GTX 960 Superclocked 4GB overkill for my purposes?

[Austin126936]

I've had my eye on the EVGA GeForce GTX 960 Superclocked 4GB video card for my first PC build but I've been wondering recently if it might be a little much for my intended purposes. I plan to use the PC for games such as: Minecraft, DayZ Standalone, and Metal Gear Solid 5. I'd like to play these titles at max settings with at least 60+ fps and may screen record my gameplay. Of course, I am no expert at anything computer and thought some of you out here may be willing to point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance, and have a great day.

 

[shady28]

Metal Gear Solid 5 won't maintain 60fps throughout the game on a 960 @ 1080p with all details at max. From videos I've seen it dips into the mid 30s in busier areas (but it mostly stays at 55-60fps).

You'll need a 970 or a 290 to keep it (mostly) at 60fps, but even those will drop into the upper 40fps area.

You will also need a fast i5+ quad core. This game will use it, it's probably the best threaded game in existence, reportedly able to scale to 8 physical cores easily.

I think the game has been patched / optimized better since this chart, but it should give you an idea of what to expect.

 

[Austin126936]

Greatly appreciate the response! Excluding MGS5, would Minecraft and DayZ Standalone run 60+ fps with max settings with this card?

 

[shady28]

DayZ won't keep 60+ fps, at least not all the time. This guy has a video of DayZ in different areas with a GTX 960 / i5 setup :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGEpTBQe4UU

This is what he reported :

"High settings but with AA turned off. FPS range from ~25-35 in Cherno, ~45-55 in countryside and ~100 on coast."

From what I understand DayZ is not finished, and really doesn't keep 60+ fps on any current GPU though (due to lack of optimization in some areas).

Minecraft isn't a problem 60+ fps.

 

[Headfoot]

The 960 4GB is a terrible value card. Don't get it. For like $30-40 more you can get this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202143&cm_re=290-_-14-202-143-_-Product which is significantly faster. The 960 4GB is just a really poorly priced card right now. And most people here will agree. At least until 290s run out and go up in price there is no reason to buy a 960 for a regular gaming desktop (provided your system is compatible).

Please tell us the rest of your specs:
CPU, RAM, Power Supply

 

[Austin126936]

Power Supply: Corsair CX600 | RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GBx2 DDR3 1600 | Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC mate | CPU: Either i7-4790K or i5-4670K

 

[Yuriman]

From his other post, I gather it's a from-scratch build:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2438473

Although MGSV is well threaded, I suspect an i3 should be enough. DayZ is also very heavy on just a few threads.

I'm in agreement with shady28 in that the 960 isn't a good value for the performance you get. I put a 2GB version in my sister's recent build though as I was trying for a low-heat and low-noise SFF PC, and AMD's offerings are notoriously loud and power hungry. This is coming from someone who hasn't used an nVidia card in his main PC for close to 10 years.

If trying to keep to a budget, you could do worse than a Radeon 280(x) or 290, but depending on your video card choice, you can tweak how much power supply you buy, and possibly turn down or buy fewer case fans and a more compact case.

 

[Headfoot]

If this is a new build, get the 4690k and the Tri-X R9 290. Very balanced build in the sweet spot of price/perf.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...202143&cm_re=tri-x_290-_-14-202-143-_-Product

 

[Austin126936]

The Radeon 290 suggested above would be a bit too big for the case and would require an 750W PSU (I'm getting a 600W). I'm really pushing my budget so I wouldn't like to spend more on either of those things if I don't have to. How would this card compare to the R9 290? http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11221-00-20G/dp/B00FLMKNE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1436291050&sr=1-1&keywords=radeon+280x

 

[tential]

No it wouldn't op. Don't worry about power supply the powersupply recommendation on the r9 290(or most cards) is vastly overstated. Your psu is more than enough and you're in a price bracket for psus where adding 100 watts probably leaves you at the exact same price still as most people simply don't get great deals on psus (no idea why with all the great deal sites out there.).

Get the r9 290, used if possible to save as much as possible.

 

[TemjinGold]

OP: The 280X is a lot slower than the 290. Certainly not worth anywhere near the same price.

 

[Headfoot]

The Radeon 290 suggested above would be a bit too big for the case and would require an 750W PSU (I'm getting a 600W). I'm really pushing my budget so I wouldn't like to spend more on either of those things if I don't have to. How would this card compare to the R9 290? http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11221-00-20G/dp/B00FLMKNE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1436291050&sr=1-1&keywords=radeon+280x

What case?

