Videocard under $160

B

bigredstylish

n00b
Joined
Jun 13, 2012
Messages
31
Im looking to get a videocard in the $150-175 range
currently I have a PC attached to my TV which I primarily use for watching TV/Internet/ but now have started playing games.

The computer has
intel 3770k (built in videocard)
msi z77 gd65 mobo
16gb ddr3 ram 1600
lots of space

connected to Vizio 55" 1080p 120hz (up to 240hz smooth motion shit technically but looks weird)

newb at videogames just getting started

i will have the computer primarily connected to a TV- possibly going to add a second tv or monitor in future. prefer 2 HDMI output if possible... but noticed that theres not many cards with that config... is that because I'm a newb? haha.

i want something reliable and that will last a couple years (i want to play mostly racing, nba/fifa, shooting, and fighting games)

i would appreciate all advice possible. i want to learn what the best option is and why. thank you in advance!

p.s. if anyone has any recommendations for how to set this up please let me know: I ideally would like to get a tv tuner on the computer and have the computer set up to two tv's- one playing a sports game or tv show with my computer able to record it like a DVR, and the second tv being my computer screen (allowing me to surf the net etc) at the same time as watching the tv
 
What PSU do you have? No point in adding a video card if the PSU isn't good enough,
 
Get a gtx 750 ti 2gb with a healthy stock oc, it should only run you $110 give or take on any decent deal . It runs dead quiet, puts out virtually no heat, and performs extremely well at 1080p. It's basically the ideal card for an htpc. For TV tuning get something like a silicon dust hd home run prime or a ceton infinitv card, both do Cablecard well with Windows media center. :) For the dual outputs use hdmi as your primary to get audio and video, then use a dvi to hdmi cable for the second screen (same signal, different connector is all).
 
thanks GoldenTiger. I will take a look at that card- do you have any preference in terms of gigabyte vs msi etc?

also I was wondering- is it worth it to get a card that I can connect in SLI/ xfire in the future? or is it better to just get a new videocard at that point? when/what is a good time/reason to have more than one videocard? sorry i'm such a new. thanks.
 
bigredstylish said:
thanks GoldenTiger. I will take a look at that card- do you have any preference in terms of gigabyte vs msi etc?

also I was wondering- is it worth it to get a card that I can connect in SLI/ xfire in the future? or is it better to just get a new videocard at that point? when/what is a good time/reason to have more than one videocard? sorry i'm such a new. thanks.
Click to expand...



You're welcome, and no, unless you're going top end and need more power than a single card can provide, it's generally best to stick to one card for simplicity, heat, and noise overall.

I don't have much of a brand preference though I am a big fan of MSI cards overall for quality and evga for customer service. The 750ti uses so little power many models don't even require an extra power connector, so Psu will be no problem.
 
From a price to performance for gaming standpoint, you can't beat the R9 270X at $155 shipped:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FNHVVP8/?tag=extension-kb-20

The 750Ti is really only worth it if power usage and heat generation are your top priorities. From a price to performance for gaming standpoint, the 750 Ti isn't that good especially considering that its normal price is around $140 or so:
http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1130?vs=1043

Don't worry about SLI or Crossfire. Stick with a single video card. SLI and Crossfire are generally only worth it if you're using more expensive cards and/or need significantly more performance than any single GPU is capable of at that time.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Dangman said:
From a price to performance for gaming standpoint, you can't beat the R9 270X at $155 shipped:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FNHVVP8/?tag=extension-kb-20

The 750Ti is really only worth it if power usage and heat generation are your top priorities. From a price to performance for gaming standpoint, the 750 Ti isn't that good especially considering that its normal price is around $140 or so.

Don't worry about SLI or Crossfire. Stick with a single video card. SLI and Crossfire are generally only worth it if you're using more expensive cards and/or need significantly more performance than any single GPU is capable of at that time.
Click to expand...

$120 Gtx 750 ti SC or FTW models from evga for example actually perform just as well as the 270x and in an htpc environment noise level is especially important.

Example, 120 price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...487024&cm_re=Gtx_750ti-_-14-487-024-_-Product
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
GoldenTiger said:
$120 Gtx 750 ti SC or FTW models from evga for example actually perform just as well as the 270x and in an htpc environment noise level is especially important.

