My crisys with Crysis 3

motolube

Gawd
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Dec 18, 2006
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Up to now, I have been able to play most FPS and recent shooters with my trusted ole GTX260, perhaps not maxed out but since I only do the Campaigns and I am not looking to impress my friends, well enough to let me enjoy my gaming.

Fast forward to Crysis 3 and looking at the requirements I see that a DX11 GPU is part of the requirements... something tells me this will be the future for other games as well.

So, looking at my rig and Not wanting to spend a mortgage payment for a new card, what Mid-Range Nvidia card would you recommend?

Again, I normally play at 1680 x 1050, 30 t0 40 frames per second and everything at default and I am happy and content with that. I much prefer an Nvidia Card than ATI/AMD.

My budget is extremely tight and I don't see myself upgrading to a new build until next year (if not 2)
 
My friend top end cards or doing 40 fps :eek: recommend a evga 670 ftw overclocked or a 7950 overclocked heavy . anything less your just wasting you money even with low settings and no msaa just fxaa this game is very demanding
 
2560x1440 med settings i can keep between 50-60fps most of the time. System in sig.
 
My friend top end cards or doing 40 fps :eek: recommend a evga 670 ftw overclocked or a 7950 overclocked heavy . anything less your just wasting you money even with low settings and no msaa just fxaa this game is very demanding

Depending on his cpu clock he is wasting his money with a 670 more like.
I'd go a 660 at best.
 
So less than a 660 you guys really think I would waste my money and time? WOW

Remember, I am happy with 30 to 40 fps and default settings, I have done this for the past 10 years or so. I know that I may be missing a lot in other aspects but I am not looking to see the sweat on the enemy either :D

In all seriousness, I have never been one to go for ALL HIGH or MAX settings... defaults to me are fine as long as I can get 16:10 and 30 + fps
 
Even at 1680x1050, I simply cannot recommend a video card with only 1GB of VRAM for modern games like Crysis 3. It's easy for video card makers to double the amount of VRAM, so you either get 1GB or 2GB on these models, no in between. 2GB is massive overkill for 1680x1050 which is just the way you'll want it for your long-term style, and it only adds about $15-$20 to the cost of the lower cards.

GTX 650 2GB - around $120, about 25% faster than a GTX 260.
GTX 650 Ti 2GB - around $155, almost twice as fast as a GTX 260.
GTX 660 2GB - around $210 and almost 3 times as fast as a GTX 260.
GTX 660 Ti 2GB - around $280 and a bit more than 3 times as fast as a GTX 260.

The obvious choice here for you is between the 650 Ti 2GB and the 660 2GB. Now you should be able to see why everyone is suggesting the 660.

If you go back a generation, the 2GB 560 Ti is a little less than halfway between the 650 Ti and 660 on performance for around $180 new.
 
Thanks a lot for that simple but good explanation... that was exactly what I wanted to know... I'll make a decision soon I guess.
 
just get a plain gtx660. it is a good match for your cpu and resolution. I doubt you would see the difference a gtx660ti would offer in many cases.
 
7950 comes with Crysis 3 and Bioshock Inf and call it a day. Nothing really better if buying today.
 
"$75 in-game for Hawken, World of Tanks, and PlanetSide 2 ($50 for each game)". That is not good for buying those games; it is good for buying stuff in the games, like armor skins or weapons or whatever those games offer.

SSC is a factory overclock of a non SSC; the core clock is increased from 928Mhz to 1071 MHz. That is all.
 
At 1680x1050, a 660 is overkill. Don't waste the money. It's equivalent to a 570, which is what I have, and my 570 rocks everything at 1920x1080 still.

Id look for a 650 or 650ti with a nice game bundle attached. Cheap (low $100's), low power, not bulky, fantastic cards for the money and perfect for your resolution. Check slick deals and the hot deals forum. They pop up for $100 with games all the time.
 
I know you prefer Nvidia, but IMO the best cheap bang for the buck is a 2GB HD7850. They are overclocing beasts and some models can be found for about $165 with Bioshock Infinate and Tombraider, which you could sell to offset the price a further $40-50 or so. Nvidia game bundle blows at the moment and is a hard sell as very few people want it. My OC'd 7850 was just as fast as my OC'd 660 and both are a good deal faster than the 650ti. The OC'd 7850 performs very smooth on my son's 1920x1200 rig with medium settings, FXAA and very high texture setting.
 
At 1680x1050, a 660 is overkill. Don't waste the money. It's equivalent to a 570, which is what I have, and my 570 rocks everything at 1920x1080 still.

Id look for a 650 or 650ti with a nice game bundle attached. Cheap (low $100's), low power, not bulky, fantastic cards for the money and perfect for your resolution. Check slick deals and the hot deals forum. They pop up for $100 with games all the time.
nonsense as dropping down to the 650ti would be silly and a plain 650 is a beyond laughable suggestion for demanding games. a plain 660 is far from overkill for many games at 1680x1050 including the very one he started the thread about. and really 1680x1050 is not all that much lower than 1920x1080 anyway. and even the 660ti crumbles a bit compared relative to the 256bit 670 when high levels of msaa are applied in some games. I can actully get the same playable performance with my gtx570 as I can wth the 660ti in a few games. so again a 660 is NOT overkill by any means for demanding games.
 
