660 TI, 7870 or 7950?

[netarangi]

Upgrading from a 5850.

It would seem the 7950 would be the best option out of these but it's already pushing the budget alot. So is it worth spending the extra $100 or so over either the 7870/660TI or would it not be worth the extra money than getting one of these?

Will be playing at 1920x1080, BF3, Crysis 2/3 when it's out, Arkham City and other new games.

Wanting to play at almost ultra at a constant 60fps.

I have an AMD Phenon II X4 840 CPU, 4GB ddr3 ram.

 

[Durvelle27]

the HD 7950 is only about $20 more than the GTX 660 Ti but its worth every penny

 

[tviceman]

If price doesn't matter get an hd7950 with a good out-of-the-box factory overclock. If price does matter then consider the game bundles also. With AMD you get Sleeping Dogs. With Nvidia you get Borderlands 2.

EDIT:

950mhz 7950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102991 $310 after MIR comes with Sleeping Dogs 2
1059mhz gtx660ti http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130810 $290 after MIR comes with Borderlands 2

 

[netarangi]

If price doesn't matter get an hd7950 with a good out-of-the-box factory overclock. If price does matter, and you want to get Borderlands 2, then the gtx660ti might be right for you.

Price does matter, definitely.

I'd love to get that bundle for a free Borderlands 2, but it's not avaliable for New Zealand yet

 

[Grooveriding]

With this factory overclocked and custom cooled 7950 costing only $275, the choice is pretty obvious

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814127667

Fastest card out of the three you are looking at and priced cheaper than any 660ti or 7950 on newegg. Will also overclock really well, placing you in 7970 performance levels.

 

[tviceman]

Price does matter, definitely.

I'd love to get that bundle for a free Borderlands 2, but it's not avaliable for New Zealand yet

I updated my post with some more info. Didn't realize you were from New Zealand. The hd7950 (when overclocked) is going to give you the best performance overall, but if price matters then weigh out your options.

 

[tviceman]

With this factory overclocked and custom cooled 7950 costing only $275, the choice is pretty obvious

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814127667

Fastest card out of the three you are looking at and priced cheaper than any 660ti or 7950 on newegg. Will also overclock really well, placing you in 7970 performance levels.

This would be the best thing for him at that price, but he lives elsewhere.

 

[chimaxi83]

You're not going to play at "almost ultra" at a constant FPS unless you get two cards, even at 1080p. Average of 60 fps is doable, but your minimums will fall below that, especially in something like multiplayer Battlefield 3. Also, a 7950 is not an extra $100 or so over a 660ti, they're the same price. 7950 comes with a free copy of Sleeping Dogs. 660ti comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2.

Do you overclock? If so, a 7950 is a MUCH better purchase, because overclocked, it can and will compete with 670/680. If not, a stock 660ti which does the overclocking itself will be fast. Definitely not ultra at constant 60 fps fast, though.

 

[netarangi]

You're not going to play at "almost ultra" at a constant FPS unless you get two cards, even at 1080p. Average of 60 fps is doable, but your minimums will fall below that, especially in something like multiplayer Battlefield 3. Also, a 7950 is not an extra $100 or so over a 660ti, they're the same price. 7950 comes with a free copy of Sleeping Dogs. 660ti comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2.

Do you overclock? If so, a 7950 is a MUCH better purchase, because overclocked, it can and will compete with 670/680. If not, a stock 660ti which does the overclocking itself will be fast. Definitely not ultra at constant 60 fps fast, though.

Yup that's why I said "almost" ultra, I know I'll have to knock a few settings down like shadows etc. but I don't mind.

I'm getting this in about a months time, so I'll have a think. Looks like 7950 is the choice atm. I'll OC a little bit too.

Still deciding if physx is a deciding factor or not?

 

[Dark Shroud]

Another vote for the 7950, it can handle heat a lot better.

 

[chimaxi83]

PhsyX is just a personal preference. I don't miss it when I game with my 7970 /shrug

 

[RussianSensation]

HD7950 OC will give you the largest performance increase from these 3 choices. Overclocking it is really easy. Your CPU is also going to limit you in some games though (BF3 multiplayer for example). MSI TwinFrozr III, Sapphire Dual-X, Gigabyte Windforce 3x 7950, PowerColor PCS+, Sapphire Vapor-X are all good 7950 cards. If the price is similar to the 660Ti, then I'd pick the 7950 without question due to its 30-40% overclocking headroom. If you don't intend to overclock, and want BL2 over Sleeping Dogs, then GTX660Ti is a reasonable option too. Over here the prices of 7950 are as low or often lower than a 660Ti. If 7950 costs $100+ over the 660Ti over there, get the 660Ti instead.

 

[netarangi]

HD7950 OC will give you the largest performance increase from these 3 choices. Overclocking it is really easy. Your CPU is also going to limit you in some games though (BF3 multiplayer for example). MSI TwinFrozr III, Sapphire Dual-X, Gigabyte Windforce 3x 7950, PowerColor PCS+, Sapphire Vapor-X are all good 7950 cards. If the price is similar to the 660Ti, then I'd pick the 7950 without question due to its 30-40% overclocking headroom. If you don't intend to overclock, and want BL2 over Sleeping Dogs, then GTX660Ti is a reasonable option too. Over here the prices of 7950 are as low or often lower than a 660Ti. If 7950 costs $100+ over the 660Ti over there, get the 660Ti instead.

These are the cheapest brand options avaliable where I live.

660 TI
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=1372823

HD 7950
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=1105772

That's the local pricing options here.

