vid card reccomendations

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kingcold9

kingcold9

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Dec 8, 2010
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Purchase Details:

1.Budget(Be sure to include currency if not USD):

$200-280

2.Do you consider rebates?

nope i would just look at them as a possible added bonus

3.Any particular preferences(Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapp, EVGA, etc], non reference cooler)?

not really, would like a decent warranty

4. Crossfire/SLI?

No

5.Have you previously looked at a product which you feel would fill your needs?

6950 1 or 2 gig versions, gtx 560

6.Which games (If any)do you plan to play and @ which desired detail levels?

Dead space, Dead space 2, Duke Nukem Forever, Diablo 3, Fallout etc. pretty much any FPS game lol would like to be able to play them at max detail

7. Are there any other uses(Folding, Photoshop, Video editing or watching Blu-Ray) or features (DX11, CUDA, OpenGL, 3D, Eyefinity) you are looking for besides gaming?

DX11

8. Is the performance added by overclocking something you would take into consideration?

yes

System Specs:

Q6600 @ 3ghz
4gb 1333 gskill ripjaws
GIGABYTE GA-P43T-ES3G

2.Monitor Resolution:

1920 x 1080

i do video card upgrades every 3-4 years so i would love to get a card that i could slightly expand the useful life of by overclocking or in the 6950's case unlocking those extra shaders aswell :D
 
T

tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
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The absolute best card you can get within your price range is an hd6950 2 gig. Depending on what resolution your monitor is though, the discernible difference between it and a gtx560 at resolutions 1920x1200 or lower is very, very little.

If you decide to save a few bucks and go with a gtx560, I'd highly recommend the MSI twin frozr II version: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127565 It has one of the best custom cooling solutions to come pre-equipped on a card. It will keep the card very cool, allow for some really great overclocks, and all the while being relatively silent.
 
Termie

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
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kingcold9 said:
current vid card is an ancient hd 3650 so im long long overdue for an upgrade, psu is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171031
Click to expand...

For your system, with that PSU, I'd recommend something a little less expensive than the GTX560/HD6950. Coming from an HD3650, any modern card will feel about 100x faster, so the difference between an HD6850 and an HD6950, for example, will probably be lost on you, while the $100 price difference will not. I'm also more comfortable pairing an HD6850 with your PSU, which is a somewhat overrated 500w unit, than pairing cards like the GTX560 and HD6950 with it.

Also, while still quite good, the Q6600 at 3GHz is really the minimum you need with modern games, and will bottleneck any of the high-end cards somewhat in certain games.

The HD6850 is currently selling for about $180 before rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908
 
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kingcold9

kingcold9

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Dec 8, 2010
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would the 6850 give me 60ish fps in most games with aa off? if it would i really dont mind having no aa as ive never really used it(3650 with aa on /snicker). also how would the image quality be with the 6850?
 
Termie

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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kingcold9 said:
would the 6850 give me 60ish fps in most games with aa off? if it would i really dont mind having no aa as ive never really used it(3650 with aa on /snicker). also how would the image quality be with the 6850?
Click to expand...

These benches should give you a pretty good idea what to expect: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4137/...-6950-1gb-xfxs-radeon-hd-6870-black-edition/5. In short, few cards hit 60fps in the latest games at 1920x1200 with AA enabled, and I'm betting once you use AA, you'll want to keep it on. That's one of the main benefits of getting a more powerful card.

mnewsham said:
this

with this promo code. VGA5546
Click to expand...

^ that's a very good deal. Comes out to about $20 more than the HD6850 I linked - probably worth it. And very, very close to a 560ti for a lot less.
 
kingcold9

kingcold9

Member
Dec 8, 2010
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thanks! those benchmarks were actually very very informative, ive been hinging on which video card to get for about 2 months now, looks like the 6870 will give me all the performance i need for considerably less money.
 
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Blitz KriegeR

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Jan 30, 2005
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Last edited:
cusideabelincoln

cusideabelincoln

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Aug 3, 2008
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Regardless of what card you get I recommend you upgrade the power supply.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...me-Power-Plus-500-W-Power-Supply-Review/728/7

Somewhere between 21A and 28A on the +12V rails the power supply fails their testing standards. This is not good for you because the cards you are looking at should fall into envelope when under load, especially if you overclock.

Termie is correct in advising a lower power card. However I would still advise upgrading your power supply because the Cooler Master extreme power plus is simply junk. Also if you overclock a 6850 you could get your total system draw within the limits of your PSU, and that isn't good.

If you set aside $60-$80 for a power supply, you will be able to get any card you want and overclock however you like.
 
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mnewsham

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
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He doesn't need a new PSU he has two 18amp 12v rails for a combined 36amps, more then enough for his cpu and gpu at full load. Op you CAN upgrade to a better PSU but you should be fine with what you got.
 
cusideabelincoln

cusideabelincoln

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2008
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mnewsham said:
He doesn't need a new PSU he has two 18amp 12v rails for a combined 36amps, more then enough for his cpu and gpu at full load. Op you CAN upgrade to a better PSU but you should be fine with what you got.
Click to expand...

WRONG

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arti...me-Power-Plus-500-W-Power-Supply-Review/728/7

That power supply cannot put out 500W reliably. It fails to stay in spec at 400W.

It simply isn't a good power supply. It is well worth the investment to get a quality power supply. Getting a quality power supply is even more important when overclocking, which is what he is going to do. Stable voltages and low ripple are needed to get a good overclock, and extra power is needed to not burn out the PSU or fry components.

Also on the very label of the unit Cooler Master only certifies it for 360W combined output on the +12V rails. That is only 30A, not 36A. It's a crime to simply add all the rails up to get total power output, because that's not how most PSUs are rated.
 
Last edited:
Termie

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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kingcold9 said:
would http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182199 suffice? or should i go with something with a bit more wattage?
Click to expand...

happy medium said:
Grab this Corsair with the 10% OFF code and a 40 amp rail.
That gives you more then enough juice. :)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139019
Click to expand...

I actually think either of those Corsair units is fine. The 500w unit even has a new $8 coupon code that just came out today: EMCKHJE68. This brings it down to $52 (with free shipping), plus another $15 off via rebate for a $37 final price. The 600w unit is $63 after code, but shipping is $6, so with the rebate, it's $59 final price.

Abelincoln - what do you think, is the 500w Corsair good enough with 34a on the 12v?

OP - once you upgrade your PSU and get one of the new video cards listed above, you're system will really be able to take off!
 
kingcold9

kingcold9

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Dec 8, 2010
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thanks for the help guys im going to get a Sapphire 6870 vapor-x and use the money i saved on the vid card to get either the Corsair 600w or the Antec BP550 Plus
 
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