5770 CF or 6850?

[Illyan]

I'm looking to upgrade my 4870 1GB, and I've narrowed it down to these choices, I was wondering the forum's opinion on it. I've got a crossfire motherboard, PII 955, and 12GB DDR3 1333.

2 5770s will cost about $230, and the 6850s go for $180. I know the 5770CF will perform better, but enough to justify the cost? I'll be gaming mostly at 1920x1080. I can always get another 6850 down the road, but will a single one now be much of an increase over my 4870?

There is a reason I'm not considering the obvious 5850/6870/5870, they won't fit in my case (NZXT M59). My 4870 is 9.5in long and the pci-power cables are already sticking inside the hdd bay. I'm not sure a second 6850 will even fit if I go that route, because of how the lower hdd bays are set up.

 

[JM Popaleetus]

They actually look to be about even (I realize HAWX doesn't play nice with ATI).

 

[Termie]

5770 crossfire will be faster (between 5850 and 5870 for most games), but probably not worth the crossfire hassles, extra power, and extra cost. If size is a factor, consider buying the GTX460 and overclocking it. It's at least equal to a 6850 when overclocked, and the reference board is only 8.25". It's the longest board that would fit in my HTPC.

And no, a 6850 is not a huge upgrade from a 4870. Probably about 15-50% faster depending on how new the game is. You can see that spread in the graphs above.

 

[Vette73]

Can you wait another 2 weeks or so? The price should be coming down on the 68XX cards now that the 69XX cards are out. Either that or some rebates.

But how about 6850 now and add another one later? Or hold out till price/rebates drop on the 6870?

EDIT:

Yep the prices are already dropping. At newegg rigght now there is a 6850 for $170 AR and a 6870 for $220 AR

 

[Powermoloch]

You'll be better off investing a 6870 or higher. 5770 CF was great (used to run a 5770 CF), but the newer stuff...is better

 

[Illyan]

6870 and everything higher is out of the question, as I explained, because of the size.

 

[Spikesoldier]

how about investing in another 4870 for CF? you can most definitely find one for under $100.00. i got my second 4890 for $75.00.

 

[blanketyblank]

I'd go for the 6850 just for the extras like hd3d support. Granted my 5770 is mainly used for htpc purposes so television features appeal to me. I'm going to wait on upgrading myself until I actually get a 3d able device. Most likely a projector.

I've seen 6850s on sale for about $150 AR though so you should wait for a good deal if you're going that route. And 6870 for around 180.

Actually there is one right now:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4131374&cm_re=6850_1gb-_-14-131-374-_-Product

 

[happy medium]

Grab a evga gtx560 (only 9 inches long).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130604

or from this guy for only 215$ brand new shipped.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2140278

EDIT: OR GO with the 7.25 inch Palit gtx560 for 239$ after promo code. This also has top mounted pci-e power connectors..
Its just as fast as 2 ,5770's, also and 2x faster then your 4870.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-100-_-Product

 

[dust]

how about investing in another 4870 for CF? you can most definitely find one for under $100.00. i got my second 4890 for $75.00.

this

I have 2 x4870@512mb, if I had 1Gb cards I wouldn't care to upgrade now. Another 4870 1Gb for less than 80 bucks would probably get you 5870ish performance in DX9-10, best bang for the money.

Spend less now and save your extra cash for a full system upgrade after an year or so.

 

[wuliheron]

The 5770 only has a 128 bit bus making it the wrong choice for HD gaming. Two of them might provide a little more instant gratification, but in the long run they just won't cut it. In general, its just best to buy the best single card you can afford and add another one later when the prices come down.

 

[busydude]

5770 was never bandwidth limited. OP, as others have said, 6850 is a much better choice.