Best Video card for under $200-$250?

[SickBeast]

Nvidia GeForce GTX 480. I believe you can buy one for approximately $250. Nvidia has other high end graphics card but they are way so expensive. However, if you really want real power, going for those that are priced at $600+ will be worth it. Some even reach the $1,000 threshold.

Why would you buy a vastly outdated 480 when you can get a 7850 for the same price which is better in every way?

 

[toyota]

Why would you buy a vastly outdated 480 when you can get a 7850 for the same price which is better in every way?

yeah a 480 is just not fooling with for anywhere near that price.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Why would you buy a vastly outdated 480 when you can get a 7850 for the same price which is better in every way?

GTX 480 is cheaper and more powerful than a 7850 no matter how much you want to think otherwise. That being said there will be a few games where the architecture of the Radeon will be favored but the 480 will pull more wins across more games of past and present.

 

[Jaydip]

480 is a nice card sure,but it has some major drawbacks like noise,heat,power.7850 once overclocked will sail past 480 which isn't much of a overclocker. If he could get a 580 for that price I would definitely recommend it but a 480 just no way.

 

[toyota]

480 is a nice card sure,but it has some major drawbacks like noise,heat,power.7850 once overclocked will sail past 480 which isn't much of a overclocker. If he could get a 580 for that price I would definitely recommend it but a 480 just no way.

we have explained that to him over and over so its just a waste of time with him.

 

[chimaxi83]

GTX 480 is cheaper and more powerful than a 7850 no matter how much you want to think otherwise. That being said there will be a few games where the architecture of the Radeon will be favored but the 480 will pull more wins across more games of past and present.

Stop posting already dude, you've been wrong 9 times out of 10 in everything you've been saying, all over this forum.

A measly 950MHz overclock on the 7850, which is commonly capable of about another 300MHz overclock, matches the 480. Not to mention it runs cooler, uses MUCH less power, has far higher overclocking potential, and has 2GB VRAM:

 

[Rezist]

If your buying new really the 670 and 7850 are the cards to consider, unless you go much cheaper and grab like a 6850.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Stop posting already dude, you've been wrong 9 times out of 10 in everything you've been saying, all over this forum.

A measly 950MHz overclock on the 7850, which is commonly capable of about another 300MHz overclock, matches the 480. Not to mention it runs cooler, uses MUCH less power, has far higher overclocking potential, and has 2GB VRAM:

It should be faster at stock clocks and reference base line pricing being it is the more expensive card LOL and yet it is not which is why I am suggesting another option until it come down in price. Not choosing a Ferrari when you are in the market for a "high" performance vehicle because it has terrible fuel mileage is BOLLOCKS !

 

[SickBeast]

GTX 480 is cheaper and more powerful than a 7850 no matter how much you want to think otherwise. That being said there will be a few games where the architecture of the Radeon will be favored but the 480 will pull more wins across more games of past and present.

Yeah and then overclock the 7850 50% vs. maybe 15% for the 480 and you have a 35% performance advantage for the 7850, plus the 7850 uses probably 1/4 the power, with 1/2 the heat and 1/2 the noise. And then there is the extra 512mb of vram.

People are getting really frustrated with your posting misinformation on the forums. I know you're relatively new here and I welcome you, but when you're new sometimes it's better to sit back watch and learn a bit rather than post stuff that you aren't sure about.

 

[blastingcap]

I don't think we should necessarily welcome newcomers if they are going to pile on the misinformation.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Yeah and then overclock the 7850 50% vs. maybe 15% for the 480 and you have a 35% performance advantage for the 7850, plus the 7850 uses probably 1/4 the power, with 1/2 the heat and 1/2 the noise. And then there is the extra 512mb of vram.

People are getting really frustrated with your posting misinformation on the forums. I know you're relatively new here and I welcome you, but when you're new sometimes it's better to sit back watch and learn a bit rather than post stuff that you aren't sure about.

You are getting angry I am posting the truth friend no worries I just am not a fan boy I buy into what offers BEST VALUE end of story. That being said I would not purchase a 7850 nor would I purchase a 480 becuase they are just a lot of money not very well spent unless you have an HD+ monitor which I might add less than 2% of Steam users have according to Steam Survey.

 

[chimaxi83]

It should be faster at stock clocks and reference base line pricing being it is the more expensive card LOL and yet it is not which is why I am suggesting another option until it come down in price. Not choosing a Ferrari when you are in the market for a "high" performance vehicle because it has terrible fuel mileage is BOLLOCKS !

What does this even mean? So you'd buy a 480 over a 7850 and disregard the 7850's overclocking potential? Since you're insinuating they should only be compared at stock, right? You should keep your "knowledgeable" advice to yourself.

 

[SickBeast]

You are getting angry I am posting the truth friend no worries I just am not a fan boy I buy into what offers BEST VALUE end of story. That being said I would not purchase a 7850 nor would I purchase a 480 becuase they are just a lot of money not very well spent unless you have an HD+ monitor which I might add less than 2% of Steam users have according to Steam Survey.

I'm not angry, just annoyed. When people spread misinformation and make me out to be a liar I get annoyed.

The 7850 is a great card for 1080p which is pretty much the standard right now, and it's pretty much untouched in terms of value when it's overclocked properly.

You can say that all we need is weak GPUs but you will not be very popular on here with that stance. We are enthusiasts. We play Crysis. We max out Battlefield 3 in multiplayer. We overclock. We mod stuff. It's just what we do; it's our hobby. If you're not excited by what the 7850 can do you're just not a true enthusiast IMO, no offense intended.