Example, 120 price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...487024&cm_re=Gtx_750ti-_-14-487-024-_-Product
Click to expand...
I don't factor in MIR until I actually receive them. As such, I judge parts by their pre-MIR price. Otherwise, I would have posted other R9 270X cards that are cheaper AR than the card I posted.

What articles are you reading that shows that the 750 Ti SC or FTW perform as well as the 270X? Also just to be clear: When I hear "just as well' I think within 1 to 5%.
 
Dangman said:
I don't factor in MIR until I actually receive them. As such, I judge parts by their pre-MIR price. Otherwise, I would have posted other R9 270X cards that are cheaper AR than the card I posted.

What articles are you reading that shows that the 750 Ti SC or FTW perform as well as the 270X? Also just to be clear: When I hear "just as well' I think within 1 to 5%.
Click to expand...

Launch day reviews showed them within 5 percent in most situations. And mirs are reliable unless you don't submit them, generally speaking :p.

Here's one such review, yes it's a tiny bit slower but it is silent which is an important factor for this usage scenario, too:
http://www.overclockers.com/evga-gtx-750ti-ftw-graphics-card-review

The card I linked before is about 1 percent lower on th stock core overclock, so for all intents and purposes the same card :).

EDIT: Looks like I misremembered a bit, it's about on par with the 270 non-x, not the 270x. Still, the actual framerate differences are fairly minor overall, but for outright performance the 270x does edge out the 750ti.
 
GoldenTiger, you're full of it as usual. Dangman linked you proof of the 270x owning the 750 Ti, but i'll do it again.

Here are benches of the 270x vs. the 750 Ti. The 270 vs. the 750 Ti, and the 265 vs. the 750 Ti.

As anyone can see, the 750Ti is no match for the 270x or even the 270. It only has a fighting chance against the 265, and the 265 still trounces it in most cases. Power is negligible with all of these cards. At max, the 270x takes ~110-120w tops.

OP, don't waste your money on a 750 Ti. You can go max ceiling and get a 270X for $175, a 270 for ~$150, or a 265 for ~$130. The 750 Ti is slower than all of them.

Personally, i would find a nice deal on a used R9 280 or R9 280x. Miners are selling their cards off at cut-rate prices, and the 280s/280xs still have quite a bit of tread life on them.
 
Last edited:
Yes, numbers indeed don't lie, which is why I linked proof above to support my statements unlike yourself :). Where is this double performance 270x review against the 750ti exactly? And I don't know about you but I don't like fan noise when watching TV, which the Radeon 270x has while the 750ti is dead silent.
 
GoldenTiger said:
Launch day reviews showed them within 5 percent in most situations. And mirs are reliable unless you don't submit them, generally speaking :p.

Here's one such review, yes it's a tiny bit slower but it is silent which is an important factor for this usage scenario, too:
http://www.overclockers.com/evga-gtx-750ti-ftw-graphics-card-review

The card I linked before is about 1 percent lower on th stock core overclock, so for all intents and purposes the same card :).

EDIT: Looks like I misremembered a bit, it's about on par with the 270 non-x, not the 270x. Still, the actual framerate differences are fairly minor overall, but for outright performance the 270x does edge out the 750ti.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say twice the performance either but the AT review and the Overclockers review both do show rather substantial performance increases IMO depending on the game. With that said, if he's watching sports, noise level from a video card isn't a huge deal. In addition, depending on the case he has, you might not even need such a low noise card due to:
A) The case is already loud to begin with
B) The case is pretty quiet and has thick padding to absorb noise. See Fractal Design R4/R5 and Antec P280 as an example.

As for the MIR, for myself personally, MIR have worked out for me. But I know enough people that have far worse luck with MIR than I would like to see. As such, I don't consider them guaranteed discounts.

Anyway, like I said earlier, If noise and power levels are truly important to the OP, the 750 Ti is a fine choice. But if performance is key, the R9 270X is key.
 
GoldenTiger said:
Yes, numbers indeed don't lie, which is why I linked proof above to support my statements unlike yourself :). Where is this double performance 270x review against the 750ti exactly? And I don't know about you but I don't like fan noise when watching TV, which the Radeon 270x has while the 750ti is dead silent.
Click to expand...

