Time for a card

[Gnerf]

I have had my new build running now for about a month, i didn't actually purchase a graphics card at the time, simply because there is nothing currently that i play which needs anything powerful.

So my thinking was, why buy anything now when it might be cheaper down the line?

I'm actually using a crappy 4000 series card at the moment from my ooooolld system.

i have a 23" single monitor and play in 1920 x 1080

my specs are as follows:

3570k
gbyte z77x d3h
8gb 1600 vengeance
600w cm silent pro m
500gig hdd
128gig m4 ssd.
and one sexy nzxt phantom full tower with all case fans being used, so plenty of space and airflow.

Its my first build and i'm hardly an expert with cards, is there anything coming out soon that's worth waiting for? what would you suggest for around £200.

My original plan was to buy the 7850 and xfire them in the future, but i don't know what my best option would be.

I'm starting guild wars in a month and will need something for then for smooth game play so i can wait, i would just like some advice from the experts.

Thank you.

 

[borley]

The problem with thinking there is always something cheaper down the line is you will never get a card I mean there's cards now that are cheaper than on release so at what stage do you buy?

 

[thezakarum]

At the moment Guild Wars 2 only takes advantage of a single card, so crossfire would be useless for it.

So it might be worth saving up an extra month and then buy a card when the game launches, not sure if prices will fall even more than they already have though.

 

[PorkPieCat]

thing is i actually think if you're sitting on enough graphics power for what you play -right now-, then you might as well wait until something that needs the power comes out. like borley said waiting might not net you anything. if your current games have space for more fps or better settings you may as well get a card now. but if like you say you really have no reason until next month to get a new card, just get a new card next month.

in your price bracket, 7850 or 7870 (since 7870 price drops, both are viable options). at a guess these will probably max out gw2

 

[psychodil]

Yes at the moment the beat card in your price bracket would be a 7850
Do some research and if you want to over clock and want it to be very quiet get one with a good cooler.

Lovely case you have there

 

[Space Monkey]

thing is i actually think if you're sitting on enough graphics power for what you play -right now-, then you might as well wait until something that needs the power comes out. like borley said waiting might not net you anything. if your current games have space for more fps or better settings you may as well get a card now. but if like you say you really have no reason until next month to get a new card, just get a new card next month.

in your price bracket, 7850 or 7870 (since 7870 price drops, both are viable options). at a guess these will probably max out gw2

+1 to this, though I'd take a look at the Gigabyte Windforce 7870 that's just come down in price to £220, and two free games

 

[oweneades]

Considering the recent price drops on the HD7870, I would recommend spending the extra £20 or so on the Windforce HD7870. The HD7850's at around £200 don't quite offer the same value they used to.

If you don't have to get a card right now you could wait to see if the HD7850 also receives a price drop (~£160-180 is about right in my eyes considering the recent 7870 price drops).

Another option would be the MSI HD6850 that OCUK currently have for £83.99. If you don't have too many games which tax your system then it could be the best compromise.

 

[thezakarum]

in your price bracket, 7850 or 7870 (since 7870 price drops, both are viable options). at a guess these will probably max out gw2

The 7870 will be able to max out Guild Wars 2 but will dip below 60 fps in some areas.

I would save up and get this instead;

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-008-VX

Also what kind of overclock have you got on you're 3570k?

A good overclocked cpu will increase the minimum frame rate by quite a bit making it a lot smoother.

 

[Gnerf]

I haven't overclocked yet. i'm very new to building myself.

Ive had gaming computers for many years but never my own build. I'm kinda building it up bit by bit, i haven't yet purchased an after market cpu cooler as i have no need for one, but it was a plan to go for it once i gain more confidence in what i'm doing.

Looks like im going to keep my eye on the 7850 and 7870, obviously i will need something because my current card just won't cut it. Maybe things will go down, i will keep my eye on the weekly offers nearer the time. For now im going to continue to pimp the case out a little bit and make sure there's plenty of room for a card and cooling.

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

7870 Windforce at £220 is a good deal atm, though I'd prefer a black pcb to a blue one.