Gonna finally do it

Well I'm finally going to break down and setup SLI. I am still looking at these two for SLI:

GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi)
Core Clock 810MHz 900 Mhz (v.s. 822 Mhz reference)
336 Processor Cores 384 Processor Cores
MemClock 4000MHz 4212 Mhz (v.s. 4000 Mhz reference)


Will I really notice a difference between 560 and 560ti running? Right now the most graphix intensive thing I will be doing is playing BF3. I've dropped all the other gfx stuff.

also will the PSU in my sig be enough for SLI and all my other parts?

bah! Now I'm told to get one good GTX card and forget about running SLI. Again, the most gfx intensive stuff I will do is BF3.

radeon 7850 or wait for kepler since its right around the corner... even if you dont grab a kepler, the 560/570 should have significant price drops


90% of my PC gameplay is BF3 and my 6870 handles it fine at 1920x1080 most settings maxxed

Nvidia stomps AMD in BF3, so definitely go Nvidia if you are primarily playing BF3. My 470 overclocked to almost 580 speeds on water runs 1080p with most details turned to full pretty well, but I still get some occasional lag.

I'd say wait a week or so to see Nvidia's new line of cards.

I agree, so close to Kepler's launch. Why not wait a week.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Timman_24

Nvidia stomps AMD in BF3, so definitely go Nvidia if you are primarily playing BF3. My 470 overclocked to almost 580 speeds on water runs 1080p with most details turned to full pretty well, but I still get some occasional lag.

I'd say wait a week or so to see Nvidia's new line of cards.

---

Say what now? I just checked the [H] article on an XFX 7950 BE, because they use the NV 580 as the NV comparison card. The 6970 was within a few FPS of the 580, and the 7950 was several FPS faster than the 580 in BF3.

If the new NV cards are just around the corner, then he could by all means wait, but to say NV stomps AMD in BF3 is blatantly untrue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Un4given

Say what now? I just checked the [H] article on an XFX 7950 BE, because they use the NV 580 as the NV comparison card. The 6970 was within a few FPS of the 580, and the 7950 was several FPS faster than the 580 in BF3.

If the new NV cards are just around the corner, then he could by all means wait, but to say NV stomps AMD in BF3 is blatantly untrue.

---

Check these out:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5476/a...7950-review/12

580 is 10fps ahead of the 6970 at 1080p, or around 25% faster. [H]'s articles are kind of confusing sometimes because they don't do Apples to Apples comparisons until the very bottom of the page. They do "highest playable settings" benchmarks which I find useless.

Stomping is a big word, the 580 is winning but not by that much. If I had to buy a card

this day it would be a 7950 over a 580. Even for bf3. It is a superior architecture(newer) that probably will scale better with future titles.

It will be interesting to see how the expansions pack will benchark in about 4 month time.

Knowing that Kepler is almost here, I would wait.

That is exactly what I have been doing after the disapointing 79xx results

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Learux

Stomping is a big word, the 580 is winning but not by that much. If I had to buy a card

this day it would be a 7950 over a 580. Even for bf3. It is a superior architecture(newer) that probably will scale better with future titles.

It will be interesting to see how the expansions pack will benchark in about 4 month time.

Knowing that Kepler is almost here, I would wait.

That is exactly what I have been doing after the disapointing 79xx results

---

My original post was geared at the lower end cards. Kujoe is not looking at a 580, so I don't really know why Un4given brought that up. The 560TI can be had for 180-200 dollars. AMD can not compete with that card with their current line up at that price point. The 7850 isn't even out yet, so that's moot as well.

The 560TI gives a respectible 50fps at 1080p with high settings for only 180-200 dollars. It is hard to beat that. The 7850 edges it out, but it costs at least 250. For 250 you can get a 480GTX which is a fantastic bargain if he has the PSU to support it.

This is what I would get:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130759

to me, the power efficiency of the radeon cards are worth the price premium... if i wanted the best performance for the money regardless of power efficiency, would probably do Geforce GTX460 SLI or Radeon 5770/6770 XFire for about $150-200 and call it a day

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Timman_24

This is what I would get:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130759

---

It's odd how that one seems to have better specs then the later video cards within the 250-300 price range. Seems like anything better will be out of that price range. Even the 570 cards within the same price bracket (250-300) don't seem to be as good. Mistake on Nvidias part?

Just old so they're cheap to sell through them. Definitely a steal for $250 though.

I'm not limiting myself to Nvidia. I forgot to mention it. I was looking at all video cards. If I'm not going to use any extreme graphics intensive programs (other then Battlefield 3), I figure SLI/Crossfire is a waste. I was looking at video cards and did a comparison if Nvidia with ATI and wanted to know your thoughts on this:

XFX Double D HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150521

It actually seems to have better specs then all of the Nvidia cards and it's less than 200.

