Sapphire, XFX , or Gigabyte 6850?

[mtflyfisher]

Looking to buy a Radeon HD 6850 now my only question is which brand to go with. My options are

SAPPHIRE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

Gigabyte
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125348

XFX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150512

From the reviews it seems the Sapphire fans don't make as much noise as the XFX. The only thing I like about the XFX is they have a lifetime warrant compared to 2yrs on the Sapphire.

So there's my options. Hopefully some of you with more graphic knowledge can help me in making a good decision. Also if you think there might be a better card then the 6850 for the money by all means let me know. Just heard when you OC the 6850 its about the best bang for the buck. (Looking to keep the price in the $150-$200 range.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[mtflyfisher]

Or should I spend the extra $30 some and get a 6870. I'm upgrading from a very bare bones, out dated, 7yr old computer so want to get a card that's going to last a few years.

 

[purple stain]

Well usually within 2 years the card is outdated and you'll get a new one anyway so the Lifetime warranty ain't a big deal.
Are you sure your not going to be bottlenecking any card you put into your system?If it's 7yrs old.
Do you have a suffient enough power supply?

I would go with this version.The heatsink is great and the fan shouldn't be to loud.One problem with these big cards is how loud the fans are.Sound like a jet taking off.The MSI version should solve that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127566&cm_re=6850-_-14-127-566-_-Product

But spending the extra $30 for a 6870 is well worth the extra money IMO.


This version also comes with a great heatsink.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121418&cm_re=6870-_-14-121-418-_-Product

Both the MSI and Asus are great for O.C.ing with their custom heatsinks and the software they provide.

 

[mtflyfisher]

That's a very valid point Purple. Kind of a selling point for people that don't really think of it like that. Kind of like me lol. As for the
outdated comp I should have said that this is based on a new build I'm putting together. I'd wait a few months for the Sandy but we have a child due bout the time the Sandy's will be fixed and ready so this is kind of a "Buy while you can" build :0)

Here's that build if you have any comments on that as well. Thanks for your help btw. Kinda new to builds. Last one I did was bout 7 years ago. I'm running on a P4 2.8 OCD to 3.1. They don't even make cards for the board in my comp lol. Thanks again.

CD/DVD - $18.99
Asus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135204

Case - $54.99
Rosewill CHALLENGER
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147153

Motherboard - $89.99
ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157198

Memory - $49.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231277

Cooler - $29.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

CPU/Video Card Combo - $338.99

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103808

SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102909

 

[purple stain]

Looks good so far.
What is your budget for the PSU?

 

[mtflyfisher]

Was thinking the $50-$75 range.

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005

Are you thinking something other then this?

 

[purple stain]

That link isn't working for my internet.Can you provide specs of the psu?

 

[mtflyfisher]

Here ya go not sure why that link was bad. I tried this one out and it seemed to work. Hope it works for ya.

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

 

[HostileDonut]

Well, it is corsair, so it should be good. I cannot see it either, but if it is like 500w or more it would be good enough.

 

[purple stain]

Thats a really good PSU.Great deal on it too.
650watts with 52amps on the 12/v.

But why is your question about the 6850 if your CPU/GPU combo inclues a 6870?
Or did you just pick that out.

 

[mtflyfisher]

I changed my mind with the 6850. With the combo was only a $30 dollar difference so for $30 I figure it's probably worth it. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[HostileDonut]

Yeah, if you do not OC very much. The hd6850 can easily OC to a hd6870s speeds, where as the hd6870 is not a great OCer. I would go for it though.

 

[purple stain]

Ahh i c.
Good choice

 

[marney_5]

I always went for Sapphire in the past but using XFX now because they were cheaper and they also have really good support.

I've heard that you get an HDMI cable with Sapphire cards and you dont with other brands, thats about it.

 

[s9y143]

According to me Go fo Gigabyte the are the reliable of all with better reliability in cooling while overclocking as you will be overclocking too.. and their products are much reliable than XFX and sapphire.. for Gigabyte i m sure you will definitely agree with me .. buy it and overclock it as much as you can no problem at all.. and it will b giving awesome prformance in terms of overclocking ..

 

[davcon]

I've have Sapphire and XFX gpu's and have never tried a Giggy card.
Sapphire is fine but if you're like me and want to mess about with your gpu XFX is the way to go.
You can do anything you want to an XFX card and not void the warranty.

 

[mtflyfisher]

Thanks for all the hands on advice !!! Hit the Submit button late last night so I didn't miss out on bout $40 in rebates. Now it's time to wait a few days and try to undertake the building process. Glad this comp will still be running while I do it. Won't be left completely in the dark with no "How to build" References lol.