Graphics Cards Debate

Hi everyone.

I am finishing off my Haswell build and I am deciding whether to get either:
1. AMD Radeon 7970 GHz edition (Asus Matrix or MSI R7970...MSI is R6200)@ R5881
2. GTX 770 @ R5300 (GIGABYTE GV-N770OC) on special
3. Whip out R2000 more and get a GTX 780 on special (Inno3D N780)

What should I get...and why?

*EDIT*
Also I have an NZXT Phantom 820 and I want to know whether I should get the H100i or the H110 or consider another cooling (closed-loop) brand.

Please Note: These prices are based on RebelTech's prices)

Thanks for the help :)

well for one i would stay away from inno/powercolor or sparkle graphics cards for starters, mainly due to personal experience.

If you are goin to spend that kind of money rather stay with the high end brands

Me personally i prefer the AMD products, but thats more because i have been working and using their products for many years

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lothy

well for one i would stay away from inno/powercolor or sparkle graphics cards for starters, mainly due to personal experience.

If you are goin to spend that kind of money rather stay with the high end brands

Me personally i prefer the AMD products, but thats more because i have been working and using their products for many years

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Nothing Wrong with INNO3D, had a GTS 450 and have a GTX 560 from them (both OC'ed models) and never had problems at all. I doubt there are any such things as "High end" brands these days. You just paying more for some extra fans or a non standard cooler.\

@ OP, what's the rest of your system specs, and what screen size are you using?

My build:

Main specs:
Motheroboards: Asus Sabertooth Z87 or maybe Maximus VI Hero
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k
GPU: ...being debated
Chassis/Case: NZXT Phantom 820
Heatsink/CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i; H110 (whatever competes with these closed loop coolers)
HDD: Probably some Barracudas :)
SSD: Corsair Neutron 120GB or 240GB (Depends on prices)
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8x2GB 1600 or 1866 (Or whatever competes (or matches my build :) ) )
I will eventually upgrade to 8x4 kits :)
PSU: Cosair HX850 or AX850 (AX is fully modular but is R300 more...is it worth it?)

Have I left anything out?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rootworm41

My build:

Main specs:
Motheroboards: Asus Sabertooth Z87 or maybe Maximus VI Hero
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k
GPU: ...being debated
Chassis/Case: NZXT Phantom 820
Heatsink/CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i; H110 (whatever competes with these closed loop coolers)
HDD: Probably some Barracudas :)
SSD: Corsair Neutron 120GB or 240GB (Depends on prices)
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8x2GB 1600 or 1866 (Or whatever competes (or matches my build :) ) )
I will eventually upgrade to 8x4 kits :)
PSU: Cosair HX850 or AX850 (AX is fully modular but is R300 more...is it worth it?)

Have I left anything out?

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I've been doing some research and I believe that the 770 is faster than a 7970GHz so I will probably get the 770 as it is on special from R6000 down to R5300 :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rootworm41

I've been doing some research and I believe that the 770 is faster than a 7970GHz so I will probably get the 770 as it is on special from R6000 down to R5300 :)

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Well "faster" is a relative word, if you playing on 1080p or lower I would go for the cheaper card. Unless at this current time the 770 is cheaper than the 7970?

I have a Inno3d 680 4GB without any problems,unlike my Gainward 560ti.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Glordit

Well "faster" is a relative word, if you playing on 1080p or lower I would go for the cheaper card. Unless at this current time the 770 is cheaper than the 7970?

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At resolutions greater than 1080p I think the 7970 may outperform as well because of it's larger amounts of ram, no?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Glordit

Nothing Wrong with INNO3D, had a GTS 450 and have a GTX 560 from them (both OC'ed models) and never had problems at all. I doubt there are any such things as "High end" brands these days. You just paying more for some extra fans or a non standard cooler.

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There are most certainly high end cards, they generally come with better PCB boards, better capacitors, RAM and coolers and of course better warranty.

@OP,
What monitor set up are you running?
3D?
Refresh rate of 60/120hz?
Multi-monitor?

A combination of the above?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chan0o

@OP,
What monitor set up are you running?
3D?
Refresh rate of 60/120hz?
Multi-monitor?

A combination of the above?

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Multi monitor is awesome, i use 3 at work and love it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chan0o

@OP,
What monitor set up are you running?
3D?
Refresh rate of 60/120hz?
Multi-monitor?

A combination of the above?

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I am going to be running 1080p monitors.
I plan on getting 1 then later getting three (1, 2 then 3 :) )
I will also get another graphics card to run in Crossfire or SLI.

What I've read the AMD one is pretty amazing overall, especially with all the crazy bundled games you get with a ghZ edition. And that is really not a bad thing.

I wanted to upgrade to a GTX 770 but it's basically a faster better optimised version so I'd rather wait for the 800 series.

The GTX760 looks like a pretty amazing card now. Anand just reviewed it. $250 and it's 3% slower than a 570, and much faster than a 7950.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jasong

The GTX760 looks like a pretty amazing card now. Anand just reviewed it. $250 and it's 3% slower than a 570, and much faster than a 7950.

