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Upgrading from HD 5850, ~$450 budget, what do I really want?

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Which video card is worth going for?

Total: 2 votes

  • GTX 770!
  • 50 %
  • HD 7970 GHZ edition!
  • 0 %
  • Spend the cash, get a GTX 780 and lay your worries to rest!
  • 50 %
  • Wait a little longer, get something else that's coming out soon!
  • 0 %
June 13, 2013 10:58:55 AM

The rest of my system is pretty solid:
i7 930 running stably at 3.85 ghz (39C idle, 73C load) (I might go for 4 ghz+ soon :D )
12 gb DDR3 1600
120 gb samsung 830 SSD
2x 640 gb7200 rpm WD drives raid 0'd as storage.

My current graphics card is an xfx HD 5850. (not the black edition or anything fancy... it's one of the dumb cards that's voltage locked and lame)

I have a ~450$ budget to go on, and I'd like a solid upgrade.
I spend my time gaming at 1080p and love to make it pretty. I'm just getting around to playing some of the recent FPS games (Metro 2033, possibly Crysis 3 or FC 3). I've spent a lot of time recently playing Skyrim modded up with 2k textures and an ENB (as best I can... lagging around at 25 fps... bleh).

I have some interest in tri-monitor gaming at 5760x1080 (as I already own the monitors to do it).

I haven't enjoyed my AMD experience since I bought this XFX card, and so I'm thinking I'd enjoy going back to my Nvidia roots and getting a GTX 770. I'm particularly intrigued in the 4gb version of the card (like the Gigabyte Windforce one).

Unfortunately, I see that the HD 7970 GHZ edition is still a super strong competitor to it, AND it comes with games. I hate to get swayed by the wrong ideas, but I'm quite up in the air about what I want to really do.

I could also possibly be convinced to shell out $650 for a GTX780 if people think it is really really worth it. How much better performance are we expecting to see from GK110 gpus as the drivers/software become more mature?

-side note, I understand that wanting a 4gb card seems ridiculous to most people. But, I am of the opinion that 2gb is going to be surpassed in the upcoming year or two, for high end gaming.


Sorry for my book, I tend to write a lot. Penny for your thoughts?


TL/DR version: GTX 770 4gb vs. HD 7970 GHZ edition, discuss.

More about : upgrading 5850 450 budget

June 13, 2013 1:46:04 PM

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6994/nvidia-geforce-gtx-7...

That is a link to Crysis 3 benchmarks with various GPUs tested including the 770.
It looks like the 770 is the way to go over the 7970.
They are however some games that the 7970 does a bit better than the 770.
I don't know if they tested the 2GB or the 4GB version.

Overall I would recommend the 770. I might wait though to make sure they are not any big problems with it as it is a new product.
June 15, 2013 7:31:32 AM

I had my feet both on the Nvidia side of the fence before AMD just did a price drop already.
The GTX770 4gb is going to cost me $450 minimum, and Sapphire already dropped the price on their 7970GE to 369$ after MIR..

the 7970 GE is now ~20% less and it comes with games.
I'm back on the fence. :( 
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June 15, 2013 7:47:09 AM

Well on my GTX670 (overclocked beyond stock GTX680 performance), Crysis 3 isn't as smooth as the benchmarks would suggest. It's totally playable, but for a really fast, responsive feel, I'd be inclined to say treat yourself to a GTX780. For maxing both Metro games aswell I think it's the best bet. Hard to justify that cost but if you really want absolute max settings on Crysis 3 and Metro with fast, responsive performance then it's the best solution.
June 15, 2013 7:48:14 AM

And agreed about the future-proofing value of more than 2GB.
!