Pick an ATI Radeon 5850 for me...

[wilytilt]

Hey all,
I've gotten some good advice about what to look for in different brands' video cards and about 5850 v FX470, and I'm deciding to go with the 5850 for my new i5-750 gaming computer (where I'm going to put it on a P55 motherboard and hope to Crossfire in a few years with another 5850). Here is a 15 cards from Newegg - I'm looking for the cheapest card with a good cooling system and reliability, and I really don't know much about the various brands and their reputations:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048&Description=5850&name=Desktop%20Graphics%20%2f%20Video%20Cards

All of them have one fan except for the Gigabyte, which claims to be "up to 27% cooler than standard 5850". XFX and Sapphire have been mentioned as good brands, and XFX's fan seems to be bigger than average.

One more question - from other posts, it seems that "reference" cards allow overvoltage, while most of the other brand cards that are cheaper do not. What exactly is a reference card, and where would someone find one? It seems that the ASUS Direct CU and MSI cards may have that option, and I'm guessing the more expensive cards might. But since I'm not looking for anything more than a moderate overclock, does voltage-changing matter at all for me?

Thanks guys; hope to make a decision by the end of the week.

 

[Slayer697]

The ASUS DirectCU has a voltage tweak option which will make it easier to achieve higher overclocks. I did a ton of research before I ordered my DirectCU 5850, and I'm willing to bet that anyone else who posts in this thread will list it as thier top pick for the 5850 card. If you have till the end of the week, read up on the DirectCU 5850. I don't think you'll need to look for another card after that.

XFX has an awesome warranty, but apart from that I haven't really heard much good about them. Some of the horror stories about needing to RMA several times are enough to deter me from going with XFX anytime soon.

If you're not looking to overclock your card, I recommend going with a Sapphire, and especially a Vapor-X if you're looking to keep it cool 'n quiet.

 

[jerreece]

"Reference" graphics cards are basically cards manufactured by ATI that have another company's stickers on them. As an example, most of the GTX 470's and GTX 480's on the market right now are all exactly the same thing, because they are all "reference" cards. As manufacturers obtain the information from ATI/nVidia they begin making their own versions with slight modifications. Customer coolers, voltage tweaks, overclocks, etc.

Reference cards are likely to be cheaper, and a 'safer' bet over all. But they're plain jane.

The ATI 5850 is a great graphics card for gaming, especially if you can play @ 1920x1080 resolutions.

The Vapor-X versions cost more, but should cool better. And the Direct CU versions should allow for more overclocking. It's all about what's important to you.

 

[foxmulder13]

Sapphire 3sr is best choice....it has a great fan !!

 

[wilytilt]

"Reference" graphics cards are basically cards manufactured by ATI that have another company's stickers on them. As an example, most of the GTX 470's and GTX 480's on the market right now are all exactly the same thing, because they are all "reference" cards. As manufacturers obtain the information from ATI/nVidia they begin making their own versions with slight modifications. Customer coolers, voltage tweaks, overclocks, etc.

Reference cards are likely to be cheaper, and a 'safer' bet over all. But they're plain jane.

Is it true, though, that reference cards have a voltage regulator (?), but most of the cheaper cards will not? How does one tell if it does or not, other than the advertising (such as the Asus and MSI directly saying so)?

Also, no love for the Gigabyte one? From first look it seems good with the 2 fans and claim of stronger cooling, but maybe I'm just letting the nice RAM combo deals it has influence me Please keep the suggestions coming, thanks.

EDIT: The sweet combo deals went away, actually So I guess I'm going straight on price and opinions.

 

[Slayer697]

Is it true, though, that reference cards have a voltage regulator (?), but most of the cheaper cards will not? How does one tell if it does or not, other than the advertising (such as the Asus and MSI directly saying so)?

Also, no love for the Gigabyte one? From first look it seems good with the 2 fans and claim of stronger cooling, but maybe I'm just letting the nice RAM combo deals it has influence me Please keep the suggestions coming, thanks.

EDIT: The sweet combo deals went away, actually So I guess I'm going straight on price and opinions.

Yes, the reference model cards allow you to tweak the voltage. As for how to tell your card is a reference model, this thread should help immensely:

http://www.overclock.net/ati/705075-how-tell-ati-5xxx-reference-card.html

I stand by my earlier recommendations. It would help if you could let us know if you're planning on overclocking the card, and whether or not temperature and noise level are big factors in your purchase.

 

[ashkaji]

Ill be gettin one of these too wilytilt.. Hope this thread bares fruit

 

[Klimkow]

I'll be getting one as well, and I too am searching for the right 5850.
How much PSU is required to run a 5850?

