GTX 460 1GB vs. HD 5850 vs. HD 5870

[HagbardC]

I am currently debating with these three models.

I'll be running these with an overclocked i5 2500k and running at 1920x1080

Looking at some of the benchmarks it seems like the 460 and 5850 trade places with each other a lot depending on game, resolution and AA settings. Not really sure which one is better than the other. I do like the temps of the GTX though.


For the 460, I was looking at two models. The ZOTAC AMP! 1GB which is 234.00 CDN and the msi hawk at $197. Is the zotac worth the extra money, or would it be easy enough to overclock the msi anyway considering the low temps?


And finally, is the 5870 worth the extra price for the upgrade? I don't mind paying a bit more if its worthwhile, but if the difference is marginal I might go with one of the cheaper options.


I'm having a hard time deciding on one of these so any recommendations is appreciated. I could use some help deciding on which particular 3rd party model to go for too, since there are quite a few options.

oh, and I currently won't be doing SLI or crossfire, but will have the option for later.

Thanks

 

[christop]

I am using an xfx 5850 in my I7 930 rig and it works great for me with all maxed out gaming at 1900x1200. I am considering picking up another one for crossfire even though I really need it. I have tried SLI and wanted to try crossfire.

 

[17seconds]

The MSI Hawk is specially designed for overclocking, so it's performance will be able able reach much higher than this chart, showing the AMP! card at 810 mhz. Many people have been able to push the Hawk up to 900 mhz or more. For your reference are a couple of side by side reviews of both the Hawk and the AMP! card. The big advantages for the GTX 460's over the 5000 series cards will be PhysX and better DirectX 11 tesselation performance. The benchmarks for Unigine Heaven show the differences in tesselation performance. Be sure to check out the fan noise ratings and overclocking sections.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_460_HAWK/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GTX_460_Amp_Edition/

 

[shrkbay]

i believe you can OC the MSI Hawk higher than the Zotac AMP!, but the HD 5850 is still better than both, only if you OC the Hawk to the max it might be the same, HD 5870 is the best of them and beats all the GTX 460's no matter what.

that's my opinion, but the GTX 460 is a good choice anyway

 

[shrkbay]

Mayankleoboy1, you're right that it has a lot of OC potentioal, but 5850 can never be better than 5870 *even if not OCed*

 

[HagbardC]

Is the 5870 good for overclocking?

I am now just trying to decide between the 460 hawk and the 5870.

Any suggestions on a model for the 5870 though? The prices for the cards ranges pretty heavily. I'm looking at differences from 230-400

Most of the lower end cards are 1GB, but once I go up to $250 I start seeing some 2GB cards, like the Gigabyte GV-5876P

Anything higher though and its a fairly significant price difference over the 200 dollar GTX 460.


Considering I'd be using this mostly for gaming and not rendering or anything like that, is it likely I'd see much difference with the 2GB? My current PC is almost 8 years old now, so its been quite some time since I built a PC.

 

[17seconds]

I'd get the Hawk just for the fan noise, unless you can find a good 5870 with a custom fan for a good price.

 

[Embra]

The 5780 are a pretty good value right now. Look for rebates.

What PSU do you have?

 

[Embra]

Something like this:

Look at me!

 

[HagbardC]

I don't have anything yet, in the process of building at the moment.

But I was planning on the Antec Earthwatts 750W PSU

Rest of the build looks something like this:
i5 2500k
compatible motherboard (probably with x8x8 for SLI/Crossfire)
1920x1080 24" monitor
coolermaster hyper 212 plus
8gb ddr3 ram


That 5870 looks good, though I am leery about rebates sometimes.

 

[17seconds]

because RADEONS generally have more VRAM at the same price point

Which is not the case for all the 1 GB cards that have been mentioned in this thread.

 

[shrkbay]

5870 usually is capable of beating GTX 560, and if you find it cheaper than 560 then take it

 

[Derbixrace]

i would spend a little more and get this http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127555&cm_re=6950-_-14-127-555-_-Product

2GB of vram is really good for AA/AF on 1080P and its more futureproof. the 6xxx series is much better in tesselation vs the 5xxx.

and that one can unlock into a 6970.

 

[shrkbay]

^+1