What (nvidia) GPU for 2560 x 1440?

Hardware GPU
1

Let me start off by saying I prefer to use an NVidia card because I have been playing around with osx86 and I don’t need the unnecessary modifications that sometime come along with AMD/ATI. NVidia cards pretty much are plug and play for my system.

Anyway I just ordered an X-Star (Only $260 - Thanks Logan!) and I am using a 650 gtx in my system now, and can hardly put up with the results I get with a newer 24 inch 1080p ASUS. It constantly drops frames, and ghosts when I do small things like scroll in a webpage or move windows around. This happens in every OS I use on my machine. I want to blame it partially on my monitor, and partially on my GPU. But I don’t really know that I’m right..

I don’t do a lot of gaming, but I do here and there. I guess what I’m saying is I don’t have to set everything on ultra and expect high frame rates. I’m usually content with High/Medium settings, and a decent frame rate. But most importantly I need the classic windows/mac/Linux environment to be fluid, and stable at 2560 x 1440p with an almost constant light/medium workload. Everything else is a bonus (gaming etc.)

I am a CS student and I do a lot of coding, and design related stuff in adobe programs. I enjoy taking advantage of a broad range of programs, and intend to learn a little about a lot - so I have a variety of hardware to keep my PC dated, and up to par. I use a 3770K with a Gigabyte Z77 UD5H and H80i for playing around with overclocking. I have 8 GB Corsair XMS Ram, and Samsung 840 SSD followed by some basic HDDs for storage.

Thats pretty much it besides the Galaxy 650 gtx I intend to replace soon after my x star arrives. I’m going to try my 650 to see if the change in monitors makes a diff, and overclock the monitor if I don’t see the results. But otherwise I assume I’m going to have to upgrade my GPU.

Any suggustions or ideas? Has anyone had a similar problem?

2

Gtx 780 or 770 for 1440p.

3

Is it safe to assume I could expect similar results, and save a few dollars by going for the 670 or 680 ?

 

 

4

Any of those should be fine. MSI's GTX770 Lightning easily trades punches with the GTX780s. If you buy it without the game (new Splinter Cell, if not mistaken) it costs 360 British (at Amazon.co.uk)...Which is a fabulous price.

I find it strange that you are having problems with your current setup. One of my systems, with GTX 460 TwinFrzr, runs my NEC 27" with no issues...24/7 for Video rendering/CAD...

Cheers.

5

From my experience you should be OK...But, people on this site run into some very strange bottlenecks, and performance issues, that I have never had...Even with my GTX460...

You should be fine, specially with the 680.

Cheers.

6

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I think im going to go for the 770 or 680. 

7

go 700 series or go home

8

In most instances, the 700 series is cheaper, and it has had the bandwidth issue fixed. This means the 700 series is much more adept at higher resolutions. I think the 780 is the best single card match for 1440p, but even the 760 would allow you to game at that res, maybe after turning off many of the filters.

Then there's the AMD options!

9

780, 770 or amd 7970, either one of those will do. DO NOT get the msi lightning becuase it doesnt have a dual link dvi and wont work with the korean monitors without an adapter

10

cheapest option will be a Msi 7950 Twin frozer for $269.

trow an overclock on it, and it performs realy close to a 7970 or GTX770. it even beats a GTX770 in some games. at 1440p. 

11

You can get an HIS 7970 with an amazing cooler IMO, for 300. You can overclock it pretty ewtremely to reach speeds of a 780.