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Yea... About that $250, it's starting at 4.4k here in SA for the Gigabyte model :/
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php...ducts_id=10348 Unless the prices are going to drop dramatically I would rather just go with a HD7870 for R2700~ and miss about 10 fps on average.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Glordit

Yea... About that $250, it's starting at 4.4k here in SA for the Gigabyte model :/
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php...ducts_id=10348 Unless the prices are going to drop dramatically I would rather just go with a HD7870 for R2700~ and miss about 10 fps on average.

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YOWCH... R4400!!! We're getting scalped and no mistake. Time for me to have a word with pops in Baltimore :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jasong

YOWCH... R4400!!! We're getting scalped and no mistake. Time for me to have a word with pops in Baltimore :D

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It's probably pricey because it's one of the first to launch in SA. I have only seem cards from Gigabyte, eVGA, MSI and one from ASUS (thats looking at International availability) If the price persists I may wait and get a GTX 750 when they arrive.

***EDIT
Strange, the reference model's PCB from nVidia is smaller than the retail models:

nVidia:
http://images.anandtech.com/doci/710...Back_575px.jpg

Gigabyte:
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggIma...125-466-06.jpg

http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolor...mb-raider.html
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php...oducts_id=9063
http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolor...-infinite.html

Only after that can you even start looking at Nvidia cards and even then the 660ti comes in at R3200 and its slower than the 7950.

Also the Prototype driver is launching in 5 days and that promises to bring more performance and no stuttering for CF.
There really is no reason to buy nvidia at the current price point. AMD are way better value for money.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Joker

http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolor...mb-raider.html
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php...oducts_id=9063
http://www.wootware.co.za/powercolor...-infinite.html

Only after that can you even start looking at Nvidia cards and even then the 660ti comes in at R3200 and its slower than the 7950.

Also the Prototype driver is launching in 5 days and that promises to bring more performance and no stuttering for CF.
There really is no reason to buy nvidia at the current price point. AMD are way better value for money.

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And the GTX760?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jasong

And the GTX760?

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At the local price point its a joke. Rather buy a GTX670 if you absolutely have to buy nvidia.
There is also rumors that there won't be a GTX760 TI and if there is it'll only be launching next year, I honestly don't know what Nvidia are thinking.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jasong

And the GTX760?

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Get a HD7870, it's cheaper and it's an average it is slower but hey, you won't really see a difference. Scroll down to the benchmarks: http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-HD-78...eForce-GTX-760

At R2700 + it uses less power + you get Free games! It's win all around!~

I would love to get a HD7950 but running at 1600x900 it would be overkill.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Joker

At the local price point its a joke. Rather buy a GTX670 if you absolutely have to buy nvidia.
There is also rumors that there won't be a GTX760 TI and if there is it'll only be launching next year, I honestly don't know what Nvidia are thinking.

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Could it possibly be that Nvidia don't care that much about the local South African price points? Well I'm hoping that Woot or someone can bring in a reasonably priced 760 variant. At R3000 it would be a clear winner. And why would they need a 760ti? I never got the whole Ti strategy in any case; the difference between non-ti and ti cards makes them completely different cards. 650 and 650ti for instance are miles apart in performance so you're just confusing people.

Quote:

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Get a HD7870, it's cheaper and it's an average it is slower but hey, you won't really see a difference.

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It's quite a bit slower and I would see a difference @1080 in Crysis3 or Metro:FL. I'm sure though that now AMD will drop some of their prices and it will continue to benefit the consumer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jasong

Could it possibly be that Nvidia don't care that much about the local South African price points? Well I'm hoping that Woot or someone can bring in a reasonably priced 760 variant. At R3000 it would be a clear winner. And why would they need a 760ti? I never got the whole Ti strategy in any case; the difference between non-ti and ti cards makes them completely different cards. 650 and 650ti for instance are miles apart in performance so you're just confusing people.


It's quite a bit slower and I would see a difference @1080 in Crysis3 or Metro:FL. I'm sure though that now AMD will drop some of their prices and it will continue to benefit the consumer.

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28fps... Outch. I would rather spend less and play at 1600x900 and have a stable fps.
http://tpucdn.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeF..._1920_1080.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/N...TX_760/14.html

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Originally Posted by Glordit

http://tpucdn.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeF..._1920_1080.gif

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Yeah that's quite impressive. Course you'll have to turn down the graphics a few notches but so it goes. I'm not buying a Titan or a 7990 anytime soon anyway :p. I can see there is some room there for a mid-point in between 770 and 760 though where a TI could fit so I take back what I said.

Impressive figures there...

Quote:

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28fps... Outch. I would rather spend less and play at 1600x900 and have a stable fps.

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You should never change a game resolution from the native monitor. Rather turn settings down.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Joker

Also the Prototype driver is launching in 5 days and that promises to bring more performance and no stuttering for CF.

