Vidia Cards!

[Gilles]

So I think it may be time to get a new card. There are a few options. I currently have a Radeon HD 6800 series card. Can't remember which one, but there are only like 2, and they are pretty close in rankings usually.

So, options are:

1. GTX 750-ti

2. Radeon 270X

3. Radeon 280

Now, all of them are an upgrade, but the 750-ti seems like a fairly moderate upgrade compared to the other cards.

The 270x seems like a clear choice over the 750, but I thought I'd ask about it.

I'm leaning towards the 280 though. It's listed as having a really strong bang-for-buck, and it's one of the best budget gaming cards out there. I'd like to get something to boost me back into higher end settings for new games. Doesn't have to keep up for more than a year or two with games.

Thoughts? Did I miss any other cards?

 

[Nuclear]

280 seems like the obvious choice since it's the most powerful one. If you want to save some extra, you can try to find a 7970 GHz, since 280 is basically a rebrand of that. For what it's worth I can also recommend them both from the perspective of a previous owner.

 

[Deleted member 219079]

Go for GTX and you get a long lifespan

My GTX 460s are still kicking fine!

Edit: And plz don't OC your GPU, you'll just fry it.

 

[Nuclear]

U wot m8? That's just silly, there's no difference in lifespan or quality of materials. Nvidia and AMD don't manufacture their cards themselves. For example Asus makes both Nvidia and AMD cards. Of course there might be some unknown shitty manufacturer, but I'm sure that AMD or Nvidia wouldn't let just anyone manufacture their cards.

And overclocking is a great way to increase your performance unless you're a total fool.

 

[Deleted member 219079]

It's just my opinion for the OP's question

 

[Gilles]

It's just my opinion for the OP's question

Thanks, but Nuclear is right. My 6850 is also kicking just fine, and brands of video cards change from brand to brand, not amd vs nvidia.

Thanks Nuc, there was no 7970 on the website I was using, so I went to newegg. Here are some more options from there. Thoughts?

7970=$210

7950=$150

 

[Nuclear]

Looks like a new 280 is just slightly more expensive than the refurbished 7970:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202099&cm_re=280-_-14-202-099-_-Product

It also has the Never Settle Gold campaign so you can choose 3 free games from a decent list:

http://sites.amd.com/us/promo/never-settle/Pages/never-settle.aspx

 

[Gilles]

So this is what I've narrowed it down to.

So I'm looking at either the 280 from NCIX or the Refurb 7970 from Newegg. With shipping and tax, they are $2 apart, so it's just do I want refurb and a better card, or just a new card. (I do get the free games with the NCIX card, but that's not really of much importance to me).

 

[Velmarshal]

Hold off for now. GTX 960 is incoming and the specs have been recently released so the 960 will feature 4Gb of VRAM and 256bit interface. (Though I think it got delayed until Q1 2015)

AMD's R9 300 series are coming out this winter as well.

270X and 280 are much closer to GTX 760 than 750ti. 750ti is something I'd suggest to someone who is not sure about the quality of their power supply, because it draws a hilariously small amount of power.

So yeah, if you're rushing, get 280 (if your PSU can handle it). If you wanna get the best band for your buck right now, GTX 970 (Overclocks like crazy, 1.5Ghz GPU speed is perfectly attainable on air cooling). My personal suggestion is to hold off and wait for the next gen. Nvidia is rolling out other Maxwell cards such as 960 and AMD is rolling out their 20nm cards, so both manufacturers are dishing out new stuff.

This might be worth looking into: http://www.ncix.com/detail/msi-geforce-gtx-770-oc-c4-84358-1242.htm
You get a shirt as well. xD

 

[Gilles]

Welp, I ordered the 280. I don't really want to wait for new cards, I mean, maybe it's a better idea, but new cards are coming out all the time so your card is going to be overshadowed by something within 6-12 months anyways.

Also I thought about it some more, and the 3 AAA games is a pretty awesome package. I can get CoH2, Alien Isolation, and something else all with a card that is on sale. I know these deals are around throughout the year with AMD, but this one seems particularly good.

Side note: My PSU can handle it. I can't remember exactly, but I think I have like a corsair 550 or something.

 

[Deleted member 219079]

Unopened products can be sent back to store for a week or so.

 

[Nuclear]

Are you sure that's the case with USA?

 

[Deleted member 219079]

Well there must some sort of consumer security agency... Right?

 

[Gilles]

Are you sure that's the case with USA?

I'm Canadian, but it is the case in the USA (and here). Usually you have 30 days to return a product, often opened.