Which Games will look/run really well on my 7970?

[JimmyRecard00]

Hi

I’m hoping y’all can help me by telling me which of these games could be run at fairly high settings on a 7970 3GB – or pretty close too that? But don't take that too literally...

What I mean is - no developer wants someone to play their game with low settings where it looks and runs terribly. Similarly - I'd like to play games that run and are presented in the way that they were intended to be enjoyed - not hobbled and 'compromised' by a GPU that's too weak to do it justice.

So it's not about having every single setting on full.... it's about being able to do it justice with 'enough' higher settings to be truly enjoyable and run properly.


TL : DR – Title says most of it…


Let me explain why…

I haven’t really gamed for 5-10 years and want to get back into it now.

I’m very tempted to buy a new GPU for gaming since I only have an old 7970 – and will be getting a new 12700K Build to match.

Currently I’ll be testing on a 2013 3770k system, 16gb… that’s not really the point though.

However – it is Windows 8.1 – that might matter. I’ll be upgrading to 10/11 for the new one – but not for this one.


However, as the GPU prices are so insane and or just hard to get your hands on (especially in Australia) – I figured I need to try to play some games again on my 7970 NOW to see if I’m still going to be up to it physically to use a new GPU enough to make it worthwhile laying down some heavy coin (I have a very bad back that makes it hard to sit at the computer for long)

The thing is – I really don’t want to ‘Ruin’ any games by playing them at crippled/crappy graphics settings – for me that is a waste of the entire experience of a game.

But I figure since most of my games are a bit older now – maybe I can play some of these at FULL Graphics settings – or close too.. to get a good test of how much I still enjoy and am capable of playing for a while?

I’ve tried looking up lists of minimum and recommended requirements for games but that doesn’t necessarily tell you if Your card will do fairly High settings! That’s why I’m asking you for a rough list.

So I’ve got a list of games on my Steam Account – and obviously I’m not talking so much about little games or 2/2.5D scrollers like Battleblock or Fez etc….

More so the more GPU intensive, flashier 3D games – like action FPS games and exploration/mission games or anything where I can Max it out?

My main interest is solo offline games like Far Cry, Tomb Raider (2013), Portal, Bioshock - but also interested in online multi games especially FPS like Insurgency, CS Go etc. Some racing games, and lots of random stuff as you can see from my list.

BTW this is not the complete list of my games – I have other games from other sources so if you want to suggest some other games not on the list that you think I’d probably own based on this list – and that are likely era appropriate – feel free as I might own them too?

I probably haven’t bought any games since the last on the list if that helps?

Similar thing with good games that are FREE to Play that I can play on higher settings (and please mention best place to play them online)?

I’m not really talking about playing online games with all the settings down for lowest ping like they do with CS GO – that looks awful. I want the full game experience - I want 'that world' to be all it can be.

But these FREE to Play must work on Windows 8.1 fully… I’ve found some modern games won’t even run on 8!


I’d also be curious to know which of these games would have the best most modern graphics etc?

Please list first the ones that will look/play the best - eg probably the most modern ones?


So here’s the list BELOW….

