Is this GPU to much?

[Godlik3]

My monitors res is only 1600x900. I am planning on buying a Sapphire 7970. I kind of forgot about my res, so is this card just a waste? i can always just upgrade my monitor in the future, but I dont know. Im guessing with that 7970 I will max out all games (mostly) on 1600x900. Anyways, please leave your thoughts, thanks.

 

[skipsneeky2]

I would go for it,if its overkill now eventually a game or games will come out and before you know it any lesser of a choice might have not been the best choice.If 60+ fps is a must then most def go with it.

 

[toyota]

You always need to list all of your other specs too. Even with a fast cpu, an oced 7950 would make more sense unless you are getting a killer deal.

 

[futurefields]

AT 1600x900 I would go with a 7950 and overclock it, since 7970 is a fair bit more expensive.

 

[Durvelle27]

System specs and budget. It would be overkill but I would go for it.

 

[toyota]

System specs and budget. It would be overkill but I would go for it.

oced 7950 will give him the exact same playable results in nearly every game though unless he has an oced haswell. even with my gtx660 ti most games drop well below 90% gpu usage at 1600x900 with a 2500k oced to 4.4. the only way it would be worth it is if he likes to crank AA or silly settings like advanced dof in Metro 2033 or if the 7970 is at a great price. and really if IQ is so important than he would not be playing on tiny 1600x900 screen.

 

[Godlik3]

i7 3770 @3.4GHz

SeaSonic S12II 620W

WD 2Tb Hard drive

 

[Godlik3]

oced 7950 will give him the exact same playable results in nearly every game though unless he has an oced haswell. even with my gtx660 ti most games drop well below 90% gpu usage at 1600x900 with a 2500k oced to 4.4. the only way it would be worth it is if he likes to crank AA or silly settings like advanced dof in Metro 2033 or if the 7970 is at a great price. and really if IQ is so important than he would not be playing on tiny 1600x900 screen.

Er, When you say IQ, do you mean it as in a IQ from a IQ test? If so, it wasn't in my budget, so dont me a smartass D:

 

[toyota]

Er, When you say IQ, do you mean it as in a IQ from a IQ test? If so, it wasn't in my budget, so dont me a smartass D:

lol no. look at the context. I was talking about IQ as in image quality.

I would probably just get a 760 tbh. if you really want AMD then a 7870 or one of the 7950 that is on special would be good choice.

 

[Godlik3]

lol no. look at the context. I was talking about IQ as in image quality.

Oh, hahaha, i'm new to pc gaming and thought you were picking on me anyways, I don't have any experience with OC, and I might upgrade my monitor next.

 

[Shmee]

I would definitely upgrade the monitor if possible.

 

[Ketchup]

If you are going to get that card anyway, or something close, I would definitely get a larger display, as Shmee mentioned. If you haven't gamed on a larger display, you would be amazed at the more in-depth experience.

 

[Godlik3]

So, GTX 760 or 7970?

 

[toyota]

So, GTX 760 or 7970?

2 different price classes. I would not buy a 7970 for just 1600x900 especially with stock clocked cpu.

 

[Ketchup]

Well, the AT review shows that these two are pretty neck and neck, but if you look at Newegg the 760 is a good bit cheaper.

Seems like an easy answer there.

On a side note: I don't think I have ever seen such a price variations on the same model video card as the 7970. Are these manufacturers really asking for $100 premium for a higher clocked card? I would have thought it would at least have more vram (HIS IceQ X² H797QM3G2M vs MSI R7970-2PMD3GD5/OC).

 

[Godlik3]

Yes, Its alot cheaper, yet benchmarks show the 7970 is only 3% faster... Is this data wrong? or is it just a very good deal

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, Its alot cheaper, yet benchmarks show the 7970 is only 3% faster... Is this data wrong? or is it just a very good deal

The AMD card came out first, so Nvidia just released a competitive card for cheaper. We'll probably see AMD price drops in the future. Hard to say when that'll be though.

 

[Godlik3]

Wait, so if I get the 760 and OC, it will be better? I just want smooth 60fps high-ultra settings

 

[toyota]

what are you guys looking at? even the plain 7970 is easily faster than the 760 and also scales WAY better with overclocking and has WAY more overclocking headroom.

 

[toyota]

Wait, so if I get the 760 and OC, it will be better? I just want smooth 60fps high-ultra settings

first lesson to learn is dont be an idiot and put every slider on max. some settings have little to no visual impact but can tank the framerate.

 

[Elfear]

Well, the AT review shows that these two are pretty neck and neck, but if you look at Newegg the 760 is a good bit cheaper.

Seems like an easy answer there.

On a side note: I don't think I have ever seen such a price variations on the same model video card as the 7970. Are these manufacturers really asking for $100 premium for a higher clocked card? I would have thought it would at least have more vram (HIS IceQ X² H797QM3G2M vs MSI R7970-2PMD3GD5/OC).

The 7970 the OP linked to runs at 1Ghz. It would be ~5% slower than a 7970GHz edition or ~20% faster than a 760. The 7000 series cards also tend to overclock very well.

OP - A 7850 or 7950 sounds like a better choice with your current hardware. 7950 is better if you plan on upgrading your monitor soon or you plan on keeping the GPU for a while.

 

[Godlik3]

The 7970 the OP linked to runs at 1Ghz. It would be ~5% slower than a 7970GHz edition or ~20% faster than a 760. The 7000 series cards also tend to overclock very well.

OP - A 7850 or 7950 sounds like a better choice with your current hardware. 7950 is better if you plan on upgrading your monitor soon or you plan on keeping the GPU for a while.

How much are 1080p monitors anyways? like good ones? I might just go with the 7970, just because its better overall, and i ca sell my current monitor and get a better one anyways

 

[Ketchup]

what are you guys looking at? even the plain 7970 is easily faster than the 760 ...

Ah, yes, the VC&G section. When there is a 5 FPS difference between crap and awesomeness!

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7103/nvidia-geforce-gtx-760-review/8
(looking at the lower resolution graph on that page, closest to what the OP would see)

...and also scales WAY better with overclocking and has WAY more overclocking headroom.

Because everybody overclocks their card to run a game 2 FPS faster!

OP, you will be happy with either card, I would just recommend you pick between the two based on your own research, not just what's in here.

 

[Ketchup]

How much are 1080p monitors anyways? like good ones? I might just go with the 7970, just because its better overall, and i ca sell my current monitor and get a better one anyways

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009421

$120 for a 23". Pretty good deal.

 

[Elfear]

How much are 1080p monitors anyways? like good ones? I might just go with the 7970, just because its better overall, and i ca sell my current monitor and get a better one anyways

You can get a 1080p monitor for as little as $130 but you probably want to count on spending at least $200 for a good one. I just bought an Asus VG248QE with Lightboost and I love it. Colors aren't as good as an IPS panel but the motion clarity is amazing.

There are cheaper 1080p monitors to be had though if you're on a budget.