Advice in upgrading from GTX 260

[cmdrdredd]

AMD cards can't do physx but the hack works fine (I used it before myself). It's not ideal though since you use another PCIe slot and need another card.

I don't know if the physx in borderlands 2 will be as impressive as Batman Arkham City was. There were whole clouds of smoke and papers fluttering around that disappeared when you turned physx off. I'd have to see videos of the game with physx on and again with it off and compare.

 

[bryanW1995]

Thanks man. I'm pretty much ruling the GTX 660 TI out. The only thing really stopping me from switching to AMD are the reports that they're drivers are terrible. What have you noticed from your experience?

I currently own 6 nvidia cards, but I've also had lots of and cards in the past. Both camps have excellent drivers. For your particular needs I'd shoot for a 7950, they have been out lately with aftermarket coolers for about $300 on sale.

 

[GeneralBacara]

Thanks for friendly help guys. I've been keeping my eye out for a good priced HD 7950. Apparently the new "Boost Clock" is just a BIOS update from AMD that can be applied to any 7950. Good to know.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Thanks for friendly help guys. I've been keeping my eye out for a good priced HD 7950. Apparently the new "Boost Clock" is just a BIOS update from AMD that can be applied to any 7950. Good to know.

IMO: you want a card without the boost feature. That way you can overclock yourself and lock the clock speed to what you want with less than the ~1.25v they put on it. Some people were getting faster clocks than the cards can boost to with ~1.175v.

 

[RussianSensation]

IMO: you want a card without the boost feature. That way you can overclock yourself and lock the clock speed to what you want with less than the ~1.25v they put on it. Some people were getting faster clocks than the cards can boost to with ~1.175v.

Seconded. MSI TF3 (proven OCer) or Gigabyte Windforce 3x.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

You seem kinda leary about upgrading on this generation, so have you considered buying a 7850 for around $190? You could put that extra $130 toward another upgrade next generation.

The 7850 would be a pretty huge upgrade from a gtx260 that doesn't break the bank. If you aren't afraid to overclock a little the 7850 will last you for a while.

 

[GeneralBacara]

So after much debate, I went back on my previous thoughts on avoiding a GTX 660 TI, and getting a 7950. Instead, I got a good deal @ my job (Micro Center) and got a EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti w/ a 3 year replacement plan. Totaled out with tax to be $333. I am very impressed with my purchase. Crysis @ 1080p, everything "Very High" runs a average of 50 FPS and minimum of 32 FPS. Buttery smooth. Crysis was the only game I was worried about when purchasing the GTX 660 TI and now that fear is gone. I went with EVGA & NVIDIA mainly because I've used them the most and have heard nothing but good things about them from others. I couldn't be happier.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Make sure you resister or whatever to get the upgrade options later. You're going to want it in a year or two with that card's limited bus.