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Graphics card to buy... Too many choices!

dbowler92

dbowler92

dbowler92

Associate
Joined
5 Dec 2011
Posts
10
Hi,

Long time reader, first time poster... So please go easy on me!

I am not a PC gamer in the slightest... Only ever dabbled a while ago with GTA3 and Vice City, but I never fully converted from consoles (PS2). Battlefield 3, however, is awful on consoles and I have grown sick of the controller (Ps3 controller still beats the 360 however), and so I have decided to build a semi cheap gaming PC.

Thankfully, its Christmas very soon and my birthday a week afterwards. And, as a student, I have a student loan (more accurately, an overdraft) to spend on suitable things (PC is suitable isnt it?). Not to mention a £500 boost in the form of a scholarship mid way through February... Im therefore doing fairly well financially. With that in mind, I want to build a decent gaming PC... not a super computer, but a fairly good one which should be able to play BF3 on high settings and, possibly in the future, ultra settings (with a second graphics chip)

A budget of around £700 - £800 (at a push) should result in a decent system. That does mean no top of the range CPU or Graphics card, but a decent one non the less.

Games I will play:

BF3, FSx (will eventually overclock CPU for this), skyrim, etc.

I should start with posting my potential set up. Maybe some pennies can be saved here and there, or some areas may need improving.

CPU: i5 2500k - £168 - Im not budging from the i5. This CPU gets amazing reviews, amazing performance and is overclockable (though I intend not too just yet, but the option is always nice). AMD maybe cheaper, but I just cant see any reason to go with one.

Motherboard: £92 -msi-p67a-gd53-b3-p67


In honesty, I have not spent much time looking at motherboards (Silly I know). Im therefore open to suggestions on an alternative.

RAM: £36 - g-skill-8gb-2x4gb-ddr3-1600mhz-ripjawsx-memory-kit-cl9-9-9-9-24

Cheap and cheerful... Will likely upgrade in the future.

PSU: £31 - cit-700w-black-edition-psu

Not really sure on this one... Seems a little too cheap. 700W should do me thinks. When I come to upgrading this rig, I will buy a bigger PSU, but for now... A cheap one will do wont it?


Case: £64 - antec-dark-fleet-df35-mid-tower-case

Though, I have just read that the largest graphics card it can hold is 11.5''. I fear that most good cards will be too big for this case, and therefore, I may need an upgrade. DF 85 looks a cool option. Or the Antec 1200... I would prefer the green LED version from here, but I cant justify paying £185 im afraid.

That leaves a HDD (not SSD - cant afford it just yet. One for the future) and optical drive to buy (no need for blue ray, PS3 will do for Blue rays). Anything else I have forgot other than the graphics chip?

I already own a 1080p monitor.

Mouse and keyboard are needed, but wont be part of the budget.

That, therefore leaves a graphics card. This has had me unbelievably confused for a few days... I simply can not make my mind up between ATI or Nevada, and then there is the factory overclocked versions on top of that!!

I was originally was sold on the GTX 560 - Best bang for buck processor i have heard. I can pick up the gigabyte OC version of this for £150 on ******. Indeed, my mate has this (not had any feedback from him though).

Then, there is the 560TI. 5-10% better apparently. Plus, the version I like the look of has 2GB of VRAM.


Slightly higher up in the price bracket is the 560 448 core series. Comes with 1.3gb of Vram... Is this enough? I have heard that 1GB isn going to cut the mustard anymore, especially with BF3 on high settings (1080p)... Will 1.3gb be enough then??


Even further up the ladder is the GTX 570. In honesty, this has me more than tempted.

I can pick up an Asus GTX 570 for £240.

On the other hand, the HD6950 or HD6970.

I havnt looked in the HD6950 too much. I have heard its okay and seen a few benchmarks to suggest it performs alright. Take this one, for example. A little cheaper than a 560ti...

The HD6970... Benchmarks suggest this thing is a beast. Out performs the GTX 580 on BF3, though dies as soon as MSAA is applied.

All other benchmarks put it very close to the GTX 570.

So I can afford the HD6970 (If bought, I can pick up 1tb HDD for about 60 quid... that would be very helpful indeed!) or GTX 570. But which one?

HD6970 Pros:

1) 2GB Vram
2) Fast benchmarks... similar to GTX 580 in BF3, and similar, if not slightly better,than the GTX 570 on others.
3) Decent price, happy to pay £260 + get the hard drive cheap.

HD6970 neg:

1) I have heard nothing but negative reviews of the drivers ATI offer.
2) BF3 benchmark on Toms Hardware pointed out the fact these cards had some serious issues even getting the game running!
3) Adding MSAA in BF3 kills frame rates
4) Hawx 2, a game which has a high degree of tessalations, killed the HD series of cards.

