Graphics Card Advice

[Norack]

You will do just fine with your specs.
Upgrade the GPU.
I say a 670 if you only intend to play at 1920x1080 or lower.
A 680 if you intend to play @ higher res.
If you play @ 1920x1080, a 670 vs a 680 are virtually identical.
I mean it.. They are like almost 100%, neck and neck.
Enjoy.

Expect to loose like 4-6% FPS using PCIE 2.0 vs 3.0
It is really not a huge deal imo.

Thx for the advice everyone, I think ill be going with the 670. One more question and than I swear ill be done asking questions. What is the difference between the 670 2GB/4GB version? I would assume just the amount of VRam it has? Also what is the difference between the normal 2GB and 4 GB version and the FTW version for both of them?

[Shura]

Thx for the advice everyone, I think ill be going with the 670. One more question and than I swear ill be done asking questions. What is the difference between the 670 2GB/4GB version? I would assume just the amount of VRam it has? Also what is the difference between the normal 2GB and 4 GB version and the FTW version for both of them?

If you play at a resolution much higher then 1920x1080p or use multiple monitors at 1080p then you should get the 4GB, if not then go with the 2GB. Most games won't break above 2GB, but recently some games like skyrim and BF3 have broken 2GB when playing at higher then 1080p rez. It really depends on what you have now and what you want for the future, if you think your gonna get a insane screen or use multiple monitors in the near future to play PC games then go with 4GB to future proof. If your gonna only stick with 1080p then go with 2gb, i highly doubt FFXIV will even use 2gb.

Here are some benchmarks comparing a 2GB vs 4GB of the same card, notice how for all the resolutions at 1080p or lower, the FPS is the same, for some games even at higher res the FPS is the same.

In regards to the FTW version, this really depends on the specific card so it would be more helpful if you could link the 2 cards your looking at.

[Norack]

If you play at a resolution much higher then 1920x1080p or use multiple monitors at 1080p then you should get the 4GB, if not then go with the 2GB. Most games won't break above 2GB, but recently some games like skyrim and BF3 have broken 2GB when playing at higher then 1080p rez. It really depends on what you have now and what you want for the future, if you think your gonna get a insane screen or use multiple monitors in the near future to play PC games then go with 4GB to future proof. If your gonna only stick with 1080p then go with 2gb, i highly doubt FFXIV will even use 2gb.

Here are some benchmarks comparing a 2GB vs 4GB of the same card, notice how for all the resolutions at 1080p or lower, the FPS is the same, for some games even at higher res the FPS is the same.

In regards to the FTW version, this really depends on the specific card so it would be more helpful if you could link the 2 cards your looking at.

O wow! thx for the advice, I woulda gone with the 4 GB's if i didn't know this which is about $100 more ty ^.^

Here are the cards that I am looking at and ultimately will get 1 of these 2

GTX 670 2GB = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130782

GTX 670 2GB FTW = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130787

Not a huge price difference, the FTW version is about $25 more, but I can't see any difference at all in the FTW version other than it has "FTW" in the description.

lol sounds stupid but if the normal version doesn't work better than the FTW version id probably get the FTW version simply because i have a clear case and the FTW one looks better lol.

[Shura]

O wow! thx for the advice, I woulda gone with the 4 GB's if i didn't know this which is about $100 more ty ^.^

Here are the cards that I am looking at and ultimately will get 1 of these 2

GTX 670 2GB = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130782

GTX 670 2GB FTW = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130787

Not a huge price difference, the FTW version is about $25 more, but I can't see any difference at all in the FTW version other than it has "FTW" in the description.

lol sounds stupid but if the normal version doesn't work better than the FTW version id probably get the FTW version simply because i have a clear case and the FTW one looks better lol.

The FTW version is clocked higher:
Core Clock is 915MHz vs 1006MHz
Boost Clock is 980MHz vs 1084MHz
Effective Memory Clock 6008MHz vs 6208MHz

Its just an overclocked version of the normal card, it also uses a custom cooler but some reviews say it also runs hotter.

Now this really comes down to preference, but i personally prefer bang for buck and in my honest opinion, the 670 is not worth it for almost $400. The ATI 7950 Boost is a much better card for the money; Here you can see a comparison between the GTX 670 and ATI 7950 boost. Notice how their almost tied every time, the 7950 also overclocks like a beast, if you OC it, it beats the 670 and its $100 cheaper.

For me it comes done to value, i go with whatever card offers me the best performance for price, sometimes its Nvidia and other times its ATI and this generation i think the 7950 boost is the best bang for buck card out there.

Sapphire 7950 Dual-X

Here is a Newest Version of the above card, it was recently released so not much reviews out yet.