New GPU for Triple Monitors

[Kevmanw430]

So, for my birthday, my family got me a beautiful new set of 1080p monitors. Problem is, my current rig cannot handle that resolution very well. (See sig) I am giving the 7850 to my bro for his birthday, and using some of my funds to upgrade to an i5-2500k.

So, here is my question. I have a budget of ~$300, I might be able to add $50, for some new GPU(s). In that price range, what would you suggest?

My instincts tell me to go the 7950 route, but I know I can grab dual 7850's around there too, as for NV, a GTX 670 might be found around there.

Also, I do not need to max everything out, and I know these setups won't do that.

Thanks in advance!

 

[KingFatty]

If you enjoy overclocking and are sensitive to microstutter, perhaps a single 7950 that is voltage-unlocked. See the hot deals section for a $269 deal.

 

[Greenlepricon]

I would say go for the 7950 and overclock. You'll do better than the 670 and I think your power supply will be fine. Getting two 7850's is a good option too, but we all know there are some issues with crossfire. Better to avoid any potential issues in my opinion.

 

[Annisman*]

Obviously you'll be hurting for GPU horsepower for 300$ at that resolution, you can probably find the proper amount of Vram (3 Gig and up is probably reccomended) But that doesn't really mean it will matter much if your GPU itself is having difficulty handling the games at that res.

You can of course lower IQ settings to compensate.

My advise is save up a tad bit more money for a more powerful gpu with the appropriate amount of Vram forementioned.

If you can't get the extra money, it may be worth it to wait a few days and try to grab one of the 2 GTX 670 4GB cards that I will be giving away shortly, pending approval from the Anandtech moderators. One of those cards would do you fine at triple resolution gameplay.

Where are you in WNY btw ?

 

[Kevmanw430]

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely leaning towards the 7950. Would the Xfire 7850's give more performance at that res, or would the VRAM be a limiting factor?

Annisman, I'm in Wilson, a little village, right on Lake Ontario. Beautiful area.

 

[3DVagabond]

A 7950 will be able to play most games if you don't max them out. Especially if you get lucky in the silicon lottery and get a good O/C'er.

There will be a couple that are too demanding (Crysis Metro) you can play them at 1080p. A 670 is going to be a tad slower overall at that resolution.

 

[Kevmanw430]

I should add the games I play most are Civ V, Battlefield 3, Skyrim, F1 2012, and Minecraft. Oh, and the new Sim City when that comes out.

 

[Kevmanw430]

Shurerar, I've actually got several on my watch list on eBay, just waiting for the right one to pop up.

 

[Annisman*]

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely leaning towards the 7950. Would the Xfire 7850's give more performance at that res, or would the VRAM be a limiting factor?

Annisman, I'm in Wilson, a little village, right on Lake Ontario. Beautiful area.

Me and my brother go up there often in the summer, ever been to Ray's Tavern ? And yeah, it is beautiful.

 

[BrightCandle]

You are going to struggle. I take it you will be happy reducing image quality settings, because there is no card that will have 3 screens running smoothly. If AMD didn't have so many problems they would be the clear recommendation but the severe performance bugs currently in the drivers that have been there for 14 months make me think they will never fix them.

Fastest cards you can buy, ideally a pair of cards for that resolution.

 

[zephyrprime]

The 7950 can't support triple monitors without using displayport or an active display port adapter ($$). All the ati cards are like that and I ran into this problem with my triple monitor setup. I recommend nvidia for this reason.