7950 vs 7870 le vs 660 ti with my rig

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

I am going to be getting a new graphics card in the next few weeks in order to replace my GTX 560 SE.
I want to play the latest games at highest settings possible, I mostly play FPS's like BF3 and Far Cry 3(Which I don't own due to my crap card).

There is currently a deal on at Aria for the 7870 le: http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/PowerColor+PCS%2B+Myst.+Edition+Radeon+HD+7870+%28Tahiti+LE%29+OC+2GB+GDDR5+Graphics+Card+%5BAX7870+2GBD5-2DHPPV3E%5D+%2B+4+FREE+GAMES%21+?productId=54322

I've been looking at a few 7950's and 660 TI's as well.

My rig currently contains:
-AMD FX 8120 (Upgrading to an 8350 soon, Do I need to upgrade? Not sure)
-Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 (Upgrading with my processor, though not sure if I need to upgrade either)
-8GB Corsair RAM @1600mhz (not sure exactly what the model is)
-Crappy dual rail 750W (Do I need to upgrade this too? I think so but I'm not entirely sure)
-1TB Hitachi 7200rpm Hard Drive
-Gtx 560, as I said before.
-CIT vantage case (Do I need to upgrade this for the card? I'm using the stock coolers so It's fairly crap)

Which card is best for me and should I upgrade the stuff I said I wanted to upgrade? Is it worth the extra money for the 7950 or 660 TI?

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

I prefer the cooler on this card over the powercolor http://www.waeplus.co.uk/item/207449/Radeon-HD-7870-XT-with-Boost---2-GB-GDDR, so I would probably go with that one. A dual rail 750 should be able to handle that card if the CPU and GPU are on different rails. Usually PSUs like that have one rail with more current than the other, so you might want to check the specs. That card has two 6-pin PCIe connecters, so the most it can pull is 225 watts. Your case looks like it should be fine as far as airflow.

serafim · May 11, 2013

7950 is overprice for performance
660ti is gonna out of date
7870LE is the best bang for your buck

this one of the best
Sapphire Radeon HD7870 XT 2GB DDR5 256

this the result of your cpu comparison with 8350

but you need to upgrade your PSU

For Budget : Seasonic G550

For overclocking and future crossfire : Corsair Ax760i

envy14tpe · May 11, 2013

The only thing you need to upgrade to run BF3 and FarCry 3 is your GPU. Everything else is solid.
Sapphire 7870XT for £185.39
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-111992020g
MSi 660ti £223.30
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n660ti2gd5oc
XFX 7950 £229.99
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx795atdbc

Hands down best value...7870XT. The other two are faster but more $$ if you can afford them.

envy14tpe · May 11, 2013

oops. You get 4 free games with the PowerColor and it's £18 less. Seems like a great price.

serafim · May 11, 2013

envy14tpe :

yeah... but powercolor have poor cooling

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

You get the same free games with any 7870 XT, and they were the same price on the UK site I was looking at. I'm American though, I have no idea if it's a reputable site or not.

serafim · May 11, 2013

genrldisaray :

the bad thing about 7870XT is NO Gpu water block available :pfff:

envy14tpe · May 11, 2013

serafim :

Probably less than 1% of people buy one. Not an issue, plus OP doesn't live in a hot climate.

serafim · May 11, 2013

envy14tpe :

agree, but there is something special with the XT, its 7950 performance ( almost ) with 7870 price
and watercooling its not all about temp, its art, fun, performance ( higher OC with low temp ), and wasting money

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

serafim :

envy14tpe :

agree, but there is something special with the XT, its 7950 performance ( almost ) with 7870 price
and watercooling its not all about temp, its art, fun, performance ( higher OC with low temp ), and wasting money

If wasting money was one of his criteria for choosing a card, though, he probably wouldn't be asking about a good value on a midrange card

. Plus, that case isn't going to hold much in the way of radiators.

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

Currently, based on your suggestions I am veering towards the 7870 xt. I think that a powercolour one would be good because Its cheaper, and I need to upgrade my case, fans and psu anyway. Any thoughts? I'm still not fully decided.

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

Is the sapphire I linked in my first post not an option? it was less than one pound more than the powercolor.

akshayghai29785 · May 11, 2013

yes pc is good

bryonhowley · May 11, 2013

genrldisaray :

Plus for AMD/ATI GPU's I have found over the years that Sapphire is the best manufacture. With GPU's like a lot of other PC parts it is not always about the cheapest price but quality of the build and components that go into the product that really matters.

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

It is, yes, but You get 4 free games with the powercolour (all of which are on my steam wishlist) and i've bough stuff from aria before. Still an option but currently veering towards the powercolour I'm afraid(thank you for helping though. I'm almost definitely going to get a 7870 XT as I have £250 to spend and I could be spending the remaining money on games and other important upgrades.

envy14tpe · May 11, 2013

For PSU, Look for 500-600W Bronze.
Top tier. XFX, Seasonic, or Antec. Top tier.
Next tier. Corsair.

This PSU is perfect: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9
and only £53

£170+53 = £223 and it is under your budget.

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

LordPlanketh :

genrldisaray :

Hm...
Everywhere else says only 2 games though? Confused:s

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

LordPlanketh :

It turns out I was wrong about that sapphire card. Even though that card is part of the Never Settle promotion, that retailer (waeplus) is not. I would definitely go with the powercolor if you are at all interested in those games. I deleted that previous post, sorry about the misinformation.

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

envy14tpe :

Sounds good. Will look into it, cheers!

envy14tpe · May 11, 2013

LordPlanketh :

genrldisaray :

Hm...
Everywhere else says only 2 games though? Confused:s

I live outside US and when I bought my 660ti I asked about games that it comes with...they said none. So the deal depends on which country you are in.

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

genrldisaray :

LordPlanketh :

It turns out I was wrong about that sapphire card. Even though that card is part of the Never Settle promotion, that retailer (waeplus) is not. I would definitely go with the powercolor if you are at all interested in those games. I deleted that previous post, sorry about the misinformation.

Its okay mate, you still helped me pick the XT

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

envy14tpe :

LordPlanketh :

I live outside US and when I bought my 660ti I asked about games that it comes with...they said none. So the deal depends on which country you are in.

There's a list here of all the participating countries worldwide, and the games that come with different cards. Aria is on the list for the UK, so there shouldn't be a problem.
http://sites.amd.com/us/promo/never-settle/Pages/nsreloaded.aspx#1

LordPlanketh · May 11, 2013

envy14tpe :

Would 550w be enough with new fans, CPU (going to get an 8350) and gpu?

genrldisaray · May 11, 2013

LordPlanketh :

550 should be plenty, that gpu will pull a max of 225, and another 100 or so from the cpu.

7950 vs 7870 le vs 660 ti with my rig

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