7950 Boost, 7970 GHz or wait, for this system?

[yacoub]

Recently upgraded to IvyBridge from a C2D system and that was a significant improvement.

Intel i5-3570K stock clocks
16GB DDR3
Win7x64

Currently running two HD6950s, one from my old rig, one extra I had lying around. Though really only using one since I play games in windowed mode (1920x1080). I run two displays, currently both 1080p, though one or both may be upgraded to something higher res within a year or so or to 120Hz.

Currently playing Crysis 3, MechWarrior Online, Hitman: Absolution, and Total War: Rome II is on my wishlist.

The 6950 just barely keeps the frames playable and sticking in the other one I had lying around helps if I run fullscreen but I rarely do that and it does run a lot hotter. Running multiple GPUs (on separate cards) seems very inefficient and I'd much rather have just one card in the case.

But I only buy GPUs every 2-3 years so I want to get something that will last without regrets for the next 2-3 years. I've had great luck with AMD cards the last three generations or so. But this time around they seem very expensive. I'd like to keep to $350 or less.

• Will the 7970 GHz be dropping in price now that NVidia has the GTX-770 out?
• Will there be a new AMD series announced soon? If so, how soon will it be slated to arrive?
• Better to wait another month or two, or get something now?
• The 2nd DVI output being single-link is disappointing given all my previous AMD cards had two dual-link DVI outputs. But since they also have dp and hdmi, would i be okay if I upgraded to two 120Hz displays in the future?

 

[3DVagabond]

Wait for the 760ti and see what price movement we might see from AMD. The 7950 is the best deal overall. The HIS 7950 IceQ X² is a bear of a card and should drop below $300 once the 760 ti comes out. The out the door price of 7970's should get to ~$350 in pretty short order with the 770 @ $400 if you want a 7970.

 

[yacoub]

ETA on the 760ti? Haven't seen much news of that card model yet, is the ETA still June 1st?

 

[toyota]

ETA on the 760ti? Haven't seen much news of that card model yet, is the ETA still June 1st?

I hope not because that was 2 days ago. lol

 

[yacoub]

lol oh right. i keep forgetting it's already June!

wonder when the NDAs expire on it so we can see some reviews.

 

[blastingcap]

You said "But I only buy GPUs every 2-3 years so I want to get something that will last without regrets for the next 2-3 years." That makes me think you should wait, because we are in a dicey period right now with new consoles about to appear. If you have ~2.5 year upgrade cycles, you may find yourself on the wrong end of performance if you upgrade right now. I would see what kind of grunt you need to play PS4/XBO ports and what kind of minimum VRAM and stuff like that, then upgrade accordingly. While you are probably going to be fine with, say, a 7950 3GB, we're only half a year away from 2014 and the next-gen video cards and consoles. Surely you can wait that long? It's not like you have a weak system right now.

Recently upgraded to IvyBridge from a C2D system and that was a significant improvement.

Intel i5-3570K stock clocks
16GB DDR3
Win7x64

Currently running two HD6950s, one from my old rig, one extra I had lying around. Though really only using one since I play games in windowed mode (1920x1080). I run two displays, currently both 1080p, though one or both may be upgraded to something higher res within a year or so or to 120Hz.

Currently playing Crysis 3, MechWarrior Online, Hitman: Absolution, and Total War: Rome II is on my wishlist.

The 6950 just barely keeps the frames playable and sticking in the other one I had lying around helps if I run fullscreen but I rarely do that and it does run a lot hotter. Running multiple GPUs (on separate cards) seems very inefficient and I'd much rather have just one card in the case.

But I only buy GPUs every 2-3 years so I want to get something that will last without regrets for the next 2-3 years. I've had great luck with AMD cards the last three generations or so. But this time around they seem very expensive. I'd like to keep to $350 or less.

• Will the 7970 GHz be dropping in price now that NVidia has the GTX-770 out?
• Will there be a new AMD series announced soon? If so, how soon will it be slated to arrive?
• Better to wait another month or two, or get something now?
• The 2nd DVI output being single-link is disappointing given all my previous AMD cards had two dual-link DVI outputs. But since they also have dp and hdmi, would i be okay if I upgraded to two 120Hz displays in the future?