I am building (on paper) a PC using MSY parts.
What graphics card would be appropriate for me: I want something that will give a great display without going over the top. I only play the occasional game, but want a good resolution and snappy display. It should be capable of driving 2 monitors. It should be quiet.
I could spend up to say $250, but perhaps a unit at half that price might be better? I have no idea really on this, so any suggestions will be welcome.
As cooldude123 said, it depends on the games you play and your quality requirements. Integrated graphics can support dual monitors, so that's a non-issue - though I hope you're not expecting to game on the dual monitor setup.
I run two monitors on an XFX 6870 and it works a treat (contemplating a 3rd, but it seems a bit wasteful) - it doesn't max out any recent releases, but it performs relatively well at high settings and 1920 x 1080.
You should also note that buying a better card now (7870, for example) will last you longer than a 7770 would - so you'd have to compare the initial and long term costs. I say get a 7870, since it'll cover you for most things now and in the future, should you wish to extend beyond the occasional game.
Mid to high end graphics cards are generally not too loud even when on full load
I'd have to disagree with that. It could just be my XFX 6870, but it runs quite loud at idle alone. It'll depend on which brand you get, OP. I've heard mixed reviews about Gigabyte, for instance, and it would seem (based on anecdotal evidence) XFX isn't too great in this department either. Perhaps Saphire? I hear good things about them in general. You can take a look at Whirlpool (or post a thread yourself) for a better idea - there's quite a larger sample size for experience.
TL;DR - a 7850 or 7870 sounds about right. You should be able to find a good factory OC'd model for around your price point (or below, in the case of the 7850). I'd find a specific model, but I absolutely loathe MSY's website… you could also order from pccasegear, if it works out to be cheaper.
Any 7750+ will have no trouble driving three monitors for video/browsing/whatever. For games in mostly depends on the game you want to play and the total number of pixels on all gaming monitors.
the 7850 is a very solid card, I suggest start looking at that and you can move up to a 7870 or down to a 7750 (often 7770 just isn't worth it).
Last generation, I would have still went with AMD, however this particular generation nVidia have caught up and are faster / better value for money too. All in all the better choice.
A gtx660 would fit that budget nicely.
Great contributions, thanks a lot.
Quiet operation is very important . I would sacrifice performance for quiet operation. Any makes or specs that are better for quieter performance?
Look for fanless cards then. Might be more expensive and less powerful for a similar price point though.
You won't find any fanless cards at MSY except for the really low end ones.
Fanless "gaming grade" cards are tough to find, and the shops who do sell it sell it for an exorbitant price.
I have just ordered a Sapphire HD 7750 Ultimate, which is fan less, and at between $130-$150 is I think the highest spec fan less graphics card out at the moment (caveats for those who water cool their machines).
Yes a 7750 with a fan is a lot less, but, like the point made above, you pay a bit more for it.
My last 3 cards (incl. this one) would be Sapphire, so you could say I am happy with their cards.
PCCG link http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&p…
Ohh supports 3 monitors also, with the third via the display port.
Would you mind reporting back with some temps once you've received and installed the card?
Just curious :-)
I will.
I will be running it in a Shuttle SP35P2, so airflow would probably end up with a different temp profile that other people anyway.
I'm a quiet PC nut and this is the card I've had my eye on recently:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_650_Ti_Power_Edit…
The 650 Ti doesn't have the best performance per dollar but this card does have an excellent combination of low noise and power consumption. Techpowerup is one of the best sites for checking those things but note the comparison chart doesn't necessarily show the quietest card for each GPU (e.g. the 7770 noise figures are based on the relatively noisy reference card), so you have to go through the reviews for each manufacturer to find the quietest. You also might want to scoot over to the SPCR forum to check for feedback and any caveats that might apply to a given card.
I generally wouldn't recommend a fanless card - these were an important option back when card manufacturers didn't care much about fan noise, but that's changed nowadays.
Note when looking at MSI cards to check carefully for "PE" (Power Edition) in the model number, as that's often all that distinguishes them from the cheaper non-PE cards which may be equipped with less quiet fans.
I also recommend the MSI 7870 HAWK if you're after a higher end, but quiet gaming GPU. I bought mine 3 days ago and am quite impressed with the thermal and noise performance — much better than my previous HD5850 Powercolor.
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N660Ti-2GD5-OC.html with a http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/375/accelero-twin-turb…
Excellent performance, have to keep checking the card and fan are actually running it is that quiet.
Yes, a little over budget but thought I would throw it out there :)
G
7870 or 660Ti.
Better to get the 7870LE based off the tahiti core. Most readily available one in Australia being the Powercolor HD7870 MYST. Sapphire has a HD7870XT though not seen it yet on our shores.
7870LE performance would make it more like a HD7930 if such a product existed. It sells for $246 at megaware when it's in stock: http://www.megaware.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&…
It really depends on which type of games you're playing. There's quite a big difference between say Battlefield 3 and two year old indie games.
Decent graphics cards that can support dual monitor setups with high frame rates at the highest quality can go well into $300+.
However, if you're willing to run games at the second highest quality or so then there's a lot of graphics cards that are under $250. A suggestion might be the AMD Radeon 7870 which can run most games at High and supports 2 monitors. It's about $240 at MSY.
Mid to high end graphics cards are generally not too loud even when on full load, but if being quiet is an absolute must, then be prepared to pay a premium for quieter cards.