Desktop PC graphics advice

[misor]

Hello everyone.
I'm a casual gamer and I have finished building my dream rig sans discrete video card.

materials used:
coolermaster haf 932 advanced case (bought in u.s.)
coolermaster hyper 212 evo cpu cooler (bought in u.s.)
arctic silver 5 thermal paste (bought in u.s.)
intel i5-3570k processor (bought locally)
asrock z77 extreme 4 (bought in u.s.)
2x8gb ddr3-1600mhz gskill (bought in u.s.)
1tb sata hitachi (bought locally)
lite on dvd-rw 24x (bought locally)
seasonic M12II 650w psu (bought in u.s.)
(looking for an ideal budget discrete gpu)

operating system installed: windows 8 pro x64

games I like:
starcraft: broodwar
starcraft 2: wol and hots
diablo 2: lod
diablo 3
metro 2033

current monitors available: 1600x900 lcd LG or 1600x900 led Acer.
single monitor gaming only.
single monitor upgrade plan up to 23" 1920x1080 only but NOT at this time.

what video card can you suggest for my simple needs?
I am currently looking at an asus gtx 650 1gb gddr5, selling at about ~140$ u.s. equivalent.
asus gtx 650 dcII is being sold at a much higher price.
asus gtx 650 ti 1gb gddr5 and powercolor 7850 2gb gddr5 for about ~200$ u.s. equivalent.
thanks for any suggestion.

( I am not from the u.s. so I have to accept high retail price and few items available at nearest retail store)
(a sibling working in the u.s. will come home probably in 2014 or early 2015 but I can't wait that long)

my other desktop computers:
intel dh55tc with intel core i3-530 stock speed, stock hsf
palit NVidia 9800gt 1gb ddr3
2x2gb ddr3-1600
windows 7 home premium x64 dual boot with windows 8 pro x64
(~4 years)

ecs g41t-m with intel Pentium dual core e5400, stock speed, stock hsf
evga g210 512mb ddr3
2x2gb ddr3
windows 7 home premium x64
(~4 years)

ecs h61h2-m12 with intel g630, stock speed, stock hsf
2x2gb ddr3-1600
no discrete graphics unit
windows 8 pro x64
(~1 year)

 

[LukeDJ]

I think that the 7850 would be the best option out of the cards suggested, so I'd go with that one. If you can save your pennies, I'd get a 7870, as it will give you way better performance.

 

[misor]

LukeDJ, thanks for the suggestion but alas, a quick look at retailer price reveals a price of:
greater than 400$ u.s. equivalent for [FONT=ArialMT][FONT=ArialMT]Asus HD7870 DC 2gb ddr5 256bit .[/FONT][/FONT]
and more than 260$ for [FONT=ArialMT][FONT=ArialMT]PowerColor [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=ArialMT]HD7870[/FONT]

is powercolor a relatively not good brand compared to asus to justify the great price difference?
I have yet to see the actual items but the prices quoted here are based on the retailer's pricelist as of march 27, 2013. there is also no specific model number on both asus and powercolor.

remember, my current monitors are only 20" only and support maximum resolution of 1600x900.
(I'll probably buy a 23" 1920x1080 monitor this December 2013 but that is a long time and too distant to consider.)

 

[Jad Chaar]

These price equivalents are quite odd. $400 USD for a 7870? You can get a 7950/7970 for that price.
As for the GPU, I would personally go with a 7870. Playing Metro 2033 @ 1080P will be hard with anything lower than a 7870. If you want to go lower end, I would recommend either a 650ti Boost or a 7850.

 

[misor]

JC713, thanks for the input.
powercolor 7970 3gb (19370), Asus HD7950 DCII Top 3gb (18990), and Asus HD7870 DC 2gb (19370) are in the same price range, give or take a few dollars.
enclosed in parenthesis are in Philippine peso; rough equivalent of 40 pesos = 1 $ u.s.
taken from the SRP pricelist as of march 27, 2013 (yousendit download link) of this retailer: pc express http://pcx.com.ph/

I am now seriously considering an asus/evga 650ti or a powercolor 7850 for a maximum spend of ~200$ equivalent.
scheduled to travel to the city this april 7 to buy the item.
will post pics after I purchased the final item.

as for the suggested 1080p gaming experience, once I purchase my 23" full hd monitor this December 2013, I'll ask my sibling in the u.s. to purchase a gpu for me in the 300$ price range.

please consider this thread solved.
thanks.

 

[Jad Chaar]

I would say go 7970, Powercolor isnt that great, but if it is a reference card, go for it since AMD makes those. Also if you ever need to get a CPU, come to a location in the US that has a store called Microcenter. They sell CPUs for like 60 bucks less. Plus they have amazing mobo combos with CPUs.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Those are some weird prices, the 7970 is the best performer.
For reference a 7870 would be about $250, a 7950 about $300 and a 7970 about $400.

 

[misor]

Asus HD7950 DCII Top 3gb ddr5 384bit 18990pesos
Asus HD7870 DC 2gb ddr5 256bit 18190pesos

 

[misor]

Yes, we always have higher prices.

rough conversion of 40 Philippine pesos = 1 $ u.s.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Yes, we always have higher prices.

rough conversion of 40 Philippine pesos = 1 $ u.s.

I know that I'm just saying that usually the 7850 is on a totally different level than the 7970, and the performance difference is fairly large. I don't know anything and can't help you regarding fair prices to pay where you are at, so I'm just letting you know that generally, they shouldn't be the same price. Good luck I hope you can find a good deal, but if this is the best and all the prices are very similar, the 7970 has the best performance.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Asus HD7950 DCII Top 3gb ddr5 384bit 18990pesos
Asus HD7870 DC 2gb ddr5 256bit 18190pesos

$475 for a 7970... you can get a MSI Lightning version for that price here.