Is a GTX 550Ti a good graphics card?
I am just wondering if its worth buying a GTX 550ti for my budget PC? I do not wish to buy 2 of them for SLI. Most importantly, will the GTX 550Ti run present and upcoming games for possibly the next 2 years and so?
Comments
@Hammdog he asked about the $130 GTX 550 Ti, not the $240 GTX 560 Ti you've got (which IS a step above the 6870)
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It's a decent card, but NOT a good value for a budget PC.
On average, the GTX 550 Ti is about 3-5 percent faster than a Radeon HD 6770. But in many games like Star Wars the Old Republic and Metro 2033, the Radeon HD 6770 performs better. Since the GTX 550 Ti usually sells for $130 compared to $110 for the 6770, it's not very appealing.
It can play most games on high settings at 1920x1080, easier titles maxed. It will probably be ok for the next 2 years, but in more demanding titles you'll probably wind up needing to drop to medium settings in order to have acceptable fps.
And spending $130 on the GTX 550 Ti makes no sense when the faster GTX 460 and Radeon HD 6850 only cost $140. Those are much better choices if you're looking for a card to last 2 years.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
Between them, the Radeon HD 6850 is stronger. Nvidia discontinued their original 1GB GTX 460 (256-bit version) and replaced it with a slower 192-bit version. The currently available 1GB GTX 460 performs identically to the old 768MB GTX 460.
Performance:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_G...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6790...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5541/amd-radeon-hd-7...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/star-wars-gami...
Oh, if you can spend $160, grab the Radeon HD 6870. It's the best bang/buck option.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
Yes its an awesome card. But since the 600 series just came out the prices have dropped on the GTX570. You can buy the EVGA GTX 570 for $299 and the super clocked 570 for 319. Both of those cards will last you probably three to four years down the road. The GTX560 will last you the same time but you will be better off with a more powerful card for longevity. I upgraded to a GTX570 when they first came out. Before I had a EVGA GTX275 that was a great card. I still have it as a backup. I bought the GTX275 back in late 2008 I think. It played almost everything with high settings.
Sorry.. edit here:
I bought a 560Ti 2 months ago. Loving it!
If you can go for the next card up.
550 will do ok, but the 560 is quite a jump up in performance...
But each brand of manufacture have difference performance gains to be had with their head sync/ fan combination and over clocking tools.
But like i say... if u can go for the 560Ti..
@C-Mann: I used to have the 6870 and only reason i swapped was because we needed HDMI for our TV (As my system is the media server) AMD only have their HDMI converter cables which don't do 1080p justice and the quality was significant when watching blurry. To top that off the 560Ti is quite a jump in performance over my AMD.
GPU buyers Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqnxroGd3mA
Low wattage PSU's and GPU's Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTQoH-j5KZY
Drop me a line ...
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nevertheless one... the two taking part in cards are incredibly equivalent. yet once you desire eyefinity, decide for the AMD card. or in case you desire physx, decide for the nividia card.... yet eyefinity and physx kills overall performance for those 2 low-middle variety taking part in cards.