......In the end MSI's Z87-GD65 is a board that comes with an expansive feature set that includes all your basics and the extras that set them apart such as the V-Check points, upper end audio, Dual BIOS ROMs, KIller Network package, Military Class IV package, and a three-year warranty. Couple that with good looks that carry the dragon theme through the board, and you have a winning combination at $189.

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z87_gd65_gaming_review/15

Now and again a motherboard appears that is so obviously brilliant, and so affordable, that we wonder if anything will be able to top it. For a while that crown was held by the ASUS Sabertooth, both in X58 and then P67 variants. Then MSI stole the crown with the Z77 MPower. Looking at the Z87 GD65 Gaming we think it's going to take something extraordinary to top it, such is the perfect storm of price, performance, features and looks.

The switch to Military Class 4 has given us an extremely ready overclocker too. You're always thermally limited when overclocking and the i7-4770K is one of the most demanding around. Considering the amount of cooling we're using we think that although the GD65 is capable of bringing 5GHz from our i7-4770K you'd need a proper water loop to make the most of it.

Performance is outstanding. The stock results were a particular highlight. We know a lot of people still just like to put their CPU in and go, without overclocking it first. Despite how easy it is these days we know that the fear factor still exists. So you'll be glad to know that the MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming really rocks hard even at stock settings. Naturally the overclocking is blistering too, with some OC3D records broken.

MSI have laid the gauntlet down to all the other manufacturers. Gorgeous to look at, blistering performance and all at a very affordable price, the MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming is not only the new benchmark for Z87 motherboards, but probably for all motherboards.

Another little wrinkle however is that Asus has a bug in their BIOSs which still hasn't been fixed. Several solutions provide temporary relief but no permanent solution as yet available.

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?33895-Hero-Time-Clock-Problem
http://www.simforums.com/forums/asus-rog-mobo-issues_topic47902.html

 

[helper800]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6cM9t6
Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor $334.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $29.97
MSI Z97-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard $127.99
PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $139.00
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $139.00
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $59.98
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card $485.99
Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case $99.98
Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply $79.99
LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer $15.98
Base Total: $1512.87
Mail-in Rebates: -$10.00
Total: $1502.87

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If you read what I said originally I did not specify a 780, I just said the best cuiitop he could afford.
If asus's 780 does not make the grade, fine buy something else.
I stand corrected. I would have expected him to plumb for a 760 or 770 or an a.m.d.
similar power equivalent,to be honest. My bad, I am an old fart..

I'm an old fart too...... but while Asus ruled the 6xx series, the 700 series has been mostly all MSI.

GTX 770 - 9.8 http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_770_TF_Gaming/31.html

The Asus 760 was clocked at 1006 / MSI 1085

However, while the MSI 780 Ti is tops, at the 780 MSI has the faster GPU and better cooler but Asus has better memory....so if removing the cooler to water cool, I'd take the Asus.