 

[3DVagabond]

Price does matter, definitely.

I'd love to get that bundle for a free Borderlands 2, but it's not avaliable for New Zealand yet

Just looked at pricespy. Seems like pricing, including GST, starts at $470/660ti, $500/7950, and $573/670. For me that would eliminate the 670. YMMV for the 660 and 7950, but I think it's worth the $30.

With this factory overclocked and custom cooled 7950 costing only $275, the choice is pretty obvious

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814127667

Fastest card out of the three you are looking at and priced cheaper than any 660ti or 7950 on newegg. Will also overclock really well, placing you in 7970 performance levels.

Prices vary a bit here compared to the rest of the civilized world.

 

[gammaray]

These are the cheapest brand options avaliable where I live.

660 TI
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=1372823

HD 7950
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=1105772

That's the local pricing options here.

im glad i dont live in NZ, waaaaaaay overpriced

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Obviously the 7950 is the best one overall of the three cards.

I don't know how NVIDIA has the guts to sell a card that is so cut-down at $300.

 

[3DVagabond]

im glad i dont live in NZ, waaaaaaay overpriced

If you take GST off and figure the difference in currency:

7950 = $348USD
660ti = $325USD
670 = $398USD

Not too bad really, when you consider how small the market is here.

Although the 670 gigabyte is $628 ($437USD) if you want to compare similar quality cards. $89USD cheaper for the 7950 compared to the 670. More VRAM, better hires performance, and so far, better performance in the most recent titles are in the 7950's corner.

 

[RussianSensation]

$468 for 660Ti or $499 for a 7950 with 900mhz clocks out of the box? That's 6.6% more expensive for the 7950 but it's 7% faster at those clocks at 1080P overall than the 660Ti.

I guess it comes down to:

1) How much do you want BL2 on launch day?
2) Do you intend to overclock at all?

Here is BF3 HD7950 900 or 950mhz version vs. MSI Power Edition 660Ti that boosts to 1200mhz out of the box.
- same min fps in BF3
- avg:
7950 = 58.4 fps
660Ti PE = 61.2 fps

Not much to it. Overclock 7950 to 1100-1150mhz and 660Ti will lose in a lot of other games, Batman AC + MSAA, Skyrim Mods + MSAA:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950/3

In Crysis 2, GTX660Ti also loses against a 925mhz 7950.

Personally, I'd go for the 7950 card. Tons of overclocking headroom to 1100mhz+ @ 1.175V or lower, 3GB of VRAM for mods (GTA V, Skyrim), better performance with MSAA and you aren't giving up much in BF3 either. If you want certain things such as Borderlands 2 for free, or PhysX, or prefer FXAA over MSAA, then GTX660Ti is a decent option for you for a little bit less $.

 

[brandon888]

if overclocker then get 7950 ....if not go for 670 ... avoid 660 TI ^_^

atm 7950 is better price/perfromance

 

[Termie]

Has no one thought to mention that a 7950 won't even come close to its potential with a phenom 840 and 4GB of ram?

Here's Crysis 2 for example: http://www.techspot.com/review/379-crysis-2-performance/page8.html

OP, unless you plan on upgrading that rig soon, please, please do not spend that much money on a video card. It's a complete waste. The only card that makes sense for you is a 7870, which honestly wouldn't be a huge upgrade from a 5850, on the order of 50%.

I'd say just be happy with your 5850 until you can upgrade your whole system.

 

[kazryv]

I went 7870... at the time I bought it was $214, the other two were closer to $300. For the small difference in performance, I couldn't justify the increase in price. Had I waited a week (bought last week), I would have probably jumped all over the MSI 7950 Twin Frozr edition for $276, from what I've read it's a pretty fantastic card. That said, it all depends on your personal budget. You can get some of the 7850's for around $180 right now after MIR, it all depends on what you are doing.

As well as other posters have mentioned your processor/ram will prevent the higher end cards from reaching their potential.

 

[netarangi]

I'm going to upgrade my ram around the same time too. I'll just need to save for a CPU afterwards..

 

[toyota]

Has no one thought to mention that a 7950 won't even come close to its potential with a phenom 840 and 4GB of ram?

Here's Crysis 2 for example: http://www.techspot.com/review/379-crysis-2-performance/page8.html

OP, unless you plan on upgrading that rig soon, please, please do not spend that much money on a video card. It's a complete waste. The only card that makes sense for you is a 7870, which honestly wouldn't be a huge upgrade from a 5850, on the order of 50%.

I'd say just be happy with your 5850 until you can upgrade your whole system.

that chart is crazy as the lower end cpus must have had trouble with sli. with a single gpu, you will get MUCH higher performance than that from those cpus. if that chart was accurate for single gpu users then most people could not even play the darn game at all. heck Crysis 2 is even somewhat playable on an abysmal E-350 cpu.

EDIT: I just checked the game on the same DX9 extreme settings used in that link. the game was playable even on a single core of my 2500k and never went below 39 fps. now DX11 is a different story and is much more cpu intensive.

 

[netarangi]

Would a "AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz" be a good enough CPU upgrade?

Pretty cheap and better performance than my current one, but would it be sufficient enough?

Poor student atm, so that's why I've got a tight budget

 

[toyota]

Would a "AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz" be a good enough CPU upgrade?

Pretty cheap and better performance than my current one, but would it be sufficient enough?

Poor student atm, so that's why I've got a tight budget

your current cpu is fine and I dont think upgrading to another Phenom X4 would be worth it. if you really want a constant 60 fps then you will want something like an oced i5/i7.