Radeon 6670 or RAM Upgrade?

matt_133 · Sep 22, 2013

hi, i'm new here on the forums. here is my current rig:
AMD A8-5600k 3.6GHz
Kingston 1x4gb 1333MHz
Gigabyte F2A55MDS2
no GPU yet.

so here's the question, should I get the Radeon HD6670 1GB DDR3 (PowerColor) or upgrade my system RAM to G Skills Ripjaws 2x4GB 1600MHz ?

thanks in advance.
*edit: i'm on a strict budget and only have about 70$ ...

DarkCatMusic · Sep 22, 2013

matt_133 :

Are you using this build to play games, if so i would go with the gpu, 4gb of ram is enough to play games on, even high graphical games such as bf3. And then when you get some more money in the future use that to buy some more ram :3

matt_133 · Sep 22, 2013

DarkCatMusic :

i can play some games in low-mid settings, is it worth it to buy the GPU or can i buy another gpu and not crossfire it with the integrated one and play games in mid-high settings?

DarkCatMusic · Sep 22, 2013

matt_133 :

What games are you achieving these frames in? I dont really know a lot about APU's as they are a new thing, but i think what happens when you link a gpu card into the build it cancels out the existing integrated gpu, i have a friend who runs a 6670 in his machine, and with a fx 4100 he can get mid to high (and even one or two things ultra) in bf3 campaign, So just from a guess if you buy a 6670 you frame rate will boost. Changing your current low to mid maybe even to mid to high :3

matt_133 · Sep 22, 2013

DarkCatMusic :

matt_133 :

What games are you achieving these frames in? I dont really know a lot about APU's as they are a new thing, but i think what happens when you link a gpu card into the build it cancels out the existing integrated gpu, i have a friend who runs a 6670 in his machine, and with a fx 4100 he can get mid to high (and even one or two things ultra) in bf3 campaign, So just from a guess if you buy a 6670 you frame rate will boost. Changing your current low to mid maybe even to mid to high :3

same here, i just wanted to try an APU for myself. i think the 7560d (the APU's integrated GPU) won't get cancelled out as it is recommended to crossfire/ dual graphics it with the 6670, as the box says. i agree that it might improve frame rate . i can play Darksiders 2, Prototype 2 and NBA 2k13 in low-mid.

DarkCatMusic · Sep 22, 2013

matt_133 :

DarkCatMusic :

same here, i just wanted to try an APU for myself. i think the 7560d (the APU's integrated GPU) won't get cancelled out as it is recommended to crossfire/ dual graphics it with the 6670, as the box says. i agree that it might improve frame rate . i can play Darksiders 2, Prototype 2 and NBA 2k13 in low-mid.

haha yeah, i need to research this, i just looked at a picture of the box and on the side it has something about the dual graphics, sorry the pictures blurry, but from my eye sight the gpu's that fall under the A6 are the 6570 and the 6450, http://images.overclock.co.uk/product_images/large/A991a6W99q_aseriesblk.jpg there are other photos out there..but this was the clearest one i could find :3

Calculatron · Sep 22, 2013

The AMD Dual Graphics option (crossfiring a discrete graphics card with the integrated graphics) still isn't perfect. For the games it does work with (because it's not guaranteed to work better) the real-world perceived performance isn't much better because there are a lot of dropped/runt frames.

So, unless you plan on getting a GPU to use discretely, I would recommend upgrading your RAM.

Your motherboard supports, with no issues, up to 1866. This would get you a noticeable jump in performance that you might actually consider worth the money to upgrade. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455 Theoretically, your motherboard will support 2400 RAM, so if you wanted to eke out a little bit more performance beyond 1866, there are these options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231689
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231667

I am not a RAM expert though, I would try to get ahold of someone who knows more about RAM compatibility and motherboards. I, personally, own an A10-5800K with 16 gb of Ripjaws X 1600 (got it for real cheap during a Black Friday sale; I know that 8gb is more than enough) and it worked fairly well. I could play some of the newer games, like Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinity on standard graphical settings with decent FPS, and turn some of the settings up to Ultra and still get an average of around 30 FPS. For me, upgrading my RAM to obtain better performance was a dilemma, because if I spent just a little bit extra, I could buy a decent discrete GPU and have a far better boost in performance. In your case, since you'd benefit from both having more RAM, and faster RAM, I would say it is more worth it to buy the RAM over a low-tier GPU.

matt_133 · Sep 22, 2013

DarkCatMusic :

matt_133 :

haha yeah, i need to research this, i just looked at a picture of the box and on the side it has something about the dual graphics, sorry the pictures blurry, but from my eye sight the gpu's that fall under the A6 are the 6570 and the 6450, http://images.overclock.co.uk/product_images/large/A991a6W99q_aseriesblk.jpg there are other photos out there..but this was the clearest one i could find :3

that's right, the gpu's for the A8 and A10 are the 6570 and the 6670 . correct me if i'm wrong, but i think this are only for the Trinity and Llano series because the Richland ones have a different integrated GPU.

matt_133 · Sep 22, 2013

Calculatron :

The AMD Dual Graphics option (crossfiring a discrete graphics card with the integrated graphics) still isn't perfect. For the games it does work with (because it's not guaranteed to work better) the real-world perceived performance isn't much better because there are a lot of dropped/runt frames.

So, unless you plan on getting a GPU to use discretely, I would recommend upgrading your RAM.

