Hi everyone - I'm looking for some thoughts on GPU selection for a $600'ish PC build. This is my third build and is for my nephew. Other builds I have done are (1) a straight stock Intel I3/EVGA GTX 660 mini-itx using a Silverstone SG08 used for a family gaming HTPC and (2) A micro-atx AMD Phenom II X4 965 budget build with a Powercolor HD 7850 2GB, where I experimented with overclocking both the CPU and GPU.
This 3rd build is another budget gamer for my nephew, this time based on the AMD Phenom II X4 970 (based on discount and availability on Newegg), slightly faster than the 965. As far as game selection, he has a pretty broad range of target games to play, inlcuding battlefield 3, planetside 2, eventually battlefield 4, and all of the never-settle bundle games. I realize BF 3/4 can tend to get CPU bound, but my brother-in-law is pretty firm on staying on budget.
I'm trying to make a final decision on GPU. I'm trying to look at (1) overall GPU Performance for this price point (can't go any higher), (2) frame-time consistency (I'm starting to look at this in addition to stright FPS), (3) brand/card quality & reputation, (4) ability to experiment with overclocking to increase performance, (5) Performance realized given the Phenom II 970 CPU.
Here are the choices I've narrowed down to, with some thoughts on each:
1. EVGA GTX 660 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...) at $170 net, plus Splinter Cell Blacklist bundled. Slightly slower than the 7870s but at this time probably better frame consistency. Also, 3 year warranty, and IMO EVGA the better brand card.
2. Sapphire 7870 Ghz Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...) for $170 net. Better overall performance than 660, but slightly poorer frame-time consistency. I also believe it overclocks better than the 660 to get even more performance. Decent cooler, and Sapphire is a decent brand (but this card is frankly pretty ugly), 2 year warranty.
3. Powercolor 7870 LE (http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&s...) for net $195, plus this card has the full 4-game never settle bundle, which I value at $40-45 based on e-bay availability. Best GPU but probably weakest brand. This one looks to be slightly better quality than typical Powercolor, it does have decent reviews, and is not the cheapest Powercolor - this one is (http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&s...) - It has a 2 year warranty.
I'm leaning toward the Powercolor 7870 LE with that deal, but don't want to get bit by a low quality card. Any thoughts or advice on a final selection is much appreciated. Thanks!
This 3rd build is another budget gamer for my nephew, this time based on the AMD Phenom II X4 970 (based on discount and availability on Newegg), slightly faster than the 965. As far as game selection, he has a pretty broad range of target games to play, inlcuding battlefield 3, planetside 2, eventually battlefield 4, and all of the never-settle bundle games. I realize BF 3/4 can tend to get CPU bound, but my brother-in-law is pretty firm on staying on budget.
I'm trying to make a final decision on GPU. I'm trying to look at (1) overall GPU Performance for this price point (can't go any higher), (2) frame-time consistency (I'm starting to look at this in addition to stright FPS), (3) brand/card quality & reputation, (4) ability to experiment with overclocking to increase performance, (5) Performance realized given the Phenom II 970 CPU.
Here are the choices I've narrowed down to, with some thoughts on each:
1. EVGA GTX 660 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...) at $170 net, plus Splinter Cell Blacklist bundled. Slightly slower than the 7870s but at this time probably better frame consistency. Also, 3 year warranty, and IMO EVGA the better brand card.
2. Sapphire 7870 Ghz Edition (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...) for $170 net. Better overall performance than 660, but slightly poorer frame-time consistency. I also believe it overclocks better than the 660 to get even more performance. Decent cooler, and Sapphire is a decent brand (but this card is frankly pretty ugly), 2 year warranty.
3. Powercolor 7870 LE (http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&s...) for net $195, plus this card has the full 4-game never settle bundle, which I value at $40-45 based on e-bay availability. Best GPU but probably weakest brand. This one looks to be slightly better quality than typical Powercolor, it does have decent reviews, and is not the cheapest Powercolor - this one is (http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&s...) - It has a 2 year warranty.
I'm leaning toward the Powercolor 7870 LE with that deal, but don't want to get bit by a low quality card. Any thoughts or advice on a final selection is much appreciated. Thanks!
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