So yeah, lately I been buying a lot of games from Steam on the cheap , but most of them I can only play at 720p to get around 40fps. Only the low end 2D games I can play 60fps at 1080p.

In any case, my current GPU is a GT620. My budget is roughly RM600, and I would like something that should last me a few years (3 years at least). What I mean is, it should be able to play 1080p games at 60fps, at the lowest graphics settings. I don't play action-FPS games and generally those demanding ones. Mine are more "experience" games, or those like Dishonored, Deus Ex HR and Xcom. And lots of 2D platformers.

My current specs:

3GHz 3rd Gen Core i5
8GB RAM
21'' Samsung Syncmaster monitor

Cheers,

I appreciate your help! Never bought a GPU before for gaming purposes, but I figured since I already have a capable enough PC, and the fact games on Steam go on the cheap so often, I rather just get a better GPU than spend on a console.

PS: I have been looking at the GTX 650 and 660 cards. Would appreciate if you can talk about the different types of those GPUs there are, like clock speed, VRAM etc.

This post has been edited by contestchris: Jan 8 2014, 08:04 PM

600 eh?
GPU:Gigabyte GTX650Ti Boost OC 2GB DDR5 RM599
From viewnet.
Or you can top up RM79,and get Sapphire R9 270 2GB DDR5 RM679 from Viewnet,it's upto you since your budget is 600
But there's difference between this 2 cards.

This post has been edited by Minecrafter: Jan 8 2014, 08:17 PM


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The GTX 650ti boost should fit the bill. Its bandwidth is all the same with the gtx 660 , have the same memory. Its only downside is that it has a bit less shader and cuda core. The latter is not that important if you're not doing any rendering stuff.

At 1080P is better to have a 2GB card , suggestion for model. Leadtek gtx 650ti 2GB or Gigabyte gtx 650ti 2GB both are priced rm599(taken from viewnet) though you can find a better deal if you search through the garage sales section.

I was reading some other similar threads on the sub-forum, and I see people mentioning additional power sources. Do I need any of that?

Also, can I confirm if my CPU and RAM is decent enough? I'm not really all that wise in that regards.

Please open the casing and check your power supply rating.

yup, your cpu is still quite new (ivy bridge) and it should run games well without bottleneck. Your memory is also sufficient. For psu, any 500W psu is good enough.

Mine is a stock Dell PC. I think model is 660Tower. I'm afraid to unscrew it cause well...I'm not smart in those things (yet).

Which 660? The original 660 or the 660s? Check if you have a slim casing, or otherwise.

Mine is 660. The fatter one.

Can you open up the case and look at the PSU label?

You may need a PSU upgrade... Since yours is a non-slim variant, you can fit most standard ATX units in the market.
The Hexa 500W for RM149 may do the trick..

Though I'm afraid that Dell may use mini power connectors to the board, making PSU upgrades impossible.

GTX650 Ti Boost RM559 at Czone

650TI Boost the best you can get within your budget for the green camp. Cheapest price quoted is by Idealtech, Leadtek GTX650 TI Boost 2GB at RM539.

Alternatively, there are R9 270 (non X) with BF4 at cost to RM700. Consider that BF4 itself worth around RM80, you basically just pay RM600++ for it. Quite worth it.

But then, since you may need to upgrade your PSU also (most probably gonna cost at least RM150), so keep at the GTX650TI Boost 2GB is fine.

Between GTX660 and the 650TI, which do you recommend? I was looking at benchmarks, and the 660 has a G3D score of 4500, and the 650TI 2600. Does it make much difference in real world gaming though?

I think 660 is out of your budget already. Also, the marginal performance gain not really worth the extra price to top up. Generally, 650TI boost can do (play) what 660 can do also, so the upgrade isn't exactly essential. Besides, not much brands still carrying 660, as it is succeeded by 760 already.

Like I suggested, if you do have extra budget to top up, then consider R9 270 (if with BF4 is even sweeter). It is a better choice if you having a budget of around RM700. If you having a budget of RM850+, then you can consider the GTX760 (non-reference).


This post has been edited by Human10: Jan 9 2014, 02:56 AM

Thanks!

Ok guys, I have one more question. I looked and did some searches, and I think a TI Boost GTX 650 it will be. But...what's the difference between the brands? Like Asus, Leadtek etc? Doesn't have any direct from nVidia? Why different prices? I see all are two GB.

The answer may be obvious to you guys, but not to me. So please help me out in understanding the differences.

Difference between the GPU from each brands?The difference is clock speed,amount if GDDR ram(sometimes),memory clock(iinm that its called),warranty,cooler and version(Example Gigabyte has Windforce version iinm,Asus has DC2 version) etc.
There's none for NVidia since it's the reference one in which MSI,Asus,Leadtek,Zotac,Gigabyte can relase reference one's at the start.,i prefer Getting from brands like Asus,Leadtek etc instead of AMD/NVidia BECAUSE 1.Sometimes longer warranty2.specs a bit better3.better cooler.
The GDDR RAM doesn't decides the price of it.i'd recommend you the Gigabyte GTX650Ti Boost OC 2GB DDr5 RM599 since it's the best below 600 price range.

This post has been edited by Minecrafter: Jan 10 2014, 03:22 PM

If possible, top up to 650 TI Boost, the price different isn't much afaik, but the performance is quite different. p/s: Didn't saw your "TI Boost" in front of the GTX650...

Different brands had different cooler and clock/memory speed (factory overclock).

Generally, Asus's products (mobo, GPU and so on) are significantly overpriced compared to other brands in Malaysia. But they somehow compensated it with their really decent cooler and above average customer services.

Back to the price different part, yeah, different brands will had different prices (depend on how much RRP the distro set it). Most of the time, you don't need to care too much on the brands. Just get the one that is cheapest or had the longest warranty period. No reason to pay a premium for some marginal overclock or fancy cooler.

For the direct from nVidia card, it is called reference card. A reference card is using stock reference cooler and having stock clock rate (some manufacturers may also selling reference card with their own branding, which is essentially the same thing as nVidia card). There is no reason to get a reference card as it is normally the weakest and the hottest as compared to non-reference card, unless it is significantly cheaper.

TL;DR: Just get the Leadtek GTX650 TI Boost, it is the cheapest one available locally.

This post has been edited by Human10: Jan 10 2014, 03:26 PM

I prefer the 7850 over the 650ti boost. Both are about the same price I think. The 7850 runs cooler and is slightly faster.

HD 7850 is a bit hard to locate these days, I'm using the R9 270 and it's solid stuff.