It's time to upgrade my GPU...

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96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
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I think I've put it off long enough, waiting for new products, waiting for new features, etc...

PC specs are in sig, but here is the shortened version for those who disabled sigs...

i5-2500k @ stock
XFX 750W PSU
Corsair 400R case
Acer 22" 1680x1050 (upgrading in the future, see rest of post)

I've started playing BF4, my GTX 460 1GB can play it, but not well. I have everything on low and still get around 25-30FPS, so it is time to upgrade.

I realize my monitor is low resolution, and I do plan on upgrading. G-sync is something that interests me, but it is still in preliminary stages and no products have hit the market yet. When I do upgrade, I am really not interested in going above 24". I use a 27'" 1080p at work, and the size is just too large for my desk at home. I think a 24" 1920x1200 is perfect for me, which means I am not too concerned about running out for VRAM with 2GB. I know some games have shown to go above 2GB, but cranking AA is something I am not used to (and don't need).

I want to spend less than $350. I was going to wait for R9 290 aftermarket cards to release, but I'm thinking they will be around $450, which is over my budget. 780 won't drop to that price, so that is out of the question. So my options right now are the 280X and the 770.

I have found a pretty good deal on an EVGA GTX 770 2GB SC w/ACX cooler with dual bios switch, comes in at $320AR. I can sell the bundle games for a marginal amount. This should give me a huge boost in BF4 and then I can weight my options when it comes to G-sync next year.

I haven't researched the 280X as much, but looking at Newegg they all hover around $300. I like the Gigabyte Windforce cooler, as I have something similar on my 460. Looks like I can get BF4 bundled on the XFX models, but I am not fond of XFX graphics cards since they're fumble with the 7970 launch. I hear the ASUS DC2T cooler is also good. Any other input on these cards? I know the Mantle patch for BF4 is coming next month, but I really don't think that will have much impact on this card with my setup from what I've been reading. Seems to be more for better performance on lower end AMD CPUs and the like.

So what say Anandtech members, give me your input.
 
Spidre

Spidre

Member
Nov 6, 2013
146
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I was using a 770 lightning before. It worked very well. BF4 ran at ultra 4xMSAA at 1080p at 60fps+, and had no stuttering.

Are you planning on buying soon? There could be a sale or new game bundle closer to christmas.
 
9

96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
5,738
334
126
Spidre said:
I was using a 770 lightning before. It worked very well. BF4 ran at ultra 4xMSAA at 1080p at 60fps+, and had no stuttering.

Are you planning on buying soon? There could be a sale or new game bundle closer to christmas.
Click to expand...

Yes, I want to buy very soon. Every night I play the game on my current card I get a little frustrated that I can't squeeze out a little more performance. I literally have everything on low or off, and even with my decent OC it still struggles.

I think the 770 deal I found is a pretty good deal, as most of the other cards go for ~$330. Here is the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130946

I think it just went on sale too, because the card on the 770 product page had said $360 before rebate. Now it shows the new price in cart, I just happened click on it.
 
Spidre

Spidre

Member
Nov 6, 2013
146
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96Firebird said:
Yes, I want to buy very soon. Every night I play the game on my current card I get a little frustrated that I can't squeeze out a little more performance. I literally have everything on low or off, and even with my decent OC it still struggles.

I think the 770 deal I found is a pretty good deal, as most of the other cards go for ~$330. Here is the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130946

I think it just went on sale too, because the card on the 770 product page had said $360 before rebate. Now it shows the new price in cart, I just happened click on it.
Click to expand...

Yea that's a nice one. Enjoy!
 
T

turn_pike

Senior member
Mar 4, 2012
316
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For BF4 I would certainly go AMD. Since you already have the game, you can buy an R9 290 and sell the bundled BF4 (for something like 40$?). Then play with it for a couple of weeks and see if you can live with the sound (I assume you'd be using headphone while playing). If not then save some money to buy something like Accelero Xtreme III.

Yea its a bit over your budget and often times spending money on tech is a slippery slope. But this is one of those cases where the jump in performance from 280x/770 to 290 is actually quite substantial. I'd want to get the much higher min fps that the 290 can provide.
 
B

BallaTheFeared

Diamond Member
Nov 15, 2010
8,115
0
71
96Firebird said:
Yes, I want to buy very soon. Every night I play the game on my current card I get a little frustrated that I can't squeeze out a little more performance. I literally have everything on low or off, and even with my decent OC it still struggles.

I think the 770 deal I found is a pretty good deal, as most of the other cards go for ~$330. Here is the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130946

I think it just went on sale too, because the card on the 770 product page had said $360 before rebate. Now it shows the new price in cart, I just happened click on it.
Click to expand...

You overclock don't you?

I think the 7950 is the better value for the money.

That said I understand the allure of G-Sync, I'm leaning that way for 20nm myself.

If you want to go Kepler for future compatibility with G-Sync I won't disagree with your choice. That said, the 770 is just a 680 with higher clocked ram, and the 670 wasn't much slower than the 680 so if you're overclocking the 670 Power Edition for $350 looks good to me.

That said they both come with the holiday bundle, I'd give the PE the edge on the cooler.. But the 770 for $320 with the holiday bundle plus BM might just be enough to push you there.
 
9

96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
5,738
334
126
I do not game with headphones, I like to enjoy the sounds on my 5.1. And I forgot to mention, sound is pretty important to me. My computer sits down on the floor next to me, but I still like to keep it quiet. Heat isn't as much of an issue, but sound is up there.

