Need advice on GPU purchase (AMD or NVIDIA)

Hi Guys,

So in a recent  AMD cooling thread my 6950 2GB died when I left it out of the system  for 2 months and I tried baking it and on install and turn-on one of the VRMs sparked so I knew at that time my baking failed and my card was dead.

So now I've been out of the loop in GPUs for a year now as my 6950 was serving me well...but the time has come to replace it as it died due to my negligence.

So...I've been debating whether I should get another 6950 2GB or just stick with the lower end ones as the 6950 2GB are still pretty expensive as I bought my 6950 during a Boxing Day sale here in Toronto for $250.

But now I have several restrictions as I didn't before and they are the following:

1.) Under $150 CND w/ or w/o rebates and discounts (Will consider $175 to $200 if all the criteria are met below )

2.) MUST fit my EK-VGA Supreme HF GPU Block (This is a requirement and not a restriction)

3.) MUST Play SC2 on Ultra / Extreme on a 1080p Full-screen LCD Monitor

4.) MUST Play Anno 2070 on HIGH Settings 1080p Full-screen LCD Monitor

5.) Must be able to last at least 3 years and newer iterations of DX (DX11 GPU)

6.) 2x DVI output or 1x DVI / 1x HDMI

7.) Can support 2 1080p LCD Monitors (I know most can, even my old 5770 can)

I'm also a heavy user of Adobe programs and if the card supports Adobe products and can render videos fast I'll take that too!

I'm in the process of reading reviews of various GPUs but I can't cover them all and I'm also waiting for Thursday morning when NCIX refreshes its Weekly Deals.

So here I am everyone, asking for help in the GPU department.

Can't wait to see the various suggestions you guys have to offer.

One more thing, please include a reason for suggesting a specific GPU as in terms of content I'd like this thread to educate everyone else who is stuck looking for a specific GPU.

Thank you very much again!

Cheers,

Cram

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayjr1105 

Maybe wait for the 660Ti? Early leaks put it somewhere around the 7870 I hear. Or at least wait til the 660 release to drive down 78xx prices. Either way go 28nm, highly recommend it!
Reason: Unbelievably cool temps and power consumption is almost half of 40nm counterparts.
Nevermind, both are way out of your price range. You are pretty much limited to another 6950 with those restrictions.

I'm trying to and I've read the leaks as well...it really looks promising. And as much as I would like to go 28nm due to less heat and increased performance, I really don't want to spend $200 and over just for me to play with, and yeah I kinda learned my lesson from this disaster that was my fault. That's what I've been thinking about too and in my mind "Oh man, not another 6850..." LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zero4549 

I'm not gonna suggest any cards until you do your homework first. If your card died due to negligence, let that be a lesson to pay more attention when looking for a replacement.
I will however give you a few tips - Adobe prefers Nvidia. That said, avoid the 600 series unless you want to put gaming above all else. There is no such thing as future proofing, especially if new consoles come out soon (which are far overdue). Just about everything is DX11 compliant these days, including many older dx10 cards - not that it really matters, hardly anything actually uses DX11 properly - trying for anything beyond that is a pipe dream.

Buddy, your tone is a little bit annoying and the fact that you don't plan to suggest anything makes me wonder why you posted anything in the first place. And homework? In fact the only reason I asked for suggestions from everyone is because I am having a hard time deciding on whether to wait for the 660ti or go for an older 5XX series due to power consumption, longevity and application/gaming performance on the NVIDIA side.

As for the AMD side, there is no way I'll be getting the 7000 series as my budget only allows me to purchase a mid to low end GPU that has acceptable performance in the games I mentioned. I could opt for a 6850 or a 6870 but then again, the 7000 series gives more performance, less power consumption and less heat but is marred by the fact that they are still new in the market and their prices are still up in the $200's.

As for Adobe programs I know NVIDIA GPUs are better and supported by Adobe due to their CUDA cores, that requirement is only an afterthought on my part. My 6950 did render fast enough against my old 5770.

Don't get me wrong I know there is no such thing as future proofing, never did I hint on future proofing, the only reason I mentioned DX11 onwards is that the card SHOULD be able to at least handle the newer iterations. And why would you mention consoles? The topic just went south...

Man, chill out, if you've got nothing to suggest please don't post anything at all.

But still thank you for taking the time in posting information I already know and good day to you sir.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zero4549 

Sorry buddy, but if hearing the reality of your situation annoys you, you probably shouldn't be here in the first place. If someone else wants to be your babysitter, god bless them. I personally feel people grow more when not breast fed as adults.

No the reality of my situation doesn't annoy me it's the fact that you bother posting something that didn't even help my decision.

Oh wait how come there's at least one person who replied with his suggestion and he changed it AFTER reading my requirements.

I don't thank people who didn't do anything...why would I be grateful for a person who replied with such attitude that doesn't merit it?

I really don't care of the fact that consoles MAY or MAY NOT affect whatever hardware comes out in the next 3 years. My requirement was simple...

5.) Must be able to last at least 3 years and newer iterations of DX (DX11 GPU)

I have no right? Really, what ever happened to civilized discussion without a hostile attitude. I am asking for advice on people who actually have experience with at least one of my requirements, if you don't don't bother posting, you did not even help me making a decision in what I was asking in the first place.

Please don't post anymore if you do not have anything good to add to this discussion.

Man this is one of the reasons I don't bother asking the OCN community for advice anymore is because of people like you.