Need advice on a card for an i5-2500K System

ein3030

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2012
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I. Processor/CPU: Intel i5-2500K


II. Current Graphics Card:N/A


III. Display Resolution:1920x1080


IV. CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply


V. Asus P280


Purchase Details:

I.
Budget? $200-300


II.
Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)? Nope


III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI? Possibly down the line, but not today.


IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs? Haven't looked toooooo extensively yet


V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels? WoW, Steam Games (Counter-strike), Diablo 3 @ highest settings.


VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase? I doubt it!

Just looking for the best possible card for my money with my setup, also will be dual monitoring, 2 Asus 21.5'' LCDs @ 1920x1080. Thaaank you!
Additional Notes
 

lehtv

Elite Member
Dec 8, 2010
11,900
74
91
On that budget, 7850 is the best bang for buck, I'd get Sapphire since their cooler is very good. Or wait for GTX660.

On the other hand, the games you listed will easily run at 60fps constant and max settings even with a GTX 560 or HD6870 that can be had for $160-$180.

VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase? I doubt it!
You should consider it when you decide to play something more taxing. 7850 overclocks like mad, +40% is nothing uncommon with a bit of a voltage bump. Even with stock voltages, you should get a nice boost and it's super easy. Just increase clock speeds in small increments until you hit a wall when stability testing.
 

ein3030

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2012
4
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Thanks guys, you're awesome! I'll wait and see what people are saying about the 660. Thanks again!
 

lehtv

Elite Member
Dec 8, 2010
11,900
74
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GTX 480 for 200$ isnt a bad deal. 1.5gb VRAM and a 384-bit bus.

And a cooler that sounds like jet engine and a power consumption twice that of a 7850. For $50 more, the 7850 will be a lot quieter, cooler and less power hungry, and much faster once overclocked.
 

The_Golden_Man

Senior member
Apr 7, 2012
816
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If you don't have the money, save up and go for a single GTX 670. If too expensive I agree with the ones above... 660 or 7850.
 

Magic Carpet

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2011
3,477
231
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GTX 480 for 200$ isnt a bad deal. 1.5gb VRAM and a 384-bit bus.
That's a tough recommendation for someone looking to build a new system. 480's only viable for hardcore enthusiasts who are specifically looking for it (for various reasons).

AMD Radeon HD 7850 sounds like a plan to me.

Thanks guys, you're awesome! I'll wait and see what people are saying about the 660. Thanks again!
This just might take a while... :)
 
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Jhatfie

Senior member
Jan 20, 2004
749
2
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6950 can't overclock to 1200 core tho. No point in buying old cards

Exactly. I was running a 6950 in my HTPC at 960/1375 and my 7850 at 1180/1425 is a good amount faster while consuming a significant amount less power. 6950 is a good card but I for sure would spend a little more and get the 7850.
 

Don Karnage

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 2011
2,865
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And neither can most 7850's.

That 6950 is $50 cheaper than a 7850 and it comes with BF3. None of the games OP is speccing this for need a mythical 1200 core 7850, either.

Mythical? Head over into the 7850 overclocking thread to see how mythical it is
 

DominionSeraph

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
8,391
31
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Mythical? Head over into the 7850 overclocking thread to see how mythical it is

First mention of an actual card says Techpowerup maxed at 1140. Second is blastingcap @ 1075MHz.
You speak as though 1200Mhz is guaranteed. It isn't. So stop speaking.
 

Jhatfie

Senior member
Jan 20, 2004
749
2
81
my 6950 topped out at around 1100 max.

Wow, you must have had one of the fastest 6950s in the world to do 1100mhz game stable. I've seen a few in the low to mid 1000mhz range stable, but those were not common at all.

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2
 

KevinH

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2000
3,110
7
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Out of curiosity about the 7850, what is the "typical" overclock for a non-overvolted card.

And before people say YMMV, come on guys...we all know there is that typical value...no need to be bashful.
 

Bryson777

Member
Nov 26, 2008
59
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I think it is pretty much garaunteed to max out CCC at 1050mhz. With a little bit of luck you might be able to do 1100 at stock volts. I think between 1175mhz and 1200mhz with more volts tends to be the average limit for most people which is still a pretty ridiculous overclock.
 
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ein3030

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2012
4
0
0
Sooooooo all I'm really getting from this at this point is that I should get a 7850, and potentially OC it. would a 650V powersupply be good enough to overclock the graphics card and an i5? (I'm an uber n00b, in case you couldn't tell):D