GTX 570 pro:
1) MUCH better drivers
2) Solid benchmark results... 60FPS on high settings is more than enough for an ex console gamer for BF3!!... It maybe 10 or so behind the HD6970
3) MSAA doesnt kill the cards performance

GTX 570 neg:
1) Lacking in VRam...
2) Reviews suggest that the HD6970 is more powerful piece of kit.

So, im stuck... Which to get? The GTX 570 or HD6970??? Or should I go for something else all together.

The system will cost me aprox: £750. leaving some room for improvement to the mobo or case. Or, if I have forgotten something very important. :)

Thanks,

Dan

EDIT: Forgot to ask... I fancy one of these factory overclocks... Prices vary so I will likely pick the cheapest one. As an example, sapphire HD6970 is £259 whilst the asus GTX 570 is £340 (competed to gigabytes version at £278). Any brands I should avoid with these two cards in particular.
(sorry for long post)
 
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dbowler92 said:
(Ps3 controller still beats the 360 however),
GTFO:p

A budget of around £700 - £800 (at a push) should result in a decent system. That does mean no top of the range CPU or Graphics card, but a decent one non the less.

Games I will play:

BF3, FSx (will eventually overclock CPU for this), skyrim, etc.
nvidia card then

I should start with posting my potential set up. Maybe some pennies can be saved here and there, or some areas may need improving.

CPU: i5 2500k - £168 - Im not budging from the i5. This CPU gets amazing reviews, amazing performance and is overclockable (though I intend not too just yet, but the option is always nice). AMD maybe cheaper, but I just cant see any reason to go with one.

Motherboard: £92 -msi-p67a-gd53-b3-p67


In honesty, I have not spent much time looking at motherboards (Silly I know). Im therefore open to suggestions on an alternative.

RAM: £36 - g-skill-8gb-2x4gb-ddr3-1600mhz-ripjawsx-memory-kit-cl9-9-9-9-24

Cheap and cheerful... Will likely upgrade in the future.

PSU: £31 - cit-700w-black-edition-psu

Not really sure on this one... Seems a little too cheap. 700W should do me thinks. When I come to upgrading this rig, I will buy a bigger PSU, but for now... A cheap one will do wont it?
NO NO NO NO NO!!!! NEVER EVER SKIMP ON THE PSU :)
There's a really good deal for a bequiet 600w for £50 in the latest deals section of the forum, that will be good enough


Case: £64 - antec-dark-fleet-df35-mid-tower-case

Though, I have just read that the largest graphics card it can hold is 11.5''. I fear that most good cards will be too big for this case, and therefore, I may need an upgrade. DF 85 looks a cool option. Or the Antec 1200... I would prefer the green LED version from here, but I cant justify paying £185 im afraid.

That leaves a HDD (not SSD - cant afford it just yet. One for the future) and optical drive to buy (no need for blue ray, PS3 will do for Blue rays). Anything else I have forgot other than the graphics chip?

I already own a 1080p monitor.

Mouse and keyboard are needed, but wont be part of the budget.

That, therefore leaves a graphics card. This has had me unbelievably confused for a few days... I simply can not make my mind up between ATI or Nevada, and then there is the factory overclocked versions on top of that!!
don't bother with factory overclocks. Nvidia will be better for you

I was originally was sold on the GTX 560 - Best bang for buck processor i have heard. I can pick up the gigabyte OC version of this for £150 on ******. Indeed, my mate has this (not had any feedback from him though).

Then, there is the 560TI. 5-10% better apparently. Plus, the version I like the look of has 2GB of VRAM.
go for it, Gibbo had some crazy deals on the MSI twon frozr 560Ti 2gb


Slightly higher up in the price bracket is the 560 448 core series. Comes with 1.3gb of Vram... Is this enough? I have heard that 1GB isn going to cut the mustard anymore, especially with BF3 on high settings (1080p)... Will 1.3gb be enough then??
easily fine


Even further up the ladder is the GTX 570. In honesty, this has me more than tempted.

I can pick up an Asus GTX 570 for £240.
Asus are a pretty poor brand from what i've heard, you may have problems with returns if something goes wrong

On the other hand, the HD6950 or HD6970.
as said earlier, you need NV

I havnt looked in the HD6950 too much. I have heard its okay and seen a few benchmarks to suggest it performs alright. Take this one, for example. A little cheaper than a 560ti...

The HD6970... Benchmarks suggest this thing is a beast. Out performs the GTX 580 on BF3, though dies as soon as MSAA is applied.

All other benchmarks put it very close to the GTX 570.
about equal

So I can afford the HD6970 (If bought, I can pick up 1tb HDD for about 60 quid... that would be very helpful indeed!) or GTX 570. But which one?
snip, 570 is the way to go

EDIT: Forgot to ask... I fancy one of these factory overclocks... Prices vary so I will likely pick the cheapest one. As an example, sapphire HD6970 is £259 whilst the asus GTX 570 is £340 (competed to gigabytes version at £278). Any brands I should avoid with these two cards in particular.
(sorry for long post)
Click to expand...