I'm not sure the 290 would provide a substantial bump in performance at ~1080p, and to get BF4 I would need to buy either XFX or Sapphire (as of right now, according to Newegg). Those two are on the low end with it comes to AIBs in my opinion, unfortunately. Sapphire isn't too bad, but XFX...

Balla, I won't buy an open box video card. The other ones I can consider though...
 
Termie

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
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Newegg/Amazon have the Sapphire HD7970 OC for $240AR right now. That's definitely the card to get. It will be nearly as fast as a 280 for $60 less. The 770 will not be any faster in BF4.
 
B

BallaTheFeared

Diamond Member
Nov 15, 2010
8,115
0
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96Firebird said:
Balla, I won't buy an open box video card. The other ones I can consider though...
Click to expand...

The Flex isn't bad, but it's nothing special.

The rest of the 7950s are way overpriced.


Have you looked at the 770 Gaming from MSI? I heard good things, if quite is your criteria, I'm pretty sure it's better than the EVGA in that regard. It's $330 on the egg.
 
SolMiester

SolMiester

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2004
5,330
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If your interested in G-Sync, then the R series is out of the running...So, you have 760, 680 or 770?
 
R

Rvenger

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator <br> Video Cards
Apr 6, 2004
6,283
5
81
I am not certain if I would go with 2gb VRAM on a video card if I were buying today, personally. I'd be looking at 3gb as a minimum so I would go for a GTX 670/770 4gb if Nvidia is the choice. 280x or 7970GE if AMD.
 
SolMiester

SolMiester

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2004
5,330
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2GB of RAM is heaps for 16x10 and plenty for 19x12.....seriously, I think some people play the vRAM card to much....
 
L

lavaheadache

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2005
6,893
14
81
you guys are supposed to tell him to shop in the fs/ft section where he would find a lovely GTX 670 4gb.....
 
R

raghu78

Diamond Member
Aug 23, 2012
4,093
1,475
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Rvenger said:
I am not certain if I would go with 2gb VRAM on a video card if I were buying today, personally. I'd be looking at 3gb as a minimum so I would go for a GTX 670/770 4gb if Nvidia is the choice. 280x or 7970GE if AMD.
Click to expand...

yeah well said. OP the asus r9 280x dcii top is the best reviewed and quietest r9 280x. go for it :thumbsup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121803

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-280x-third-party-round-up,3655-6.html

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7400/the-radeon-r9-280x-review-feat-asus-xfx/20

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphi...-MSI-and-Sapphire/Power-Temperature-and-Noise

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/10/07/asus_r9_280x_directcu_ii_top_video_card_review/

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/61013-asus-radeon-r9-280x-directcu-ii-top/?page=10
 
9

96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
5,738
334
126
Well, it looks like I missed the deal on the Sapphire 7970 Dual-X for $240, guess that's what I get for waiting...

Maybe I should just wait until BF/CM to see what deals there are.
 
Termie

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
7,949
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91
www.techbuyersguru.com
96Firebird said:
Well, it looks like I missed the deal on the Sapphire 7970 Dual-X for $240, guess that's what I get for waiting...

Maybe I should just wait until BF/CM to see what deals there are.
Click to expand...

Back in stock at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202008

I wouldn't wait too long on that, though. It's a hot deal.

For BF4, that's the card I'd get in your price range, no doubt about it. You lose G-sync, but that's a pretty theoretical loss at this point.
 
Shmee

Shmee

Memory & Storage, Graphics Cards Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 13, 2008
8,124
3,064
146
Does the dualx 7970 have voltage control?
 
9

96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
5,738
334
126
Went ahead and ordered the EVGA 770 SC 2GB with ACX cooler and dual bios switch. Got impatient and sick of trying to find the very best deal. Plan on selling the games for $20 a piece, so that should recoup some of the savings that I missed out on. I have no issues with only having 2GB VRAM, like I said I don't plan on going above 1200p. I like EVGA as a company and trust I won't have any issues.

If Mantle ends up being some magic thing, I can probably still sell the card for a decent amount and buy AMD. I'm hoping G-sync runs as intended, sounds like it could really help out with tearing issues.

Off-topic, but Termie, do you play BF4? Haven't seen you on, we used to have some fun games in BF3. You, paqster and I used to have some decent runs.
 
moonbogg

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,731
3,440
136
96Firebird said:
Went ahead and ordered the EVGA 770 SC 2GB with ACX cooler and dual bios switch. Got impatient and sick of trying to find the very best deal. Plan on selling the games for $20 a piece, so that should recoup some of the savings that I missed out on. I have no issues with only having 2GB VRAM, like I said I don't plan on going above 1200p. I like EVGA as a company and trust I won't have any issues.

If Mantle ends up being some magic thing, I can probably still sell the card for a decent amount and buy AMD. I'm hoping G-sync runs as intended, sounds like it could really help out with tearing issues.

Off-topic, but Termie, do you play BF4? Haven't seen you on, we used to have some fun games in BF3. You, paqster and I used to have some decent runs.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the card. I have some BF4 settings info to share with you. I play at 1080p with 2gb cards, and found that all settings ultra with 4XAA, with keeping textures set to high instead of ultra, will keep you under 2gb usage (barely). Its usually about 1750-1900mb. That's how I play and it works well. Ultra textures will push you over the edge and you may have little hitching here and there (I do). High textures fixes it.
 
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