Sapphire 6850 1GB vs 6850 2GB vs 6870

[phrogusmc]

I currently have a Sapphire 6870 1GB as my sole GFX card. My system monitor is a 50" 720p plasma and that card does surprisingly well playing most games on very high settings. I, however, would like to be able to max out anything and therefore am looking to run a 2nd card for Crossfire. I was leaning toward the 6850 1GB before I even began my build. It would be there to supplement my 6870, to provide that extra oomph I will need from time to time, and it is supposed to come with a bridge (why the 6870 does not is a mystery).

Well now newegg.com has the 6850 2GB version in stock and I'm leaning towards that one now (as my secondary XFire). My question is which one should I get? I've heard that the extra VRAM of the 2GB isn't all that useful in Crossfire, esp when compared to a standard 6870. Also, given the price of the 2GB 6850 is $10 more than the 6870, should I just get a 2nd 6870? I LOVE the 6870. I never expected it to perform as well as it does.

Any helpful input is welcome.

My build:
ASUS Sabertooth 990FX
AMD FX-6100@3.8GHz (OC'd w/Turbo disabled)
CM Hyper 212 Evo+ HSF
G.Skill Ares DDR3 1600MHz (8GBx2)
Sapphire Radeon 6870
OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD (OS only)
Sentey Burton Extreme FT case

 

[undercovernerd6]

hello there you can only crossfire your 6870 with another 6870, and you'll want to keep it at the 1g to avoid compatability issues. If you can buy the same card check your cards model number and order accordingly

 

[phrogusmc]

Not true. In SLI the cards have to be the same, but in Crossfire you can have any card in the same series...i.e 6800s XFired with other 6800s, 6900s with 6900s, 5700s with 5700s, and so on. I've done plenty of research in that department, and I KNOW the 6870 outperforms the 6850 (both 1GB and 2GB), but I liked that the 6850 1Gb was much cheaper AND is supposed to come with a Crossfire bridge, which is $13 at my local shop.

 

[lemlo]

Op, you are right on the compatabilty of crossfire though memory is mirrored on both sli and crossfire as far as I know. A 2 gig will act like a 1 gb when paired in any combination.

 

[phrogusmc]

That I have no knowledge of. I wasn't really researching 2GB cards in Crossfire. Although pair of 2GB cards should run normally, right?

I will probably end up getting a secod 6870 only because it's such a bad-a$$ card, but it erks me that the 6850 comes wit a Crossfire bridge and the 6870 does not. But that's on Sapphire. Not sure about other brands.

 

[unksol]

I have never had an AMD card come without a crossfire bridge. Sapphires 6870s used to. I have several spares. Nvidia was the one who never included SLI bridges. They are probably dropping them for costs reasons, and because no one buying a new 6870 would plan on crossfiring it. Unless they already had one. You can still get them though but I wouldn't bother.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121418

For that price sell yours and get a 7850 and avoid the microstutter problems with 6870s.

FYI it's doing so well because you have a very very low Res display. It would drive me nuts being that big, it has to be really grainy... But to each his own

 

[undercovernerd6]

http://sites.amd.com/us/game/technology/Pages/crossfirex.aspx

 

[phrogusmc]

I have never had an AMD card come without a crossfire bridge. Sapphires 6870s used to. I have several spares. Nvidia was the one who never included SLI bridges. They are probably dropping them for costs reasons, and because no one buying a new 6870 would plan on crossfiring it. Unless they already had one. You can still get them though but I wouldn't bother.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121418

For that price sell yours and get a 7850 and avoid the microstutter problems with 6870s.

FYI it's doing so well because you have a very very low Res display. It would drive me nuts being that big, it has to be really grainy... But to each his own

First of all, why would you not bother buying a 6870? It's not a bad card. I can think of a lot of reasons why people would still get them. Cost being the biggest. Resolution aside, it's a huge monitor for one card to render, so the fact that I can do it on very high settings say a lot. And no, my screen image is not grainy at all. It's very clear and crisp and looks great. I sit about 15 ft away from the TV. Games look awesome. Reading text is a b***h at times, but until I get a desk and monitor, I'm willing to cope. I love my Sapphire 6870 and I will def get another. The Crossfire bridge....it would have been nice if ASUS included one with my MOBO at least. They threw in a SLI bridge, why not Crossfire???