First build: 7870 variants vs 7950 decision

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kenh536

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Mar 31, 2013
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Hello I am making a new pc build to switch over from console gaming. My max budget including monitor and OS is $1000 but would prefer $800-900. Not sure when I will be purchasing it yet, could be in a week, maybe a couple months...

Games I want to play: definitely Elder scrolls online, heavily modded Minecraft, Simcity, starcraft, diablo3, might try WoW...(suggestions? =P)

I have been looking at the MSI 7870ghz, 7870XT , and the Sapphire 7950. I would like to keep the card for a good 3 years and I am not sure if spending the extra $$ will give much extra performance to be worth it. What is the performance differences between these cards?

I saw a good deal on a sapphire hd7950 on newegg for $269 with rebate and a coupon for bioshock infinite and crysis 3:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006

Is this a really good deal I should jump on for my build? Or are there deals like this a lot?

If you need any more info or want to see the build I came up with let me know.
 
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DarkSable


Yep, you should be just fine with it - like I said, console quality is even worse than low settings on PC games.
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bigcyco1

bigcyco1

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Feb 11, 2012
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Buying Considerations

Like most tech products, graphics cards are segmented by price. Expensive cards tend to be more capable; and less expensive ones usually offer lower performance, consume less power, and are smaller in size (and so fit into a greater range of PC cases). AMD Radeon HD 7950.Will offer performance that is nearly as good as that of the high-end models, but at a more modest price. If you stick with a 1080p or 1920 by 1200 display with one of these cards, you should be in good shape.

The 7950 will be your best bet in the long run it's a great deal i would go for it
 
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kenh536

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Mar 31, 2013
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Im going to be using a 1920x1080p monitor.

But speaking of great deals I also saw this 7870 tahiti LE for $215 with 2 games:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131487

I have heard this is almost as good as the 7950 and would save me $55 that might help put an ssd in the budget. Is there a big performance difference in these cards to warrant the extra money? I would gladly spend less if it will still last me 3 years or so
 
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bigcyco1

bigcyco1

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Feb 11, 2012
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That looks like a good deal i do not think it would last you 3 years more like two ;)

 
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kenh536

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So you say the 7870xt will only run on medium-high settings right now? I was hoping for really high settings now so a year or two from now I can still play at console quality graphics and fps. Would my best bet be the 7950 for these expectations or are my expectations too high?

Also when you say rebates aren't reliable...can you elaborate? Like will I not get the money back or...
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Sep 27, 2012
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Most games you'll get high to ultra settings. On a couple of the demanding games such as crysis 3, you'll have to turn down a few settings.

Also, your expectations are too low - console graphics are 30fps and low at 720p, and games do NOT get that intense that rapidly - two years from now you'll be playing the new games on medium settings at 60fps and 1080p.

As for unreliable rebates, I mean it's a gamble. Some companies will send you your money almost every time, sometimes it's a 50-50 thing, and sometimes you can know that you're never ever going to see a check in the mail. Also, a lot of the time companies give rebates in the form of brand gift cards, which are really not useful.
 
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kenh536

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Mar 31, 2013
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Ok so I am really leaning toward the tahiti 7870 now because without rebates its quite alot cheaper and if the rebate works plus the free games I see it as a $175 card. So this card will run games at 1080p high settings for awhile then? People make it seem like games will be unplayable 3 years down the line but I can handle console quality so if itll run games period I think I will be ok haha.
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Yep, you should be just fine with it - like I said, console quality is even worse than low settings on PC games.
 
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kenh536

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Mar 31, 2013
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Well thank you for the extremely quick replies! Im going to go with the 7870xt. Im liking this forum alot so far so I will probably post up my build and see what people think of my 1 week of research haha. Thanks again!
 
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