What are some good mid-range cards?

[Dubnoman]

When the next gen consoles hit (PS4 and the next XBox), I am thinking of buying a new computer with some pretty cutting edge components. That might not be until the first half of 2014, though. I am thinking of upgrading my current computer sometime late this year or early next year.

 

So, I think my CPU is fine for gaming and I think I'm fine with RAM. My CPU is a Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (quad core, 3.2 GHz) and I have 4 GB PC 1600 RAM (DDR3). That should be fine for PC gaming until I get a new computer, right? Should I add a 4GB stick to my computer? It'll only cost $30 or so with shipping included.

 

So, what really would need updating is my GPU. I currently have a Radeon HD 5750 1 GB. What are some good mid-range GPUs that don't cost too much? I'm out of the loop for what currently are good mid-range AMD cards and mid-range nVidia cards. Are there any cards around $170 to $180 that could play Skyrim well when it has visual enhancement mods, and be able to play The Witcher 2 well and Battlefield 3 well?

 

Is the GPU the only thing that would need an upgrade? Is it even worth bothering with, or should I just save my money for a new computer for when PS4 and the next XBox hit (late 2013 or early 2014)?

[Ihoe]

You seem to have a pretty good rig there, at stock prices I would recommend the HD 6850 or HD 6870, maybe slide in the additional money for the ram and you may end up with a GTX 560 or GTX 560Ti, the latter being the better. ( I use nvidia, and they are superior in every aspect of ease of product usage)

 

The only impact that ram can have is on load times, although the impact of the effect is nullified above 6Gbs of ram, so leave that area alone for now.

 

You can always find better deals on several popular sites like newegg, but I wouldn't depend on them much. And save your money, the next consoles might end up way better than you think.

Edited June 9, 2012 by Ihoe

[FMod]

These are all old. 560 (regular, not Ti) is poor value for money.

How good is your PSU? Some cards have high power consumption.

 

560Ti is good if you can get a deal. For $170 you can get this one, but you have to order right now as you are reading this, and make sure to get the rebate.

 

Since you seem to be considering other upgrades, I guess $180 isn't your top dollar. In the $200-$250 range one should look at HD7850. That is a very solid card, with GTX570 level of performance when overclocked (both overclocked), low consumption, well worth the price.

 

560Ti will be about 90% faster and consume 130% more power than 5750.

HD7850 will be about 140% faster and consume 35% more power than 5750.

Overclocked 7850 will be about 200% faster and consume 70% more power than 5750.

[Stemin]

I'm happy with my geforce gtx 550ti I walked into best buy and paid $150 for the PNY version I think. Runs Skyrim awesome at high. Didn't try ultra and I'm not running the HD pack, so I can't speak for those. The NVidia version is more expensive. $199.99

[FMod]

All 550Ti are Nvidias. Nvidia designs the chip, TSMC makes it, Foxconn slaps it on a board (Pegatron for Asus cards), puts a PNY, EVGA, MSI or other sticker on top of the cooler and boxes it.

 

If you bought it this year, $150 is insanely high for 550Ti. You can buy 7770 for as little as $100 - and it wipes the floor with 550Ti at half the power draw.

 

Unlike Intel's flopped tri-gate process, TSMC's new 28nm chips are great. You need a strong reason not to buy them, and for high-end ones you have, poor price/performance ratio. For midrange, not really, they're better for the price.

[Ihoe]

All 550Ti are Nvidias. Nvidia designs the chip, TSMC makes it, Foxconn slaps it on a board (Pegatron for Asus cards), puts a PNY, EVGA, MSI or other sticker on top of the cooler and boxes it.

 

If you bought it this year, $150 is insanely high for 550Ti. You can buy 7770 for as little...

 

I really don't recommend AMD GPUs over nvidia's, they have sloppy driver design. Makes them unbearable.

 

Also don't go for the new GPUs, they usually have little difference with their older brethren, while being more expensive.

 

And OP, check this page:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

[Ihoe]

Bloody double post. Edited June 9, 2012 by Ihoe

[FMod]

I really don't recommend AMD GPUs over nvidia's, they have sloppy driver design. Makes them unbearable.

I used to go back and forth. Now I have both (two high-end NVs on one and two midrange Radeons on two other computers) and for the love of all that is good and holy can't tell the difference.

 

Crossfire is where it gets tricky, but problems with a single GPU are exceedingly rare.

And if you want to believe NV's drivers are flawless, check this thread: http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/688816-nvidia-30142-driver-problem/

 

Also don't go for the new GPUs, they usually have little difference with their older brethren, while being more expensive.

This is simply not so. New 28nm GPU deliver better performance at half the power and overclock better if you want to. Their price/performance ratio is the same or better, except for high-end units where you pay a premium on top for getting the best there is.

[Ihoe]

I really don't recommend AMD GPUs over nvidia's, they have sloppy driver design. Makes them unbearable.

I used to go back and forth. Now I have both (two high-end NVs on one and two midrange Radeons on two other computers) and for the love of all that is good and holy can't tell the difference.

 

Crossfire is where it gets tricky, but problems with a single GPU are exceedingly rare.

And if you want to believe NV's drivers are flawless, check this thread: http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/688816-nvidia-30142-driver-problem/

 

Also don't go for the new GPUs, they usually have little difference with their older brethren, while being more expensive.

This is simply not so. New 28nm GPU deliver better performance at half the power and overclock better if you want to. Their price/performance ratio is the same or better, except for high-end units where you pay a premium on top for getting the best there is.

I know,

At the same price, AMD's Radeon HD 6770 outperforms the company's newer Radeon HD 7750. The only problem is that the old card uses twice as much power in the process. Overall. The Radeon HD 7750 is the fastest graphics card you can get right now that doesn't require a auxiliary power input; it draws all that it needs from a 16-lane PCIe slot. So basically you're right, the 28nm mf process is seemingly great, especially for over clocking . I simply recommended the older cards for their availability and lower price. :thumbsup:

 

Plus, I'm an AMD user, and in my experience it's frustrating to get good frame rates in newer games, also, they tend to release newer drivers on yearly basis, and getting customer support is like s*ing bricks, I didn't have these problems with my older nvidia card.(GTX 260)

Edited June 9, 2012 by Ihoe

[FMod]

At the same price, AMD's Radeon HD 6770 outperforms the company's newer Radeon HD 7750.

Not really. I'll direct you to the Anandtech testing: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5541/amd-radeon-hd-7750-radeon-hd-7770-ghz-edition-review/19

 

Look at 5770 figures. 6770 is 5770 with a different label, as you can confirm from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_AMD_graphics_processing_units

Overall 7750 is about even and sometimes faster.

In Skyrim, 7750 doesn't quite wipe the floor with 6770 (5770)... although, actually, in some relevant settings it does:

 

 

 

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5541/44231.png

 

 

 

Price-wise, the cheapest 6770 or 5770 I've found on newegg (cba to search everywhere) costs $100 post-rebate. Just a couple posts above, I've found and linked a 7770 for the same $100 post-rebate. That's the same price, and 7770 is considerably faster.

 

 

also, they tend to release newer drivers on yearly basis, and getting customer support is like s*ing bricks, I didn't have these problems with my older nvidia card.(GTX 260)

The latest Catalyst dates April 25, 2012. That's not quite yearly. The latest Geforce driver release is a May 22 WHQL 301.42 rehash of an April 9 301.24 with a couple extra game profiles.

For customer support, you would normally contact your video card vendor, not the GPU maker directly.