GPU for HTPC and medium gaming

[cytoSiN]

Building a new HTPC, and the CPU will have Intel 4600 graphics, but I'd like a dedicated GPU for some gaming (Steam big screen is great) as well.

I'd like to spend no more than $150, and I'm decidedly in the Nvidia camp (no hate for AMD, just more familiar with NV and prefer to keep consistent on all of my many builds).

Was looking at this since I have to stop by MC anyway to grab my CPU/Mobo bundle on the cheap. Was wondering if anyone would recommend another NV card for my needs, again staying under $150. I'm happy to shop on NE or Amazon or anywhere else, since MC has an admittedly limited selection of GPUs.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Termie]

The 650 ti for $150 is just too expensive. It's between a 7770 and 7790/260x in performance, but is more expensive than either.

Newegg has a 7870 for $150AR right now which is just unbeatable in value.

If you're set on Nvidia, I'd recommend a 650 - Amazon has an evga model for $93AR, and that's a better value than the ti models. Equivalent to a 7750 in speed.

 

[cytoSiN]

Thanks Termie, that's helpful. The 650ti that I linked would be $135 AR, but a 650 for $93 AR sounds much better, and should give me plenty of power for some light/medium 1080p gaming. I also considered just going for this for $221.39 (with current 11% discount code and $10 MIR), but it's far more than I need (not to mention $70 more than I want to spend).

 

[Termie]

The 650 Ti is about 35% faster than the 650: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_650_Ti_SSC/27.html

If you're just using it for casual games, the extra $40 or so probably isn't worth it. If you want to play modern games at 1080p at medium settings, the 650 Ti will be a better pick. Too bad the Ti Boost has been discontinued. It offered great bang for the buck.

Here's the EVGA 650 model I was talking about: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-1...s=evga+gtx+650

That 760 is an awesome deal, but it seems it's really not what you're looking for.

 

[cytoSiN]

The 650 Ti is about 35% faster than the 650: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_650_Ti_SSC/27.html

If you're just using it for casual games, the extra $40 or so probably isn't worth it. If you want to play modern games at 1080p at medium settings, the 650 Ti will be a better pick. Too bad the Ti Boost has been discontinued. It offered great bang for the buck.

Here's the EVGA 650 model I was talking about: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-1...s=evga+gtx+650

That 760 is an awesome deal, but it seems it's really not what you're looking for.

If I go with an i3 4340 instead of an i5 4670k then I might go with the 760 deal. Trying to decide if I'll miss the two cores and lack of "k" flexibility. Although I doubt I'll OC the HTPC, it's always useful to have, especially if I re-purpose at some point. Also, 760 deal comes with free AC4, which makes it even sweeter.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

650 is pretty gimpy, but at the same time it's hard to recommend a dual core with ht in 2014.

Rumor has it the 650s are getting discontinued for the 750 which is based on Maxwell, if you can't go AMD on this I'd recommend waiting to see what happens as the rumor is this February for release.

You could probably drop the k on the i5-4670k and save a few bucks as well, Haswell OC is hit or miss and in a HTPC I'd go for the undervolt if possible anyways. Haswell can be pretty garbage for overclocking, but it's pretty awesome for power especially undervolted.

 

[adairusmc]

I was on the verge of getting a 650 for my recent gaming HTPC build, but I ended up finding a used 660 superclocked for fairly cheap, and that has been perfect. A co-worker uses a 650 in his and he told me to either find a Ti version or go with an even higher end card since he felt his was a bit slow for any kind of gaming.

There is also a 650Ti for sale in the FS/FT section for $60, that could be a decent option as well.

 

[alawadhi3000]

Get a GTX650 Ti Boost 2GB, they're much better than a regular Ti and it only cost about $150-$160.

 

[cytoSiN]

650 is pretty gimpy, but at the same time it's hard to recommend a dual core with ht in 2014.

Rumor has it the 650s are getting discontinued for the 750 which is based on Maxwell, if you can't go AMD on this I'd recommend waiting to see what happens as the rumor is this February for release.

You could probably drop the k on the i5-4670k and save a few bucks as well, Haswell OC is hit or miss and in a HTPC I'd go for the undervolt if possible anyways. Haswell can be pretty garbage for overclocking, but it's pretty awesome for power especially undervolted.

Good point. I was somehwat blinded/limited by the $30-off bundles at Micro Center (and their lower prices on CPUs to begin with), but they don't do a bundle on the 4670 (sans K). But I'll keep that in mind, because as I said, I don't plan to OC anyway with this build. Frankly, I'd be happy to build another Ivy Bridge rig, but it's getting harder to find parts, and therefore more expensive.

I was on the verge of getting a 650 for my recent gaming HTPC build, but I ended up finding a used 660 superclocked for fairly cheap, and that has been perfect. A co-worker uses a 650 in his and he told me to either find a Ti version or go with an even higher end card since he felt his was a bit slow for any kind of gaming.

