HELP PLEASE!!!

okay so guys i need some help on picking a gpu out. and i perfer nvidia but i got a couple options.
Option #1: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130825

Option #2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162121

Option #3: (OK FIRST IF I GET THIS I CANT GET IT RIGHT AWAY ITS OVER MY BUDGET INLESS I CON MY FATHER OUT OF $$$$ LOL BUT IF I GET THIS THEN I CAN UNLOCK IT TO a COOL A 6990 RIGHT? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008

Option #4: AND IF I GOT WITH THIS THEN I CAN UNLOCK IT TO A 6970 right?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161400

OPTION #4 alone is $50 over my budget but idk :S

So guys what would be ther better option the only games i really play is crysis 2 ewver once in a blue moon BF3 Mainly and need for speed mainly and

First off, I don't think that any of the GPUs you listed unlock backwards a generation as you presumed...

Some people have had success unlocking the 7950 to 7970 shaders.

I would go with option 2 or 4. It will be more than enough for your gaming needs as long as you have a single monitor and probably even if you have more than one.

If you go with the 7950, I would grab one of these...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125414

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006

Both have higher initial clock speeds, better coolers, and still come with the free games.
The Gigabyte is $10 more than the HIS card you linked and the Sapphire is $10 less (after rebate).

I have the Sapphire and like it a lot.

Either way, why not cut the neighbor's grass and help your dad out with the cost instead of conning him

As NC said the Sapphire is good card because i know he has one, but maybe this could a different way. By buying one of these cards instead and just OCing them a bit! But if you take time to read the posts i put up then there not a huge amount of difference. AJ.

1, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605

2, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418

3, http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=550

On the Anandtech compare the clocks at stock on the cards ive selected are higher so the overall result will be closer. And on the games you play there is not much in it to be said!

^^ Another great answer. Other members are getting great results out of the 78xx series.

well thats all fine and dandy but one thing is i wouldnt get 60 fps on ultra in bf3 at 1920-1080 with a 7870 lol a 7950 barley gets it. and yes i only have one monitor at 1920-1080 and also if i do get the 7950 and IT DOES unlock then ill be getting a $400 card for $300 and if it doesnt unlock then id still be beating the price/performnace vs the 7870 :S
and for the others the 660 gets better FPS IN THE GAMES I PLAY vs AMD. BF3 nvidia is the way to go just cause you get high fps vs more money on amd. a 660ti is $260 and gets higher fps then a 7950 witch is $300

Coolerman1992 said:

well thats all fine and dandy but one thing is i wouldnt get 60 fps on ultra in bf3 at 1920-1080 with a 7870 lol a 7950 barley gets it. and yes i only have one monitor at 1920-1080 and also if i do get the 7950 and IT DOES unlock then ill be getting a $400 card for $300 and if it doesnt unlock then id still be beating the price/performnace vs the 7870 :S
and for the others the 660 gets better FPS IN THE GAMES I PLAY vs AMD. BF3 nvidia is the way to go just cause you get high fps vs more money on amd. a 660ti is $260 and gets higher fps then a 7950 witch is $300

Click to expand...

Let's get this straight.

- A 7950 beats a 660Ti with the new drivers. It crushes and destroys a 660. Click on the spoiler for proof.
- No HD7000 Series card unlocks to any other card. The only cards that unlocked were HD6000 Series, the HD6950 to HD6970 IIRC. These cards have a complete different architecture. Poor car analogy, you can "unlock" a Mercedes to a Mercedes AMG, but you can't unlock a Mercedes to an Aston Martin.

- You get a better bang for your buck with AMD. nVidia is usually more expensive. They used to be better than AMD, but since Catalyst 12.11, things are pretty even regarding performance. 7970GE vs 680, 7970 vs 680/670, 7950 vs 670/660Ti.

- I'm not the BF3 player kind of gamer, but you won't get 60fps on BF3 Ultra with these kinds of cards. If I recall correctly, BF3 loves VRAM, and when you start cranking up filters, it starts chewing up lots of VRAM. Not to mention that when something explodes, FPS tend to go scuba diving.

- The cheapest 660Ti costs USD 270, and includes no games (some cards include Assassin's Creed 3, but not this particular one). The cheapest 7950 is USD 290, but includes a lot of games and a 20% discount for the new Medal of Honor worth USD 170 (Far Cry 3, a killer game; the new Hitman; and Sleeping Dogs). Pricewise, they're quite similar, but the AMD deal crushes NVIDIA's. Assassin's Creed 3 might be a great game, but Far Cry 3 is ten times better, at least for me. All AMD HD 7900 cards include these three games while some NVIDIA cards include Asassin's Creed 3.

Oh, and take this from someone who usually prefers NVIDIA cards. I tend to go to the green side, but just because, back when I used Compiz, ATI/AMD cards were a PITA to set up.

