I don't know much about PC parts, what are some decent brands for graphics cards (sub $300?) - Hardware & Software

Title says it all, sorry. I don't know anything about computer parts and basically a friend of mine is building me a whole PC minus a graphics card which I'm buying myself.

EVGA, MSI, ASUS, GIGABYTE, XFX, Sapphire That's pretty much all of the good graphics card brands.

Well you have a few options and I'll rank them as most desirable to least desirable. 1. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006[/url] (7950) 2. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127697[/url] (660ti) 3. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418[/url] (7870) 4. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127682[/url] (570) 5. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419[/url] (7850) [editline]23rd September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Doritos_Man;37771254]EVGA, MSI, ASUS, GIGABYTE, XFX, Sapphire That's pretty much all of the good graphics card brands.[/QUOTE] I would consider adding VisionTek and HIS to the list, but definitely behind the ones Doritos mentioned.

I'm probably not going to buy the parts off the net, I'm getting them from in store so my options are limited. What do you guys think about the Nvidia GTX660? [editline]23rd September 2012[/editline] $265

Why can't you order parts online? Also, don't get a GTX 660, it's not worth it. Not to mention that one is $40 overpriced.

Because for reasons I won't go into I will have to buy the part by tomorrow [editline]23rd September 2012[/editline] I could buy the GTX 660Ti for $340, is that too much to pay?

[QUOTE=WhatAmI;37771398]Because for reasons I won't go into I will have to buy the part by tomorrow[/QUOTE] What store are you buying from? I'll help you get the best gpu you can possibly afford. [editline]23rd September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=WhatAmI;37771398]Because for reasons I won't go into I will have to buy the part by tomorrow [editline]23rd September 2012[/editline] I could buy the GTX 660Ti for $340, is that too much to pay?[/QUOTE] $40 too much

MSY [url]http://www.msy.com.au/[/url] Thanks bud. I appreciate your help

This is really up to preferences: [url]http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf[/url] Either get a Radeon HD 7950 (Sapphire) $325 or get the Gigabyte GTX 660ti ($340) or get the Radeon HD 7870 (from Sapphire or Gigabyte) $264 Any of these 3 graphics cards will serve you well and you really cannot go wrong with them.

How would I make an informed choice between those three? I'll do that bit myself. Also if it were up to you, what would you choose?

[QUOTE=WhatAmI;37771490]How would I make an informed choice between those three?[/quote] [url]http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=647[/url] [url]http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=548[/url] [url]http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/647?vs=548[/url] anandtech.com is a great source of comparisons from video games to stress tests. ATI tends to do better in powering through games, while Nvidia generally tops the stress test charts. [QUOTE=WhatAmI;37771490]I'll do that bit myself. Also if it were up to you, what would you choose?[/QUOTE] If it were up to me (which it is not, you make the final choice) I would buy the Radeon HD 7950. I just bought a 7970, and so far I cannot be more pleased with how it overclocks, how cool it runs and how much performance I get out of it. The 7950 is just a slightly cut down version of the 7970 and shares all the same benefits I just mentioned. However, if you intend to be doing any sort of rendering or film production or are running programs that will tax the entirety of your computer, then get a GTX 660ti. Again, you can't go wrong with either choice. They are both neck and neck. However, if you cannot pass $300 at all then the Radeon HD 7870 is the best bang for your buck.

I'll get the 7950. Thanks so much for your help brethren.

I've got a nVidia GTX 650 and I tell you what... for £100 its a brilliant graphics card :) All games running on ultra on my custom built PC and everything from ArmA2, Skyrim, BF3, RE:ORC, TEST DRIVE 2, MW3 and so on... ULTRA EVERYTHING!

If you live in Australia i suggest [url]http://www.greenboxit.com.au/[/url] they have parts cheaper than msy and if you live in Sydney you can pick it up from mosman