Robert Rodriguez5 - Look, it’s true that Nvidia usually dominates the high-end market with better power efficiency, superior features, and more polished drivers. But honestly, in this specific scenario, those perks might not even matter. The Nvidia GTX 970 felt like an absolute beast when it first launched—performance, wattage, price—it was perfect. But then you factor in all that massive headache surrounding the coil whine (which people somehow just ignored at the time) plus this current mess? I don't know... it’s going to be a tough sell later on. AMD is definitely going to capitalize on this segment; they'll likely offer a much stronger card for the same price, or similar performance for even less, all while providing "real" 4GB of VRAM.
People who actually have the cash to drop on cards like these also have high-end power supplies. I highly doubt they care if one card pulls 220W while the other pulls 170W. If anything, they're going to be way more concerned about these two major issues—assuming AMD doesn't completely drop the ball.
You can find plenty of info here over the last few pages; people have posted quite a few links. Honestly, it’s turned out to be a massive embarrassment for Nvidia. It looks like a lot of users are feeling let down—not just because of the hardware itself, but because of the dishonesty involved.
Word is they pulled the exact same stunt with the 550Ti and the 660Ti without anyone noticing, so they thought they could get away with it again. They just tripped up this time because modern games are absolute memory hogs when you crank everything to the max. In my opinion, it's still a great card, but apparently, things fall apart once you hit that extra 0.5 GB threshold (which you rarely even touch at 1080p, whereas an Nvidia GTX 980 or an AMD R9 290/290 x would consume more VRAM in that same scenario). Performance just tanks.
Despite any potential backlash (though I'm not entirely sure if the new Team Red fans will make a fuss, or if they even do), I’d honestly take that XFX model over the others any day.
To setup would perform reasonably well in mid-range territory for those oddly optimized titles like StarCraft II, Total War: Rome 2, or Arma 3. If he’s specifically looking to play those, he should definitely go with Intel. For everything else—especially the more demanding modern titles—the Ryzen 5 3600 is a much better value, especially since it costs roughly 80% less, even after you factor in the cost of an aftermarket cooler.
gentlesailor43 says: It’s way easier to argue face-to-face than over email, honestly...😁 b>>> >> We're talking cold, hard cash here.☕ How much better are we talking?😁
Basically, after using my old 9600GT for ages (it's definitely ready for retirement), I want to be able to play some newer titles without constantly worrying if I can still run things on medium settings two years down the road.😬
Feel free to throw out some suggestions. Throw some AMD options my way too. I usually lean toward Intel and Nvidia—that combo has never let me down in the past. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Regarding the **bolded** part—that's exactly why I'm saying just buy from a reputable shop that's fast and actually handles returns without a headache (and is usually cheaper); then you don't have to deal with any arguments.
Intel might struggle to stay within your budget (you wouldn't go below an i5 at this level), but Nvidia's selection in the price range you're looking at is pretty weak, so you'd probably want to skip that requirement anyway.
So, here is an Intel build with 4GB if you feel that's enough to start with. You'll eventually need to upgrade it for next-gen games, but it's cheap ($100 4GB) and easy to expand later:
1 x Intel Core i5-12400 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,LGA 1200) Box 1 x ASUS Prime B660 - LGA 1200 Socket B660 Chipset M-ATX MB 1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan 1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003 1 x Coolermaster K280, MIDI, black, USB 3.0, no PSU 1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R 1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB) 1600MHz CL11 1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 2GB OC, 2GB GDDR5 256bit 1 x SCYTHE Slip Stream Slim 120mm 1200 rpm, 21.71 dBA / 24.03 CFM
$1656**, edit for $17 there's also a motherboard with 4 RAM slots [link]
Here is an option that includes 8GB right away and an RX 580 (great version), though it lacks a high-end cooler (which isn't critical today):
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan 1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003 1 x Coolermaster K280, MIDI, black, USB 3.0, no PSU 1 x SCYTHE Slip Stream Slim 120mm 1200 rpm, 21.71 dBA / 24.03 CFM 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK 1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866 1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm ,92mm 1 x Gigabyte RX 580 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD 2 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB) 1600MHz CL11
$1687
You can ditch those $20 items if you remove the SCYTHE Slip Stream Slim 120mm; you can always pick up a fan later to help with airflow. If they don't have that specific card in stock, you could also grab this one.
