What would you choose to hold you out?

[BathroomFeeling]

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.

But see, there's no guarantee the resale price of a temporary card will be what we expect it to be by that time next year. The major factor determining this is the awesomeness of the new mid-low range offerings from both camps by the time you do decide to sell it. A $240 6950 may not command $200 for resale, it may go down to $150 or lower. In that case, the price difference would be significantly greater than if you had otherwise purchased an okay card for $30 or $40. Such an okay card will still give you the ability to play something like Diablo3! And if you have some friends, you can gift that okay card to them. Or you can keep it as backup. It's like a win-win.

 

[brendan12]

But see, there's no guarantee the resale price of a temporary card will be what we expect it to be by that time next year. The major factor determining this is the awesomeness of the new mid-low range offerings from both camps by the time you do decide to sell it. A $240 6950 may not command $200 for resale, it may go down to $150 or lower. In that case, the price difference would be significantly greater than if you had otherwise purchased an okay card for $30 or $40. Such an okay card will still give you the ability to play something like Diablo3! And if you have some friends, you can gift that okay card to them. Or you can keep it as backup. It's like a win-win.

Yet I already have friends with nice rigs and I don't want to sit for 5 months waiting for the new gen of cards while I play TF2 at low settings on my 5450..

If the 6xxx/5xx did drop that much in price upon release of fresh cards then I would be stupid to not get a second hand one. That way I can have awsome performance and don't spend 5 months not enjoying my rig because I don't have the graphics power..

 

[BathroomFeeling]

Ok, how about you get a max card like right now, maybe a 6990, and then.. *forget* about the new offerings? That should last you at least 2 years, will not net you any monetary loss, will play new games like BF3 awesomely, and when you do decide to upgrade again, it'll be something beyond what both camps are about to release.

 

[brendan12]

Ok, how about you get a max card like right now, maybe a 6990, and then.. *forget* about the new offerings? That should last you at least 2 years, will not net you any monetary loss, will play new games like BF3 awesomely, and when you do decide to upgrade again, it'll be something beyond what both camps are about to release.

I may aswell get 2x 6970 then, performs better. 6950 OC'd and another in CFX or make a lan rig or something seems my best bet. If it was a matter of waiting 2 months I could deal with a low-end card but I don't wanna wait till March next year to be honest :/

If my motherboard slots are x16x8x4 and it supports tri-fire is that a feasible option or will the x4 slot card yield little gains?

 

[BathroomFeeling]

I may aswell get 2x 6970 then, performs better. 6950 OC'd and another in CFX or make a lan rig or something seems my best bet. If it was a matter of waiting 2 months I could deal with a low-end card but I don't wanna wait till March next year to be honest :/

If my motherboard slots are x16x8x4 and it supports tri-fire is that a feasible option or will the x4 slot card yield little gains?

Even if they're all at least 8x, triple-cards are no good, it only provides marginal improvements at 1080p. Even higher resolutions are mediocre. Dual-GPU card or dual cards are much better & cost effective.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-sli-3-way-scaling,2865-2.html

 

[brendan12]

Yeah Not the best plan thanks for the link

 

[mnewsham]

my advice is to just get something that you can manage with (6770/6850?) or get a 6950 2GB (recommended for BF3) then upgrade when the 7 series releases. 6770/6850 probably has the least loss of money.

 

[Idontcare]

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

I skimmed the thread, didn't see it mentioned already but I apologize if it has been mentioned - given that you have a Z68 and a SB cpu, why not just limp along with the existing IGP (it can be OC'ed on your Z68) until you get your 7xxx card?

At least give it a try since you already own it, it might play games acceptably if you lower eye candy to the minimum and so on, then you'll know if it is unacceptable or liveable.

 

[brendan12]

I skimmed the thread, didn't see it mentioned already but I apologize if it has been mentioned - given that you have a Z68 and a SB cpu, why not just limp along with the existing IGP (it can be OC'ed on your Z68) until you get your 7xxx card?

At least give it a try since you already own it, it might play games acceptably if you lower eye candy to the minimum and so on, then you'll know if it is unacceptable or liveable.

I've read reviews on it and while it can play some games at 1280x768 when overclocked I'm not really interested.. It would be a trying experience to say the least. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[Leyawiin]

I actually have an EVGA GTX 560 Ti FPB arriving today. My GTX 460 refuses to hold an OC anymore (after a year of pretty heavy use). Anything other than stock 675 Mhz clocks causes BSODs. I was hoping to hold out for the HD 7000 series, but my games just don't perform the way I like with no OC (that particular card was never a very good OCer). The GTX 560 Ti was actually a pretty decent deal - just a little over $200 with rebate. I don't expect a big jump in FPS - but I should see some added smoothness with higher levels of AA.