Need some advice for a new GPU

P

So i built my pc 2 years from the BUILD YOUR RIG thread and i have to say, it was freaking amazing. I did change a few parts here and there but the core build was from here, so thank you to Jaskhanwar Singh.

Anyway, i just thought it is time for me to upgrade my GPU and since my boards are almost over (march 18th, OMG CAN'T WAIT). Just needed some help on that, this is my current rig specs:-

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3
Intel Core i7-2600K 4-Core 3.40GHz
Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II OC Edition
8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Corsair HX850 850W
Win 8 64, Direct X 11

I think apart from my GPU everything is still top end. But if i do need to upgrade some other parts, do let me know

I basically just want to play all the latest games on the highest settings,1080p,60+fps. So just suggest me a good card that can do that without going too crazy on the budget like a 71K TITAN card.
Right now, i can play Crysis 3 and Tomb Raider with 60+ fps on medium-high settings.

Ati or Nvidia both are fine, but i do have a slight pull towards nvidia

Anyway thanks in advance for any help

R

You can sell your current GPU for around 10k depending on the condition and warranty left.Investing 22k will get you a 7950,the best vfm card right now,for 27k a gtx 670 and for 29-30k a HD 7970,each of which will be a big upgrade for you.

rock2702 said:
You can sell your current GPU for around 10k depending on the condition and warranty left.Investing 22k will get you a 7950,the best vfm card right now,for 27k a gtx 670 and for 29-30k a HD 7970,each of which will be a big upgrade for you.

+1 for sale of current GPU. it'll save you a lot.
you can go for the 7950. it'll satisfy your needs for next 1-1.5yrs. also 7950 can be OCed to the level of a 7970

or you can always go for XFire with 7870 at a lesser price and get settled in rock-solid for the next 2-3yrs

Do my eyes fail me or do I miss a budget mentioned anywhere ? :razz:

Anyway, sell that current gpu and take the Sapphire 7970 @ 28-29k.

After a few months, if you feel the fps is low, OC the gpu. (your psu is good to go for this purpose)
Later if you feel even the OCed gpu is lagging, take another 7970.

Imo a single GPU like HD 7970 will be a good option.

@ OP - just get 2x Sapphire HD 7870 for CF - should cost you 32.5k.

Get HD 7970 3 GB. Single card is fine for 1080p.

ico said:
Get HD 7970 3 GB. Single card is fine for 1080p.

lol, he has mentioned highest settings.

*pclab.pl/zdjecia/artykuly/chaostheory/2013/02/crysis3/crysis3_cpua_evil_1024.png

*www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1302786/width/350/height/700/flags/LL

OP hasnt returned since starting this thread.
So no mention of a budget and current screen resolution. (point out if i am missing something)

perspex said:
...
Right now, i can play Crysis 3 and Tomb Raider with 60+ fps on medium-high settings.
...

560ti does 40fps at medium settings@ 1080p.
I am assuming OP has a 1600x900 screen (or lower?)

perspex said:
...
I basically just want to play all the latest games on the highest settings,1080p,60+fps.
...

A Titan barely does 50+fps at those settings.

Best bet : Sli 660ti. Cost ~ 40k

*www.legionhardware.com/images/review/Gigabyte_GeForce_GTX_Titan/Crysis_01.png

P

hey guys thanks a lot for all the replies. Sorry that i haven't replied, my boards exams are going on and my time window to sit on the pc is very limited. There is no set budget, the price range just has to be affordable. Till 30K is acceptable, more than that won't be possible for me.

Myth said:
560ti does 40fps at medium settings@ 1080p.
I am assuming OP has a 1600x900 screen (or lower?)

I have a 1920x1080 screen

Then get the Sapphire HD 7970 OC version. Price is around 28.6K in Kolkata.

Ya, HD 7970 is far better. You should also sell your 560 Ti if Possible...

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1862155

I'll stick to 7870CF.. if OP has the patience to tinker around with the Radeon Pro CF profiles, it'll deliver more and last longer than the 7970.

Actually looking at the demand of the current games, even I think going with a CF setup is a long lasting option. Granted that setup is little complex, environment is little noisy and power requirement is higher...but the amount of sheer performance and value a HD 7870 CF can offer, can't be overlooked.
If OP is comfortable to take the extra burden of RadeonPro tweaks for proper CF setup, then CF is the way to go.

P

lot of interesting ideas coming out here, so basically till now my choices are either a single 7970 or 7870 CF. What about nvidia cards?

I really failed to understand why anyone in this forum with so many members, have not suggested a single Nvidia card or an SLI setup to anyone!! Posts after posts are made and there are no mentioning of a single nvidia counterpart of any AMD products...is there something really that wrong with nvidia cards as if they will just act like TNT in a high end system??

Agreed many a times and admitted that 7970 and 7950 are VFM cards and all compard to similar price point/performance from nvidia, but a person spending so much as in a CF can very well afford to spend on SLI setup as well, and its no "today's discovery" that SLI has less micro-stuttering and driver issues than CF has..its an established fact. Why cant anyone suggest a 660ti SLI or a 670 SLI?

*img11.imageshack.us/img11/4734/amdcrossfirexvsnvidiasl.jpg

A GTX 670 SLI will go way beyond OP's budget... Also Looking at some Benchmarks I think CF is the best Option.. .

