Radeon HD 7850

[nickdabig]

Hey,
I just bought an XFX 7850 on Newegg(http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150617). When it got to me it was defective so I RMA'd it. When I got the card it was 189 after rebate. I am just now noticing that it only has 1gb of memory. I wasn't aware that there was a 1gb 7850 or I would have just spent a little more on the 2gb. I am now seeing that there is a 2gb version on sale for the same price as my 1gb (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102998.) My question is: is it worth trying to return my new card once the RMA goes through in order for the memory upgrade? I cannot find any benchmarks comparing the two cards online. It would seem like all the benchmarks I have encountered are for the 2gb model. It is strange to me that they would downgrade the memory on a 2gb model and increase the price....

 

[aaronstyle]

I would say it's worth it in the end. Although benchmarks may be the same at resolutions at or below 1080p. Given that, the extra memory will help with AA, and other eye candy. AMD cards shine in this specific category, with higher memory bandwidth than their Nvidia counterparts I would say it's definitely worth it. Especially if you're applying high AA with high resolutions.

 

[blazorthon]

For some games in 1080p, 1GB of VRAM capacity is a bottle-neck, depending on the quality settings. Above 1080p, it's a problem in many games. The 2GB models are generally good on memory capacity until triple 1080p or so, although newer and more intensive games might reduce that to around 2560x1600 as they hit the market. You might need to keep AA and such to a minimum if you have only 1GB of VRAM capacity, depending on the game and if you play at or above 1080p. I think that an upgrade is worth it.

 

[nickdabig]

Forgot to mention:

CPU: AMD 8150 3.6ghz
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3
16gb of corsair ram
HDD: 1tb Western Digital Black 6gbps

 

[aaronstyle]

Those specs don't change my recommendation.

I second this.




All in favor?

 

[blazorthon]

Those specs don't change my recommendation.

 

[aaronstyle]

OK thanks for the quick replies guys. I figured that was pretty much the deal but was hoping it wasn't haha. Since I just sent out my RMA I'm going to try to get Newegg to ship the 2gb card instead of the 1gb for my return. Thanks again.

No problem, I enjoy helping people, happy gaming!

 

[nickdabig]

OK thanks for the quick replies guys. I figured that was pretty much the deal but was hoping it wasn't haha. Since I just sent out my RMA I'm going to try to get Newegg to ship the 2gb card instead of the 1gb for my return. Thanks again.

 

[nickdabig]

Best answer selected by NickDaBig.

 

[blazorthon]

Glad to help. If you have no further questions at this time, then please select a best answer so that other people know that this thread is complete. Fell free to start a new thread or PM someone if you have any more questions later on.

 

[nickdabig]

I did have one additional question... I was going to replace my order with the saphire 7850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419. This seems to be the best model in the 7850 chipset as far as price and performance. Any other advice or suggestions for other 7850s?

 

[blazorthon]

Your link isn't working.

Also, this is the 7850 that I'd recommend:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161405

 

[nickdabig]

I am not familiar with the HIS brand... Why do you think that this is better than the Saphire or gigabyte if you don't mind me asking? The two I had my eyes on were:

1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102999
2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125419

 

[blazorthon]

Sapphire beats Gigabyte overall IMO, but that Sapphire cooler looks like it doesn't exhaust enough air outside of the back of the case like the Gigabyte does.

HIS is one of the best for AMD cards. In fact, they are often the best for a given model. I'd put them above the Gigabyte in quality and at a lower cost too.

 

[nickdabig]

The gigabyte does indeed look like it has better cooling and it is a higher clock out of the box. I have heard mixed things about the gigabytes though. I'm a little weary of the HIS because it does not appear to have copper heatsinks and has only one fan.

 

[blazorthon]

The gigabyte does indeed look like it has better cooling and it is a higher clock out of the box. I have heard mixed things about the gigabytes though. I'm a little weary of the HIS because it does not appear to have copper heatsinks and has only one fan.

The HIS cards does have copper heat pipes and its one fan is better than than the fans used on the Gigabyte and Sapphire cards. It also has more heatsink area to make up even more for having only a single but better fan.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey