ATI 5870 or 5850?

[Mists]

Hello,

I am currently working my first computer build (I get all the parts, except video card tomorrow ) and I wanted to know what everyone thought of these two cards. Obviously, the 5870 is faster, but is it worth it? These are the two I was considering:

ATI 5870 - $409.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102856&cm_re=ati_5870-_-14-102-856-_-Product

ATI 5850 - $299.99


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442&cm_re=ati_5850-_-14-150-442-_-Product


Just wanted some more opinions on which would be the better deal. And was also looking into a possible future crossfire if I can get the money.



Thanks


Build Specs:


AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 125W
MSI 790FX-GD70
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91
OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

 

[rmerwede]

Hi Mists!

I'm in the middle of a thread regarding this issue myself.

What I have gathered so far is that if you want the best, and money is not an issue, go for the 5870. The 5850 can be overclocked in many cases to exceed the clock speed of the 5870. The 5870 has more shader processing power and a slightly higher memory bandwidth. The 5850 is enough to handle any games out there, and it is logical to say that the increase in performance does not match the increase in cost. Here is my thread if you are interested:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280174-33-overkill-q9550

Either way your in good shape!

Good Luck

RM

 

[JackNaylorPE]

How often to ya update ya cards ? The bigger the number, the more ya should think about the higher priced card.

 

[Mists]

How often to ya update ya cards ? The bigger the number, the more ya should think about the higher priced card.

Rarely. The only update I got to my current computer was a 9500GT last summer, and the current PC is over six years old.

Hi Mists!

I'm in the middle of a thread regarding this issue myself.

What I have gathered so far is that if you want the best, and money is not an issue, go for the 5870. The 5850 can be overclocked in many cases to exceed the clock speed of the 5870. The 5870 has more shader processing power and a slightly higher memory bandwidth. The 5850 is enough to handle any games out there, and it is logical to say that the increase in performance does not match the increase in cost. Here is my thread if you are interested:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280174-33-overkill-q9550

Either way your in good shape!

Good Luck

RM

Thanks. I will definitely check out your thread. I'm leaning more towards the ATI 5850 side at the moment. I get my AMD 965 and the rest of the parts tomorrow so can't wait! I had this 9500GT from my current computer and was going to use that temporarily until I found out what video card I am going to get.