What would you choose to hold you out?

[brendan12]

I need a graphics card to last me until I get a 7xxx series card. Ideally I would buy it now and sell it in a few months to someone looking for a bargain or to someone looking for a second or third card.

Next year I'm looking to WC with a 7950/70 depending on release/price/performance etc. I just need to know what the best bang for buck I could do to last me through BF3 until I get my hands on a new card.

I'm thinking 6870, 6950 or 560ti. My current monitor is 1680x1050 but that will be upgraded very soon to 1080p.

What should I get?

System Specs:

- i5 2500K
- Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
- Fractal Arc Midi + 2 140mm fans extra
- 800W Gold rated PSU
- 8GB 1600Mhz Gskill Sniper

 

[houe]

I am in a very similar situation as you and i chose the 6950 myself. I plan to use it for 4-5 months and then probably hop onto the 7xxx series when a good opportunity presents itself or potentially just add a 2nd card. We shall see...

 

[brendan12]

I am in a very similar situation as you and i chose the 6950 myself. I plan to use it for 4-5 months and then probably hop onto the 7xxx series when a good opportunity presents itself or potentially just add a 2nd card. We shall see...

1 or 2GB

Thanks for your response

 

[johnxfire]

An HD6870 wouldn't be a bad choice at all at this point.

You're going to jump up to the HD7xxx series soon anyways, might as well just get the HD6870. You can't go wrong with it.

 

[LoneNinja]

Personally wouldn't go past a 5770/6770 for a temporary card.

 

[tviceman]

A gtx460 768mb as hold you over gives you the best balance of price and performance. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162058

$120 now with a $30 MIR makes it $90, the exact same price as the cheapest 6770 on newegg but with noticeably better performance. If you want something faster, then the hd6850 is your next best option. With a gtx560ti, though, you get the upcoming Batman game for free so if you were planning on picking that up it makes it worthwhile to get an Nvidia card.

 

[Binky]

I would think that a 560ti for around $185AR is the best deal around right now. I went the 6950 route and modded it into a 6970, but that's a lot more money for a little more performance.

 

[houe]

1 or 2GB

Thanks for your response

2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102945

 

[brendan12]

2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102945

Yeah I think I'll go with that card now. If I wanted 1GB I could get a 560Ti but the BF3 Recommended specs are pretty high just for medium detail.. Thanks for all your responses

Any other ideas?

 

[happy medium]

Yeah I think I'll go with that card now. If I wanted 1GB I could get a 560Ti but the BF3 Recommended specs are pretty high just for medium detail.. Thanks for all your responses

Any other ideas?

are you really gonna pay 70$ more for 10% more performance for a temp card?

if your gonna pay that much, you might as well go for a gtx570 for 25$ more and get 2 free games. At 1080p res. it will = a 6970 in most cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127552

 

[brendan12]

In my country:

6870 = $180-220

6850 = $150-200

1GB 560Ti = $250 +-$10 for stock factory OC ones $260-$300
2GB 560Ti = $330

1GB 6950 = $209-$230
2GB 6950 = $250-$330

GTX570 = $350+

6970 = $350+

580 = $480+

I wanted a 7xxx card but that could be February before they even release the high end ones and another few months for prices to drop and stock to come in.. So I may be looking at close to 5-8 months before I can even get my hands on one. :/ What do...

 

[mnewsham]

2GB 6950 for 250 bucks and sell it as soon as you get the 7xxx card.

 

[MentalIlness]

are you really gonna pay 70$ more for 10% more performance for a temp card?

if your gonna pay that much, you might as well go for a gtx570 for 25$ more and get 2 free games. At 1080p res. it will = a 6970 in most cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127552

LOL @ the reviews for that GTX570.

 

[BathroomFeeling]

If you get a card that is really something right now, you won't be awed by the next gen cards several months from now. When resale prices fall for your really-something card, you'll be hit with a regretful monetary loss. You said you want to play BF3 on this temporary card, but IMO this is not a good idea. The specs required for high-end settings seems to be quite demanding. I wouldn't want to play such a game with a temporary card at the risk of soiling my perception of the experience & jading myself with the memory that will never go away. Yeah you can repeat with the new card, but it won't be the same. Better to play & experience it for the first time with max enjoyment with a new fast card.

