A budget minded PC builder

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ballistic90

2[H]4U
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I'm considering redoing my desktop with a new motherboard, CPU, RAM, video card - The works. However, I'm not planning on spending an enormous amount of cash, and I have no intention on using it on more than 1 screen at once. I am only considering motherboards that allow for Crossfire/SLI configurations, so I have the option of doubling up the video card in the future. I'm also likely to be hooking it up to a 1080 resolution TV, as well, so the resolution I'm looking to run games at won't be outrageous.

So, I'm looking for advice for what would be a good video card for such a setup. I know most review sites focus on the multiple monitor setups, but I'm not interested in that. I do have a slight, SLIGHT preference for AMD hardware, but I'll consider an nVidia card if I can get a good deal. What would be the best suggestions?
 
you first have to tell us whats the purpose of your PC.. only gaming?max eye candy settings on games? thats matter when selecting parts of the pc.. also how much are your budget? so people can find a nice pc for you..
 
Well, I'm planning to build it myself, so I don't want a preconfigured system. I'm looking for a powerful gaming video card that is reasonably future-proof. The cost isn't actually that important, since that's fairly flexible. I just don't want to pay for a video card that's going to be wasted because I'm not going to play on 3 monitors.
 
Well, what's your budget?
What games are you planning on playing?
 
Are you certain you want a desktop? It seems like a gaming laptop would make the most sense for you.

You could get rid of your $300 laptop you mentioned in another thread and use this new laptop for everything.
 
7870 Tahiti LE, IE: the 7870 Myst, 7870 XT, 7870 Joker.

IMHO most bang for the least buck.
 
450 said:
Are you certain you want a desktop? It seems like a gaming laptop would make the most sense for you.

You could get rid of your $300 laptop you mentioned in another thread and use this new laptop for everything.
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That's a brand new laptop. I use it for simple gaming and portable stuff. I want something to take over as my livingroom gaming system. Basically, I'm going to see what it would cost me to assemble a nice PC and compare it to either the PS4 or Xbox One. A gaming laptop is alright, but this one won't be intended to be portable.
 
ballistic90 said:
Are you sure? I'm not looking for specifics, I just want some advice on video cards for a single monitor setup.
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Considering that you're planning on doing this:
ballistic90 said:
Basically, I'm going to see what it would cost me to assemble a nice PC and compare it to either the PS4 or Xbox One.
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It might be prudent for you to just go ahead and just ask for advice for a complete gaming PC. That would save you time from having to create multiple threads in each related subforum asking for a recommended budget part.

Then again, you might be doing this prematurely considering that official pricing for either consoles haven't come out yet. Not to mention that whatever pricing is listed is more than likely subsidized by Microsoft and Sony.

EDIT: Budget wise, if you were building today, the HD 7850 2GB is a solid choice. The HD 7870 2GB and HD 7950 3GB are also solid choices as well.
 
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Danny Bui said:
Considering that you're planning on doing this:

It might be prudent for you to just go ahead and just ask for advice for a complete gaming PC. That would save you time from having to create multiple threads in each related subforum asking for a recommended budget part.

Then again, you might be doing this prematurely considering that official pricing for either consoles haven't come out yet. Not to mention that whatever pricing is listed is more than likely subsidized by Microsoft and Sony.
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I've actually already got everything else in mind. I'm a lot more aware of the CPU market than I am the video card market, and I've gone through enough motherboards that I know who I trust and which is a pile of garbage. It's just that there are so many manufacturers involved with video cards, and I know that the video card makes a bigger difference in a gaming rig than the CPU will, and it's hard to find performance comparisons with video cards when only a 1080 resolution is being considered.

And I'm also terrible at picking out video cards. I have BAD luck with them. The CPU, I'm not so bad at.
 
I think I have enough responses here to really consider my options. I have a desktop that I need to replace an old hard drive on anyways, and I was considering giving it an overhaul. I checked all the parts, and with the 7870 video card suggestions, I'd be looking at a minimum pricetag of about $688, including motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive and CPU. Now I just have to take OS choice and factor in the possibility of going for an SSD/SSHD drive and I'm all set.

Thanks!
 
ballistic90 said:
I think I have enough responses here to really consider my options. I have a desktop that I need to replace an old hard drive on anyways, and I was considering giving it an overhaul. I checked all the parts, and with the 7870 video card suggestions, I'd be looking at a minimum pricetag of about $688, including motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive and CPU. Now I just have to take OS choice and factor in the possibility of going for an SSD/SSHD drive and I'm all set.

Thanks!
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What CPU are you taking?... Also if you wanna be a bit futureproof, choose something bit stronger than the 7870. Check for HD 7950 wich will bring better future than 7870, for CPU in the intel side a i5 3570 will be nice, on the AMD side FX8150 to FX8350 will be nice too..
 