Brands that are recommended:
EVGA
MSI
Gigabyte

Don't bother with factory OC's
It's the good coolers tat you're looking for
 
2 things that instantly spring out:

Don't buy that PSU! It's a big steaming pile of turd, never skimp on the most important component in your system!

If you want to play FSX then go for a Nvidia card.
 
You need a better motherboard. The PCI-E slots on that one are x16 and x4, poor for crossfire and no SLI support. This is entry level for SLI / Crossfire:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-360-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

As a general rule a power supply should cost an absolute minimum of £10 per 100W. This is the cost of designing, making, shipping and retailing a reliable power supply. Pay less at your peril (special offers excluded).

600W should be fine. Many cheap 600-700W PSU's can only output 400W at the required 12V output the rest is available on the practically unused voltages of 3.3V and 5V of the 90's PC. These should really be badged as 400W .... buyer beware, check the power output at +12V. 600W is 50A
 
the msi p67 gd53 isnt 2x x4 slot in sli/crossfire, i believe theyre either 16 and x8 or x8 x8. Am i wrong?

and it definatly has Sli support.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Will take a look at upgrading the PSU, especially the one on this site. With some luck, I can get some components from here as opposed to elsewhere.

As I said, I had not looked in to a Mobo too deeply. This one got good reviews on that particular site, so I figured it will do for the time being.

GTX 570 it is then... Now just gotta find a decent priced one.

Options from a quick google are:

INNO 3D GeForce GTX 570 - 1280 MB GDDR5 - PCI-Express 2.0 (G57V-3SDV-J5KWX) (currently on sale... down to £240 from £315)

or the

INNO 3D GeForce GTX 570 - 1.2 GB GDDR5 - PCI-Express 2.0 (N57V-2DDN-J5KS)

or the

PNY GeForce GTX 570 - 1280 MB GDDR5 - PCI-Express 2.0 (GMGTX57N2H12ZPB)

All three are approx £240. Plus I can pick up a 1TB HD for £60. Currently, Im having to settle for 500GB for £77 representing decent value - though, these brands hardly stick out as well known.

The Asus is a tenner less at £230. Whilst the Palit "SONIC" edition is at a steady £250.

Will of course do more hunting... Rather hope to get hold of a Gigabyte version (heard nothing but good reviews of Gigabyte), but at £278, its a little expensive baring in mind I need to make some improvements to my planned system. (though, I understand it to be good value for that particular card)

So yeah, brands listed above good? Or too risky (therefore, I should seriously look in to buying the gigabyte - interestingly, my £750 estimate assumes I have that card in place, but... with a new mobo and PSU, I will be getting very close to £800 without even beginning to buy a keyboard and mouse)

Oh, and whats the size of the GTX 570??

Once again, thank you in advance.

Dan
 
 
I have a 570 phantom, they are a very good card. Better vrms than stock 570's if u wanna overclock and they stay very cool. Aint tried them in Sli so i cudnt comment on that but they are a very good card.

There is a psu on offer today the XFX Pro 850W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze'.

Its only 75 quid and has very very good reviews online, and it 850wat!

Ul be sorted for Sli with that in the future.
 
Thanks for all the input :cool:

Since a portion of my xmas and b-day cash came in today, I decided to take the plunge and buy a few bits and bobs. Ultimately, I settled on a gainwood GTX570 (standard) for £232 (on sale). I also got myself an i5 2500k for 10p shy of £160, plus (and here is why I got the CPU so early) a 2TB HDD for just £79!! Cracking value baring in mind I was going to pay £70 for a single TB HDD!

With the PSU decided (the from here - will be bought after this post), that leaves the mobo to decide upon. So, is the one I listed good enough?

In honesty, I dont really care much about SLI. I know this board has it which is a bonus, but Im not fussed if it happens to be a little bit average - I can, and will, upgrade in the future (plus the PSU). Im not contemplating SLI until the 600 series of cards come out (driving down prices) and even then, I hope I am not forced to SLI my rig until at least this time next year.

It seems to be a fairly standard mobo... which, will have to do me thinks. The budget is being stretched to an absolute maximum with the GTX 570!!

And then there is the case. Df 35. Cheap, looks nice and does a job. Again, I will upgrade this in the future, but for now... It will do as long as my GTX 570 can actually fit in it (max size is 11.5"... I have heard that the GTX 570 is 10.5", but need confirmation)

And finally, anything I have forgot? Cables, etc?? Will stock cooling in the DF 35 do the job?? And will stock cooling for the CPU do the job??

EDIT: Oh, and a decent optical drive... They seem very important :P (Not blue ray, PS3 will do that job happily for the time being)

Thanks,

Dan :cool:
 
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