6870x2 1GB vs. 6870 2g

[IRMachine20XX]

Hello,
Newegg is having a 10% off deal on both cards and I really want to upgrade my old 8800GT.

Is one card really better than the other? I'm looking forward to playing Diablo3 and Guild Wars 2 on high settings.

Should I wait for the next round of cards from Nvidia or a deal on the gtx560 448core?

MB: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
Cpu: i5 2500k
RAM: 16gb (it was on sale!)

Links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521&Tpk=14-150-521&nm_mc=EMC-GD041612&cm_mmc=EMC-GD041612-_-index-_-Item-_-14-150-521

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563

 

[refillable]

Definitely two of the 1GB card would be better. And if you buy only single, there is no point of paying more trying to get the 2GB one. 1GB is sufficient pretty much. 7850/GTX 560 Ti 448 will be cool too .

 

[captainvera]

what resolution do you game on? if you do it at 1080p then 1GB is probably enough...

 

[coozie7]

You're in for quite a surprise with that upgrade
Of the two linked, I'd go for the dual fan design, but that's just asthetic preference on my part, either will be OK.
With cards of that, or even higher calibre, they'll usually run out of steam long before they start to use 2Gb so do n't pay any more for a 2Gb card, you'll just be wasting money.
You'll pay more for the HD7850 and GTX560 448 but they are also more powerful.
If you have a high res monitor go for the fastest card you can afford, that I5 is screaming out to be unleashed!
The endless problem...Should I wait? Should I go now? Only you can anwser. Me I'd hang fire for a week or two at least-AMD are dropping the prices of their HD7XXX cards and the HD7850 is quite a bit faster that the HD6870.
And BTW, I'm running an i5 750 on a HD6950, there's little it can't handle at high or maximum on my 1080 monitor and the 7850 is, depending on game as fast or slightly faster.

 

[IRMachine20XX]

what resolution do you game on? if you do it at 1080p then 1GB is probably enough...

Yeah, I'll be at 1080p for res. So you guys think the 6870x2 1GB will last me a while?

Thanks for the help!

 

[diec4st]

Get a 7850 or a 7870!

 

[IRMachine20XX]

Get a 7850 or a 7870!

I was hoping to stay very close to $200. Thanks for the suggestions though.

 

[hapkido]

Yeah, I'll be at 1080p for res. So you guys think the 6870x2 1GB will last me a while?

Thanks for the help!

I have 2x 5850, which is a little slower than 2x 6870 (the individual cards are more or less the same speed, but 6xxx cards scale better in crossfire). It's certainly a powerful setup, being about as fast as a hd 5970... which puts it in gtx 580, hd 7870, and hd 7950 territory. But it's an older architecture that uses more power. That means you need a beefier psu, better cooling, and they'll cost more to run over the life of the cards.

If it was me buying right now with $200 - $300 to spend, I'd pick up a single hd 7850 instead of 2x 6870, with the intention of adding a second 7850 in a few months.

edit:

I was hoping to stay very close to $200. Thanks for the suggestions though.

Wait, you're talking about getting ONE 6870 for $200? I'd wait until you can afford a 7850 (by saving and/or looking for pricedrops). They're not even in the same ballpark performance wise, and the 7850 isn't that much more expensive.

 

[coozie7]

Times are hard all round, mate
Right now, either of the 6870s' look sweet and I know how that upgrade itch can get impossible to resist but I'd still say wait a week or two and see if you can aim for a 7850 instead.
The 6870 is going to keep going for quite a while, though and it's going to be a stallar upgrade from you long suffering 8800!