Araxie said:
What CPU are you taking?... Also if you wanna be a bit futureproof, choose something bit stronger than the 7870. Check for HD 7950 wich will bring better future than 7870, for CPU in the intel side a i5 3570 will be nice, on the AMD side FX8150 to FX8350 will be nice too..
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I picked the FX-8350. It seemed to have some of the best price to performance numbers.
 
If you're budget minded, i would buy the fx 8320 for less money and oc it up to the 8350 speeds. I would also agree with an above poster and say the 7870 XT brand new or a 7950 used off of the forums.
 
AMD FX 8320 (overclocked) will save you money from buying an 8350, and you will need an aftermarket heatsink/cooler. For graphics, you should invest in a 7950, it will handle most games perfectly on 1080p.
 
dhappy said:
AMD FX 8320 (overclocked) will save you money from buying an 8350, and you will need an aftermarket heatsink/cooler. For graphics, you should invest in a 7950, it will handle most games perfectly on 1080p.
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Hmmmm.... the room I would be using it in heats up fast, so that's something I would have to take into consideration. I'm probably going to hold off on the computer for now, at least until E3 is over so I can get a sense what I'm aiming for. But it is good to get a nice performance baseline of current PC parts.
 
Get a gtx 780. It's 350$ cheaper than a Titan yet it can match it when oced.
A real steal.

(sorry, had to throw that in there!)
 
PanzeR- said:
Get a gtx 780. It's 350$ cheaper than a Titan yet it can match it when oced.
A real steal.

(sorry, had to throw that in there!)
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Yeah, but what good would that do me if I have no expectation to ever use multiple monitors? Most of the money spent on it would probably go to waste.
 
ballistic90 said:
Yeah, but what good would that do me if I have no expectation to ever use multiple monitors? Most of the money spent on it would probably go to waste.
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Umm, you do realize you will greatly benefit from a GTX 780 when you are running a single 1080p monitor (or hdtv) with next gen games already released and coming soon, don't you? A GTX 780 or equivalent will most likely be needed within a year from now, and everybody with less will be looking to buy a new card next year. You do realize new consoles are coming out within 6 months and hardware requirements are mostly likely going up big time by the end of this year for games, right? Heck, Killzone 4 on the ps4 is already confirmed to use 3gb of vram.

So no, a GTX 780 is not just intended for multiple monitor setups. If you prefer AMD I would be looking into a 7970 unless you want to upgrade again in 12 months. I depends on how often you upgrade.
 
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leh18621 said:
Umm, you do realize you will greatly benefit from a GTX 780 when you are running a single 1080p monitor (or hdtv) with next gen games already released and coming soon, don't you? A GTX 780 or equivalent will most likely be needed within a year from now, and everybody with less will be looking to buy a new card next year. You do realize new consoles are coming out within 6 months and hardware requirements are mostly likely going up big time by the end of this year for games, right? Heck, Killzone 4 on the ps4 is already confirmed to use 3gb of vram.

So no, a GTX 780 is not just intended for multiple monitor setups. If you prefer AMD I would be looking into a 7970 unless you want to upgrade again in 12 months. I depends on how often you upgrade.
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I understand that, however the expectation is that I would add in a second card instead of completely upgrading, if I felt the need to actually do the upgrade.

I would need to see the benefit of having such a card first.
 
I hear what you are saying. Check out the full review from anandtech.com on the GTX 780. Crysis 3 is a good example since next gen games will be as demanding and eventually more demanding, yet maxed out at 1080p the GTX 780 is pulling 52.5 fps, while the 7970 is 40.4 fps.

http://anandtech.com/show/6973/nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review/16

Better yet, here is the review from bit-tech.net with more cards. At 1080p cards like the 7870 and GTX 660 already struggle to give playable frame rates with Crysis 3 and that's even without using AA.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/05/23/geforce-gtx-780-review/5
 
The fanboi's are strooooong in this thread lmfao.

If you need a 780 for next years games, pick up it or a titan next year on the used market for cheap. For now, the 7870 Tahiti (which should have been named the 7930 but AMD had a brain fart) will play pretty much anything you throw at it (at human resolutions) and can easily be OC'd to compete or beat a 7950 @ stock clocks.

That, and the 7870 Tahiti is on sale right now for $219 at NCIX WITH 4 really good games free.

Sorry leh, but a $650 graphics card, is no solution to most people. I'm having a hard enough time trying to fork over the $330 for a 7970
 
rgMekanic said:
The fanboi's are strooooong in this thread lmfao.

