I'm a long-time lurker and have tried to soak up as much graphics card info as possible, but need help pulling the trigger.
My machine -- 2009 4.1 MP 2x2.26 with the stock gt 120 running the latest Lion (will upgrade soon to ML, I imagine). I have two 23" monitors, and would like the ability to run a third, but it's not essential. I've upped the ram to 16gb and have an SSD boot drive. I'd like to keep it running for at least another 2-3 years.
My needs -- lots of Handbraking, managing/editing a large family video library (I take care of this for relatives), helping a spouse with a publishing project that will involve archiving/editing some video interviews, and a son who likes to jump on and play games (SC2 and the like). Running quiet would be nice.
My skill set -- I'm reasonably able to tinker, given proper instructions, but no expert.
My budget -- about $200, so the options seem to be...
1. Just grab the Apple 5770 from BH for about $25 over budget.
2. The 6870 for under my budget.
3. The 6950 or 7750 for about just over budget.
4. THe GTX 560 at my budget.
5. The GTX 560 TI about $50 over budget
6. THe GTX 570, again, over.
Having never used a machine with any kind of serious card, I just have no idea about the differences in these. Beyond picking the series, then there is also the question of a specific model/brand. Frankly, buying a new car (which I did recently) was a less bewildering consumer experience.
From what I gathered reading posts, the 6xxx series are the easiest to just plug and play, but the Nvidia cards are maybe more powerful (and future-proof) and have become easy to mod with recent drivers.
If you have a specific model/brand that you think would work best for me, I would appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance to all who chime in.
My machine -- 2009 4.1 MP 2x2.26 with the stock gt 120 running the latest Lion (will upgrade soon to ML, I imagine). I have two 23" monitors, and would like the ability to run a third, but it's not essential. I've upped the ram to 16gb and have an SSD boot drive. I'd like to keep it running for at least another 2-3 years.
My needs -- lots of Handbraking, managing/editing a large family video library (I take care of this for relatives), helping a spouse with a publishing project that will involve archiving/editing some video interviews, and a son who likes to jump on and play games (SC2 and the like). Running quiet would be nice.
My skill set -- I'm reasonably able to tinker, given proper instructions, but no expert.
My budget -- about $200, so the options seem to be...
1. Just grab the Apple 5770 from BH for about $25 over budget.
2. The 6870 for under my budget.
3. The 6950 or 7750 for about just over budget.
4. THe GTX 560 at my budget.
5. The GTX 560 TI about $50 over budget
6. THe GTX 570, again, over.
Having never used a machine with any kind of serious card, I just have no idea about the differences in these. Beyond picking the series, then there is also the question of a specific model/brand. Frankly, buying a new car (which I did recently) was a less bewildering consumer experience.
From what I gathered reading posts, the 6xxx series are the easiest to just plug and play, but the Nvidia cards are maybe more powerful (and future-proof) and have become easy to mod with recent drivers.
If you have a specific model/brand that you think would work best for me, I would appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance to all who chime in.