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Catlalyst 13.150 beta. On its own it fixes a lot of things, but I'm told that combined with Windows 8.1 its like butter. Not all the fixes are there and CAPs don't work properly, but the results I'm seeing from others are interesting. One bug pegs the second GPU at 90% utilisation all the time.

Don't install Hydravision, it breaks the UI. The real deal is coming on July 31st, which gives them lots of time for tweaks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Joker

There is also rumors that there won't be a GTX760 TI and if there is it'll only be launching next year, I honestly don't know what Nvidia are thinking.

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Maybe they'll do a card with an extra SMX enabled and 6.5GHz memory, but they'd have to price it at $300, which only nets buyers 10% performance for a $50 raise and will create the same issue as the close relationship between the GTX670 and GTX680. But the GTX770 can get up to 8GHz memory anyway, so it's a moot point.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jasong

You should never change a game resolution from the native monitor. Rather turn settings down.

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My screen's maximum resolution AKA "native resolution" is 1600x900...

i wish i had money so i can build my own pc i need a job that would be nnice

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Originally Posted by CLEMENT

i wish i had money so i can build my own pc i need a job that would be nnice

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PC Gaming is cheaper than ever these days :) All you need for a PC that can play most games is about R3000, even if it means buying second-hand. Why don't you start saving up? I give roughly this exact list to anyone who was looking for something on the cheap:

Intel Celeron G1610 @ R477
MSI H61M-P20 (G3) @ R465
Corsair Value Select 4GB DDR3-1333 @ R385
Sapphire Radeon HD6670 1GB GDDR3 @ R866
Seagate Barracuda 500GB @ R656
LG GH24NS90 DVD-RW @ R170
Thermaltake V2 w/ 350W PSU @ R381
Total: R3400

That would play most things nicely enough at 720p and medium settings.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wesley

PC Gaming is cheaper than ever these days :) All you need for a PC that can play most games is about R3000, even if it means buying second-hand. Why don't you start saving up? I give roughly this exact list to anyone who was looking for something on the cheap:

Intel Celeron G1610 @ R477
MSI H61M-P20 (G3) @ R465
Corsair Value Select 4GB DDR3-1333 @ R385
Sapphire Radeon HD6670 1GB GDDR3 @ R866
Seagate Barracuda 500GB @ R656
LG GH24NS90 DVD-RW @ R170
Thermaltake V2 w/ 350W PSU @ R381
Total: R3400

That would play most things nicely enough at 720p and medium settings.

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Celeron? 2 core's and 2 threads.... I smell a pentium G rebrand.

So the gtx 760 is out, what i dont get is whats going on with pricing from what i have read its a bit faster and supposed to be cheaper than the 660ti but the SA prices i have seen are like R1000 more than the 660ti.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by B1nary

So the gtx 760 is out, what i dont get is whats going on with pricing from what i have read its a bit faster and supposed to be cheaper than the 660ti but the SA prices i have seen are like R1000 more than the 660ti.

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Local stock is sometimes based on the Dollar exchange rate and sometimes based on the British Pound, it depends where we're importing the product from. Some retailers also like to keep the prices artificially higher to clear out older stock first.

The 660ti cards would have been imported at $1=R8 and the 760 when it was R10, that should show why we aren't getting the cheaper price.

Also as said above, clearance of old stock also counts

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wesley

Local stock is sometimes based on the Dollar exchange rate and sometimes based on the British Pound, it depends where we're importing the product from. Some retailers also like to keep the prices artificially higher to clear out older stock first.

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Im going to go with the keep artificially high, i wonder how long before the price drops. Im itching to upgrade my 560ti

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Originally Posted by B1nary

Im itching to upgrade my 560ti

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Epic cards, those. They've clawed onto their performance amazingly well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by B1nary

Im going to go with the keep artificially high, i wonder how long before the price drops. Im itching to upgrade my 560ti

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Would rather keep it around a little longer, I am only leaving my GTX 560 next year in June/July.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Glordit

Would rather keep it around a little longer, I am only leaving my GTX 560 next year in June/July.

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I'm torn about whether or not i should, I'm wondering what dragon age 3 is going to do to it amongst other up and coming titles.

mm i just noticed they have changed the release date to next year http://www.examiner.com/article/drag...alia-explained

in which case i suppose its not needed right away , wait and see what happens in the gpu market

Does anybody have any remarks about GeForce GT630 1GB.
Matrix Warehouse has it on special for R579 - http://www.matrixonlineshop.co.za/august/August.pdf

Is it worth getting?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tydmors

Does anybody have any remarks about GeForce GT630 1GB.
Matrix Warehouse has it on special for R579 - http://www.matrixonlineshop.co.za/august/August.pdf

Is it worth getting?

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My lappy runs the brother of that, 630M 2Gb version. It's great for displaying multiple screens and playing HD movies.
However, if you want to play games, you'll have to settle for 1280x720 res.