Source
r/buildapc•
gotapresent

GPU that will last me for 2 more years at 1080p?

I have a 3 1/2 year old computer (i7-930, 6GB ram, Radeon HD 5870) which is still perfectly fine for everything except cutting edge games, so I want to hold off on replacing it for as long as possible. My current plan is to build a brand new system when the successor to Haswell-E comes out, maybe in late 2015 or 2 years from now, and upgrade my GPU in the meantime.

So what are some recommendations for a card that will play the latest games on a single 1080p monitor at ultra settings for the next 2 years? This is the only computer hardware purchase I'm making in a 5 1/2 year timespan so theoretically price isn't a concern, but I'd prefer to buy the least expensive card that would fit the above criteria.

Posted Dec 7, 2013, 7:34 PM UTC

514
Zekeasaurus•

I'm not sure what your budget is, but the Radeon R9 280x would probably do this.

4
[deleted]•

[deleted]

9
Sesleri•

It would. Its Nvidia counterpart the GTX 770 2gb would too.

Both great cards.

5
ReconRP•

But GTX 770 2gb is only 256 bit and 2gb, will that be enough in the future?

EDIT: Would anyone explain the downvotes? Because now I can't decide between Nvidia's 256 bit/2gb (or 4 gb) and Radeons with 384 bit/3gb.

1
BeardMilk•

It runs at 7GHz, it will be more than enough for the next few years.

edit: Why the downvotes? The bus is 256bit but it runs at 7GHz, this makes the total throughput actually pretty good. Also, a 770 will definitely hold up playing games at 1080 for the next 2 years.

3
hikerdude5•

The vram that is, not the core clock.

0
Funkbass•

...

-7
slapdashbr•

gtx 760 or better- a radeon 7950 (sold out), 7970, 280x or nvidia 760, 670, 770 are good options.

3
Pimparoo•

I'm in almost the same boat but with slightly lower specs: i7-920, 6GB RAM, HD 4870.

I rarely play AAA new titles (/r/patientgamers FTW) so I've rarely been limited, but it does influence what games I buy and play, which is starting to feel a little restrictive.

I want to build an entirely new system maybe a year from now capable of quality 1440p gaming, but am debating if it'll be affordable that soon, and if not, how much longer I'd be willing to wait. I've been considering spending ~$200 to just add a new GPU to my current system to last me another year plus, but then it wouldn't be powerful enough to be worth moving over to a new system so it seems like a questionable choice.

Considering an R9 270x once the price drops below $200, but the current GPU market is pretty volatile...

2
Rtzon•

I'm pretty sure the 7870 offers similar performance, but at a lower price. I picked one up for $130 this Black Friday.

1
HaphStealth•

If you are looking for a below $200 R9 270x, and are willing to overclock, I would recommend you buy the R9 270, as it is basically the same thing as a 270x, but clocked lower. When overclocked it should even exceed stock 270x performance.

1
Revalationist•

good luck getting any amd cards until those pesky miners sell them on ebay

1
GraveSorrow•

*sell them on ebay with the hardware damaged from running at max temps for months.

FTFY.

1
insidesin•

I'm pretty sure any 7000's GPU would do this. I'm still running on a Radeon 6850 and I haven't hit any blocks with Ultra settings in 1080p.

1