It just tastes sweeter the more you hold out. So based on that undeniable fact, I would buy a card that is just borderline useless. They're cheap & you should still be able to play some good games on it. Just hold on & be patient.

 

[brendan12]

If you get a card that is really something right now, you won't be awed by the next gen cards several months from now. When resale prices fall for your really-something card, you'll be hit with a regretful monetary loss. You said you want to play BF3 on this temporary card, but IMO this is not a good idea. The specs required for high-end settings seems to be quite demanding. I wouldn't want to play such a game with a temporary card at the risk of soiling my perception of the experience & jading myself with the memory that will never go away. Yeah you can repeat with the new card, but it won't be the same. Better to play & experience it for the first time with max enjoyment with a new fast card.

It just tastes sweeter the more you hold out. So based on that undeniable fact, I would buy a card that is just borderline useless. They're cheap & you should still be able to play some good games on it. Just hold on & be patient.

So what your saying is:
- get a really, really cheap card
-don't play BF3 on it
- when 7xxx cards come out get a high end then
- play whatever high end games I wanted

?

 

[happy medium]

Why not wait till BF3 comes out and then grab a card?

 

[happy medium]

LOL @ the reviews for that GTX570.

I didnt link reviews?
Please dont tell me you mean Newegg reviews?
Nvm dont answer that.

 

[brendan12]

I didnt link reviews?
Please dont tell me you mean Newegg reviews?
Nvm dont answer that.

Thats less than 6 weeks. Nothing is coming out between now and then I wouldnt imagine. Prices may drop $10 but they will be back up again once stock gets low. The 7xxx series also got delayed so I could be waiting a while..

 

[toyota]

I didnt link reviews?
Please dont tell me you mean Newegg reviews?
Nvm dont answer that.

that particular MSI gtx570 is bad. they reverted back to the old crappy gtx470 cooler. there was a guy on another forum that was not too happy because he had bought one another to SLI with his MSI gtx570 he bought months earlier with the right cooler.

 

[BathroomFeeling]

So what your saying is:
- get a really, really cheap card
-don't play BF3 on it
- when 7xxx cards come out get a high end then
- play whatever high end games I wanted

?

Yes. Well I mean not a really really cheap card, something around $50 or less is good. Even 2nd hand is an option. I think that's a solid plan.

 

[houe]

Yes. Well I mean not a really really cheap card, something around $50 or less is good. Even 2nd hand is an option. I think that's a solid plan.

Says the guy with a 570 sitting in his rig and is probably gaming every night. lol.

 

[BathroomFeeling]

Says the guy with a 570 sitting in his rig and is probably gaming every night. lol.

Exactly. I know what it's like going from the lowest of the low, to the almost highest of the high. I survived on an ATI 9800Pro for something like 7 years before moving on. My face was like Steve Carell at the end of that virgin movie.

 

[Ancalagon44]

So what your saying is:
- get a really, really cheap card
-don't play BF3 on it
- when 7xxx cards come out get a high end then
- play whatever high end games I wanted

?

Yeah thats what I would do. Dont kid yourself - any money that you spend on this temporary card is money wasted. You will likely have to sell it for 40% of what you paid for it because there will be a new generation of faster, better cards out.

Unless you have the money to burn, I would rather just spend that on a new 7 series card.

 

[brendan12]

I don't think thats necessarily true.. The 5850 was $260 or so on release and I see them going for anywhere between 120-170 on ebay. Thats 2 years after it was released. If I got the 6950 I'd even consider Crossfire if I could get another one for a decent price.

If I buy a $70 card to just play games on low settings that $70 is still wasted.. I have no use for a 5770 or lower and neither do many other people. If I could sell a 2GB 6950 for $200 next year I'd be in the exact same position money wise, I just would have been able to atleast play games for the past 6 months.

 

[lehtv]

Whether you can sell the 6950 2gb for $200 will depend on the pricing of the new cards... Even the 78xx series will have 2GB memory, and since 68xx were priced at around $200, 78xx will probably too. And they will also probably beat 6950 in performance.

I'd expect something like $170-180 max for the 6950 2gb