GPU suggestions: best value, for playing SHOGUN 2?

[Schadenfreude]

Alrighty, this is for a buddy of mine that's looking to upgrade his desktop.

Goal
- He wants to play Shogun 2 on max/close-to-max settings.
- I do not have his screen resolution on hand, but I'm going on a limb and say it is 1920 x 1200 on a single monitor; I'm fairly sure that'd be the highest possible resolution on his display - I will correct/update as soon as I get that info.
- He did not specify a price ceiling, but I want the best bang-for-the-buck scenario for him, and would set the absolute limit at $250 - I am trying to shoot for ~$200, assuming that it will play Shogun 2 flawlessly.
- Despite the components listed below, he does not know anything about computers, so no OC'ing and reliability is a priority: meaning, if a certain brand is more reliable than another but costs $15~20 more, I'd feel better recommending the more reliable card.

Components
- CPU: Core i7-960
- PSU: OCZ Exlite Extreme 1000W
- Mobo: ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution (X58)
- Case: Antec 902 V3

After doing a bit of research, I am currently thinking about recommending either the Radeon 6870 or possibly the Geforce GTX 560 Ti: bear with me as I'm somewhat of a n00b too (I just do more homework on this stuff than he does) but would it be a better idea to invest in a couple of lower-end GPU's (like this guy here) in SLI/Crossfire setup instead? I'm guessing not, as he could theoretically SLI/Crossfire the aforementioned GPUs for more lasting power in the future . . ..

 

[Nathelion]

Avoid SLI/X-Fire like the plague unless you already have the fastest single card out there and can afford to get 2 of them. That's my advice. Other than that, either the 6870 or 560 Ti should play Shogun 2 fine. There are some monster settings in Shogun 2 that will bog down pretty much any system (IIRC there is a specific combination of depth-of-field and AA that will bog down anything, most likely due to an un-optimized code path), but those cards should get the job done.

 

[crisium]

http://www.dpigaming.com/shogun-2-benchmark-very-high/

Btw, that should be a GTX 560 Ti, not a GTX 560.

Anyway looks like the Radeon 6870 is the better choice then. Since the 560 Ti barely outperformed the 6850, then the 6870 should slightly outperform the 560 Ti.

 

[aphelion02]

I think the 6950 1GB is a better choice at this price range than both those cards.

 

[Madcatatlas]

This is a Gaming Evolved title for AMD cards, so expect Nvidia performance to increase in time as they get out better drivers for the game.

Its kinda like a nvidia The way its ment to be played, just without the money im guessing.

 

[Schadenfreude]

This is a Gaming Evolved title for AMD cards, so expect Nvidia performance to increase in time as they get out better drivers for the game.

Its kinda like a nvidia The way its ment to be played, just without the money im guessing.

So are you saying that AMD cards are (for the current time) better optimized for Shogun 2, or are you saying that Nvidia and AMD cards are on even footing at this time, but the Nvidia GPUs will magically improve later on?

I think the 6950 1GB is a better choice at this price range than both those cards.

I've looked into the 6950, but it looks like that's 1 price range above the cards I've mentioned so far - including rebate, I've seen the 6870 go for $180 shipped, but the 6950s are at least $50 more

 

[SolMiester]

Personally, I dont understand how your mate has one of the best SLI\XF boards around (3 x PCIex16) and we are looking at a single mid range card?
Seems to me your buddy likes top end equipment, so if it were me, I would be looking at something with a bit more longevity.
At least 570 or 6950\70......

 

[Schadenfreude]

Personally, I dont understand how your mate has one of the best SLI\XF boards around (3 x PCIex16) and we are looking at a single mid range card?
Seems to me your buddy likes top end equipment, so if it were me, I would be looking at something with a bit more longevity.
At least 570 or 6950\70......

Yeah.

In normal circumstances, I'd be all over that and recommend it to him.
Except that he just got this PC setup a month or two ago for ~$2400.00 . . . after the Sandy Bridge chipsets came out. Another buddy of his picked these items for him, had it sent to the guy's (not my friend's) address, and put it together for him - sounds a bit fishy to me, but whatever.

He paid something like $360 for the i7-960 alone (when the i5-2500k was out and available for ~$300), w/ 12 Gigs RAM and paid over $400 for an Nvidia Quardo GPU - one that's several generations old; he does not do anything near 3d rendering/modeling btw . . . just plays games/surfs the web on it.