Cilus said:
Actually looking at the demand of the current games, even I think going with a CF setup is a long lasting option. Granted that setup is little complex, environment is little noisy and power requirement is higher...but the amount of sheer performance and value a HD 7870 can offer, can't be overlooked.
If OP is comfortable to take the extra burden of RadeonPro tweaks for proper CF setup, then CF is the way to go.

Performance wise, a 7870 CF will last around the same time as a 7970 or a little more.

Case 7870 CF : OP has to dispose both cards and get a new set of Gpu(s).
Case single 7970 : Op can get another 7970 which is going to be much cheaper at that time. Now this 7970 CF will last a lot longer at lower cost.

Just a thought. Not sure if this is the right way of thinking unless I am missing something.

sam_738844 said:
I really failed to understand why anyone in this forum with so many members, have not suggested a single Nvidia card or an SLI setup to anyone!! Posts after posts are made and there are no mentioning of a single nvidia counterpart of any AMD products...is there something really that wrong with nvidia cards as if they will just act like TNT in a high end system??

Agreed many a times and admitted that 7970 and 7950 are VFM cards and all compard to similar price point/performance from nvidia, but a person spending so much as in a CF can very well afford to spend on SLI setup as well, and its no "today's discovery" that SLI has less micro-stuttering and driver issues than CF has..its an established fact. Why cant anyone suggest a 660ti SLI or a 670 SLI?

Amd cards at the moment offer much more for their price. They have more potential and the few minor fixable issues (like stuttering ) are no reason not to opt for them.
The worthwhile multi gpu config for amd ( 7870cf @ 32k ) performs as per its cost as compared to an nvidia setup ( sli 660ti @ 40k). The sli might turn out too expensive for the performance it delivers.

If budget can be stretched, 660ti sli would work well as one of the options.

PS: Personally, I will prefer a single powerful card (like the 7970) now and add another later. Will last long, really long, ting tong...

Myth said:
Performance wise, a 7870 CF will last around the same time as a 7970 or a little more.

Case 7870 CF : OP has to dispose both cards and get a new set of Gpu(s).
Case single 7970 : Op can get another 7970 which is going to be much cheaper at that time. Now this 7970 CF will last a lot longer at lower cost.

Just a thought. Not sure if this is the right way of thinking unless I am missing something.

Amd cards at the moment offer much more for their price. They have more potential and the few minor fixable issues (like stuttering ) are no reason not to opt for them.
The worthwhile multi gpu config for amd ( 7870cf @ 32k ) performs as per its cost as compared to an nvidia setup ( sli 660ti @ 40k). The sli might turn out too expensive for the performance it delivers.

If budget can be stretched, 660ti sli would work well as one of the options.

PS: Personally, I will prefer a single powerful card (like the 7970) now and add another later. Will last long, really long, ting tong...

Thats a very good suggestion!! i'd support it too.

@Sam: VFM/Performance per Rupee is the point here... NVidia cards can chew up AMD as per SLI without any tweaks, but if one is true enthusiast, then he will find out ways to get more deliverance from a AMD CF setup.

Myth, a 7870 can last far longer than a single HD 7970. Buddy, games like Crysis 3, Tomb Raider 2013 or Far Cry 3, have already started to stress the highest end GPUs like HD 7970 or GTX 680. And in future, say after 1/1.5 year down the line, adding a costly HD 7970 is not a viable option as on that time better cards with lesser price will be available.
I used to have a HD 6870 CF setup as you guys already know and it still performs close to GTX 660 Ti and play almost all the games with high settings despite the fact that they are almost two years old. But the highest end GPU on that time, like GTX 580, can't do that.
And getting another highest end card after 1 to 1.5 years is not a feasible idea at all. Consider the case of Tkin who have purchased the GTX 580 Lightning 1.4 years back and now tell me one thing, is he going to make a SLI of GTX 580 now?....the answer is NO as far better and efficient cards are available even below the GTX 580's current price. If you are willing to take the hassle of a multi-gpu setup, then do it now instead of going for a single highest end card, the idea of doing so after 1 year is not going to work.

COnsider my case: I have purchased the two 6870 within 3 months and after that played all the games released for 1.8 years without any issues. Now I have sold them both and switched to HD 7950 Boost version and can go for CF setup within 3 to 4 months. But I am not going to add another HD 7950 after one year.

Got the point. Nice example of Tkin's 580 and your 7950 setup :razz:

Moral of the story : If CFing, doing it now or within a few months is advisable while that technology is still fresh.

Thanks for clarifying.

PS: You plan to add the same vaporx boost edition soon ?

P

Cilus said:
If you are willing to take the hassle of a multi-gpu setup, then do it now instead of going for a single highest end card, the idea of doing so after 1 year is not going to work.

What is exactly the hassle of multi gpu setup? Installation? Configuration? Maintainance?

perspex said:
What is exactly the hassle of multi gpu setup? Installation? Configuration? Maintainance?

Microstuttering with AMD cards. Google it.

perspex said:
What is exactly the hassle of multi gpu setup? Installation? Configuration? Maintainance?

you have a good enough cabinet then you are all set .. every other issues you may face is purely for bad coding ;-)