Windows 7: Video card for demanding games

Which video card would you recommend [single, not SLI or CrossfireX]?



I've read up on different video card specs and honestly... it confuses me even more and leaves really undecided about which type and graphics series to get.

GTX480/570/580 or Radeon HD6970 for max performance

Given that you have an AMD CPU, going Radeon here would be the wise choice.

AMD CPUs have trouble maxing out Fermi based cards in most games.

Go for the HD 6950 and then unlock it to a HD 6970.

Is it safe to state that newest or latest series cards are always the best way to go?
I am asking about this because there are still some HD5850's that are in the same price range with newer cards.

Could you link to your source?

Sure.

Just google 'Fermi low GPU usage'. You'll have a field day with epic threads.

Non i5/i7 CPUs (LGA 775 and AM2+/AM3 CPUs) have trouble maxing out Fermi based cards in most games.

Trust me, my previous CPU was a AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE, and it had trouble maxing out both a GTX 460 and GTX 470 in most games.

Hmm depends on the model # really.

For example a HD 5450 is not better than a HD 4870.

In this case, a HD 5850 is just in-between a HD 6850 and HD 6870 performance-wise. Still has some juice left that's for sure.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, what about the 5870? It works well for me at a reasonable price and you can double up in the future if need be.

I thought so too. Comparing the card specs, each card newer than its predecessor seems very pleasing on paper. But the benchmarks and reviews and replies on forum speak otherwise.

The price don't lie either LOL.
It kinda struck me as weird that the price tag of an older card could mount up to or even surpass the price tag of recently released card. To be honest I was psyched to see newer cards with very low price tags. I knew there was a catch!

LOL

Ahh, the Dick Cheney method...

Linking to other forum threads where you repeat the same claim is not exactly what I had in mind when I asked if you had a source.

First, when doing what you ask, all sorts of people report low gpu problems. It's not specific to AMD cpu's; it's all cpu's.

Secondly, the games mentioned, like Bad Company, have had issues with low gpu usage across the board; it too is not specific to AMD, Intel, ATI or nVidia.

I'm just wondering where you got this idea? Do you have anything other than anecdotal evidence, either from you or other guys in forums?

Every six months someone comes up with the claim, or a variation of it, that one gpu "works" better with a certain cpu. To date, nobody has ever backed these claims up with links to tests which prove these outlandish assertions.