Just built a new machine w/ 650Ti

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glck23

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Jan 21, 2013
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Good MLK holiday gentlemen. I recently built a new machine ( last one I built was 3 years ago ) . The specs are:

Intel 3570K @ 4Ghz
Asrock Z77 Extreme4
Corsair sport DDR3 8GB
Enermax 500w PSU
Evga 650Ti 1GB +100 core/men oc w/ precision x oc tool


My monitor is a 24" @ 1920x1080 and my main concern is gaming at this resolution with the 650ti. The current game I play is StarCraft 2 and it runs just fine maxed out at 1080p except during the cinematic scene it would slow down a bit but i overclocked to compensate and that helped, but I plan on playing new games like borderlands 2 and aliens etc... will this card be capable of handling those games? I usually don't max out the IQ settings but will want to run comfortably at my LCD native 1080p resolution.

I paid $160 for my evga 650ti at Fry's. Does anyone recommend I look into another card to future proof my rig?


Thanks !
 
If you consistently look to increase/max settings out on whatever games you play, you may find the 650ti falling short in numerous titles. The next logical jump would be to a 660ti, but you're looking at $270-300 before current rebates. The 660 vanilla wouldn't be worthwhile, imo, as it too will struggle with many newer titles and higher eye candy settings.
 
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You should be able to pick up the 560ti for around the same price, might be worth considering.
Also the 7850 should be around that price point too.
 
I'm going to agree that your gaming abilities will be severely limited with the 650Ti. I would start saving up for something better like a 7950.
 
so you built an otherwise high end gaming machine and stuck a lower end card in there to play at 1920x1080? return that card and get a 660ti.
 
he said he doesn't max out the settings.

my sons 6670 crossfire rig plays stuff @ 1080p just fine, and I know the 650ti is faster than that.
 
stealthy123 said:
he said he doesn't max out the settings.

my sons 6670 crossfire rig plays stuff @ 1080p just fine, and I know the 650ti is faster than that.
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I never said max settings. I said higher settings and a gtx560 ti is not really suitable to gaming at 1920x1080 with higher settings for most newer games. I would have to turn down settings in many newer games and my card is almost twice as fast as a gtx650 ti.
 
I have a bunch of 650Tis, but I agree with the recommendation of the 660Ti. It's a little bit more cost-wise, but it is far more future-proof as it is SLI-capable, while the 650Ti isn't, and the 660Ti has a lot more headroom quality-wise on current games. Kepler is pretty good on power consumption so although some Fermi cards are very tempting at the current price points, I'd stick with Kepler-based units.
 
Sounds good, thank you guys for the advice. I'll take the 650Ti back for the 660Ti. While looking at the 660Ti's, I noticed two versions, a 2GB and a 3GB version, will the 2GB version be fine? I plan on getting a generic reference 660Ti and overclocking it.
 
2GB on the new Kepler is perfectly fine. You really only need more than that with this particular generation if you are wanting to go multi-GPU plus multiple monitors w/ extreme resolutions, typically.
 
glck23 said:
Sounds good, thank you guys for the advice. I'll take the 650Ti back for the 660Ti. While looking at the 660Ti's, I noticed two versions, a 2GB and a 3GB version, will the 2GB version be fine? I plan on getting a generic reference 660Ti and overclocking it.
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no point in getting the 3gb version as a single gtx660ti will not be playing games at settings that use over 2gb. I would not get one with the reference cooler though as it is a cheap pos that is noisy. most people including reviewers mention a grinding noise at idle so steer clear of the reference cooler.
 
stealthy123 said:
he said he doesn't max out the settings.

my sons 6670 crossfire rig plays stuff @ 1080p just fine, and I know the 650ti is faster than that.
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Thats fine, but like cannon said, you don't buy a Camaro SS(his system) and throw a 4 banger in it!(650ti graphics card)
 
OP you should have saved up for a little better performing AMD card. I have a slight preference for Nvidia cards, but I have no problem recommending an AMD 7-series card especially with the great performance gains they've been able to implement in their drivers over the last half of 2012.
 
Great article. I've been curious since the 310.70 release to see just how the cumulative benefits have stacked up, and I speculate the improvement to SLI and Surround performance would be even more pronounced.
 
stealthy123 said:
@ 1080p his system is overkill anyways.

whatever, silly argument is silly.
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I don't get how its overkill??? I have a 2500k/660ti and game at 1920x1080 and still get some dips in BF3 64 pllayer maps. You cannot turn everything up and get over 30-40fps in any newer game with a 650ti. No way. Or there would be zero market for the 660 series. Sure you can game at medium/low settings, but why fool with a computer?? The Xbox360 looks better than any game on the computer at medium/low settings. And with those statements about 1080, you haven't scene a game running 4xAA+16xAniso/Shadows full have you?