There is also a 650Ti for sale in the FS/FT section for $60, that could be a decent option as well.

True. I assumed new parts (besides what I'm re-purposing on my end to being with, including RAM, PSU, HDDs, and SSD), and didn't even check FS/FT. Thanks for reminding me.

Get a GTX650 Ti Boost 2GB, they're much better than a regular Ti and it only cost about $150-$160.

If I could find a Boost, I'd be all over it! OOS everywhere! But I'll check FS/FT.

 

[Termie]

Just FYI, you may find the last set of benchmarks on this page, comparing a 4670/HD7870 to a 3220/GTX670, helpful:

http://www.techbuyersguru.com/i5CPUshootout2.php

This is close to what you're considering (quad/650Ti vs dual/760). You can see that the results totally depend on the game. Overall the dual-core/760 will be faster, no doubt about it. I assume the HTPC isn't for BF4, where you'd really feel the pinch of a dual-core.

 

[cytoSiN]

Just FYI, you may find the last set of benchmarks on this page, comparing a 4670/HD7870 to a 3220/GTX670, helpful:

http://www.techbuyersguru.com/i5CPUshootout2.php

This is close to what you're considering (quad/650Ti vs dual/760). You can see that the results totally depend on the game. Overall the dual-core/760 will be faster, no doubt about it. I assume the HTPC isn't for BF4, where you'd really feel the pinch of a dual-core.

It's not for BF4, or any other FPS, but it WILL be for any game that plays better using a gamepad, including AC4. So I'm actually leaning for the quad AND the 760 right now. Somehow, one good night's sleep has me thinking this should be an HTPC AND a gaming rig. Silly internet forums, always spending my money for me

As of this morning, my plan is something like this (the ram, psu, hdd, and ssd are re-purposed from other builds):

-i5 4670k (would prefer the non-K for this application, but the Microcenter bundle is only for the "k")
-Asus Z87 Pro (using Intel HD 4600 until the dedicated GPU arrives)
-8GB DDR3 PC3 12800 (stock 8-8-8-24 -- may push timings slightly for more speed at stock voltage, but we'll see)
-Asus GTX 760 DC2OC 2GB DDR5 (won't arrive for a week or so)
-Corsair HX620W
-Intel 520 120GB SSD (for OS and some apps)
-Samsung Spinpoint 500GB HDD (internal storage for Steam games and localizing data from 10TB NAS when necessary, which will be rarely)
-Case is still undecided, but I'll probably splurge for a Silverstone Grandia GD08 or Lascala LC10B because it will blend nicely on the equipment stand, and it will allow for LOTS of space for upgrades.

As always, suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

 

[Termie]

Ha ha, that looks like a high-end gaming rig to me...just on its side!

But hey, I hear you on games that play better on a gamepad. That's basically anything but an RTS or FPS. I've been rocking through Tomb Raider on my HTPC and would never enjoy it as much with a KB/M. Next game in my queue is AC4, and I agree with you, that's a gamepad game.

Just one money-saving tip: the Z87-Pro is very nice, but that's an extravagance in this situation, especially if you're feeling over budget. Unless you really needed one of its extra features, you should probably go for a Z87-Plus, an ASRock Extreme 4, or an MSI G45.

 

[cytoSiN]

Ha ha, that looks like a high-end gaming rig to me...just on its side!

But hey, I hear you on games that play better on a gamepad. That's basically anything but an RTS or FPS. I've been rocking through Tomb Raider on my HTPC and would never enjoy it as much with a KB/M. Next game in my queue is AC4, and I agree with you, that's a gamepad game.

Just one money-saving tip: the Z87-Pro is very nice, but that's an extravagance in this situation, especially if you're feeling over budget. Unless you really needed one of its extra features, you should probably go for a Z87-Plus, an ASRock Extreme 4, or an MSI G45.

Thanks Termie. As always, I can count on you to help me spend my money and feel good about it

My choices for MBs with the Microcenter $30-off bundle are as follows:

MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate LGA 1150 ATX (ALC887)
ASRock Z87-Extreme4 ATX LGA 1150 (ALC1150)
ASUS Z87-A (SLI) LGA 1150 ATX (ALC892)
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H Socket LGA 1150 ATX (ALC1150)
ASUS Z87 Pro Socket LGA 1150 ATX (ALC1150)

I chose the pro because it has onboard Realtek ALC1150, which has the best DACs of the remaining choices. The AsRock and Gigabyte have that one too, but I'm not as familiar with those brands (or their BIOS -- I'm very familiar with Asus' UEFI), and I also assumed (probably for no good reason), that the Asus GPU would play nicer with a matching MB. With all that in mind, still think the Asrock ($40 difference) or Gigabyte ($5 difference) are better choices?