 

[Jaydip]

Well said SB

 

[Gordon Freemen]

I'm not angry, just annoyed. When people spread misinformation and make me out to be a liar I get annoyed.

The 7850 is a great card for 1080p which is pretty much the standard right now, and it's pretty much untouched in terms of value when it's overclocked properly.

You can say that all we need is weak GPUs but you will not be very popular on here with that stance. We are enthusiasts. We play Crysis. We max out Battlefield 3 in multiplayer. We overclock. We mod stuff. It's just what we do; it's our hobby. If you're not excited by what the 7850 can do you're just not a true enthusiast IMO, no offense intended.

Not everyone needs/wants but mostly not everyone can afford to waste $250/$300 on a GPU you guys make it seem like a 7850 is and was the only GPU ever made. There are other fine choices that wont break the bank as much and will play all your games and make them look and perform wonderfully.

 

[StarvinMarvin22]

Not everyone needs/wants but mostly not everyone can afford to waste $250/$300 on a GPU you guys make it seem like a 7850 is and was the only GPU ever made. There are other fine choices that wont break the bank as much and will play all your games and make them look and perform wonderfully.

Did you forget what thread you're posting in?

The 7850 is undoubtedly the best card in the $200-250 range and the more you try and suggest otherwise, the more obvious your trolling is...

Please, sling your BS in another forum, like maybe OT.

To the OP - Best buys right now:
~$120-150 6850/6870
~$250 7850
~$400+ 670

 

[Jaydip]

Not everyone needs/wants but mostly not everyone can afford to waste $250/$300 on a GPU you guys make it seem like a 7850 is and was the only GPU ever made. There are other fine choices that wont break the bank as much and will play all your games and make them look and perform wonderfully.

7850 is just no brainer at its price point.

 

[kalrith]

Did you forget what thread you're posting in?

The 7850 is undoubtedly the best card in the $200-250 range and the more you try and suggest otherwise, the more obvious your trolling is...

Please, sling your BS in another forum, like maybe OT.

To the OP - Best buys right now:
~$120-150 6850/6870
~$250 7850
~$400+ 670

I agree with your price points exactly. The 6870, 7850, and 670 are by far the best price/performance cards. Anything in between those price points doesn't make much sense unless you get a really good price on a used card. The 7950 might be another option since they overclock so well and it's come down in price.

I also agree that it's a shaky argument at best for someone to come into a thread title, "Best Video card for under $200-$250", and say that there's no need to spend $200-250 on a video card. It's fine to post that once, but to keep posting it makes no sense.

 

[ZimZum]

I'm surprised how often people on this forum fall for obvious troll jobs.

 

[Silverforce11]

I'm surprised how slow the mods react to obvious new sign-up trolls....

 

[Gordon Freemen]

I'm surprised how often people on this forum fall for obvious troll jobs.

I personally would just skip the 7850 all together if you need more performance than it can offer at stock factory shipped settings. I would suggest to get a real high performance card complete with two 6 pins and a full sized PCB. I am not saying 7850 is a bad deal by any stretch however I will warn that often the hype is better and bigger than the actual card. What are the down sides to having the GPU under an extreme OC such that is talked about in this forum perhaps premature failure, void warranty coverage, noise fan upon full load operations, unstable performance, ect. These are some of the rational I am considering and why I suggest to just do the correct thing and buy the next card up if you are in want of more performance.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

I'm surprised how slow the mods react to obvious new sign-up trolls....

Not everyone needs to agree on everything I have a slightly differing take on this card than do some others perhaps some constructive debate is in order before you drop the troll moniker

 

[arkcom]

Not everyone needs to agree on everything I have a slightly differing take on this card than do some others perhaps some constructive debate is in order before you drop the troll moniker

Some? Constructive? You've been trolling this thread for a week. Not to mention the rest of the forum.

 

[SickBeast]

I personally would just skip the 7850 all together if you need more performance than it can offer at stock factory shipped settings. I would suggest to get a real high performance card complete with two 6 pins and a full sized PCB. I am not saying 7850 is a bad deal by any stretch however I will warn that often the hype is better and bigger than the actual card. What are the down sides to having the GPU under an extreme OC such that is talked about in this forum perhaps premature failure, void warranty coverage, noise fan upon full load operations, unstable performance, ect. These are some of the rational I am considering and why I suggest to just do the correct thing and buy the next card up if you are in want of more performance.

You're missing the point. We're talking about the best cards under $250, not the best cards under $400, because yes, it would take a $400 card to beat out a properly overclocked 7850.

The 7850 is without question the best card under $250. nVidia has nothing to offer in that bracket other than 1+ year old cards that run hot and power hungry with less vram and way less overclocking potential.

How you can go around saying that a GTX 480 is the best under $250 is beyond me. The GTX 570 costs about the same if you're looking for something in that range and will at least run with reasonable power heat and noise.

Why don't you start your own thread about the best cards under $150 or the best cards under $400 if you want to talk about the 6870 or something?

 

[Kaldorine]

I'm not considering either card, but what if you simply do not over clock and do not care to overclock and will never over clock? Every time someone mentions the 7850 the first answer is always overclock. I just find it amusing to be honest. I think i'll wait for Nvidia to answer the price point with something new and see what happens. It should be interesting atleast. If the NV offering is faster the first will still be overclock. LOL

Overclock/Overclock/Overclock/Overclock