Is the 7770 good for gaming?

mastrom101 · Jul 9, 2012

HI,

I was looking at buying a 7770 to replace the 6770 that i returned, but i heard some people complain on the forums that it isn't good because of the memory bandwith. Is this true?

If not, which of these cards should i get?
(sorry for the spoiler)

Those were the cards i was looking at. When looking at the prices, remember i am taxed on the purchase price, than i subtract the rebate. So if its $150 with a $30 rebate, its actually 150 X 1.13 - $30.

If you think that a 7770 is a good card, please pick a couple of those and order them. Maybe top 3?

Also, I never overclocked my GPU before, so cards that are easy to/ come pre OC'd are a plus.

If You agree it's a bad card, what would you recommend?

I have an okay power supply that only provides 2X18A on the 12V, and i am running a 2500k. also, my Mobo only has PCIE 2.0 slots.

The only cards i can think of are 6850's/70's, 560 SE's and 560's. I want to try and stick under the $150 range.

I just need a card good enough so i can play games with my friends. I will be playing in 1080P pretty soon. One has a 560Ti (720P though), the other a 6850.

For Skyrim, oblivion, BFH and general computing.

A card from tiger direct is preferred as i can drive to one, and avoid shipping fees.

Thanks!

akxpckwb · Jul 9, 2012

The 7770 is not exactly made with gaming in mind that's why it is rather limited however it is still a good card that will run those games you mentioned easily. It also consumes little power so your current PSU should be able to handle it.

Just take your pick on whichever you prefer but be sure to get a Ghz Edition one. It's price is similar to the normal one but you get a little more horsepower.
Regarding the overclock I cannot help since I never overclocked a GPU.

Cart00nst3r · Jul 9, 2012

Here you can check Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html
I would recommend you to get HD 7850 2GB ddr5 or gtx 560 ti by spending more bucks.

Here is the passmark chart.
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

If you have extra budget, go for hd 7850 or gtx 560 ti . hd7770 will not give you 100% satisfactory for gaming.

geofelt · Jul 9, 2012

What psu(brand/model) exactly do you have? It is the total +12v amps that is important, and you can't just add the 18a +18a, the total will be less. The pau quality matters, a cheap psu will not deliver advertised power.

The pcie-2.0 or 3.0 is not an issue. Even today's top cards are not impacted significantly(1-2fps?) by running in 2.0.

As to which card, it really does not matter much. You will get fair performance for your dollar at every price point.
If your psu is not an issue, buy the best card you feel comfortable paying for.
Look at the heirarchy list at the end of this Tom's article to see which cards are comparable:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-3.html

dudewitbow · Jul 9, 2012

In my opinion, the 200$ mark is the relative 1920x1080 with most or all settings maxed level mark. it is possible with a 6870/560 on a few select games though

mastrom101 · Jul 9, 2012

560ti/7850 is out of the question for me. I don't need a killer graphic card, nor do I need to paly on ultra. For some enwer games, playing on Medium or High is fine for me. My budget can only stretch to $150.

As for the Power Supply, it is a Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 600 Watt,
It is capable of 36A combined of power, so keep that in mind, and don't forget about capacitor aging.

So would a 7770GHz be a good choice? Or would a 6850/560/70 be much better? Also my PSU concerns me so I don't want to draw too much power.

geofelt · Jul 9, 2012

You are right to be concerned about the psu. It does not deliver advertised power. It is more like a cheap 450w psu.
Read this review and analysis: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-eXtreme-Power-Plus-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/1034/9

Now, I know you are on a budget, and you own the psu.
I suggest you not buy a very strong graphics card that will tax the psu. The newer 28nm cards are more power friendly, but a 7770 wants 500w: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7770/pages/radeon-7770.aspx#3

Probably a 7750 would be OK.

If you want a stronger graphics card, I think you are facing a psu replacement.
Something like a Corsair 600w unit will cost only $50 after rebate. It delivers 40a.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
With it, you can run any card that costs $500 or less.

kevin83 · Jul 9, 2012

I just put an msi 7770 ghz edition with dual fans in a computer a few days ago and it ran Unigine Heaven with every setting on max except tessellation on normal and it hit 30 fps at 1024x768. It is the perfect gpu for sub-1080p resolutions. At 1080p it starts to show lag at max settings. I suggest buying one and crossfiring later if that's an option.
Otherwise the 560 and 560 ti are the next steps up in my opinion, everything in the middle is the same as an overclocked 7770.

spentshells · Jul 9, 2012

6870 was suggested and for your budget it is the best option for you including MIR

7770 isn't going to be what you were looking for since you already have something in it's class.