Thank you for your help


1000 Amps Comp
140
Adventures of Shuggy Retail
Afterfall Dirty Arena DLC
Afterfall Insanity Extended
Alan Wake Bundle (Summer 2012)
Alan Wake LatAm Spanish
Alien Rage
Altitude
Americas Army: Proving Grounds
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
And Yet It Moves Retail
Antichamber
Assassin's Creed
BattleBlock Theater
Bioshock
BioShock 2.
Bioshock Infinite Retail (WW)
Bioshock Infinite Season Pass Retail ROW
Blocks That Matter Comp
Blood of the Werewolf Steam Store and Retail Key
Bloop
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
Call of Juarez Gunslinger Retail
Cave Story+ Retail
Closure
Contrast
CO-OP : Decrypted
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CreaVures
Crysis: Warhead
Dead Island Epidemic Free Access
Deadlight
Deadpool
Deadpool - Merc with a Map Pack Retail
Defy Gravity
DEHR Explosive Mission Pack DLC (Retail)
Depths of Fear :: Knossos
Deus EX GOTY Retail
Deus Ex HR Tactical Pack (Retail)
Deus Ex Human Revolution (Digital Retail)
Deus Ex Human Revolution Missing Link DLC Retail
Deus Ex Invisible War
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut
Dirt 2 Retail
Dirt 3 Retail
Dishonored - Void Walkers Arsenal
Dishonored The Knife Of Dunwall DLC Retail
Dishonored WW
Dishonored: Dunwall City Trials Retail
Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches - ROW
Duke Nukem 3D
Enclave Steam Store and Retail Key
Escape Goat
Ethan: Meteor Hunter
Euro Truck Simulator 2 Retail
Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 - Deluxe Upgrade DLC
FEZ
Fish Fillets 2 Comp
Frozen Synapse Prime
Frozen Synapse: Complete Pack
Gateways
Giana Sisters: Twisted Bundle
Gish Retail
Gone Home + Original Soundtrack
Grid
Guacamelee! Gold Edition
Gunpoint Retail
Hitman 2
Hitman Absolution WW
Hitman Codename 47
Hitman Contracts
Hitman: Blood Money
Hotline Miami
Humble Indie Bundle 6 Beat the Average
ibb & obb - Best Friends Forever Double Pack
InFlux
Insurgency Beta
Interstellar Marines
Into the Dark: Ultimate Trash Edition
Invisible Apartment
Kairo Retail
Killing Floor Retail
La-Mulana
Lara Croft GOL
Left 4 Dead 2
Limbo Retail
Lovely Planet
Lume Retail
Machinarium Retail
Master Reboot Steam Store and Retail Key
Max Payne 3 Season Pass
Max Payne 3 WW
Metro 2033 250K December Giveaway
Metro Redux Bundle (NA)
Mind: Path to Thalamus
Minerva's Den
Mutant Blobs Attack
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Not The Robots
Oddworld: Abes Oddysee RETAIL
Orborun
ORION: Prelude
Painkiller Complete Pack - Dec 2013 (RoW)
Papers, Please
Papo & Yo
Paranautical Activity
Payday: The Heist
Pid
Pool Nation Steam Store and Retail Key
Portal 2 Retail
Project Temporality
Prototype
Psychonauts Retail
Puddle
Quantum Conundrum Season Pass
QUBE Retail
QUBE: Against the Qlock Retail
RAGE
RAGE The Scorchers DLC
Receiver
Rising Storm Retail
Rochard
Rochard - Hard Times
Saints Row IV - Reverse Cosplay Pack
Saira
Serious Sam 3 Deluxe
Serious Sam 3 Standard
Shadow Puppeteer
Shadow Warrior
Shadow Warrior Classic Redux
Skyrim
Sleeping Dogs
Sniper Elite V2
SpaceChem - Demo
Spec Ops The Line Retail
Spelunky
Spintires
Stacking
Stealth Bastard Deluxe
Stealth Bastard Deluxe - The Teleporter Chambers
Super Meat Boy - Retail
Take on Helicopters
Teleglitch: Base Game
Terraria
Tetrobot & Co.
The Ball
The Basement Collection
The Bridge Retail
The Cave Retail
The Expendabros
The Floor is Jelly
The Polynomial
The Stanley Parable
Thief WW
Thinking with Time Machine
Thomas Was Alone
Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers Retail DON'T USE
Toki Tori
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms - NA: Assault Starter Pack FREE
Tomb Raider (ROW)
Trine
Universe Sandbox Legacy Comp
Unmechanical
Vessel Comp
Volgarr The Viking
VVVVVV
Warp
Windosill Comp
XCOM: Enemy Unknown WorldWide
Year Walk
Zack Zero Retail
Zeno Clash 2 Retail
Zeno Clash Retail

 

[Zloth]

"Full graphics settings" doesn't make much sense, though. You aren't going to ruin an experience because you have 4X anti-aliasing instead if 8X. Without being told how to look for it, I doubt you would ever even notice the difference. Some graphics settings are more a detriment, IMHO (motion blur and depth of field are the prime examples).