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nonsense as dropping down to the 650ti would be silly and a plain 650 is a beyond laughable suggestion for demanding games. a plain 660 is far from overkill for many games at 1680x1050 including the very one he started the thread about. and really 1680x1050 is not all that much lower than 1920x1080 anyway. and even the 660ti crumbles a bit compared relative to the 256bit 670 when high levels of msaa are applied in some games. I can actully get the same playable performance with my gtx570 as I can wth the 660ti in a few games. so again a 660 is NOT overkill by any means for demanding games.

Sorry but your wrong.
 
and you are clueless. are you actually going to sit there and claim a plain gtx660 is overkill for demanding games? how many reviews do I need to link to? get a plain gtx650 you say? :rolleyes:

You didn't even read the original post. Your just programmed to spit out 660 when you see the word mid-range. How original.

Now, if you actually used that thing in your head you would have read:

- He's not looking to max out setttings, default settings.
- He's not looking to spend a lot of money.
- He's looking for 30 to 40 fps.
- He's upgrading from a 260, not a 460. The 650 and 660 would both be massive upgrades.
 
You didn't even read the original post. Your just programmed to spit out 660 when you see the word mid-range. How original.

Now, if you actually used that thing in your head you would have read:

- He's not looking to max out setttings, default settings.
- He's not looking to spend a lot of money.
- He's looking for 30 to 40 fps.
- He's upgrading from a 260, not a 460. The 650 and 660 would both be massive upgrades.
and what does default settings actually mean? now lets look at the fact that he wants to play demanding games and will likely keep his card for many years. a gtx650 should not even be a consideration unless wants to play current demanding games on medium and most future games on low. 1gb of vram will also be a limitation before long. a gtx650ti is an okay card but again the 1gb of vram will be an issue down the road and if spending more for the 2gb version then might as well go with the 660.

so yes I used that thing in my head and came to the conclusion that a 660 is a good choice for his situation. it will allow him to handle all games out there since it appears a mix of medium and high at 30-40 fps is what he really want. this will give him much more flexibility down the road too.
 
and what does default settings actually mean? now lets look at the fact that he wants to play demanding games and will likely keep his card for many years. a gtx650 should not even be a consideration unless wants to play current demanding games on medium and most future games on low. 1gb of vram will also be a limitation before long. a gtx650ti is an okay card but again the 1gb of vram will be an issue down the road and if spending more for the 2gb version then might as well go with the 660.

so yes I used that thing in my head and came to the conclusion that a 660 is a good choice for his situation. it will allow him to handle all games out there since it appears a mix of medium and high at 30-40 fps is what he really want. this will give him much more flexibility down the road too.

Default = Medium. You keep bringing high settings into the equation, which was not important to the OP. 1gig vs. 2gig again has to do with high settings, not medium, stop bringing it into the equation.

My 570 plays Crysis 3 on high settings at 1920x1020. My requirements are a lot more than 30 to 40fps as well. It benchmarks right between the 660 and the 660ti and has ~1gig (1280) of memory. Since that is overkill for what he wants, the next logical card is the 650 or 650ti. I would lean more towards the 650ti. It will save him close to $100 and be a mindblowing upgrade from a 260. My last card, before my 570, was a GTX 260, so I know where he is coming from.

You also need to look at the future. He said he'd upgrade in 1 to 2 years. What's coming out in 1 to 2 years that will be more demanding than Crysis 3? Nothing so far. The main reason Crysis 3 is so demanding is it has an inefficient engine, like its predecessors.

The 650 series is the true mid-range card. The 660 aims at people who want high settings, but have a tight budget.
 
I got a 480 for a decent price, plays well with my x4 956 O.C. @4ghz (480 is at stock clock)
I play at 720p max everything (minus fsaa) get 40-60 in crisis 3, quite comfortable.

1080p... 30-45. Still playable.
 
I would not get something slower than the HD 7850 or GTX660. I would get 2GB of VRAM. I dislike noise, so I would get a card with a nice two fan cooler.
 
Guys, I can not thank you all enough for your replies... seriously, I don't and I feel a bit of a shame for putting some of you against each other.

When I mean tight budget I was not exaggerating, I mean very very tight... like 150 would mean taking food out of my children"s mouth :D

Also, some of you are correct, Crisys 3 will be pretty much the only demanding game I can forsee for the near future, the other ones will be, as usual, good or bad console ports that even my GTX 260 can play so I am not worried much.

2 times the power of my GTX260 is more than ok and if I was able to enjoy Crisys 2 Campaign a few rounds, why would I not enjoy Crisys 3 with something between 100 to 150 cheeseburgers?