Your motherboard supports, with no issues, up to 1866. This would get you a noticeable jump in performance that you might actually consider worth the money to upgrade. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455 Theoretically, your motherboard will support 2400 RAM, so if you wanted to eke out a little bit more performance beyond 1866, there are these options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231689
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231667

I am not a RAM expert though, I would try to get ahold of someone who knows more about RAM compatibility and motherboards. I, personally, own an A10-5800K with 16 gb of Ripjaws X 1600 (got it for real cheap during a Black Friday sale; I know that 8gb is more than enough) and it worked fairly well. I could play some of the newer games, like Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinity on standard graphical settings with decent FPS, and turn some of the settings up to Ultra and still get an average of around 30 FPS. For me, upgrading my RAM to obtain better performance was a dilemma, because if I spent just a little bit extra, I could buy a decent discrete GPU and have a far better boost in performance. In your case, since you'd benefit from both having more RAM, and faster RAM, I would say it is more worth it to buy the RAM over a low-tier GPU.

thanks a lot, my friend also advised me to upgrade the RAM first and don't buy the discrete gpu, because the 7560d will be excellent with faster RAM, and crossfiring it would be a waste of money.

Calculatron · Sep 22, 2013

In the future, once some of the kinks are worked out of the system, Crossfiring/Dual Graphics may be a very viable thing to do. (Although, Dual Graphics has *a lot* of obstacles to overcome.) Currently, I feel it's too hit-or-miss to be seriously considered. I lucked out, my brother-in-law just upgraded his rig's GPU, so I was able to get ahold of a Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 for something like $40 or $50. It's about on par with a Radeon HD 6870, so I happily made the purchase. Now I don't have to worry about upgrading all that RAM.

matt_133 · Sep 22, 2013

Calculatron :

i was also thinking about not crossfiring/upgrading the ram, but buying a standalone GPU, however, i'm not sure if the GT630 or 640 is enough because of my strict budget..

vince232 · Sep 23, 2013

matt_133 :

get the gddr5 version. and if possible overclock your ram to 9-9-9-24 latency and better with 1866mhz if not 1600

ps: i own also a 5800k and 8gb g skill 1600. i get 20 fps on ultra at crysis 2 with a 1366x768 monitor. when i overclocked it to 1866 mhz i get 25-28 on highest settings and a solid fps on medium. i also play high at bf3 with the same resolution.

matt_133 · Sep 23, 2013

vince232 :

matt_133 :

get the gddr5 version. and if possible overclock your ram to 9-9-9-24 latency and better with 1866mhz if not 1600

ps: i own also a 5800k and 8gb g skill 1600. i get 20 fps on ultra at crysis 2 with a 1366x768 monitor. when i overclocked it to 1866 mhz i get 25-28 on highest settings and a solid fps on medium. i also play high at bf3 with the same resolution.

i can't buy the 1866 version due to availability concerns, and i also don't want to overclock, i'll just get the 1600 kit by friday .

vince232 · Sep 23, 2013

matt_133 :

vince232 :

i can't buy the 1866 version due to availability concerns, and i also don't want to overclock, i'll just get the 1600 kit by friday .

if you cant get an 1866 or overclock your ram. i think it's better if you go with the 6670 dual graphics. the power of the apu dpends on the ram frequency so if you dont want to overclock. its better to get the 6670. a 1600mhz ram wont satisfy you.

matt_133 · Sep 23, 2013

vince232 :

matt_133 :

if you cant get an 1866 or overclock your ram. i think it's better if you go with the 6670 dual graphics. the power of the apu dpends on the ram frequency so if you dont want to overclock. its better to get the 6670. a 1600mhz ram wont satisfy you.

i'm not a hardcore gamer, so i think 1600mhz would satisfy my needs . but if the 6670 is a better choice than the 1600 ram, then that's what i'll buy.

Calculatron · Sep 23, 2013

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dual-graphics-crossfire-benchmark,3583.html

vince232 · Sep 23, 2013

matt_133 :

vince232 :

matt_133 :

if you cant get an 1866 or overclock your ram. i think it's better if you go with the 6670 dual graphics. the power of the apu dpends on the ram frequency so if you dont want to overclock. its better to get the 6670. a 1600mhz ram wont satisfy you.

i'm not a hardcore gamer, so i think 1600mhz would satisfy my needs . but if the 6670 is a better choice than the 1600 ram, then that's what i'll buy.

go with the 6670 GDDR5. dont get the ddr3

matt_133 · Sep 23, 2013

vince232 :

matt_133 :

vince232 :

i'm not a hardcore gamer, so i think 1600mhz would satisfy my needs . but if the 6670 is a better choice than the 1600 ram, then that's what i'll buy.

go with the 6670 GDDR5. dont get the ddr3

i know that. and i'm definitely getting the 6670 GDDR5 and not the 2gb DDR3 .

phunny12000 · Jan 31, 2014

sorry bout the late post.ive got the same setup.your apu can use up to 4gb shared memory,so putting 8gb in will see a big difference.i,m using 1600Mhz.*8ggb.
ive also installed a sapphire low profile 6670 ddr3 in dual play.
the ram made the biggest differnce,nd i,m not sure but the gpu comes with str8 fwd overclock software{3 sliders nothing technical} but i think the apu might even hold it back when o,c,d

aylafan · Jan 31, 2014

matt_133 :

vince232 :

matt_133 :

go with the 6670 GDDR5. dont get the ddr3

i know that. and i'm definitely getting the 6670 GDDR5 and not the 2gb DDR3 .

HD 6670 GDDR5 is usually $20 more expensive than the DDR3 version which means you should just get the HD 7750 or R7 250 if you're spending around $90.

Radeon 6670 or RAM Upgrade?

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Honorable

Distinguished

Share this page