Cost Effectiveness for me between the 6850 vs 6870

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Pallimud

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I know that the 6870 is much better in performance but I'm asking more about cost effectiveness. Since the 6900s will be out soon, they will ultimately be the best cards, but comparing cost and performance, I'm trying to choose between the 6800s.

Originally I thought for sure I'd go for the 6870, but now that I'm really looking at it, I know I cannot afford (or am not willing to pay) for a 6900 when it first comes out. The last graphics card I got was a year ago, granted I only got a 4850, but if I'm already looking to upgrade this year, most likely next year I will be looking at upgrading again regardless if I get a 6850 or 6870?

I could save myself $50 and go with a 6850, do you think this is a smart decision? In a year from now, will it even matter the difference between the 6850 and 6870? Will the 6900s be as cheap as these are now, so I would upgrade to something else anyway?

I like making efficient choices and balancing cost vs. need vs. experience. The main games I play are SC2, Empire Total War, and TF2. Already they play great with my 4850, but I want to pass it along to my little brother and so an upgrade seems like a good idea.

Thanks! And I know there are many threads about the performance, this is more of a, what makes sense for me.
 
Solution
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6850/30.html

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TechPowerUp.com is a good site for charts. I have a couple others, too, including something called "Tom's Hardware". Sometimes a chart says it all, or I guess a picture is worth a thousand words.
 

Pallimud

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Thanks for the advice.

The dilemma I have is that I don't NEED a new card, my 4850 1GB is running nice and OCed to 690Mhz, but my younger brother is running a x600 and SC2 is really laggy on it (he runs on low everything).

So I was stuck between buying him his own card for around $80 or upgrading myself and giving him my current card. So, I could just buy him a 4850 for $100, or I could get myself a 6850/6870 and give him mine.

I like that chart matto17secs, helps me in choosing my final choice.

Sooo... probably should save myself $50 then? So hard to make these decisions lol.

My three options:

1) Buy him a 4850 and spend $80
2) Buy me a 6850 and give him my old 4850 and spend $200
3) Buy me a 6870 and give him my old 4850 and spend $250

I think option 2 probably is a good way to go....
 
I like that Gigabyte with the Windforce cooler. I was going to say be careful with the 6850, while it is a good overclocker, some versions get really loud. With that Gigabyte, you should be quiet and cool no matter how much you push it with overclocking. I'm starting to feel sorry for your brother.
 

Pallimud

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Thanks guys, I appreciate all the helpful comments. Really helps me feel comfortable with my purchase.

matto17secs, my brother will only know he can run sc2 on high/ultra, he won't know what I can do :p

I found these reviews which helped me too, incase anyone else needs something. This isn't for the exact gigabyte one I'm going to order, it is for the one that isn't overclocked already: http://tbreak.com/tech/2010/11/gigabyte-hd-6850-review/all/1/

Also this mentions what the Ultra Durable VGA and Windforce do for the card: http://www.pureoverclock.com/printer.php?action=review&id=1109&page=4

I'll let you guys know my final purchase and update on how the card works out. Thanks again!
 
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