Sure, would I love to see the tear drops in the plants and sweat of my nose? who wouldn't but a man's got to know his limitations LOL.

I like Nvidia more than AMD because I have never had good luck with AMD's driver control panel/manager and most time than not, I get BSODs... that does not happen (ever) with Nvidia. Am I doing something wrong to get those BSODs? perhaps I do but the point is, I still get them and they are most annoying to deal with and since I AM the one who deals with it, well, I rather spend a bit more, get the Nvidia card and NOT deal with them... I am starting to get to old to learn stuff ;)

Again, thanks a lot for taking the time to help... I keep coming back to you guys for that reason alone.

Some of you with those used cards you want to get rid off... I am all ears, all I ask is for you to be honest with me and tell me that I will be able to play Crisys 3 my way and that they will last for at least 1 year if not 2. I only do a couple of hours a day of gaming and I never OC my cards or CPU.
 
So go for the 650Ti 2GB or a cheap GTX 570/480.

Only AMD can offer cheaper solutions with the 7850 and 7770.
 
Try to get a 660 or a 660Ti. I have 2 Tis myself. Crysis3 is currently having SLI issues so I run a single card for now and it's actually pretty good at 1080p. Either card should serve you well at 1680x1050. If those are out of your price range don't waste money on the low end boards. Go on the for sale trade forum and look for a used 6970 or 6950. They should be going for less than $200. Top end last gen boards are usually much better than low end current gen. Enjoy.
 
School me on Top end Last Gen vs Current Low end cards please...

GTX 480 or 570... what Gen and whether Top or Low

GTX 660 or Ti... Ditto

GTX 650 Ti...

AMD Countermeasures... Distant Second Options because of obvious reason stated before LOL

Oh and again... $ 150 is the most I am willing to go for knowing full well that my options are limited at best.
 
School me on Top end Last Gen vs Current Low end cards please...

GTX 480 or 570... what Gen and whether Top or Low

GTX 660 or Ti... Ditto

GTX 650 Ti...

AMD Countermeasures... Distant Second Options because of obvious reason stated before LOL

Oh and again... $ 150 is the most I am willing to go for knowing full well that my options are limited at best.

1. 480 - Cheaper used price $120-130, more VRAM, larger mem bus, good OC headroom.
2. 660 - A more efficient GTX 580 with more VRAM, and beats it in demanding games.
3. 650 Ti - Cheaper, within your budget, but if considering a Ti 2GB, the 660 would be the better option.

I would have sold you my 660, but I'm still saving for a 690/Titan/7990 card.
 
I am still confused as it doesn't answer my questions about Top/Mid Current/Last gen but I will wait a few more days to make my decision... I am sure there will be a few patches for this game as the bulk of the folks wanting to play this game can not afford a 3K to 4K rig... I wish I had that kind of pocket change though. :D

Also, 1GB is OK or 2GB is minimum requirement?
 
you have the whole internet right in front of you so look at reviews. anybody that replies to you is going to do the same so why not do it for yourself?

if you get a card fast enough to play demanding games then yes you will need more than 1gb. I still stick with recommending a plain gtx660 for your current situation.
 
get something 2gb or more or you are wasting your time. Seriously
 
I still stick with recommending a plain gtx660 for your current situation.

OP has stated his maximum budget is $150. The 660 costs $60 more than that, so it's not going to happen.

The 650 Ti 2GB just barely exceeds that budget at $155ish. Going with a 650 Ti 1GB takes the price down to a comfortable $125, but I still hesitate to recommend a 1GB card for Crysis 3 because:

index.php


http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/crysis_3_graphics_performance_review_benchmark,8.html

While that is for 1920x1200, it seems like 1680x1050 VRAM usage would be perilously close to 1GB even without AA. If someone can find some real VRAM usage numbers for Crysis 3 at 1680x1050, that would help.
 
sounds like he needs to save more money then. it will be cheaper in the long run then having to upgrade again even sooner anyway.
 
I can google all the reviews on the internet until my eyes water or turn red but, if I don't really understand the concept they will not help me much.

I rather here from personal experience and from people that can understand my needs and restrictions as those will help me more.

I know and I understand that Crisys 3 will be very or extremely demanding but I also understand that other shooters will not be because, the mainstream now is to port from consoles.

If I survive playing Crisys 2 (aside from enjoying it thouroughly) with my beat down rig and my ole GTX260, how can I not enjoy Crisys 3 with some equally good if not better but DX11 capable card? that is my main point here.

If and when I upgrade to a newer and decent rig, I can add 1 or 2 more cards or sell this one and get something that will go with the new rig but until then, spending as little as I can an enjoying the game is enough for me.
 
Crysis 3 is much more demanding than Crysis 2. the gtx650ti is on okay card but you really want more than 1gb and spending more for the 2gb puts you in gtx660 territory. I would wait for a deal on the gtx660 and you can sell of that game bundle to offset some of the cost too. the 650ti only comes with half the game bundle so that right would make the 660 a better value if you think about it.
 
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