Lucem Ferre · Jul 9, 2012

When overclocked the 7770 is a very decent card. Grab this one. Should be able to do 1200 core

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2652129&CatId=7387

mastrom101 · Jul 9, 2012

My current monitor is 1280X1024, and i will most likely upgrade it to a 1080P, but this is not certain. As for the power supply, i know it's more than enough for a 7770 as it could run my 6770.

I returned the 6770 because i felt it was not the greatest in terms of bang for buck. I'm looking for something with performance better than the 6770, and much better than my Intel 3000 graphics, but for a good price.

Some people have complained about the memory bandwidth. Is that a concern?

pacioli · Jul 9, 2012

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130649
GTX 460 256 bit version $129.99
Performs like a GTX 560 1 tier above the 7770

mastrom101 · Jul 10, 2012

pacioli :

whats the power consumption like?

Lucem Ferre · Jul 10, 2012

pacioli :

You're recommending a card 2 generations old?

mastrom101 · Jul 10, 2012

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/415?i=612.535.613.611.614.536.549.539.540.548.510.512.541.542.550.598.509.543.511.547.555.508.519.618

I don't know what CPU they use, but by the looks of it, even if i have a "450 watt" power supply, it looks like all of the recommended GPU's should be sufficient, correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm going to ask cooler master about it though/

spartanmk2 · Jul 10, 2012

Lucem Ferre :

GTX 460 is a pretty solid card for budget gaming.

Lucem Ferre · Jul 10, 2012

spartanmk2 :

Not for 130 dollars its not.

mousseng · Jul 10, 2012

Glancing through Anand's charts, you can see that the 7770 and 6850 are roughly on par (this is an average, mind you). However, if you get either the ASUS DirectCU or Sapphire's Vapor-X, you should be able to overclock the 7770 way past what the 6850 could do (up to roughly 1150 - 1200 MHz). You'll have lower power draw and heat, to boot. On a budget, I think the 7770 will do just fine. You're not gonna get playable framerates on every game at high settings, but as long as you're okay with medium settings and AA turned off then I think you'll be fine.

spentshells · Jul 10, 2012

Im sure you are dying to upgrade but it's not worth it, save another 50... Next month ? and buy a budget 560ti for 200 for the proper experince in an upgrade.

bobochez · Jul 10, 2012

+1 for the 6850, I am using one in my build and it runs everything i play (gta4, bfbc2, tf2, css, random games) on at least high.

mastrom101 · Jul 10, 2012

spentshells :

I could buy a 7850 but that's a little more than i wanted to spend. Also, what happens if i don't but a 1080P monitor? Will the 7850 be overkill for maxing out Skyrim?

Mixed opinions sofar, but I think im leaning towards the Asus DirectCU Card. It is $25 more than the HIS card, but it stay's much quieter, is pre-oced (and i can oc it more) and is made by my MOBO manufacturer, so if anything goes wrong, they have my back.
Second for me is the HIS as it is dirt cheap.
Third is the 6850.

How much better is the 7850 over the 6850/7770?

pacioli · Jul 10, 2012

Lucem Ferre :

Nvidia's series x60 cards fill the niche of the mid to high range cards.

The GTX 460 replaced the GTX 260 in that niche.

The 560 Ti was released 18 months ago to fill the same mid to high range niche as the 460...

The 560 Ti is still the king of the hill and nothing has been released by Nvidia to replace it... yet... This means the GTX 460 is only 1 generation old.

The best GTX 460 made is the 256 bit version. The GTX 560 and the GTX 460 256 bit are virtually the same card. As a matter of fact... the GTX 560 is just a highly overclocked GTX 460. So the card I recommend is looking pretty nice...

pacioli · Jul 10, 2012

mastrom101 :

The 7850 is a lot better... It is closer to the top tier cards than it is the 7770. In my opinion AMD has a big gap in performance between the 7770 and the 7850... The GTX 560 Ti fills that gap nicely which is problematic for AMD.

mousseng · Jul 10, 2012

mastrom101 :

Quite a bit. The price premium is there for a reason, and while the 7850 doesn't sip power quite like the 7770 does, it puts out power in ways the 7770 couldn't dream of.

mastrom101 · Jul 10, 2012

I think i might go for a 7850 than. It provides much better performance, and it isn't too bad on power. It only uses 20 more watts than the 6770 which worked, so i think it will be fine, but i will double check with TD.

Do i have to worry about capacitor aging though?

If the 7850 uses too much power, than i will stick to the 7770.

Is the 7770 good for gaming?

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