XFX HD6850 Black ED Vs HD6870

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

Hey guyz,

I have the following built right now;

CPU: Core i5 Sandy 2400 @ 3.1Ghz (6MB L3/ 4Cores/4Threads)
Cooler: Schion Gaming Coolers Vents4x120mm CoolerMaster Blue LED fans
Motherboard: DH61WW
Memory: 2GB X2 GDDR3 @1333Mhz
GPU: Ati XFX HD5770 1GB DDR5
HDD: 500GB Caviar Black
Chassis: Schion Gaming Chassis (Water cooler/ Vents-4x120mm CoolerMaster Blue LED fans / Mesh/Full ATX ready)
PSU: Antec Earth watts EA-500W- Dual 17amps Rails
OS: 7 64bit
-----------------------------

I am pleased with 5770's (bought @$137) performance but now wanted to upgrade for better FPS in high end games @ 1080
(currently on 1600x1200 and 1024x1024.. but soon 1920x1080)

I have 3 options now
(I put my cash on the thing which is worth it but do'nt want to spend more than required since most games already runs like water @ ultra specs @1600x1200 no AA, GTA 4 avg FPS- 35-40/ Crysis 2 dx9-avg 35-45/all RTS are watter at full ultra)

at my locale things are a bit expensive so please guys choose the best value for money and performance on HD;

-XFX 6790 (Standard Ed)-- $155
-XFX 6850 (Black Ed, @ 820M clock)--$206
-XFX 6870 (Standard Ed)-$247

Personally XFX 6850 Black ED seems to be the best value for money and performance to me and il think il go with it but i want some expert advice here on whether what is worth it amongst them or should i just stay with the 5770?

waiting for expert advices ASAP

 

[rolli59]

Either the BE HD6850 or the HD6870 will be a nice upgrade. If you overclock yourself then you could get away with a std card.

 

[GreyMachine]

Hierarchy of 2011 graphics cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-radeon-hd-6870-geforce-gtx-570,2834-7.html

General rule of thumb is upgrade to at least 3 tiers above your card...

6850 is one tier above the 5770

6780 is two tiers above the 5770

For your money id go for the 6850 and overclock it to close to 6870 levels or save up for a 6950.

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, from those options at those prices the HD6850 is your best choice.

 

[Lutfij]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2964-7.html

the 6790 and the 5770 are on par with each other, the only thing different is the series numbering :lol: and that the 6790 is a defective 6850 chip with its defective part chopped off and so it has the same power consumption as the 6850. The 6870 is a safer route.

You can actually OC the standard 6870 to its *lil* older bro - 6870 Black Edition but you'd need to give it some cooling to do so otherwise it runs hot.

Getting the 6850 will show you no visible upgrade from where you are now, the second point of that answer is that the resolution your on @ 1600x1200 won't show you much difference either.

Trust me. I have two rigs with 2 different cards a 5770 + 6870 BE both xfx, for monitor resolutions @ 1920x1080, they show almost similar quality but unless your glued to the monitor and actually stare at assassins creed's environment then you can tell

In all honesty, the 6870 would be a better buy now, but wait a lil and get the 6950 - find teh bios for a 6970 and unlock the 6950, though i doubt that will happen as vendors found out about this and took care of this issue, though i read of a sweed unlock his 6950 into a 6970. btw its a 2GB DDR5 Version.

My 2 cents.

P.S; your PSU will also become another point to look at, getting more wattage would be preferable.

 

[jyjjy]

Trust me. I have two rigs with 2 different cards a 5770 + 6870 BE both xfx, for monitor resolutions @ 1920x1080, they show almost similar quality but unless your glued to the monitor and actually stare at assassins creed's environment then you can tell

A better card does not produce a better image. The graphical quality is dependent on the settings you use and nothing else. What a better card does is allow you to get acceptable frame rates at higher settings. Beyond that an HD5450 and an HD6990 will produce the exact same image at the same settings. It's just that the HD5450 might give you 4 frames per second with settings maxed while the HD6990 will give you 100.

 

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

Either the BE HD6850 or the HD6870 will be a nice upgrade. If you overclock yourself then you could get away with a std card.

No i don't plan to OC any way.

 

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

Hierarchy of 2011 graphics cards.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-radeon-hd-6870-geforce-gtx-570,2834-7.html

General rule of thumb is upgrade to at least 3 tiers above your card...

6850 is one tier above the 5770

6780 is two tiers above the 5770

For your money id go for the 6850 and overclock it to close to 6870 levels or save up for a 6950.

+1 vote for HD6850 BE... OC it would be a good option.. but il never adopt it though

 

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

Yeah, from those options at those prices the HD6850 is your best choice.

+2 votes for 6850

 

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2964-7.html

the 6790 and the 5770 are on par with each other, the only thing different is the series numbering :lol: and that the 6790 is a defective 6850 chip with its defective part chopped off and so it has the same power consumption as the 6850. The 6870 is a safer route.

You can actually OC the standard 6870 to its *lil* older bro - 6870 Black Edition but you'd need to give it some cooling to do so otherwise it runs hot.

Getting the 6850 will show you no visible upgrade from where you are now, the second point of that answer is that the resolution your on @ 1600x1200 won't show you much difference either.

Trust me. I have two rigs with 2 different cards a 5770 + 6870 BE both xfx, for monitor resolutions @ 1920x1080, they show almost similar quality but unless your glued to the monitor and actually stare at assassins creed's environment then you can tell

In all honesty, the 6870 would be a better buy now, but wait a lil and get the 6950 - find teh bios for a 6970 and unlock the 6950, though i doubt that will happen as vendors found out about this and took care of this issue, though i read of a sweed unlock his 6950 into a 6970. btw its a 2GB DDR5 Version.

My 2 cents.

P.S; your PSU will also become another point to look at, getting more wattage would be preferable.

Budy.. the quality of textures depend upon the settings applied in the game.. all i am upgrading for is higher FPS.

secondly as u have framed it.. it seems a bit complicated because i have to spend more than value for money on 6870 and may even need a PSU upgrade that would cost even more.. which i think would not be a good idea..

thanks for ur consideration though

 

[rolli59]

No i don't plan to OC any way.

Then you are right about performance/price the HD6850 BE is the best choice!

 

[Lutfij]

@ OP - okay might have missed that, but i tend to be more swayed towards eyecandy with a lil compromise in FPS. Better FPS can be achieved with lowering game quality settings.

Buddy, you've made quadruple posts to address each members questions, just don't do that next time

hmm - then the 6850 BE seems a better buy in this case ...*seems*

 

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

Best answer selected by xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx.

 

[xXXMK_DEATHANGELXXxx]

now ur talkin

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey