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SpartanCaptain
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Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:54 pm

Ok so today I am ordering one of the korean IPS monitors. And even though I know they aren't great for some games because they are 60hz, I have heard tons of people using them and being happy.
My issue is my card gtx 460 of the 768mb style I believe will not run this.

I have around 200 to spend on a video card. What do you guys recommend?
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:29 pm

Step one: stop believing and test it for yourself! I had an HD4870 1GB running my 2560x1600 panel for about a week, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it ran. Your GTX460 is over twice as fast; just pay attention to settings that will gobble up VRAM like high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing other than FXAA.

Step two: if step one fails, what do you mean by run? We need to know this before we can help you, and we need to know more about your system (basically, everything).
 
vargis14
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:34 pm

I suggest you save up another $100 for a 7950 series card...they have 3 gb of vram and overclock well.

At the very least i would go no lower then a 7870 series card. At your new resolution it is going to cost at least 250$ for a good gaming card with 2gb min ram for that resolution. Especially if you like AA and AF games can gobble up video memory.

Just do not shoot yourself in the foot and get one of those 1gb 7850s because it is under 200$ make sure you get a card with at least 2gb of mem.

More system information will help alot also......cpu,psu etc???

This gigabyte 7950 windforce look pretty attractive at 299$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... llFullInfo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125418 This 219$ "after 20$ rebate" gigabyte 7870 2gb card looks quite good also.
Here is a 279$ zotac 660ti if you want to stick with the green team if you have 2 pci-e16 slots and you can use your 460 for physics duty possibly. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814500268
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SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:22 pm

CPU i5 sandy bridge 2500k
16gb ddr3 memory
samsung 830 ssd
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:22 pm

vargis14 wrote:
I suggest you save up another $100 for a 7950 series card...they have 3 gb of vram and overclock well.
I second this suggestion.

I get acceptable results with a Radeon HD6970 at 2560x1600, but if I were buying today, I'd get the Radeon HD7950 (or the GeForce GTX680 if I didn't care about cost).
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I.S.T.
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:47 pm

Airmantharp wrote:
Step one: stop believing and test it for yourself! I had an HD4870 1GB running my 2560x1600 panel for about a week, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it ran. Your GTX460 is over twice as fast; just pay attention to settings that will gobble up VRAM like high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing other than FXAA.

Step two: if step one fails, what do you mean by run? We need to know this before we can help you, and we need to know more about your system (basically, everything).


His GPU is definitely quite a bit faster but his VRAM is basically too low. He needs a card with at least 1gig of RAM for smooth frame rates.
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:50 pm

I.S.T. wrote:
Airmantharp wrote:
Step one: stop believing and test it for yourself! I had an HD4870 1GB running my 2560x1600 panel for about a week, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it ran. Your GTX460 is over twice as fast; just pay attention to settings that will gobble up VRAM like high-resolution textures and anti-aliasing other than FXAA.

Step two: if step one fails, what do you mean by run? We need to know this before we can help you, and we need to know more about your system (basically, everything).


His GPU is definitely quite a bit faster but his VRAM is basically too low. He needs a card with at least 1gig of RAM for smooth frame rates.


I don't disagree that it isn't enough; I'm just pointing out that he should try making it work first, as the card IS capable of running games at that resolution.
 
MastaVR6
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:17 pm

Consider using a display port cable, VGA/HDMI will end up upscaling, IDK if dual DVI is available on your monitor, single DVI is also insufficient. I learned about these issues connecting a Dell U2711 monitor.
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:23 pm

MastaVR6 wrote:
Consider using a display port cable, VGA/HDMI will end up upscaling, IDK if dual DVI is available on your monitor, single DVI is also insufficient. I learned about these issues connecting a Dell U2711 monitor.


Both his monitor and video card support dual-DVI, he won't have a problem.
 
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:28 pm

So I've got one of the Korean IPS monitors (love it)..

I'm running a Nvidia 8600 GT.. Not sure about the VRAM, but essentially it's the lowest possible card that you can use.. (I think it's got 256MB, but I could be wrong)

I can't play games at high-res, but it works great especially on older games.

My suggestion is to get the monitor, and try with your current card before springing for a new one. (You can always get a newer card later)

Also my monitor only has DVI-D for a connector, so I'm not sure how you'd be able to use DisplayPort, unless you buy an adapter.
 
SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:29 pm

Airmantharp wrote:
MastaVR6 wrote:
Consider using a display port cable, VGA/HDMI will end up upscaling, IDK if dual DVI is available on your monitor, single DVI is also insufficient. I learned about these issues connecting a Dell U2711 monitor.


Both his monitor and video card support dual-DVI, he won't have a problem.


Yes the monitors only input will be Dual-dvi.

And as far as keeping the video card I have, I may try it. But it seems unlikely I will be able to power the games at frame rates over 30fps.
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:35 pm

SpartanCaptain wrote:
Airmantharp wrote:
MastaVR6 wrote:
Consider using a display port cable, VGA/HDMI will end up upscaling, IDK if dual DVI is available on your monitor, single DVI is also insufficient. I learned about these issues connecting a Dell U2711 monitor.


Both his monitor and video card support dual-DVI, he won't have a problem.


Yes the monitors only input will be Dual-dvi.

And as far as keeping the video card I have, I may try it. But it seems unlikely I will be able to power the games at frame rates over 30fps.


The games, the games, oh my! We'd need to know what games you intend to play at what settings to be able to evaluate the situation beforehand, but the advice stands- try it before spending money. The GTX460 is still a potent card.
 
SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:41 pm

diablo 3
borderlands 2
left for dead 2
i have the new battlefied but I don't play it often


Im not against keeping my card. I just don't want the new monitor to arrive and then not be able to game. But I guess I could at the point just drop the settings.
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:47 pm

SpartanCaptain wrote:
diablo 3
borderlands 2
left for dead 2
i have the new battlefied but I don't play it often


Im not against keeping my card. I just don't want the new monitor to arrive and then not be able to game. But I guess I could at the point just drop the settings.


You'll need to drop settings for BF3 and BL2; but you will be able to healthily play everything.
 
Chrispy_
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:40 am

When mine arrived back in the summer I had available to try:

  • GTX460 768
  • 6850 1GB
  • 6950 2GB
  • 7950 3GB

At native res, I stopped trying at the 7950. BL2 is probably the most demanding of the games you listed because of the heavy shader use on an older engine. Even with some settings turned down (AO, DoF and FXAA off) the framerate dips a bit in explosion-heavy combat, but it's definitely decent, spending most of the time at 60fps.

For current games on a 27", I would suggest a 7870GHz or 660Ti as a minimum. Given some of the deals on 7950's at the moment, I'd only pick up a 7870 if it was at a really good price.
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SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Thu Nov 01, 2012 9:28 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
When mine arrived back in the summer I had available to try:

  • GTX460 768
  • 6850 1GB
  • 6950 2GB
  • 7950 3GB

At native res, I stopped trying at the 7950. BL2 is probably the most demanding of the games you listed because of the heavy shader use on an older engine. Even with some settings turned down (AO, DoF and FXAA off) the framerate dips a bit in explosion-heavy combat, but it's definitely decent, spending most of the time at 60fps.

For current games on a 27", I would suggest a 7870GHz or 660Ti as a minimum. Given some of the deals on 7950's at the moment, I'd only pick up a 7870 if it was at a really good price.

You said you tried it on a gtx460 768, were games even playable at full resolution?
 
SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Thu Nov 01, 2012 2:25 pm

Well, I was going to wait and see what results I got on my gtx460. But decided I didn't want to have to lower settings to play games.
Took the advice here and got a hd7950
 
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Thu Nov 01, 2012 4:07 pm

SpartanCaptain wrote:
You said you tried it on a gtx460 768, were games even playable at full resolution?


It depends entirely on your definition of playable, and what game:

  • Diablo III - mostly 60fps but frequent stutters (more of an engine problem than the GPU I think)
  • Mass Effect 3 - Was okay actually. Not really a game that needs 60fps, I'd say it averaged 45 or so.
  • Deus Ex Human Revolution - about the same as ME3, but the game has it's twitch-shooter moments and it didn't fare well in combat.
  • Crysis 2 - Slideshow
  • Orcs Must Die 2 - Absolutely fine
  • Dirt Showdown - More like Dirt Slowdown
  • Battlefield 3 - Useless on anything more than low detail.

Obviously the heavier games would run better if I turned detail and settings down, but I didn't buy a high-res screen to run games at low detail. That would just be silly :P

SpartanCaptain wrote:
Well, I was going to wait and see what results I got on my gtx460. But decided I didn't want to have to lower settings to play games.
Took the advice here and got a hd7950


You will be happy, I think. HIgh or Ultra is fluid for everything except Crysis 2, and that's because Crysis 2 is a terrible, badly-written, boring and inefficient excuse-for-a-game.
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SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Fri Nov 02, 2012 8:50 am

I hope I am happy. I am more worried about the korean IPS monitor than I am the video card.
The card I chose is the gigabyte version with a core clock of 900. Many sites rank it the top performing 7950 and it has obscene OC potential.
 
shaq_mobile
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:55 am

7950 3gb. runs great. outperforms the 7970 at high res.
 
vargis14
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Fri Nov 02, 2012 6:19 pm

The gigabyte 7950s from what i have read do overclock well over 1050mhz on the core. Make sure you use afterburner or sapphire trix or even HIS Iturbo. Since they are all based off the same program. I say this since they all have a custom fan profile section..........When you overclock that card make sure you use a aggressive fan profile that ramps up to at least 60-75% fan speed once the card breaks 45-50c to keep the VRMs cool. Since the card should not break 45-50c unless you are gaming and when you are gaming noise really is not a factor since we all usually wear headphones or have a decent set of speakers that are much louder then the fan noise.
The card should not hit 45-50c playing videos or surfing the net so noise will not be a problem. Lots of fan noise while gaming is pretty irrelevant since the games make way more noise then the dang fans.

Also if you have a place for a side intake fan or fans on your case and have yet to add them, I highly rec you do. They help tremendously in cooling the whole video card including the back of it along with motherboard components like chipset and vrms. I myself have a haf922 coolermaster case It came with the 200mm front intake and a 200mm top exhaust fan along with the normal rear 120mm exhaust. I moved the top exhaust 200mm fan to the side panel to blow on my SLI 560s. It lowered the temps of both cards between 5c and 15c cooler depending on what i was doing. I also added a 140mm Bottom intake fan. It also helped. Note I used low noise fans so when I am not gaming my pc is very quiet. I also invested 20$ on a decent fan controller with 5 channels that control RPMs and give me 5 different temp readings. It has manual settings for each channel or automatic. It needs a good blowiong out and cleaning every 3 months or so since so much air flows through the case but i feel its well worth it. A cool computer is a happy computer and i feel it makes all components last a heck of a lot longer then a case with just ok airflow. Every computer i ever built or bought gets extra cooling fans. Even my Gateway slim tower i3 2120 HTPC. It had no room internally for a side intake 80mm fan, So i bought a thermaltake 80mm usb powered fan and mounted it externally to help cool the hot h61 chipset and my OCed Low Profile 6570 card. It came out looking pretty dang good too, plus it has a knob to adjust the fan speed.

Let us know how good the card overclocks and performs with your new monitor. I would like to know anyways.
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SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Fri Nov 02, 2012 7:46 pm

I will let you know all the details. My case is a nzxt Phantom. So it has fans right next to the gpu. But then again, I often leave side panel off because I am always in there changing something.
 
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:13 am

shaq_mobile wrote:
7950 3gb. runs great. outperforms the 7970 at high res.


Why's that? I avoided the 7970 because I couldn't justify the extra 50% cost for what is basically a pretty small performance boost, but I thought the 7970 had more or equal everything.

Is it because 7950's overclock higher than 7970's or is there something else I'm missing? My 7950 gives up at about 960Mhz, though I'm only giving it the 20% extra powertune limit as allowed in the catalyst control centre, and I assume that's still on stock voltage.
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SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:30 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
shaq_mobile wrote:
7950 3gb. runs great. outperforms the 7970 at high res.


Why's that? I avoided the 7970 because I couldn't justify the extra 50% cost for what is basically a pretty small performance boost, but I thought the 7970 had more or equal everything.

Is it because 7950's overclock higher than 7970's or is there something else I'm missing? My 7950 gives up at about 960Mhz, though I'm only giving it the 20% extra powertune limit as allowed in the catalyst control centre, and I assume that's still on stock voltage.


I can't answer that 7970 question.
But as far as overclcking I got mine to 1000mhz without any voltage tweaks I tried 1100 and a higher memory but comp froze. I will test more later this week.
 
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:41 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
shaq_mobile wrote:
7950 3gb. runs great. outperforms the 7970 at high res.


Why's that? I avoided the 7970 because I couldn't justify the extra 50% cost for what is basically a pretty small performance boost, but I thought the 7970 had more or equal everything.

Is it because 7950's overclock higher than 7970's or is there something else I'm missing? My 7950 gives up at about 960Mhz, though I'm only giving it the 20% extra powertune limit as allowed in the catalyst control centre, and I assume that's still on stock voltage.


Hyperbole, its easy to OC a 7950 to beat a stock 7970. Obviously a 7970 can overclock even further all else being equal.
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SpartanCaptain
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:08 am

Bauxite wrote:
Chrispy_ wrote:
shaq_mobile wrote:
7950 3gb. runs great. outperforms the 7970 at high res.


Why's that? I avoided the 7970 because I couldn't justify the extra 50% cost for what is basically a pretty small performance boost, but I thought the 7970 had more or equal everything.

Is it because 7950's overclock higher than 7970's or is there something else I'm missing? My 7950 gives up at about 960Mhz, though I'm only giving it the 20% extra powertune limit as allowed in the catalyst control centre, and I assume that's still on stock voltage.


Hyperbole, its easy to OC a 7950 to beat a stock 7970. Obviously a 7970 can overclock even further all else being equal.


This isn't true. 7970s do not have the same overclocking headroom. They may be able to equal and sometimes slightly pass but it isn't like they just all out beat the 7950.
 
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:22 am

I recently purchased a 27" IPS monitor and I used a 460 GTX 1 Gig and it was fine at 2560x1440 at everything I tried.
Monitor came with a dual link cable, which is a requirement.
I do not play many games but it worked fine on most, Shogun 2 was a little slow and choppy.

I eventually bought a 670 GTX 2Gig and gave the 460 GTX to my brother.
If you are not running SLI, at this point in time, there is not much point in getting the 3 or 4 Gig versions of the cards.
 
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:51 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
SpartanCaptain wrote:
You will be happy, I think. HIgh or Ultra is fluid for everything except Crysis 2, and that's because Crysis 2 is a terrible, badly-written, boring and inefficient excuse-for-a-game.

Crysis 2 has a bad case of over-tessellation probably bought by Nvidia, but it is a very fun game. The audio is also very good on a hifi setup with its good dynamic range. The audio is only bested by Battlefield 3, of the games I've tried. I play at medium settings and no motion blur or antialiasing. that way i getaround 100fps on my 120hz 2560x1440 catleap monitor and gtx 680. when the fps reaches 100, the games get a nice solidity look to them and it is easier to enjoy the action
http://jooh.no/index.php/2012/06/17/120 ... resh-rate/

I recommend a single gpu setup and lower graphics settings so you avoid judder.
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:28 pm

SpartanCaptain wrote:
Bauxite wrote:
Chrispy_ wrote:
Why's that? I avoided the 7970 because I couldn't justify the extra 50% cost for what is basically a pretty small performance boost, but I thought the 7970 had more or equal everything.

Is it because 7950's overclock higher than 7970's or is there something else I'm missing? My 7950 gives up at about 960Mhz, though I'm only giving it the 20% extra powertune limit as allowed in the catalyst control centre, and I assume that's still on stock voltage.


Hyperbole, its easy to OC a 7950 to beat a stock 7970. Obviously a 7970 can overclock even further all else being equal.


This isn't true. 7970s do not have the same overclocking headroom. They may be able to equal and sometimes slightly pass but it isn't like they just all out beat the 7950.


You guys sure live in an interesting world!

The HD7970 has more resources than an HD7950- even if they clock to the same maximum speeds, the HD7970 will be faster. The HD7970 is more likely to overclock higher, and it's guaranteed to start higher. That said, as cheap as the HD7950's are, it's a horrible value.

This is particularly disturbing:
shaq_mobile wrote:
7950 3gb. runs great. outperforms the 7970 at high res.
Please stop using the internet, for all our sakes.
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Video card for 2560x1440

Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:30 pm

DarkUltra wrote:
I recommend a single gpu setup and lower graphics settings so you avoid judder.


OR run a pair of Nvidia cards- AMD hasn't invested nearly enough in making multi-GPU smooth yet.

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