Immediately after seeing his item listing, I started to put together a different spec system using the Sandy Bridge core and appropriate GPU . . . and I could put together something that performed just as well (if not better) using quality components for about $1300 until I noticed that Newegg's policy was replacement only for a lot of these parts that he alredy ordered.

I said that he got ripped off in front of his wife (not knowing that he couldn't return them) and I'd hate for him to get in hot water with her for spending even more $$$ when he spent so much on it already; but if he's okay with higher-spec parts, hell yes; I'd be more than glad to present that to him.

 

[SolMiester]

Yeah.

In normal circumstances, I'd be all over that and recommend it to him.
Except that he just got this PC setup a month or two ago for ~$2400.00 . . . after the Sandy Bridge chipsets came out. Another buddy of his picked these items for him, had it sent to the his address, and put it together for him - sounds a bit fishy to me, but whatever.

He paid something like $360 for the i7-960 alone (when the i5-2500k was out and available for ~$300), w/ 12 Gigs RAM and paid over $400 for an Nvidia Quardo GPU - one that's several generations old; he does not do anything near 3d rendering/modeling btw . . . just plays games/surfs the web on it.

Immediately after seeing his item listing, I started to put together a different spec system using the Sandy Bridge core and appropriate GPU . . . and I could put together something that performed just as well (if not better) using quality components for about $1300 until I noticed that Newegg's policy was replacement only for a lot of these parts that he alredy ordered.

I said that he got ripped off in front of his wife (not knowing that he couldn't return them) and I'd hate for him to get in hot water with her for spending even more $$$ when he spent so much on it already; but if he's okay with higher-spec parts, hell yes; I'd be more than glad to present that to him.

LOL, great mate you are!....

 

[Schadenfreude]

LOL, great mate you are!....

Hey now, I did try to help! Well let me clarify, these event happened in the sequence that I will list:

- He gave me a printout of the goods he is getting from Newegg
- I immediately said that he's getting ripped off (while his wife was in the vicinity, it was not intentional)
- I started putting together a build for him

AND THEN

- Noted the replacement only policy on his CPU/GPU/RAM/HDD . . ..

What am I to do? :\

 

[RussianSensation]

Some benchmarks in this thread show that HD6950 or GTX560 Ti are good cards for you at $200-250 price level. Although, I'd probably lean towards the 6950 2GB card as some are reporting the game uses 1500mb of VRAM once you crank the settings (although I doubt it matters since at that point all the $200-250 cards are barely producing 20-25 fps).

Sapphire 6950 2GB for $233.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Sounds like the Radeon 6950 is a clear winner here: as noted before, I'll present to him the higher-end offerings as well . . ..

Thanks for the help, folks!

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

GTX 580. Best card period. Nvidia super drivers. Bestest nvidia.

 

[RussianSensation]

GTX 580. Best card period. Nvidia super drivers. Bestest nvidia.

As per the OP:

I want the best bang-for-the-buck scenario for him, and would set the absolute limit at $250 - I am trying to shoot for ~$200, assuming that it will play Shogun 2 flawlessly.

Superbiiz has a special on the Sapphire HD6950 2GB.

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-HD6950

$262.49 - $30 MIR - $15 off (Take 15% off your order (Max $15) w/code: RAPTURE15, ends 5/31) = $217.49.

Plus you get Product Key for Free Game Download of Total War: Shogun 2 PC game (the "Premium").

Wow is this a dream come true or what?

 

[Schadenfreude]

Ack, just spoke with my buddy today; he's okay with getting a higher-end GPU; looks like he's the one keeping the books in his house (smart man!)

Anyhoo, that throws off my guesstimate; I'll start a new thread - but thank you guys for the help nevertheless!

 

[RussianSensation]

Ack, just spoke with my buddy today; he's okay with getting a higher-end GPU; looks like he's the one keeping the books in his house (smart man!)

Anyhoo, that throws off my guesstimate; I'll start a new thread - but thank you guys for the help nevertheless!

Keep in mind, GTX580 and 6970 are going to be replaced by 28nm GPUs this year. So they are barely 15% faster than their previous high-end versions and have been around for 6 months already. The 28nm chips will bring massive performance improvement this year. So I would advise your friend against dropping more than $300 on a GPU at this time. I mean if he really wants to spend $500, then HD6950 2GB in CF is probably the next best option. A single GTX580 is just not fast enough over a 6950 to warrant a $250 price increase imo.

For a reasonable high end card, just get the MSI 6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition that flashes into a 6970, for $285.