 

[Termie]

Thanks Termie. As always, I can count on you to help me spend my money and feel good about it

My choices for MBs with the Microcenter $30-off bundle are as follows:

MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate LGA 1150 ATX (ALC887)
ASRock Z87-Extreme4 ATX LGA 1150 (ALC1150)
ASUS Z87-A (SLI) LGA 1150 ATX (ALC892)
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H Socket LGA 1150 ATX (ALC1150)
ASUS Z87 Pro Socket LGA 1150 ATX (ALC1150)

I chose the pro because it has onboard Realtek ALC1150, which has the best DACs of the remaining choices. The AsRock and Gigabyte have that one too, but I'm not as familiar with those brands (or their BIOS -- I'm very familiar with Asus' UEFI), and I also assumed (probably for no good reason), that the Asus GPU would play nicer with a matching MB. With all that in mind, still think the Asrock ($40 difference) or Gigabyte ($5 difference) are better choices?

Are you going to be using motherboard sound or video card sound via HDMI? If the former, then yes, the DACs matter. The Extreme 4 has the same sound chip, and it's a great deal, so I'd probably go ahead and save money with that. ASRock's UEFI is good, so I wouldn't worry there, and having the same brand of MB and video card won't make any difference - that I can promise you!

 

[cytoSiN]

I recently ripped my entire Blu-ray collection so I could stream from my nas. If the 760 can send dts or whatever else my Blu-ray collection has via hdmi, then I'd use that. But the 1150 would guarantee the most options otherwise. But I'm always happy to save 40 bucks, so I'll probably go with the asrock.

 

[guskline]

Building a new HTPC, and the CPU will have Intel 4600 graphics, but I'd like a dedicated GPU for some gaming (Steam big screen is great) as well.

I'd like to spend no more than $150, and I'm decidedly in the Nvidia camp (no hate for AMD, just more familiar with NV and prefer to keep consistent on all of my many builds).

Was looking at this since I have to stop by MC anyway to grab my CPU/Mobo bundle on the cheap. Was wondering if anyone would recommend another NV card for my needs, again staying under $150. I'm happy to shop on NE or Amazon or anywhere else, since MC has an admittedly limited selection of GPUs.

Thanks in advance!

I have an almost new EVGA GTX660 Superclock which I'm selling on this forum under the For sael section for $149.00 shipped in CONUS. Here is the link at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130826

 

[cytoSiN]

So I just got back from MC. Ended up with the Asus Pro after all because I realize I needed/wanted the onboard wifi, which the AsRock doesn't have. Could I have added wifi for less then $40? Yes. But I didn't want to waste a PCI or USB slot on it, and this was just easier. Am I a lazy bum that spent at least $15 more than necessary? Yes. I'll live though

Back to the subject though, that's actually a pretty good deal on a 660. It's new on NE for $160 AR, and comes with AC4. I still haven't pulled the trigger on that 760, but I'll probably decide later today.

 

[alawadhi3000]

If I could find a Boost, I'd be all over it! OOS everywhere! But I'll check FS/FT.

Too bad, the GTX650 Ti Boost is the best bang of the buck card ATM.

 

[cytoSiN]

Unless I'm missing something, this is basically a boost, isn't it? I see a slight core clock difference between some of the boosts and this one (which is at 1032), but that's it. And it's $119 AR right now. So, what am I missing? Gotta be something, right?

 

[alawadhi3000]

No its not, the boost have 192bit memory bus and thats what makes the difference.

 

[cytoSiN]

No its not, the boost have 192bit memory bus and thats what makes the difference.

I knew I was missing something Thanks. So now I'm looking at this EVGA 660 and this Asus 760. That EVGA seems like a decent deal but it's an inch longer than the Asus...need to make sure it will fit in the case I'm looking at. The 760 has faster memory and more cores, but is $61 more. Worth the difference?

 

[Termie]

The 760 is about 25% faster than the 660, and it currently costs 38% more. That's a tough call.

It will also be MUCH quieter than the 660, which has the somewhat noisy reference blower on it. If you have no front to back airflow, however, in your HTPC case, you'll need that blower to keep the interior cool.

 

[alawadhi3000]

I would go for the Gigabyte GTX660 OC then, I bought six of these and they're great for the price.

 

[cytoSiN]

The 760 is about 25% faster than the 660, and it currently costs 38% more. That's a tough call.

It will also be MUCH quieter than the 660, which has the somewhat noisy reference blower on it. If you have no front to back airflow, however, in your HTPC case, you'll need that blower to keep the interior cool.

Agreed, those numbers make it a close call. As for airflow, should be pretty decent for an HTPC case. Planning to use this or something very similar.

 

[cytoSiN]

I would go for the Gigabyte GTX660 OC then, I bought six of these and they're great for the price.

The EVGA is $30 less expensive than that one. And the Asus 760 DCII is only $30 more. So I'm not sure that one hits any particular sweet spot. Anything specific that make it worth the extra money over the EVGA? Even if there were, why not just jump another $30 to the 760 I linked?