Silly it isn't. You make a blanket statement and don't show any proof. Hell, use [H]ardocp's 660ti reviews to see how goofy that statement is. hey I am not picking on you, but because you are unwilling to buy a decent graphics card for your's/sons computer doesn't mean were all fools for wanting to play games at that highest level of detail or we would all be on Xbox360/PS3.
 
Thank you for your great advice, the last video card I purchased was a eVGA 6800GT 256MB and that card played everything very nicely. If I remember correctly I paid around $250 for it at the time. I should paid a little more attention to the reviews the 650Ti was getting and focused on a video card around the $250 price point instead of $150.

When I get the new nvidia video card, should I uninstall the currently nvidia drivers or leave them alone when I put the new card in?

Thanks.
 
I'd go for a regular GTX660, its a nice jump in performance.

For reference the GTX660 is pretty much in line with a GTX580 while the 650Ti is like a between a 550Ti and 560
 
Filter said:
uhh no


all x50 series cards (450,550,650) suck period for gaming even at 1080p.
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For gamers like us, maybe, but for someone who's not looking for spend $200+ on a new graphics card, a GTX 650 or 650 Ti will still give you an acceptable gaming experience at 1080p as long as you have the details cut back. Sure, these gamers are missing out on some of the experience and it goes without saying there will have to be some compromise, but I wouldn't say any of the GTX 600 series cards "suck" at 1080p gaming.

Keep in mind also that even games that need a 690 to run wide open will still scale back to run on considerably less powerful hardware. The best example I have is from my own playtesting several months back with the modest GT 640 GC 2GB. It's a GT series card so like you'de expect it doesn't hold a candle to a GTX 680 or even a 660, but I was none the less able to play Batman: Arkham City just fine, even in triple display. I actually have my notes here, and I ran at 3840x720 with FXAA on low, medium details, and PhysX disabled with average fps of 40, minimum 26, and max 53. It wasn't as nice looking as it would be on my GTX 680s, but considering the GT 640 is $65 I think that's damn impressive for a low end card myself. The GTX 650 Ti has double the speed, so if the GT 640 can handle 1080p gaming with some compromise, the 650 Ti should be even more capable.

Just my two cents.
 
stealthy123 said:
I have a 650 superclocked, and no it doesn't suck period for gaming at 1080p. The ti version is significantly more powerful.
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ive used one and when you have higher end cards and can see the difference side by side. You will see what im talking about. Till then those that have the card really dont know what there missing out on.

I guess if you like subpar gaming then yeah its an ok card.
 
Filter said:
ive used one and when you have higher end cards and can see the difference side by side. You will see what im talking about. Till then those that have the card really dont know what there missing out on.

I guess if you like subpar gaming then yeah its an ok card.
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What are you even talking about?

Gaming isn't about shiny graphics, it's about the game. Not everyone needs to play high graphic games, and not everyone really cares for bloom or particle effects.

The 650Ti will max out most common games. SC2, CoD, etc will all run fine on a 650Ti. Sure, it can't handle BF3 or Crysis 3 on nicer settings, but not everyone cares. Not to mention, it will still look better than any console game even on lower settings.

So, thanks for your opinion, but sorry it doesn't really follow through. I have a GTX 670, but I've also played on a HD4890. You're paying for eye candy and eye candy only.

Now that being said, I'm more suprised people recommended a 660 Ti. The price between a 660 Ti and a 670 isn't huge usually, and you can get the extra value out of a 670.
 
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SC2 can benefit from a 2gb VRAM card. Depending on the size of a match. Once transparencies kick in from the protoss/terrans and AA cranked up.

I have seen that myself, but I mostly play modded maps. Like Desert War where you can have hundreds of units on screen all being cloaked by motherships.
 
Eureka! said:
What are you even talking about?

Gaming isn't about shiny graphics, it's about the game. Not everyone needs to play high graphic games, and not everyone really cares for bloom or particle effects.
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if this was truly the case then he doesn't need half the system he has and we would all still be playing txt based MUD's

he would of been better of spending another $100 and getting a 660ti. or like you said spent a tad bit more and got a 670.

For $160 bucks he could of picked up a way better card used then a 650ti.
 
Eureka! said:
What are you even talking about?

Gaming isn't about shiny graphics, it's about the game. Not everyone needs to play high graphic games, and not everyone really cares for bloom or particle effects.

The 650Ti will max out most common games. SC2, CoD, etc will all run fine on a 650Ti. Sure, it can't handle BF3 or Crysis 3 on nicer settings, but not everyone cares. Not to mention, it will still look better than any console game even on lower settings.

