SkodaMart
SkodaMart

Where's OP anyhow? What have you bought?
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@spoffle, isn't in game performance the entire point of a graphics card?
The GTX 660Ti performs perfectly well at 1080p full stop
I wouldn't see any benefit other than in benchmarks - and even then I would have to overclock the HD 7950 to see a significant advantage.
As for forewarned is forearmed, the OP can make a choice on graphics cards and wisely omit the MSi HD 7950 from his short list, however I do believe that some of the Sapphire cards have a similar fault.
Well according to you, the only answer to this thread is a 660Ti
I'm currently trying to decide on a graphics card for my first home build (so excuse any newbish questions).
I've been looking at the GTX 660 TI at the upper end, but also more budget options in the GTX 660 / 560TI.
What Nvidia cards in the price range would you recommend?
Also, I'm interested in using SLI further down the line and am currently looking at this motherboard:
ASRock Z77 Pro4 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Is there a better alternative I should use, or is that one ok?
When both were at a decent overclock the 7950 was still a chunk faster prior to 12.11. Now it's not even close.
Anyway this isn't a 660Ti purchase justification thread and I'm a little tired of you ignoring good points and focusing on the same tired reasonings that somehow all 7950s are prone to failure. You're just coming across as a bit dim by doing it constantly.
I ignored that bit because as you say I still think he doesn't see it was an MSI problem not an AMD problem even though the forums are full of people saying so.
There's only so many ways you can explain the same point before you realise the blinkers are on.
Reposted again...
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Catalyst_12.11_Performance/23.html
Where is the significant advantage with the HD 7950? (considering that they were exactly the same price when I bought mine?)
Or do I have to keep sending my HD 7950 back until I find one that stays cool under crazy overclocks?
The 660 is quite decent and compares with the 7850 (and beats it in most games). As for SLI/CF, you can use any brand. If you are going with a 660, I would go with EVGA/Gigabyte/MSI purely for warranty and for the 7850, I would go with Gigabyte/MSI...I wouldn't get a MSI 7950 though, as they are having heat issues at the moment.
I do think however that GTX 660 SLi is possibly nVidias best 'bang for buck' solution at around £320.
Relative performance charts simply don't work, you just have to look at how close all the cards are there to see that.
Well, thanks for all the input, people. Lots of food for thought!
In answer to an early question, I'm not really looking to play brand new games on ultra settings, but being able to play, say, Far Cry 3 on medium/medium-high would be cool if possible.
Anyway, if the 660Ti is a little overpriced atm (which seems to be a consensus, regardless of the rather fierce debate regarding the reliability and general quality of the cards), does the NVidia/ATi balance shift with a smaller budget?
Say I was going to spend £180, do Nvidia cards become cost-effective again? Some preliminary searches on here would appear to indicate not, but have I missed anything important?
Also, what third-party manufacturers (gigabyte, EVGA, Frozr, etc - not sure if 'third-party' is the right word) would people recommend?
Lastly, if I wanted to SLI/Crossfire in the future, would it be better to use the same manufacturer (say, gigabyte), or does it really not matter?
*To clarify, I know that you can't mix SLI and Crossfire, I'm not that noobish!*
You have not made any good points. I have countered each and every argument you have made.
Why don't you just say, "The HD 7950 overclocks better than the GTX 660 Ti" (once you have ***** about sending them back until you get a good one 1!)
With that I could not disagree.
They work when it suits!!
The 660 is quite decent and compares with the 7850 (and beats it in most games). As for SLI/CF, you can use any brand. If you are going with a 660, I would go with EVGA/Gigabyte/MSI purely for warranty and for the 7850, I would go with Gigabyte/MSI...I wouldn't get a MSI 7950 though, as they are having heat issues at the moment.
Generally, nVidia are struggling with the value aspect, they don't really have anything that competes at the same price levels. If you want nVidia you have to pay the "nVidia tax" essentially.
If you're interested in Farcy 3, it would make sense for you to get a 7950 since they come with Farcy 3 free anyway, as well as Hitman Absolution and Sleeping Dogs which should be enough to bring it inline with your £180 budget if you were intending on getting those games anyway.
Actually, just checking, I've ended up with 4 copies of Sleeping Dogs![]()
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