6850 or 6870 if the price difference is $30 after rebate?

[bruzzo]

Hi I was thinking of buying a Gigabyte HD 6850 at boxing day sale because of the dual fan. And luckily I got a deal in one of the local stores that's selling for $179.99, $10 (free shipping) cheaper than newegg and I was excited.

But then I saw a sale on the XFX HD 6870 for $229.99 so it's $24.74 cheaper $12.24 on shipping) than newegg.

If I also mail in the rebate I also get back $20! that means $44.74 cheaper. Looks like quite a good deal.

But I read some of the forums about which brand to choose from for 6870s and ppl seldom suggest the XFX, most prefer ASUS, sapphire, and MSI.
Eg. http://www.overclock.net/ati/880048-6870-brand-go-cooler-noise.html

So should I get the gigabyte 6850 or 30 bucks for the XFX 6870?

I know the rebate for XFX is till 31st Dec, 2010 only and I'm not sure if the date is for the date of purchase or the date the mail arrives, but even adding $50, is it worth it?

Thanks

 

[rockyjohn]

I would go with the XFX 6870. The 6870 is a much faster card and XFX is an excellent brand; most of its cards come with a lifetime warranty, sometimes a double lifetime warranty.

But check out this review and see if the faster card is worth it for you - given the games you play and monitor your use.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6870-radeon-hd-6850-barts,2776.html

Also note that the XFX is on of the top brands recommended on this site:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/brands.html

 

[bruzzo]

I am settling with getting a 6850 cause I heard ppl saying that 6850 can oc way better than 6870.

If I am going to OC, all 6850 brands are good, but unless you buy the MSI twin frozr (which costs like $270) for the 6870, all other brands don't oc very well. Given ocing at stock watts and assuming 6850 can oc 20% (775MHz -> 930MHz) and 6870 can oc 10% (900MHz -> 990MHz), I would choose $30 over the extra 60MHz. The pcts are estimates based on a review here:

http://www.gpureview.com/gpureviews-hd-6870-amp-hd-6850-overclocking-roundup-article-867.html

But I have very limited experience in terms of ocing and so if you think I made a huge mistake please tell me cause I still can cancel my order now!

 

[Tamz_msc]

What you've heard about the OCing part is true.The HD 6850 is a very good choice.Hope you don't regret it