TR Forums

Ok so I have been looking to upgrade my video card for awhile. I currently have a gtx460 but the 768mb version
looking at the 300 dollar range. But I am not sure what the best buy is. Looking at benchmarks it seems 7870s are tops but I see some reviews saying they trade image quality for FPS.
So which card is actually tops in this range?

The 7870 is a bit over the 300 dollar mark.

At or under 300 you'll be looking at the GTX 570 or the 7850. The 570 sits right in between the 7850 and 7870 performance wise. Either card is a good choice. Lower power consumption on the 7xxx series might sway though.

I don't worry too much about image quality on today's cards. Both camps are plenty good.

So is the 7870 worth the price bump over the 7850?

SpartanCaptain wrote:

So is the 7870 worth the price bump over the 7850?

Is it?

http://techreport.com/articles.x/22573

SpartanCaptain wrote:

So is the 7870 worth the price bump over the 7850?

Less than five fps on average for an extra Benjamin? I'd take the 7850.

Also I must state my friend has a hd6950 and I must be faster than him lol

Is this a good card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-125-419&SortField=3&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1
if not can somone mention a better brand one. With the higher clock speeds?

SpartanCaptain wrote:

Also I must state my friend has a hd6950 and I must be faster than him lol

A 7850 is faster, if only barely. The 7850 is also cooler, uses less power, and should be quieter than the 6950. Get the 7850.

I'm partial to Nvidia, even if everything else is equal they have had better driver support this last generation then ATI. Hell i have two 560ti in SLI and have yet to encounter driver issues, something most people with CF can't say, as such i recommend these cards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130738

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130593

Jarlaxlecq wrote:

I'm partial to Nvidia, even if everything else is equal they have had better driver support this last generation then ATI.

Nuh-huh. And yes, I have a Nvidia card. I had Civ V crashing all the time until a recent driver revision, and gamma settings not being applied on startup. I say they're both on par (for better or worse) regarding driver quality.

Jarlaxlecq wrote:

I'm partial to Nvidia, even if everything else is equal they have had better driver support this last generation then ATI. Hell i have two 560ti in SLI and have yet to encounter driver issues, something most people with CF can't say, as such i recommend these cards

Please, not this again. I don't want another video card thread to turn into a flame war on AMD for drivers. Derails the whole conversation.

FWIW, I never had any issues with the NV cards I've owned. I can say the same about the ATI/AMD cards I've owned as well. Not a fanboy, just don't want the thread turning into a bickering match.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130759 another different but viable option

DancinJack wrote:

Jarlaxlecq wrote:

I'm partial to Nvidia, even if everything else is equal they have had better driver support this last generation then ATI. Hell i have two 560ti in SLI and have yet to encounter driver issues, something most people with CF can't say, as such i recommend these cards

Please, not this again. I don't want another video card thread to turn into a flame war on AMD for drivers. Derails the whole conversation.

FWIW, I never had any issues with the NV cards I've owned. I can say the same about the ATI/AMD cards I've owned as well. Not a fanboy, just don't want the thread turning into a bickering match.

I've owned a long list of cards from my original Monster 3D 12meg all the way to my current 560 ti SLI setup, i've used both ATI and Nvidia frequently, hell my previous card (and current Family PC card) is a ATI 4850. Over the years sometimes ATI is on top, sometimes Nvidia is king of the hill. Right now things lean towards Nvidia. There is no Bias in my advice, its objective.

Jarlaxlecq wrote:

I've owned a long list of cards from my original Monster 3D 12meg all the way to my current 560 ti SLI setup, i've used both ATI and Nvidia frequently, hell my previous card (and current Family PC card) is a ATI 4850. Over the years sometimes ATI is on top, sometimes Nvidia is king of the hill. Right now things lean towards Nvidia. There is no Bias in my advice, its objective.

I didn't say there was. I just don't care to read another 4 pages of people blasting each company for their shortcomings. Both companies offer good products. He should get the 570 or the 7850 as I suggested in my first reply.

DancinJack wrote:

I didn't say there was. I just don't care to read another 4 pages of people blasting each company for their shortcomings. Both companies offer good products. He should get the 570 or the 7850 as I suggested in my first reply.

Fair enough

I like the Radeon HD7850 for the reasons that DancinJack gave in the first response in this thread.

I don't know if it's as quiet as the stock configuration, but the Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD runs 13.4% faster than the stock speed for $19½ more than the least expensive model.

Seeing that that gtx 670 should be out in the next few days I am just wait and try to buy that.