The bottom line is, I am willing to spend up to $280.00 (without shipping) and wanted to know the best card for that. My PSU is a 750W. I figure since I'll be only getting ONE video card (since SLI/Crossfire) won't be tapped into, I wanted your thoughts on what the best video card for that price is out there now.

So right now, I have that Radeon HD 6870 and the GTX 480.

What resolution will you be playing bf3 in.?

I hope you realize that when you say you will

not be doing very graphic intense programs, bf3 should not be in that sentence.

Either card will be fine just realize you will have to sacrifice reolution and/or IQ settings

That 6870 is very similar to my overclocked 5850. I can play in 1920x1080 at medium settings very well. Average >60fps

Switching to high settings degrades performance too much for me to play.

Well my monitor is the Westinghouse 32" LCD monitor: with the specs:

Quote:

---

Picture Quality

Screen Size: 31.5″ Diagonal
Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 6000:1
Viewing Angle: Horizontal 176° / Vertical 176°

Compatible Modes

TV Tuner Capability*: NTSC/ATSC
YPbPr: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
PC: SVGA, XGA, WXGA
Optimum Resolution: 1920 x 1080

---

I'd like to play smooth with high graphics or medium graphics. I know that what your monitor can do has a lot to do with how much you can get out of your video card. I don't see getting a new monitor. So, what's the final verdict? What video card would you get if you had $280.00 to use (not including shipping)??

This one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130620

$10 over budget after rebate, you have a kick *** card.

If you play anything else then bf3 I would go for a 7850.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Learux

This one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130620

$10 over budget after rebate, you have a kick *** card.

If you play anything else then bf3 I would go for a 7850.

---

I can see doing this. Is this the best for what my monitor can actually support? I mean if my monitor can't support it... It doesn't make sense.

I think so but I am no expert on this. Wait for one of the other guys to chime in.

What card are you using now?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Learux

I think so but I am no expert on this. Wait for one of the other guys to chime in.

What card are you using now?

---

GTX 260 x16. It's not as powerful as I'd like. I got the card for free. All my specs are in my sig which I will adjust.

I would go one of two ways. I would either purchase one of the 220-250 dollar 480GTX's or I would go ahead and try to get a 7850. There are issues with both, but either one will serve you incredibly well.

480GTX: Hot, old tech, and can be noisy. However, it is a very fast card. Right in line with a 580GTX and can be OCed for even more oomph. It will destroy the 7850, but you will need the power and cooling to properly enjoy it.

7850: Brand new technology brings low power usage and a cool running design. The 2GB of vRam will be plenty to drive 1080p and higher. The 7850 is fair amount slower than the 480.

If you want the absolute best performance you can get for the price, then the 480 is a fantastic bargain. If you need a cooler design, but less performance then the 7850 is decent. The only 7850 I see is 269 dollars on newegg, which is a horrible deal. The MSRP of 250 is on the high side for the performance it offers.

If it was me, I would go with the 480 all day long.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130759

I didnt realize a 480 was that powerfull, what about a 570 timman? 90% of the 480

performance without the heat and noise for only slightly more moneys.

It will play bf3 on high at your resolution.

Edit: Found this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121480

With review http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gra...0ti-448_6.html looks really nice

I will admit that now I'm a bit confused :confused:

I compared these three and now am confused. I don't care about noise. I care that it runs fast, is somewhat energy efficient and doesn't overheat or run too hot. Saying that, these are the three I did a spec comparison on:

XFX HD-687X-CNFC Radeon HD 6870 2GB $220.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150563

ASUS ENGTX560Ti448DC2/2DIS/1280MD5 GeForce GTX 560 Ti $280.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121480

EVGA 015-P3-1480-KR GeForce GTX 480 $250.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130759

The comparison link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%2050001315%206000 94002&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=48|14-130-759^14-130-759-TS%2C14-150-563^14-150-563-TS%2C14-121-480^14-121-480-TS



Again, it's not the noise that bothers me.. I want to be able to play on nice resolution. I want it to be (somewhat) cool, and not be an energy whore. But I'd be willing to sacrifice the energy for better power at cooler levels. I don't want the vid card to cause my computer to catch fire. That's the one thing that bothered me that the Radeon and the 480 only have ONE fan each.

Probably shouldn't buy anything until the 680 GTX drops and see what that does to prices imo.

Man, sorry kujoe I know we are supposed to help you and believe me we are trying.

You kinda got stuck in the perfect storm with a new card release on the horizon and some old cards being phased out.

If you need a card right now and want the best performance for $ the 480 is your card.

Just keep in mind it is verynoisy and release a lot of heat. Do you have the case ventilation to deal with that?

If not take the 560ti or the 570, either way you go you will have a good gaming experience.

Like we said from the very beginning, wait a couple of weeks and then make a decision.

Off course you run the risk that that 480 is gone........

680 shook up the market a bit. AMD may drop prices very soon, they pretty much have to at the upper end to compete. Your best bet is still the 480, unless nvidia drops the price of last gen cards. A 570 at around 250 would be a great deal if you can find it.