 

[ashkaji]

Im going with a 750W, I belive it'll be enuff for two of em (for the future) w/ abit of headroom

 

[Klimkow]

650W will be enough for one, correct? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161330&cm_re=radeon_5850-_-14-161-330-_-Product is the card I'm leaning towards atm since I don't believe I will have the need for OC'ing it since I mainly play WoW.

 

[ashkaji]

^ this combo is for you: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026

+1 excelent! Perfect for Klimkow.

 

[Klimkow]

I already have a combo going with my Hard Drive and 650W Corsair PSU :[ But it is the cheapest 5850 on Newegg anyway so doesn't matter much. I just wanted to be sure the 650W would be able to run it, otherwise I'll be forced to sacrafice my other combo for this one.

 

[wilytilt]

Yes, the reference model cards allow you to tweak the voltage. As for how to tell your card is a reference model, this thread should help immensely:

http://www.overclock.net/ati/705075-how-tell-ati-5xxx-reference-card.html

I stand by my earlier recommendations. It would help if you could let us know if you're planning on overclocking the card, and whether or not temperature and noise level are big factors in your purchase.

That link is great - thanks. I'm planning on doing only moderate overclocks on the single card, and I'm not even sure if I will at all when I get a second 5850 to Crossfire in 1-2 years. So perhaps 10% to 15% above the stock frequencies? I'm using a fairly average mid-tower case that I just got on discount (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208009), and like I said will be running an i5 on a P55 motherboard. Would this level of OC require tweaking the voltage, or no?

Also, from the instructions in that OC.net link, it seems that the Biostar 5850 is indeed a reference card ($308, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141115&cm_re=5850-_-14-141-115-_-Product), as Timop suggested. Given my plans, should I get this over the Sapphire, Gigabyte, or XFX, which appear to have better fans? Or would it be worth it to go for $20 more (and wait until its restocked) to get the Asus DirectCU?

Thanks!

 

[ashkaji]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/289804-33-5850-crossfire-1156-1366

got this thread going debating i5 1156 and i7 1366 in combination with CF 5850's.

 

[Slayer697]

That link is great - thanks. I'm planning on doing only moderate overclocks on the single card, and I'm not even sure if I will at all when I get a second 5850 to Crossfire in 1-2 years. So perhaps 10% to 15% above the stock frequencies? I'm using a fairly average mid-tower case that I just got on discount (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208009), and like I said will be running an i5 on a P55 motherboard. Would this level of OC require tweaking the voltage, or no?

Also, from the instructions in that OC.net link, it seems that the Biostar 5850 is indeed a reference card ($308, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141115&cm_re=5850-_-14-141-115-_-Product), as Timop suggested. Given my plans, should I get this over the Sapphire, Gigabyte, or XFX, which appear to have better fans? Or would it be worth it to go for $20 more (and wait until its restocked) to get the Asus DirectCU?

Thanks!

I went for the ASUS DirectCU becaues I was planning on trying to achieve a 1GHz overclock on my card. If you're only looking for a 10-15% increase over stock values, you should be able to do that with quite a few of the cards. Your best bet is to take a look at some of the different cards and read the reviews people have given them.

The HIS card that timop recommended is currently on sale for $295 with free shipping at newegg. It might be worth reading up more on it as this review seems to indicate that you won't have problems getting your 10-15% overclock:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5850/33.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161330&cm_re=5850-_-14-161-330-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

 

[wilytilt]

One last question - Ebiz.com has a $15 coupon this weekend (GRAD15 code) that makes two XFX cards $285 and $295 respectively. The first is the same as the Newegg model with the larger fan ("ZNFV"), and the second looks similar but with an "enclosed" case and perhaps a smaller fan ("ZAFC"). According to the Newegg reviews for the ZAFC, which is discontinued there, it also does not support over-voltage. Should I just go for the first one, or is there any benefit at all to choosing the second, apparently older card?

Your fast suggestions would REALLY help, since I just want to confirm that I'm getting the best card for my money! Thanks.

$285: XFX HD-585X-ZNFV
Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150491&cm_re=5850-_-14-150-491-_-Product

(Ewiz: https://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=XFX-585NFV&title=XFX-ATI-Radeon-HD5850-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-Video-Card)

$295: XFX HD-585X-ZAFC
Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477

(Ewiz: https://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=XFX-585GB1&title=XFX-ATI-Radeon-HD-5850-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-HDMI-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-Video-Card)