HD 7850 or 560 Ti or lower

jtwire2012

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Jul 28, 2012
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I keep fighting with what graphics card to get I have a OCZ modXstream 500 Watt power supply and a 4600 series radeon HD card.

My card no longer has the horse power to do what I want... (playing Guild wars 2) it does alright in beta barely.. everything turned way down.

I basically want a card to play Guild Wars 2 as that is the game I will be playing most.. sometimes Starcraft 2 or Diablo 3 but those are easy games.

My resolution is 1680 x 1050 and I do not or will not be upgrading my resolution.

I have been looking at the 560TI or just the 550 but then I got into looking at ATI and the 7850. My main thing is I am kinda worried that a card like the 560TI my PSU wont have the power to run it along with the rest of my system. but I don't want to get a cheaper less power hungry card and end up with a not such a big upgrade then what I already have.

I want the card to last 2 years at least playing Guild Wars 2 which should be easy as MMO's don't normally do large upgrades to the graphics that much.

I want to know kinda what I should do or what card would work perfect for me given my issue?
 
Solution
I was testing at 1920x1080, and even the weaker card was quite playable. Minimizing how much you spend is never a bad idea. If you don't require every setting to be at UltraMaxOhWOW you would probably do well with a HD7770 or HD6850; they sip juice. The HD6850 is probably still a little stronger, but driver improvements may let the HD7770 catch up or pass it (it already has for some things). My XFX model is very quiet.

motorneuron

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Those are both good choices, though I'd probably pick the 7850--it's more efficient, overclocks well, and has double the VRAM (which isn't as important at your resolution, but might matter for future games). Given your needs and pricing, it's unlikely (I think) that the 660 Ti will actually be your best choice, though given its 192-bit (that is, gimped) VRAM bus, it will be more of a force at 1080p and below than at higher resolutions. It may also alter the pricing of the 7850.
 

Villers

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To the op, you're looking at a significant upgrade no matter what newer gen card you choose. amd seems to be the best choice at the moment. nvidias soon to be released cards will likely be a little bit better. the price will probably be the only determining factor for you. if you do happen to pick the wrong card, you're only talking a few fps. not a significant amount.. nothing to lose sleep over.
 
During the last beta, I tested two systems:
Phenom II X4 970BE @3.8GHz with a HD7870, and
Intel i5-3570K @stock with a HD7770.
The AMD system with the stronger card was the better performer. Of course, the game was not optimized, and by release I'm sure both will run considerably better. Still, the point is that I suspect you'll want the strongest card you can comfortably afford. The HD7850 is stronger than the GTX560Ti, and also uses less power. Although I suspect either will be able to max GW2 at your resolution, the lower power draw of the HD7850 probably makes it the better choice for you.
 

jtwire2012

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Ya I am looking at power draw too and the HD7850 doesn't draw a lot of power vs the 560ti the 660 or 660ti when ever they come out I'm sure will have a $300 price tag or higher and I don't want to spend that much if i can avoid it I have 3 more weeks before I have to get the new card so I may watch sales on the HD7850

Now my problem is brand what is the "best" brand for warranty and what not I try to find a quit running card for the most part since it will be in my dorm room!
 
I was testing at 1920x1080, and even the weaker card was quite playable. Minimizing how much you spend is never a bad idea. If you don't require every setting to be at UltraMaxOhWOW you would probably do well with a HD7770 or HD6850; they sip juice. The HD6850 is probably still a little stronger, but driver improvements may let the HD7770 catch up or pass it (it already has for some things). My XFX model is very quiet.
 
Solution

andrewcarr

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I wouldn't argue with muffin (more of a vetrain here and knows his stuff).

I'm supprised no one has asked his other specs. Mainly his CPU, seeing how old the GPU is I'm wondering what CPU he has.

As for the PSU you're fine with almost any newer card.
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I'd go for the 7850 (as long as CPU is decent) and have one that'll last a bit longer into the future (or at least higher setting in the future). More future resistant.
 

motorneuron

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SC2 and Diablo 2 will present no problems whatsoever for your GPU--D3 can be maxed by cards several tiers lower, and SC2 is very GPU-forgiving (can be somewhat more CPU intense, especially in multiplayer and huge battles). GW2 I don't know as much about but I don't think it's a really demanding game. My best approximation is from this benchmark: http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/44572-beta-weekend-3-benchmark-review/ The 7850 is about equal to a 6970, and that is able to push 40+ fps min, more like 60 average at demanding settings.

This is all without considering OC. The 7850 ships at around 850 MHz, but most cards can eaaasily be pushed to 1GHz, and many top out at more like 1.2 GHz without voltage tweaking. So you can push way more performance from it.
 

jtwire2012

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Well now that the GTX 660 Ti are out do I spend the extra $50 and get that or stick with getting the HD 7850?

the 660 Ti seems like a large jump from a HD7850 for only $50 more!