I keep forgetting to run FRAPs with my 7950 while I play BF3 on the highest settings, but I am pretty sure I don't get 60 FPS. It is quite playable with everything maxed out, but I think palacious is correct.

sorry bud... but thats not the case LMAO. i just did benchmarking with my friends setup using a 7970 and no way does it beat a 660ti LET ALONE a 660
just use and an tech now dont get me wrong the cards are comparible and neck and neck and in some games the 7970 beats the 660 but a 660ti is pretty much even except for BF3. in bf3 my 6970 2GB barley gets 45 FPS on Ultra on the same res. and everything was pared up too.
ive got mine 6970 overclocked to 975 Core and still doesnt even comes close to 50 fps on ultra so ur telling me a 7970 gets 60+ ha. no... ill post some spec pics ill go ahead and keep my 6970 2gb and just sell the rest of my rig for $700 and then get another 6950 and unlock it. as i did this one.

Coolerman1992 said:

sorry bud... but thats not the case LMAO. i just did benchmarking with my friends setup using a 7970 and no way does it beat a 660ti LET ALONE a 660
just use and an tech now dont get me wrong the cards are comparible and neck and neck and in some games the 7970 beats the 660 but a 660ti is pretty much even except for BF3. in bf3 my 6970 2GB barley gets 45 FPS on Ultra on the same res. and everything was pared up too.
ive got mine 6970 overclocked to 975 Core and still doesnt even comes close to 50 fps on ultra so ur telling me a 7970 gets 60+ ha. no... ill post some spec pics ill go ahead and keep my 6970 2gb and just sell the rest of my rig for $700 and then get another 6950 and unlock it. as i did this one.

Click to expand...

Well too bad that pretty much every reputable reviewer disagrees with you...the 7970 and 680 perform nearly identical. You're just plain wrong.

Yes.

Coolerman, can you post some verified results of your benchmarks, because, as Knufire mentioned, just about every review out there states the opposite of what you said...

Nvidia 5xx-series cards...


AMD 69xx-series cards...


AMD 79xx-series and Nvidia 6xx-series

And some more (both are with the 12.11 drivers from AMD which greatly improved BF3 performance):



And if you want to know where we got it from:
txus.palacios' post - techpowerup.com
ninjacore's post - Tom's Hardware
My post - Anandtech, Hexus.net

Knufire said:

Well too bad that pretty much every reputable reviewer disagrees with you...the 7970 and 680 perform nearly identical. You're just plain wrong.

Click to expand...

^This.

Maybe if you told me that some unknown reviewer disagreed with you, I might agree with you. But, no, TPU isn't usually wrong. If we add the other reviewers to the mix, the only wrong one here must be you.

but i tell you what ill fraps my 6970 2GB and ill prove it, one thing that TPU doesnt do is try the same GPU on multiple cpus, ram types, etc. And an tech does...

Coolerman1992 said:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/508?vs=647

Click to expand...

I've never understood how benchmarks in Anandtech's "Bench" could be considered helpful. No additional system information is provided. No driver information. It's just one randomly generated result which is contradictory to everything else out there on the two cards.

EDIT:

Coolerman1992 said:

but i tell you what ill fraps my 6970 2GB and ill prove it, one thing that TPU doesnt do is try the same GPU on multiple cpus, ram types, etc. And an tech does...

Click to expand...

What CPU,ram,etc? I'm not seeing the additional system specs on that page?

no i wasnt refrencing andantechs i was refrencing other peoples benhcmarks like techpowerups they just use one setup not multiple on the same card the only thing they do do right is try diffrent card types but its all all the same setups pretty much for instance if you take an XFX 2gb 6970 and try it on a the new ivy bridge 3570k stock vs an amd fx -8350 the 3570k gets higer fps in games. techpowerup doesnt take that into consideration but they do use diffrent system setups one diffrent benchmarks thats what makes them so not accurate as to (AAT) every possible combo they have of gpu's and cpus on thier benchmarks, they have DONE on the same system for instance comparing a 6970 vs the 660ti they uses the same ram, motherboard, psu, case, etc, and etc. even though a case wouldnt mater? lol but you get the point?

And that's sort of the problem. They have a bunch of benchmarks thrown together, but you don't know the rest of the system specs which are part of the individual test. You can't scientifically compare two different parts (the GPUs) without eliminating all other contributing factors variables (CPU, RAM, mobo, installed driver).

Wait, what are you trying to argue? That's exactly how good science works, you isolate all other variables so the only ones being changed are the one you're controlling and the one you're measuring.

EDIT: Whoops, post above me making the same point.

Yea that's what I said Changed a word for ya

I am so confused as to what is being argued here. Just to add my point to the pool, the 7970 handidly beats the 660, 660ti, and the 670. Both Knufire and ninjacore are 100% correct in stating that this is common knowledge. I'm not sure how anandtech is even getting their numbers but everyone else is way on the other side of the spectrum.