So, thanks for your opinion, but sorry it doesn't really follow through. I have a GTX 670, but I've also played on a HD4890. You're paying for eye candy and eye candy only.

Now that being said, I'm more suprised people recommended a 660 Ti. The price between a 660 Ti and a 670 isn't huge usually, and you can get the extra value out of a 670.
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what? the 660ti is quite a bit cheaper than the 670. I paid $230 for mine and no 670 deal has come remotely close to that. the few 670 deals have been for the crappy reference cooler equipped models too.

please not the tired old "gameplay over graphics" argument. a 650ti is an okay card but for those that want to get good framerates in all modern games while also having them look pretty decent at 1080 then it does not get the job done. the op put to together a high end system except for the graphics card which is a bit silly if gaming is the priority.

and stealthy123 said the 650ti was overkill at 1080 which is laughable.
 
A 650Ti at 1080 isn't terrible. Run with 2xaa and you'll be fine. The 650Ti is just a tad better than a GTX460 for comparison sake.
 
DooKey said:
A 650Ti at 1080 isn't terrible. Run with 2xaa and you'll be fine. The 650Ti is just a tad better than a GTX460 for comparison sake.
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are you actually thinking he can run 2x AA in every game? he cant even run the highest settings smoothly without AA in many newer games. heck I just upgraded from a gtx560 becuase it could not get the job done well enough and even with a gtx660ti, I still have to reduce settings in some newer games. and my gtx660ti is almost twice as fast as the gtx650ti!


Overall, we see decent performance for 1680x1050 gaming; full HD 1080p gaming is asking a bit too much from the card, even though it should handle HD 1080p gaming at lower details settings.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_650_Ti_Power_Edition/33.html

and that is BEFORE demanding games like Far Cry 3 and Hitman Absolution even came out.
 
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Of course he can't run 2x AA in every game, but it's a good starting point. Most of the stuff people play these days are crappy console ports and a 650 TI will run those just fine. Every game out there isn't demanding and as a matter of fact MOST aren't.

BTW, why did you quote a review of the 550Ti. It's a lesser card than the 650Ti.
 
DooKey said:
Of course he can't run 2x AA in every game, but it's a good starting point. Most of the stuff people play these days are crappy console ports and a 650 TI will run those just fine. Every game out there isn't demanding and as a matter of fact MOST aren't.
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console port means nothing. some of them need lots of gpu power because of being unoptimized and/or they offer demanding graphics options.

and again, he built an otherwise good gaming pc so why not get a card that is capable of running ALL modern games with higher settings at 1080? a 650ti makes sense for some people but for the op, a gtx660ti makes way more sense.

EDIT: I now have the correct techpowerup link. the quote was correct and from the 650ti review but I had accidently linked to the 550ti review because someone in another forum was asking about it.
 
cannondale06 said:
console port means nothing. some of them need lots of gpu power because of being unoptimized and/or they offer demanding graphics options.

and again, he built an otherwise good gaming pc so why not get a card that is capable of running ALL modern games with higher settings at 1080? a 650ti makes sense for some people but for the op, a gtx660ti makes way more sense.

EDIT: I now have the correct techpowerup link. the quote was correct and from the 650ti review but I had accidently linked to the 550ti review because someone in another forum was asking about it.
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I'm not recommending the 650Ti, but simply stated it isn't a terrible card. For the average gamer it's satisfactory. For the enthusiast and for the OP and his new components it's weak.
 
DooKey said:
I'm not recommending the 650Ti, but simply stated it isn't a terrible card. For the average gamer it's satisfactory. For the enthusiast and for the OP and his new components it's weak.
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well I certainly agree that it is not terrible and yeah my point has been that for the op its not really the best choice.
 
DooKey said:
I'm not recommending the 650Ti, but simply stated it isn't a terrible card. For the average gamer it's satisfactory. For the enthusiast and for the OP and his new components it's weak.
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i disagree its not a satisfactory card for your avg gamer. i would say the 660 or 660ti is for your avg gamer.

.
 
Filter said:
i disagree its not a satisfactory card for your avg gamer. i would say the 660 or 660ti is for your avg gamer.

.
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Agreed. 660 and 660ti are midrange performance cards, imo = avg gamer.

650ti = budget performance.
 
True.

The 650Ti isn't a terrible card, but it doesn't have the single-slot headroom that the 660Ti has, and it is not SLI-capable while the 660Ti is.

It might cost a little bit more, but in terms of future-proofing a machine from needing incremental upgrades, I really would recommend a 660Ti over a 650Ti.
 
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