Meanwhile, you don't even give us a hint about what sorts of games you like best!

Well, the BioShock series looks good. It's mostly a shooter with some light RPG features. Dishonored was fun and gives more options on how to approach the game. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is similar. Tomb Raider (the reboot, I assume - no clue what ROW is supposed to stand for) gets you outside more, so I think it might show off the graphics better. It's story leaves plenty to be desired, but it's still quite fun.

Portal 2 doesn't stress the graphics much, but it's one of the most fun games you've got.

 

[JimmyRecard00]

"Full graphics settings" doesn't make much sense, though. You aren't going to ruin an experience because you have 4X anti-aliasing instead if 8X. Without being told how to look for it, I doubt you would ever even notice the difference. Some graphics settings are more a detriment, IMHO (motion blur and depth of field are the prime examples).

Meanwhile, you don't even give us a hint about what sorts of games you like best!

Yeah I think you took what I said far too literally re full settings or close too.... and I did give you a hint about the games I like by specifically mentioning tomb raider, far cry and fps etc.... as well as the list.

However, your post made me think I should go back and clarify that stuff a little more. So if you're interested please see what I wrote above the TL : DR at the start.... and games I like in particular are explorer/mission/fps kind of games like Tomb Raider 2013, Far Cry, Bioshock - and I also like FPS solo and online multi like insurgency, America's Army used to be fun etc...

Well, the BioShock series looks good. It's mostly a shooter with some light RPG features. Dishonored was fun and gives more options on how to approach the game. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is similar. Tomb Raider (the reboot, I assume - no clue what ROW is supposed to stand for) gets you outside more, so I think it might show off the graphics better. It's story leaves plenty to be desired, but it's still quite fun.

Portal 2 doesn't stress the graphics much, but it's one of the most fun games you've got.

I've played the original Bioshock... could I play the second one and infinite pretty high and Dishonoured too?

Deus Ex HR - I haven't played any Deus Ex games yet. I'm wondering if I should go back and start with the ancient originals first?

But not sure if I could be bothered at the moment as it might be more fun to play newer/glossier stuff (yes I like a good story too). Could I do DE HR pretty well? It looks pretty dated already even with my card?

I love things like Portal, but haven't played the second one yet. I think that'd be pretty good on my card?
Is the co-op mode still fun if you've already played through solo? Is it totally different or not?

I also didn't realise the list wasn't alphabetical - fixed that too

Oh and ROW? no idea! Maybe someone can demystify us?


Thanks for your help

 

[Brian Boru]

ROW? no idea! Maybe someone can demystify us?

Rest of World.

Can you get your game list with release dates?—can be done if it's a Steam list.

Then since the 7970 is a decade old, any games released say 8+ years ago should run well—just as a starting point.

 

[Zloth]

@JimmyRecard00 - there's no need to play the original Deus Ex before playing HR.

Dishonored 1 came out in 2012, and your card is pretty high end for when it came out, so it won't have any problems with that game. Dishonored 2 is from late 2016, but I don't remember it being particularly intense on the graphics.

BioShock was way back in 2007, BioShock 2 was 2010 so no problems there. BioShock Infinite was 2013, so I wouldn't expect issues with that one, either.

Portal 2 was 2011, so it would be fine even if it had intense graphics, which it doesn't. Your system shouldn't have any issues at all with it. Plus there's an entire room full of cake! (And a potato, if you're into that sort of thing.)

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I'm sorry, but I'm sitting here just trying to remember what the 7970 was. I think it was AMD, right? Haha. Really sorry. I think I actually still have an old Radeon HD 2600 lying around somewhere.