Which graphics card should I get?

[raxor30]

As part of the 5th build, which is going to actually be a build I'm going to get into overclocking (not extreme overclocking, just basic), I need your help. I've grown tired of hearing "oh man im getting 120 FPS on ultra" or something similar, and here I am sitting at max 30 fps on medium. I want to be able to run on ultra at 60 fps? That would be nice. I will be installing 2 graphics cards on this build, and overclocking them so hopefully it all works out.

Currently I own a GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2 GB OC edition: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125446 , and while this card has outperformed everything I could possibly hope for at the time, the OC capabilities were not very good. The UI was non-informative, and it's past it's time (well past it). Overclocking is a pain and hardly works with the card.

So now I'm upgrading my current build coming up is going have to an Intel i5-4690K 3.5 GHZ Processor with an Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Z97 Motherboard.

The 2 graphics cards I was looking at are both GTX 970's. Here they are:

MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming 4G: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684

I intend to have 2 of them in my system so which would be better?

 

[rockie_]

I would get
i7 4790K
Asus Z97-A
MSI GTX 970 TF x2

 

[Robert Cook]

Do you need nvidia? becasue right now you can get two 290x cards for only $200 more than a singe 970

 

[raxor30]

......I cant afford two 290x cards, it's 970 or bust. Now with the graphic card crisis I heard about this morning involving nvidia not using all 4g and only using 3.5 gb is it worth it?

 

[rockie_]

At 1920x1080 , GTX 970 uses only the faster 3.5GB VRAM , so at that resolution - no problem

 

[Mistablanco]

A single GTX 970 will be a huge upgrade from the GTX 650. I have an Asus GTX 970 and I get better than PS4 quality all day on my 1080p 50" Flat Screen. Unless you're running higher resolutions and/or multiple monitors, 2 970's are overkill. Totally badass, but completely unnecessary...

 

[JakeTheEpic]

As part of the 5th build, which is going to actually be a build I'm going to get into overclocking (not extreme overclocking, just basic), I need your help. I've grown tired of hearing "oh man im getting 120 FPS on ultra" or something similar, and here I am sitting at max 30 fps on medium. I want to be able to run on ultra at 60 fps? That would be nice. I will be installing 2 graphics cards on this build, and overclocking them so hopefully it all works out.

Currently I own a GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2 GB OC edition: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125446 , and while this card has outperformed everything I could possibly hope for at the time, the OC capabilities were not very good. The UI was non-informative, and it's past it's time (well past it). Overclocking is a pain and hardly works with the card.

So now I'm upgrading my current build coming up is going have to an Intel i5-4690K 3.5 GHZ Processor with an Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Z97 Motherboard.

The 2 graphics cards I was looking at are both GTX 970's. Here they are:

MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming 4G: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684

I intend to have 2 of them in my system so which would be better?

I would go with the radeon r9 290x or 280x depending on your price range. If your running on 1080p monitor i would go with the 290x.

 

[Robert Cook]

^ A 290x is almost on par with a 970, and it is cheaper, and has that extra 512 MB of video ram.

 

[jerdle]

I intend to have 2 of them in my system so which would be better?

......I cant afford two 290x cards, it's 970 or bust. Now with the graphic card crisis I heard about this morning involving nvidia not using all 4g and only using 3.5 gb is it worth it?

... you can't afford two 290x cards, which are cheaper than 970s, yet you intend on buying two 970s.

This makes sense how, exactly?

In any case, you only need one high end card if you're going to be playing on a single 1080p monitor. A single 290x or a gimped 970 can both max out everything at that resolution.

 

[JakeTheEpic]

I intend to have 2 of them in my system so which would be better?

......I cant afford two 290x cards, it's 970 or bust. Now with the graphic card crisis I heard about this morning involving nvidia not using all 4g and only using 3.5 gb is it worth it?

... you can't afford two 290x cards, which are cheaper than 970s, yet you intend on buying two 970s.

This makes sense how, exactly?

In any case, you only need one high end card if you're going to be playing on a single 1080p monitor. A single 290x or a gimped 970 can both max out everything at that resolution.

But the 970 has that hardware issue with the extra 512Mb of ram not working. The 290x is cheaper and is just about the same as the 970. Imo the 290x is the best route. Also you can always OC and get it to work a bit faster.

 

[Robert Cook]

Yes, please. get the MSI lightning, it is $350, and overclocks svery well. or just get a cheaper one but do get a 290x.