David Sanders4 said:If they only release the TI versions, we’re looking at much higher price tags and significantly more power draw. At that point, it all boils down to one question: how much cheaper would they actually be compared to a GTX 970? Ultimately, the value proposition will depend entirely on the MSRP. In my view, the only real selling point here would be the lower power consumption.
There are two models currently under consideration that could potentially become the GTX 960 Ti—they just haven't pulled the trigger on which specific one will actually hit the market yet.
I suspect the weaker one will actually come out on top. If this version really averages out to be just a hair stronger than a GTX 780—or even equal to it—then there’s zero point in getting a GTX 970. It would be way too close to call.
Quote: The New Guy
crimsonstag84 said:Stay tuned.$567 Regarding the GTX 960.They really ought to drop a GTX 960 Ti version just to plug that gap in the lineup. It feels like Nvidia is still struggling to find a card that can actually go toe-to-toe with AMD in the mid-range—and honestly, they’re still falling behind in the entry-level tier, too.
I think that's a realistic estimate, but knowing how things tend to play out here in the States, I wouldn't be surprised if it actually climbed even higher—maybe hitting the 1800 mark.$633At least for the first few weeks, it’s going to be tough for it to undercut the R9 285 or the GTX 760. In a best-case scenario, we’re looking at them being priced exactly the same.
We've known this for at least a month now—which is exactly why the hype died down. Once they looked at the architecture, it became obvious the performance would barely top a GTX 760.
David Sanders4 said:Honestly, $567 offers a solid price point—up to about $1850$633—when you factor in power draw and performance. If it hits its predicted benchmarks, it’ll actually be a better value than the GTX 970. The GTX 970 is basically the gold standard for anyone aiming for 1440p, whereas this is clearly built for 1080p enthusiasts... personally, I can't wait for the launch! 👏
It’s hard to see this being more cost-effective than the GTX 970, especially considering the price tag and significantly lower performance levels. Plus, there's no guarantee it'll even outperform the R9 280 (around $1500$533). Sure, the power consumption will be lower, but let's be real: back in the day, even the 280X was retailing for $1600$567, so this definitely won't be a total game-changer.
XFX AMD RADEON R9 270 DD Edition Corsair LC6460GP3 V2.3, featuring a 140mm fan. LC POWER PRO-923B Red Captor case paired with a SCYTHE Slip Stream 120mm fan at 1200 RPM.
If you're looking at strategy games—think Rome: Total War or Company of Heroes 2—you're going to need some decent GPU power. In that case, pairing an i3 with a dedicated graphics card is the way to go.
You'll also have plenty of room left on a 240GB SSD (if you install the game directly onto it, you'll get much faster loading times).
1 x Intel Core i3-4150 (3.50GHz,512KB,3MB,54 W,1150) Box 1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x Kingston SSD 240GB HyperX Fury, 2.5", SATA 3 1 x FORTRON 400W Power Supply, HEXA 400, 12cm fan, Active PFC 1 x Zalman T5 mini tower case. 170(W) x 427(H) x 348(D)mm. 1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R 1 x MSI R7 260x 2GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm, 2xDVI + HDMI + DisplayPort 1 x Asrock B85M-HDS - Intel 1150 Socket B85 chipset M-ATX mb
$1379eBay
It’s a solid PC for general gaming; nothing over-the-top or overpriced.
Unless you decide to swap in a high-end 120GB drive with a 5-year warranty, like aSamsung 850
Cables are cables—they're essentially identical (10-$5.00)
The build is solid, though you could swap things out for this, that, or even this
You’ll also need an aftermarket cooler for that CPU: if you aren't on a tight budget, at least grab this. Ideally, you should go for something more heavy-duty like:
GTX 760 - slightly underpowered compared to the R9 280 GTX 770 - it offers more punch, but you either can't find one right now or they're overpriced—honestly, they cost about the same as the entry-level GTX 970 models, which are a significant step up in performance