Most modern cases are designed to fit 12" cards. Even a lot of the small ones. The 280x is not really comparable to the 290, especially not at the same price. Like tential says, 750w is overstated. Your power supply is more than enough.

 

[Austin126936]

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

 

[Headfoot]

Have you bought all the parts yet? That case is generally not one I'd recommend even in the $50 range. No removable cages or USB 3.0 front header. I'd suggest this one instead (same price AR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...011&cm_re=carbide_300r-_-11-139-011-_-Product. Generally a more modern and up to date case

 

[Austin126936]

I haven't ordered any of the parts yet but now with the information from this thread, I think I have everything picked out.

 

[tential]

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

Lol did you seriously just link a super tower case and you think a r9 290 won't fit in there?

The real question is why are you buying that case with a single card, small psu, nothing in your case noteworthy type setup?

You could get by with a cheaper still quality case. Like the fractal design define r4 and then save the extra cash.

Don't see the point of that case unless you have a ton of parts or hard drives or something to fill it with....

 

[Headfoot]

Lol did you seriously just link a super tower case and you think a r9 290 won't fit in there?

The real question is why are you buying that case with a single card, small psu, nothing in your case noteworthy type setup?

You could get by with a cheaper still quality case. Like the fractal design define r4 and then save the extra cash.

Don't see the point of that case unless you have a ton of parts or hard drives or something to fill it with....

I googled it and it turns out that case only holds 11 3/8" cards because the front hard drive cages are enormous and not removable. Like, where on most cases the 3.5" drive holders dont stick out as far as the 5.25" drive holders, on that case they both stick out as far limiting card length. That's why I suggested the Corsair Carbide 300R because it has removable cages and USB 3 on the top

 

[Headfoot]

I haven't ordered any of the parts yet but now with the information from this thread, I think I have everything picked out.

Good luck on your first build. One tip from me: read your mobo manual to figure out which slots the RAM should go into if you dont have it totally filled. Each manufacturer seems to do something different

 

[tential]

I googled it and it turns out that case only holds 11 3/8" cards because the front hard drive cages are enormous and not removable. Like, where on most cases the 3.5" drive holders dont stick out as far as the 5.25" drive holders, on that case they both stick out as far limiting card length. That's why I suggested the Corsair Carbide 300R because it has removable cages and USB 3 on the top

Ya I didn't bother looking up the case was just going to begin recommending other cases. Don't see a reason why he would purchase that case given the component selection and intended use.

I'm excited to see my own fractal case once I remove all my parts in it and see what my case looks like without the majority of hard drives and other parts I have in it haha.

 

[Headfoot]

Ya I didn't bother looking up the case was just going to begin recommending other cases. Don't see a reason why he would purchase that case given the component selection and intended use.

I'm excited to see my own fractal case once I remove all my parts in it and see what my case looks like without the majority of hard drives and other parts I have in it haha.

Just put together a buddies high end build in a Fractal Define S. That thing is SO nice... No 5.25" bays, no HDD cages. Up to 3 3.5" drives and 2 2.5" drives go on the back of the motherboard plate. I was able to mount a h110i GTX (280 size) with both push and pull fans (4 total) on the front of the case. Working his 5820k overclock up, got it to 4.4ghz at 1.25 volts and it barely breaks 50c at full load.

For water coolers, I could not recommend the fractal define s more highly. Their other stuff seems really solid too.

 

[Austin126936]

Good luck on your first build. One tip from me: read your mobo manual to figure out which slots the RAM should go into if you dont have it totally filled. Each manufacturer seems to do something different

Thank you very much; you've been an amazing help and I'm truly grateful! Have a great day!

 

[TemjinGold]

Don't forget to post here if you run into problems while building too.

 

[Austin126936]

Don't forget to post here if you run into problems while building too.

Will do! Thank you for your help!

 

[Austin126936]

The 960 4GB is a terrible value card. Don't get it. For like $30-40 more you can get this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-143-_-Product which is significantly faster. The 960 4GB is just a really poorly priced card right now. And most people here will agree. At least until 290s run out and go up in price there is no reason to buy a 960 for a regular gaming desktop (provided your system is compatible).

Sapphire Radeon R9 290 vs MSI Radeon R9 290? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127774&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[Seba]

If you are willing to get closer to $300 for the graphics card, then you better buy a GTX 970. Else, stick with a GTX 960 2GB (not 4GB version) if you want a cheaper card. You can get a GTX 960 2GB under $200 and it runs even with a 430W power supply like Seasonic S12II-430 Bronze.