I've got a 270x (msi dual fan) and at idle/near idle (watching video) it's dead silent as well.

Edit:
If you look at this you'll see nearly 2x performance in some tests
http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1043?vs=1130
 
Last edited:
Thank you all so much for your advice- I really appreciate it. I probably will end up going with the 270x as a prioritize performance slightly more than sound. I was wondering what your opinion is on the following card: R9 280 Double D (Link below) If I decide to spend closer to $200 would this card be worth the $45 price increase vs the R9 270x? Also would getting a 3gb vs 2gb card make any difference?

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Double-93...ie=UTF8&qid=1417966485&sr=8-3&keywords=r9+280
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I have a 750TI not great at gaming but it is quiet.


@bigredstylish
If your going to spend close to 200 then buy R9 290 on ebay. Many non reference cards for under 200 for sale.Now that price can not be beat. Also its a great card.
 
I have a 280x on my HTPC. I've been happy with it so far.

It holds up pretty well and can play modern games as long as you're not expecting to put everything on max.
 
If the OP goes with Ebay or the like for used cards, Gigabyte is the only manufacturer (that i know) which honors transferred warranties. I've warrantied some Ebay'd Gigabyte cards and had no issues.
 
I got a 280x that was only one month old off of Ebay for 160 shipped. I don't think you can beat that deal. It will play anything at 1080p, either on max or high, especially if you forego anti-aliasing.
 
Quite a few of the miner 280 / 280x / 290 cards on Ebay and such have very,very little wear on them. Miners bought late / high and when the market went down... panic-sold to get some of their $$$ back.

I personally have over 45 R9 cards that i will under no circumstances sell for such low prices. They are all ROI'd mind you, but selling a 280x / 7970 for $150-170 when the card was $400 6 months ago is just silly.
 
If your going spend $200 ..then think about the 770GTX which I'm thinking of selling mine in the b/s/t forum soon..
 
Is that TV really 120Hz, or is interpolating? If you have a GPU budget under $550, I highly recommend buying used. Check eBay for 7970s and 280Xs.
 
OP the R9 280 with rebates gets close to your price range. sell the game coupons and enjoy the performance. with recent games pushing easily beyond 2GB VRAM at 1080p I suggest you invest in a R9 280. clock for clock atleast 20% faster than R9 270X. extra 1GB VRAM is very important in the latest AAA games.

www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-11230-00-20G/dp/B00IZXOW80/

if you want to be close to USD 160 get the Gigabyte R9 270X OC

www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-2GB-2xDVI-Graphics-GV-R927XOC-2GD/dp/B00FONITCE/
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
mnewxcv said:
i got lucky, but you do see them under $100 every now and then. not the norm.
Click to expand...

Lucky indeed!

I did a check of ebay and 7970's are selling well north of $100. Even 7950's are selling for over $100.
 
Tzzird said:
r9 280's are rebranded 7970's?

Is the used market for 7970 really that bad?
Click to expand...

No, the 280xs are the rebranded 7970s. The 280s are the 7950s.

I've seen plenty of 280xs in the $150 range. That's about the same price as a retail 270x...and the 280x is a full tier above a 270x in the performance category.
 
atp1916 said:
No, the 280xs are the rebranded 7970s. The 280s are the 7950s.

I've seen plenty of 280xs in the $150 range. That's about the same price as a retail 270x...and the 280x is a full tier above a 270x in the performance category.
Click to expand...

Yeah... in retrospect, I should have sprung for a used 7970 for $150, rather than a r9 280 for $35 more.

But then again, used items can crap out.
 
Tzzird said:
Yeah... in retrospect, I should have sprung for a used 7970 for $150, rather than a r9 280 for $35 more.

But then again, used items can crap out.
Click to expand...

This is true. What i have noticed from my mining experiences is that the fans on the cards can be extremely suspect. I've had to buy quite a few AF cooling kits for my cards because the fans tend to get blown out. The chips themselves are fine...but those fans. Wobble Wobble Wobble! The MSI / XFX fans are the worst and i kept all fans at 75% max rotational speed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top