GTX 560 Ti vs HD 7870 GHz OC 2GB (Sapphire) vs 7970 GHz GPU

[Vorz]

So I'm sitting here with a small dilemma. My budget isn't amazing. But I'm having some issues deciding between the 7870 card and the 7970 card. I know the 7970 is a lot better, but it's also ~120-150 euro's more expensive than the 7870 I want to buy. Currently I have the GTX 560 Ti 1GB card.

I've tested GW2 last weekend, and I played it with roughly 20-30 FPS with my GTX 560 Ti (no DX11 yet there). And I really want to play it on atleast 45+ if I could. So I thought the 7870 would be more than enough for that, but my friend says the 7970 offers a lot more and I should just keep on saving for that one instead.

Now, what I'm really asking is, is the upgrade from a 560 Ti to an 7870 worth it? The price difference for me is quite big (between 7870 & 7970). Or if there's a card I could buy that's in between, please do say. Since I'm quite unsure what to do.

If it's important, my current set-up is:

CPU: AMD Phenom 2 x6 1100T 3.3 GHz
GPU: GTX 560 Ti 1GB
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3
RAM: 8GB DDR3
Resolution: 1920x1080 (24")
PSU: 850W
Case: Cooler Master 690 CM II

Thanks in advance .

[Deleted]

It's GW2 beta. It runs horrible on my PC (at least last time they had it open, haven't played today).

While the 7870 and 7970 are a lot better cards, I'd say stick with the 560 Ti. It should be able to run GW2 just fine once released. I also fear that GW2 might end up being problematic to run for some, and extremely CPU intensive, but that's just a guess based on my loose experience with how the game performs. And since you mentioned that your budget "isn't amazing" I'll just assume that you are better off saving the money? Upgrading every generation of new GPUs is generally not worth it for the average consumer either.

(As my signature suggest, I have a 3570k at 4.4GHz and a 7970 at 1.1GHz. People and ArenaNet have reported that the issues might be caused by overclocking.)

TL;DR: Don't upgrade.

[n0cturnal]

I will have to agree with Marest. Keep your 560 at least for now and if you aren't satisfied with the performance come release perhaps then you can take a look at getting a 7870 or even a GTX660.

[Grraarrgghh]

I know I've harped this line many times before, but I suspect there's more at play than the surface system specs (or even overclocks).

Lots of setup comparisons on the GW2 forum here, on r/guildwars2, and other forums show people with (on the surface) identical builds getting quite variative results.

Personally, I tried it on 2 OCd setups and a laptop and had resultant FPS that I would expect from each, but like everyone else, my experience is anecdotal.

Keep your setup, it's a good build for the time being.

[DeltrusDisc]

GTX 560 Ti (no DX11 yet there).

What exactly do you mean by this, OP? You realize the 560 Ti has native support for DX11, correct? Or does GW2 not have support enabled or something yet for DX11?

Personally, before you upgrade your GPU, you'd be much better off upgrading your CPU, but you're likely very fine with the 1100T, a good Ivy/Sandy i5 however will give a boost even further. It may yet be the thing that was holding you back on fps, as I doubt your GPU was working at 100%.

You could use MSI Afterburner's in-game overlay to tell whether you're using 100% or not. If you're not using 100% but not getting top notch fps, then it is your CPU that is bottlenecking your performance.

[Esg]

Next gen cards from ATI aren't scheduled to be released until Q2 next year (and theres always delays) and nvidia only has the 660 left to release, then a longer wait for their new gen. The 560 TI isnt a bad card, and imo I would just wait less then a year and save up to get a new gen card, or at least wait until GW2 is launched live and see if its better optimized, at which point you can decide whether or not to buy a new card. If you are getting a new card I would suggest saving a bit more for the 7970 since its better in the long term.

[DeltrusDisc]

Next gen cards from ATI aren't scheduled to be released until Q2 next year (and theres always delays) and nvidia only has the 660 left to release, then a longer wait for their new gen. The 560 TI isnt a bad card, and imo I would just wait less then a year and save up to get a new gen card, or at least wait until GW2 is launched live and see if its better optimized, at which point you can decide whether or not to buy a new card. If you are getting a new card I would suggest saving a bit more for the 7970 since its better in the long term.

Do remember that ATi Radeon were bought out by AMD and now are called AMD Radeon.

[OmegaV]

The general thing with most MMOs is that the cpu is the most important factor, I'm using a AMD Phenom II x4 965 at 4ghz and a 6870 and ran around 40-50 FPS for the most part and in large group around 25-35 fps. This was at max settings at 1920x1080 res.

Also I think the OP might have been referring to the game not having DX11

[DeltrusDisc]

The general thing with most MMOs is that the cpu is the most important factor, I'm using a AMD Phenom II x4 965 at 4ghz and a 6870 and ran around 40-50 FPS for the most part and in large group around 25-35 fps. This was at max settings at 1920x1080 res.

Also I think the OP might have been referring to the game not having DX11

This is very true and precisely what I was essentially talking about in my post a few up. Phenom IIs were great for their time, but current gen i5s speed past them like a runner going by an old couple just walking in the park. :P I personally have a 560 Ti and in Rift, if I am in the main city, it'll sit around 25% while I'm only getting like 20-30 fps. hahaa but unfortunately I can't really improve yet upon it because I have a 2500K@4.4GHz. =/

Out in the open world though my GPU goes up to about 80~% usage at 60fps, so I imagine if I didn't have VSync on, it would easily hit 100%, bigggg difference.

[OmegaV]

Yeah I was more or less just giving an example

[DeltrusDisc]

Yeah I was more or less just giving an example

Good example for sure, wasn't doubting it or anything of the matter, more or less backing it up with more examples. :P

[OmegaV]

lol alright, not always sure with the internet just wanted to state it.