Looking for a new card

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xvortexx

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Jul 10, 2012
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Well its been awhile since I upgraded my graphics card, and was wondering if anyone had any advice on what card is the best for my price range ($200 - $300). Two cards I have my eye on are:
XFX 7870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150604
MSI GTX 570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127682

I'm planning on upgrading my CPU and motherboard potentially next, and if needed my PSU (which if needed i'll purchase along side my new graphics card).

Current Specs

CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 440
Motherboard: ASUS M4A87TD/USB3
Memory: 2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104173
Graphics: XFX Radeon HD 5670
PSU: http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=3738
 
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With the 12.6 Driver updates, and OC headroom, I think the 7950 is a very...

Sladeakakevin

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Jun 4, 2012
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The 7870 is the better of the 2 cards, but I think you should wait for the 660s.

The 660s should come out in about 2-3 weeks and will be cheaper than the 7870 and might be better imo. It's worth waiting to find out at least.

If I were in your shoes I'd probably get the 7870 since it is newer tech. But if you get the 570 you save 50$ that could go towards a nice CPU upgrade.

If you have a stable form of income, I'd say get the 7870 because the 50$ difference can be made back in a week or 2 depending on your job.
 

xvortexx

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Thanks for the responses. Will I need a new Psu if I get the 7870? I realize if I get pretty much any nvidia card I'll have to upgrade, but I was reading ATI cards draw less power. Also, i believe my current model only has 1 6 pin connector so that may be an issue in itself.
 

jerm1027

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I'd just go for the 7850. It's on par with the 570, about the same price, draws half the power, and has plenty of OC headroom. You most likely will not need a new PSU if you go the 7870.

The power connector won't be at all an issue with the 7850 as only needs 1x 6pin PCIe connector, and most 7870's come with a Molex to 6pin PCIe adapter.
 

xvortexx

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Jul 10, 2012
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So I decided that spending a little extra might be a good idea so I don't have to upgrade for quite some time (hopefully). Anyhow, I was looking at the 7950 because it seemed to be a substantial upgrade over the 7870. I'm thinking about going XFX because of the lifetime warranty on specific units, in this case being the double dissipation model. I went back to newegg today and saw that another model that I had previously not seen. My question is: besides the ports being different, are there any other changes in these 2 models?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150616
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150588
 

jerm1027

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With the 12.6 Driver updates, and OC headroom, I think the 7950 is a very solid choice.

I spotted a 0.3" difference in length, but that's about it in addition to DVI port count. Same chip, same series, same cooler, same clocks, and same warranty. I've also noticed that the PCB's are slightly different in circuitry layout. I think the TDFC model might have just a smidge more OC potential, but if warranty is important, OCing technically does void the warranty (not that they have anyway of knowing). Also, the OC potential is speculation on my part, with the reasoning being that the center of the PCB ("center" being directly behind the chip) is a little more populated, Power delivery looks shinier, and the 1-less DVI port allows more air to exhausted from the back. I don't think these slight differences actually translates to better OC, especially if you aren't an advanced overclocker.

Basically, in the grand scheme of the things, they are the same card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006519%2050001669%2040000048%20600286767%20600286739&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=48|14-150-616^14-150-616-TS%2C14-150-588^14-150-588-TS
 
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