ATI 6970 or wait?

[jconblack]

Hello guys, could you give me some advice?
I've been looking for a new graphics card for my computer (i own right now one ati hd 5870), and i've found the ati hd 6970 to be close to the money i would like to spend.
The thing is that now, with all the new 7000 architecture, i dont know if i should wait for a new similar model (i could afford to pay a little more), or go for the 6970. i would like to enjoy the new card as soon as possible, but if it is really worth the time wait for the new...7980? (dont know the exact number), i could wait (grrr) hehe.
The use of my computer is "heavy gaming" (bf3, skyrim) on one 1920x1080 display.

Thanks a lot.

 

[jaguarskx]

The HD 7970 is expected to be around $550, but I have seen pre-orders for it as high as $675. The HD 7950 is expected to be around $450. Not sure of the lower end models.

 

[alvine]

I say wait. You will get more for your money

 

[refillable]

Probably the 7870, which is going to be $300 and 7950 which is probably at $400.

The 6970 is in the middle, so you choose .

I got these from wikipedia.

 

[beltzy]

The HD 7970 is expected to be around $550, but I have seen pre-orders for it as high as $675. The HD 7950 is expected to be around $450. Not sure of the lower end models.

The 7970 is available now and surprisingly you can buy them for $550. Some versions are going for more, but they're reference cards (aside from the XFX Black Edition) so it's silly to pay more than $550.

I say wait. You will get more for your money

That is always true and isn't a reason to wait unless there's a product that you would buy that's coming out imminently (oh yeah- I used that word). The 7950 should be announced soon, but we don't know when it will be available for sale. Even when it is, it isn't a competitor for the 6970- it should perform better and cost more (so it's not really a better value proposition unless you're into compute stuff). I believe 7970/7950 prices will come down when NVidia start providing some 28nm competition, but that shouldn't be for a few months.

I'd recommend you pull the trigger on a 6970 or it's competitor, the GTX 570. It will do you very well at 1920x1080. Just make sure you shop around and look for a good deal (as always).

Edit: if you're an enthusiast who puts value in having the "newest bestest" card, that IS a factor and I don't look down on that.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

The 7970 is available now and surprisingly you can buy them for $550. Some versions are going for more, but they're reference cards (aside from the XFX Black Edition) so it's silly to pay more than $550.



That is always true and isn't a reason to wait unless there's a product that you would buy that's coming out imminently (oh yeah- I used that word). The 7950 should be announced soon, but we don't know when it will be available for sale. Even when it is, it isn't a competitor for the 6970- it should perform better and cost more (so it's not really a better value proposition unless you're into compute stuff). I believe 7970/7950 prices will come down when NVidia start providing some 28nm competition, but that shouldn't be for a few months.

I'd recommend you pull the trigger on a 6970 or it's competitor, the GTX 570. It will do you very well at 1920x1080. Just make sure you shop around and look for a good deal (as always).

Edit: if you're an enthusiast who puts value in having the "newest bestest" card, that IS a factor and I don't look down on that.

Agreed.
Only factor for the 7970 for op imo would be in the ccase of it falling into budget. If he has 550 bux to spend on a new card then the 7970 would be a definite for me

 

[jconblack]

Thanks a lot for the input!
beltzy, i chose the 6970 because the 6990 is way to expensive. I was looking to spend 300-350 euros, 400 maximum in case it is really worth it. So, im afraid that buying right now one 6970, in a month, or 2, might be out a new 79xx in the price range paid for the 6970, obviously with a better perfomance value.
Im not a enthusiast that likes to have the best of the rest, but i would like to do a good buy, as everybody!

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Thanks a lot for the input!
beltzy, i chose the 6970 because the 6990 is way to expensive. I was looking to spend 300-350 euros, 400 maximum in case it is really worth it. So, im afraid that buying right now one 6970, in a month, or 2, might be out a new 79xx in the price range paid for the 6970, obviously with a better perfomance value.
Im not a enthusiast that likes to have the best of the rest, but i would like to do a good buy, as everybody!

I doubt you will see a drop in price for the 79xx series. The price range will perform around the same even for the new cards. The 78xx will most likely be in the price range.you are looking for and perform along.with.the 6970 that you could already have by the time the new series releases

 

[diec4st]

Going from 5870 to 6970 isn't worth it since the 5870 is similar to the 6950 performance wise. 7950 or 7970 is the way to go IMO.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Going from 5870 to 6970 isn't worth it since the 5870 is similar to the 6950 performance wise. 7950 or 7970 is the way to go IMO.

It depends on the types of features op is looking for. More gAmes are utilizing tesselation than before that even though dx11, the 5870 has poor tesselation support.
With that in mind wait a couple months and save an extra hundred and get the 7970. Don't be hasty and get something with slight increases in overall performance just cause right now ts in your price range. Make the 7970 your price range is the point im getting at

 

[jconblack]

Ok, the thing about the 5870 performing similar to the 6950 seems important, because if i'm going to spend a significant amount of money, i would like to get a noticeable performance boost. But on the other hand, even actually having 500 euros to spend in a 7970 graphics card, do you think it's really worth that sum of money? i mean, its just for playing videogames...

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Ok, the thing about the 5870 performing similar to the 6950 seems important, because if i'm going to spend a significant amount of money, i would like to get a noticeable performance boost. But on the other hand, even actually having 500 euros to spend in a 7970 graphics card, do you think it's really worth that sum of money? i mean, its just for playing videogames...

Its if you think it is worth it. You have a 5870. The curse of buying a flagship card is that the when upgrading to get a proper boost in performance you will have to buy the next flagship. Buying a new series doesnt necessarily mean it is a worthwhile upgrade especially when blowing 4-500 on it. The 7970 is about 20-50% faster than the 6970 but te 6970 is only roughly 20% faster than the 5870. Food for thought