760 or 7950, my GPU dilema

Hardware Hub GPU
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I have my entire computer build sorted out, but I still have issues choosing the GPU, thanks to Nvidia releasing their 760... So, Tek Forums, I call upon you for help once again with this question (which is clearly obvious from the title)... The 7950, or the 760? Now, of course, this seems somewhat simple, but there is a ittle more to it. And after hearing the specifics, it might become extremely obvious which is the better deal.

I plan on choosing an Asus brand GPU no-matter what (Unless an EVGA or MSI 760 would be better), but that unfortunately leads me to choosing a $360 7950, though that was to be expected at first. I don't trust the issues I've heard with other brands, and the MSI cooling paste issue has me a little sketched, so I'd rather not cheap out $50 for a risk I don't want to take with brands (Seeing as I'm having it built at a store I'm going to buy my parts at, and they wont check the cooling paste thing to see if there is too much. Thanks, guys >.>)

The 760 though, is quite interesting. I'd be able to get it for $260, from Asus. Even EVGA might be good, if you guys recommended that one. So, there's a massive $100 difference here. I just worry a little bit about if that $100 might be worth it if there is a massive benchmark difference between the 760 or 7950.

I am all FPS here, I don't plan on overclocking. I'll probably replace the GPU in 3-4 years anyways. Noise isn't a dealbreaker, as long as it isn't TOO huge of a gap. I also seem to have a tiny bias for the GPU Boost 2.0, PhysX, and reliability with Nvidia cards and graphics drivers/compatibilities. But, of course, if the 7950 is that much better and worth the $100, I can always unload the PhysX onto the processor. I just want the best FPS, for the best value I can get. And for $260, it might be obvious which one you'll all choose.

So, Tek Forum, what do you suggest, given these specifics? I would greatly appreciate the help~ Thanks!

(Also, I checked 20+ sites and 10+ benchmarking sites, and they all had mixed results, so this is my final frontier for trustworthy help) I'm putting an AMD 8350 8 core into the build as well, so, keep this in mind incase that changes things. Lastly, I'm using 2 monitors, but only one of them will be doing the gaming. The other will be doing stuff like internet and skype as I game.

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I would go with the 760 in that situation. its a nice card and comes with a nice bit of software, but why just buy from asus? there are plenty of good gpu brands out there.

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I just tend to trust their brands. Asus has been pretty good for me from my experience. Although, the EVGA Supercloked 760 has my eye... Is EVGA any good?

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EVGA is really good, the MSI twin Frozr are awesome, the windforce cards are good. HIS iceq is pretty good. there are many good brands.

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I see~ Would you recommend EVGA over Asus? Also, I wdited my first post to mention that I'll be using 2 monitors. One for gaming, the other for internet and skype as I game. Dunno if that changed anything!

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You shouldn't have bias for GPU vendors. It's more a matter of the cooling solution and form factor, rather than vendor, since there really isn't any " bad" ones. Unlike, say, RAM vendors, where generally anyone with the resources can make RAM( just look at the massive amounts of Chinese made RAM on EBAY), GPU architectures are only made by two companies, and only select partners can manufacture for them, so of course they wouldn't choose a " bad" vendor, since that will hurt their image.

That being said, maybe try buying online? This is a good deal, and I haven't heard anything bad from Sapphire( though I also haven't for other vendors, except MSI). In fact, their custom coolers are some of the best.

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Good call~ I would order online, but the problem is that the warranty difference is big... Instead of sending the card in and waiting for it to ship, I could go to the store and get it replaced right away, so that's why I wanna consider that plan. Then again, doing it online is also an ok idea too. I dunno how long shipping times actually take XD

So, you recommend the 7950 then? Even if I found it for $300, that's the one you choose? (I'll consider the one you linked me to if that's the case~)

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Of course I'd recommend the 7950 if you want more frames/ higher settings, or don't need CUDA. The 760 is good, but if what Logan said is true, then it's a little slower than the 670, while the 7950 is as fast, if not faster, than the 670

If you decide to buy the 7950, but want PhysX, offloading it to the CPU should do the job. But you'll also see slightly lower FPS. But because there's only a small hit( since the 8350 is fairly capable), and games that actually use PhysX are few, the 7950 is still the better choice( and if the FPS does go down, it will probably still be a little more than the 760's FPS)

And the only reason I chose the Sapphire part is because it was the cheapest 7950 with a decent cooler( IMO). Anything cheaper was a single blower-type fan, which I'm not too fond of. If you can afford the $300 7950 you found, it's up to you if you want that one.

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So, you said brand doesn't really matter for graphics cards? I could easily get a $300 7950 instead of the original Asus $360 one, and there really won't be many issues? (If so, I might be golden here) Stupid problem I have is that I have little options if I were to buy from the store I go to and enjoy their warranties (which are quite decent), and the prices all seem the same. Ugh, hate this stuff XD Are online warranties any good?

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Yes. If I remember correctly, AMD and Nvidia carefully pick out which companies have a high enough quality standard to partner with and make the GPUs( kinda sounds like an animal picking out the best possible mate to make babies with). Any issue that might occur is because of that specific card you got, not because of the manufacturer( except that one case where MSI intentionally overvolted some of their cards).

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"Stupid problem I have is that I have little options if I were to buy from the store I go to and enjoy their warranties (which are quite decent), and the prices all seem the same. Ugh, hate this stuff XD Are online warranties any good?"
^ (Taken from my edited post above)

Sorry if I'm bombarding with worry and questions, I just wanna make sure I get the right card X3 So, any ideas or recommendations?

New Edit: I suck at this stuff... ^.^;; Just a little bit... Sorry >.<

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I don't really mind

Hmm, you decide if Sapphire's warranty is good. If you have other vendors in mind, a quick web search should do the trick. Here's ASUS' if you're curious.

Also, and I'm not sure how fast other sites ship, but if you do pick the Sapphire part I linked, Amazon is offering a free two-day shipping for their Prime members( and they also offer a free trial for Prime, which you can cancel anytime). BTW, these are American links, so if you live in another region/country, just pick it in the selection box in the top-right corner of the site I linked to.

I think I'll turn in for the night( where I am). I'll stick around to read your latest reply, but I'll answer any questions tomorrow( where I am).

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Don't buy nvidia just for it's marketing gimmicks, cuda and physx won't do you any good unless you have a practical application for them. There's a phsyics processor in AMD cards too, nvidia is just being a smartass about them and paying developers to make games specifically for their propietary ageia engine. On the other hand if you do want to support their smug marketing (AMD have been doing the same crap since 2010 too) and thievery (since the 3dfx days) then go with EVGA, they're long renowned for their good quallity boards and support. If you buy the 7950 go with HIS, GIGABYTE or Sapphire/ASUS.

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I'd actually recommend the HIS Iceq x2 turbo, or MSI Twin Frozr 7950. Great games bundle and better performance than the 670, or 760. Sometimes the 7950 beats the 680 and 770

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Keep in mind my nvidia rant, you will find others that confirm it's true. I wouldn't ever buy anything nvidia unless it was something more high end, their midrange cards are pathetic compared to what you can buy with the same money from ATi

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i would look at a HiS 7950 iceQ x2 turbo boost, or Msi 7950 Twin frozer. both cards are voltage unlocked. Asus cards are also voltage unlocked if im right? but mostly more expensive..

about Nvidia cards Msi asus and evga are  great brands.

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If I had a lot of money to spend on just the video card, I wouldn't care that much for the brand, rather for noise and power consumption, regard in which nvidia sometimes prevails (though HIS coolers are pretty silent), so it much depends on your personal needs. If it's for raw performance AMD will always be better, but crippled in games that favor nvidia. If you strictly want to play games that support physX then you can't mix them, buy nvidia.

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well there allways a few games that run better on nvidia, other prefer amd more. that is realy depending on which games you play.

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The 760 and the 7950 trade blows. In some games, one is a bit ahead and in other games, the other is a bit ahead. Seeing as how the 760 is cheaper, I would vote for that one. Something to consider though is that games are using an increasing amount of vram. Grabbing the 4gb version of the 760 might be worth it in the long run.

 

http://www.techspot.com/review/686-geforce-gtx-760/

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Holy Hell, these companies offer 2-3 year warranties, while the store offers 1 year for extra money o.o Only difference is that it's instant, no shipping times required at all. But even then, that is hard to beat with the really long online warranties. At the same time, I have less options if I bought through them. Damn... Maybe buying all of it myself and building it carefully would be better XD I guess the instant replacement thing was just really... really tempting