Need help picking out a new gpu....

[SUPERFLY013]

Hey guys, So I got a amd fx 6100 for Christmas and am trying to find a good gpu to play most games on at least high settings. I currently have a Radeon HD 6670 which is good everyday use but has some problems when playing games on high... A 7870 looks awesome but is a little more than what I was looking to pay, maybe something around $160ish would be good Thanks for the help

 

[seumasbeathan]

If a 7870 is to much then check out the 7850

 

[SUPERFLY013]

How is the 6870 I was looking at those as well

 

[seumasbeathan]

It depends how much you can get one for?

 

[SUPERFLY013]

heres a new one on newegg- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

 

[seumasbeathan]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004

Go with this instead then

 

[Josh Weston]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131473

$175 after rebate.
It has 2GB of RAM opposed to the 6870 you linked which had 1GB. The extra RAM is useful for when you turn the settings up, especially with textures.

Here's a comparison of the two cards: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=549

Now, bear in mind that the tests were done before the release of AMD's newest drivers. As such, performance has improved since the graphs were made

 

[seumasbeathan]

Good spot Josh, I missed that one.

That looks like a cracking deal

 

[SUPERFLY013]

Wow looks like I now what I am getting now thanks for your help guys

 

[alxcsb]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004

Go with this instead then

I have to advise against any 7850 made by Sapphire. I had one that caused the system to crash to a black screen in most games. It is a manufacturing issue, in that the capacitors around the GPU aren't up to spec and cause this to happen. Asus, Gigabyte or MSI versions are trouble free, as far as I know.

 

[seumasbeathan]

Please don't advise against a reputable brand just because you have had problems, I had a corsair unit DOA but I know that corsair are still a fantastic company, but anyway, he is going with the Powercolor one

 

[alxcsb]

Please don't advise against a reputable brand just because you have had problems, I had a corsair unit DOA but I know that corsair are still a fantastic company, but anyway, he is going with the Powercolor one

It's not just me, a lot of the 7850s made by Sapphire had this problem. When I started getting those black screens I researched it, and the initial Dual X series has the potential of causing problems. It's actually not Sapphire's fault, it's AMDs. They released the faulty reference part list, and Sapphire made a lot of cards with those before AMD found the problem. I am only advising against that specific card, not against Sapphire as a company.

 

[SUPERFLY013]

ok thanks for the warning, I was looking at a msi or his 2gb version any much difference between 1gb and 2gb?

 

[alxcsb]

ok thanks for the warning, I was looking at a msi or his 2gb version any much difference between 1gb and 2gb?

Depends on the resolution you are planning on using. If it's below 1080p you shouldn't see much difference between the two, however, at higher resolutions/more than one monitor, the 2GB will be the better option.

 

[Josh Weston]

ok thanks for the warning, I was looking at a msi or his 2gb version any much difference between 1gb and 2gb?

It has 2GB of RAM opposed to the 6870 you linked which had 1GB. The extra RAM is useful for when you turn the settings up, especially with textures.

But this is on the assumption that you're playing on a 1080p screen, as alxcsb said.

 

[SUPERFLY013]

so this is the one I will be going with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150660

 

[PittPyro]

.
or this would be a good one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127615

 

[SUPERFLY013]

http://www.hwcompare.com/12054/geforce-gtx-560-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7850/
The gtx560ti uses more power and is worse than the 7850 for the same price. If I was going to sli or crossfire that would be one thing but I don't have plans on that as of now. I Will prob. wait until the first quarter of 2013 to get a video card anyways so I guess I will just have to see if amd lowers the prices of the 7xxx series and nvidia lowers the prices on the 6xx series and go from there but I am liking the 7850 a lot its a decent price card with good preformance

 

[alxcsb]

http://www.hwcompare.com/12054/geforce-gtx-560-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7850/
The gtx560ti uses more power and is worse than the 7850 for the same price. If I was going to sli or crossfire that would be one thing but I don't have plans on that as of now. I Will prob. wait until the first quarter of 2013 to get a video card anyways so I guess I will just have to see if amd lowers the prices of the 7xxx series and nvidia lowers the prices on the 6xx series and go from there but I am liking the 7850 a lot its a decent price card with good preformance

Probably a good idea, but by the time the prices get significantly lower for the current gen GPU, the new 8xxx AMD series/7xx nVidia series will launch and you might start to think about one of those babies, if they turn out to be a decent improvement. I would get the best card for the money I have right now, waiting is never going to save you too much money or bring a lot more performance for the same amount. And while waiting, you aren't enjoying games at their fullest. In this industry 6 months is the most you can expect a card to last properly before you need a new one. The 7850 is a great card for the money and you'll love it. No point in waitng for too long.

 

[Christoi]

What power supply do you currently have? The HD7850 pulls a fair bit more power than the 6670, so make sure it can handle the extra load.

It's not just me, a lot of the 7850s made by Sapphire had this problem. When I started getting those black screens I researched it, and the initial Dual X series has the potential of causing problems. It's actually not Sapphire's fault, it's AMDs. They released the faulty reference part list, and Sapphire made a lot of cards with those before AMD found the problem. I am only advising against that specific card, not against Sapphire as a company.

Haven't they fixed that already? I'm not too sure about this given there's a lot of different Sapphire 7850's, but it seems like the newer dual-x cards are using a different design from AMD's reference design which is seen with the second 6-pin PCI-e.