6870 or 6850 for gaming and video editing?

[teej]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week hopefully, approx budget £80-120

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, some video editing, multi monitor setup, streaming video.

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Integrated AMD 3000. PSU Antex Truepower 550w

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Asus m4a78lt-m le, 4gb ram, Arctic Freezer Pro cooler. Lian Li case.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Scan.co.uk, Overclockers, Novatech, ebay, UK.

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD for performance and multi-monitor setup, NVidia for PhysX in certain games like Arkham Asylum. Brands; not sure about this as both seem to have better versions of each series.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes would like to have overclocking if i need it. Was gonna get a 6850 with a view to xfire until i read about microstuttering. Don't think my PSU is capable anyway so the 6970 looks like the better choice.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900,1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Need good cooling and quiet operation when idle. I will be upgrading the mobo soon but i need the onboard gpu.

Considering
AMD HD 6870 1GB
MSI HD 6850 OC AMD Radeon Graphics Card - 1GB

So i haven't gamed for a long time but there are some great looking games around like Dragon Age and Prototype 2. I want a card that can handle current games well but don't need 1080P on a 42" display (yet!). However i think it wil be better to spend a little extra on a cardcard that will serve me well for a few years.

I've looked at so many cards it's bewildering. Overall these two seem like a good choice around the £100 mark but i don't know if my system specs will be enough to get the most out of the 6870 but i can easily upgrade the mobo and ram. Afaik i'd need a PSU upgrade to crossfire two 6850s anyway but microstuttering and limited game support has put me off. So would an Oc'd 6850 be good or should i go for the more powerful 6870 and if so which version? Are there any other options worth considering?

Thanks.

 

[the_creed4]

I have the 6850, and it is a wonderful card, but if you have the extra cash, go with the 6870 or the 6850 with 2Gb of GDDR5, with the 2 gb's you can run multi-monitor easily, it is also great for editing, i play a bunch of games at max graphics, and i render out objects on autodesk inventor easily. I also edit with adobe after effects, and it is quite fast

 

[teej]

Thanks. Yeah i thought the 6870 will be worth it in the long run but maybe overkill. In terms of video editing i'll be using Daz 3D for some modelling and adding video to audio so nothing too intense.

I would have got the 6850 and then a second to crossfire which would give me 2gb? but if microstuttering and game support aren't great i'd rather save myself the headaches i've read about.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The 6870 is the better deal tho a nVidia card would do much better with video editing due to the ability to run CUDA based apps and plug ins.

http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm

I use these

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-asus-gtx-560ti-direct-cu-ii-top-40nm-4200mhz-gddr5-gpu-900mhz-shader-1800mhz-384-cores-mhdmi

 

[teej]

Thanks i'll have to read up on whether the software i use will take advantage of Cuda. The 560 is probably the NVidia card i would go for but is there anything around the same price point as the 6870 worth considering? It seems like most of the NVidia interfaces are beaten by AMD in benchmarks until you get into the upper midrange so i keep coming back to these two cards.

 

[teej]

Unless i'm wrong it looks like Daz doesn't take advantage of Cuda or Stream. I'm not using PS or doing any CAD so as long as the 6870 is capable of handling some 3d rendering it will be fine but as the 6870 i posted is an OEM will it be a cut down version? Also is that some sort of cooling fin sticking out the back? I'm not sure that would fit in my case!

 

[teej]

Is the AMD 6870 worth the extra power draw, space etc vs a factory OC'd 6850 and will my specs be sufficient to OC the 6870? From what i've read the 6850 is better value and i don't know how well the 6870 will OC, also the fan isn't very oc friendly. I think my current psu could crossfire two 6850s anyway but i'd need an upgrade for two 6870s! Thanks!