If you need a 780 for next years games, pick up it or a titan next year on the used market for cheap. For now, the 7870 Tahiti (which should have been named the 7930 but AMD had a brain fart) will play pretty much anything you throw at it (at human resolutions) and can easily be OC'd to compete or beat a 7950 @ stock clocks.

That, and the 7870 Tahiti is on sale right now for $219 at NCIX WITH 4 really good games free.

Sorry leh, but a $650 graphics card, is no solution to most people. I'm having a hard enough time trying to fork over the $330 for a 7970
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That's what I was saying. A 7870 is fine for this year, but he would end up needing to upgrade by next year already if he goes that route. Adding a second 7870 isn't going to help at all at that point because he won't have enough vram at that point. The 7870 struggles to play Crysis 3 maxed out now as it is, unless he is content with playing games on medium settings.

As I said, if you are upgrading your video card every year you can afford to get away with a cheaper card now. But if you want to buy a video card now that will last you a few years you are going to have to go big.
 
leh18621 said:
That's what I was saying. A 7870 is fine for this year, but he would end up needing to upgrade by next year already if he goes that route. Adding a second 7870 isn't going to help at all at that point because he won't have enough vram at that point.

As I said, if you are upgrading your video card every year you can afford to get away with a cheaper card now. But if you want to buy a video card now that will last you a few years you are going to have to go big.
Click to expand...

Somewhat true, but I don't know how 4gb of vram from CF 7870's or since it's tahiti, he could pair it with any 79xx for 5gb of vram is different from the 4gb of vram the 780 has. If what you say here is true, all 780 owners will need a titan next year, or a 7970 Toxic 6gb from Sapphire :)

But based on this....

leh18621 said:
Crysis 3 is a good example since next gen games will be as demanding and eventually more demanding, yet maxed out at 1080p the GTX 780 is pulling 52.5 fps, while the 7970 is 40.4 fps.
Click to expand...

Even tho Crysis 3 was crap, it is a decent benchmark, but how is an 10% performance increase worth a 100% price increase?
 
PanzeR- said:
Get a gtx 780. It's 350$ cheaper than a Titan yet it can match it when oced.
A real steal.

(sorry, had to throw that in there!)
Click to expand...

NVidia's marketing strategy...you summed it up reeeeeeaaaaaaaallllyyyy good!
 
rgMekanic said:
Somewhat true, but I don't know how 4gb of vram from CF 7870's or since it's tahiti, he could pair it with any 79xx for 5gb of vram is different from the 4gb of vram the 780 has. If what you say here is true, all 780 owners will need a titan next year, or a 7970 Toxic 6gb from Sapphire :)

But based on this....



Even tho Crysis 3 was crap, it is a decent benchmark, but how is an 10% performance increase worth a 100% price increase?
Click to expand...

I did say in my first post that I thought a 7970 was another card to consider along with the GTX 780. As for CF 7870's they would only be using 2gb of RAM, not 4gb.
 
rgMekanic said:
The fanboi's are strooooong in this thread lmfao.

If you need a 780 for next years games, pick up it or a titan next year on the used market for cheap. For now, the 7870 Tahiti (which should have been named the 7930 but AMD had a brain fart) will play pretty much anything you throw at it (at human resolutions) and can easily be OC'd to compete or beat a 7950 @ stock clocks.

That, and the 7870 Tahiti is on sale right now for $219 at NCIX WITH 4 really good games free.

Sorry leh, but a $650 graphics card, is no solution to most people. I'm having a hard enough time trying to fork over the $330 for a 7970
Click to expand...

If I get the video card within the next week, I'm thinking the 7870 would be my pick. I may need to hold off on it for a while. I'm definitely getting an SSD, but the rest is a big maybe.
 
vict0r said:
NVidia's marketing strategy...you summed it up reeeeeeaaaaaaaallllyyyy good!
Click to expand...

yup.

Think about it like cars, Say I'm selling 2 1994 Kia's, one has A/C and costs $19,346 , the other one has it's A/C disabled and costs $8,000

You think you're getting a deal, but really you're fucked either way
 
leh18621 said:
Umm, you do realize you will greatly benefit from a GTX 780 when you are running a single 1080p monitor (or hdtv) with next gen games already released and coming soon, don't you? A GTX 780 or equivalent will most likely be needed within a year from now, and everybody with less will be looking to buy a new card next year. You do realize new consoles are coming out within 6 months and hardware requirements are mostly likely going up big time by the end of this year for games, right? Heck, Killzone 4 on the ps4 is already confirmed to use 3gb of vram.

So no, a GTX 780 is not just intended for multiple monitor setups. If you prefer AMD I would be looking into a 7970 unless you want to upgrade again in 12 months. I depends on how often you upgrade.
Click to expand...


this is some of the worst advice I have read recently...
 
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