5850 to new $300 range card....

[skoad-]

Currently have a 5850 1gb, no OC. Looking to squeeze some more frames out, currently have 120hz monitor on the way so more fps the better to get the benefit from the monitor.

Anywho, whilst looking it seems the 2gb 6950 with shader unlock is all the rage @ $260 after rebate. . . So should I pawn my 5850 and go with a 6950 unlocked or a similar priced nvidia option? Some may say to add another 5850, but i'd rather do 1 gpu at this point unless the $ to performance ratio is out of this world.




Little background info:

• will be gaming on single display at 1920x1080, but dual monitoring w/ OS on the other (if i can get the setup right, 120hz might not play nice)
• Mainly for fps games atm (Crysis 2, BC2, BlackOps, hopefully stretch it to BF3...) with a little Starcraft2 mixed in.
• i7 920 @ stock, currently 18gb ddr3 probably going to pull out down to 12gb, intel x25-m ssd
• If i sell my 5850, I wouldn't mind pushing the cost of the new card to ~$350 if it's worth it.
• I am neither fanboy of ati or nvidia, equal opportunist here.

Looking to place the order tonight, so any prompt insight would be lovely :wub:

 

[dakU7]

OC that 5850. You'd be surprised how far it can go.

 

[Spikesoldier]

if i were you, i would pick up a cheap second 5850 and cf. i would even check to get a used one to save some more money.

 

[LagunaX]

At your gaming resolution and dual monitoring you will need 2gb video ram one way or another.
5850's are $149 at newegg but a lot of ppl including me are happy with a shader unlocked 6950 2gb that can overclock with afterburner/trixx/etc. to 6970 levels.
But from what I understand the newer non-reference 6950's cannot be unlocked easily.

 

[3DVagabond]

To make good use of your 120Hz monitor I think you'll need a lot more performance. For single GPU the 580 would be the prime candidate, but it's really pricey.

A second 5850 is the perf/$ choice, but you'll have to change your mind about dual GPU. RAM could also be a limitation coming up with newer titles.

A really good 6970 that can O/C more, because of the faster RAM than the 6950, would be my next choice. Better 6970 cards can give you > 6GHz on the RAM and I feel the 6970 needs as much memory bandwidth as possible to properly take advantage of the GPU @ > 1GHz. While the 6950 unlocked gives you 6970 performance, they aren't as highly binned (at least they don't seem to be) as a premium 6970. Something like the 6970 direct CuII or the Lightning seem to be the best performing. They are also very quiet. They are pushing your price point though.

The 570 is also a good performer, but the limited RAM could be a problem as games get more demanding. It would be my next choice though. I'd again go with a premium model with stronger power stages than the reference.

Then the 6950 that can safely unlock after that. It's definitely best bang for buck single GPU card. The 2Gb frame buffer might push it above the 570, but the 570 should give you a faster GPU.

Then the 560. But the RAM limitation is too much of a possible holdback, IMO. Not only is it limited to 1Gb, but the 256 memory bus combined with slower RAM speeds stops me from considering it with the others listed above.

 

[skoad-]

At your gaming resolution and dual monitoring you will need 2gb video ram one way or another.
5850's are $149 at newegg but a lot of ppl including me are happy with a shader unlocked 6950 2gb that can overclock with afterburner/trixx/etc. to 6970 levels.
But from what I understand the newer non-reference 6950's cannot be unlocked easily.

so no garauntee it can be unlocked if i pickup a new 6950? Do you mean - cannot unlock at all? or just missing the dual bios?

 

[WMD]

At your gaming resolution and dual monitoring you will need 2gb video ram one way or another.
5850's are $149 at newegg but a lot of ppl including me are happy with a shader unlocked 6950 2gb that can overclock with afterburner/trixx/etc. to 6970 levels.
But from what I understand the newer non-reference 6950's cannot be unlocked easily.

If you are willing to try unlocking a 6950, why not try overclocking your 5850 first? At 950/1250 it benchmarks faster than 5870. The 6950 is about as fast as a 5870. After unlocking and overclocking you gain another 10%. So if you able to get 25% or more out of 5850, then it is not really worth upgrading for that extra 5-10% performance unless you need 2gb and tessellation performance.

 

[mnewsham]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/303?vs=293

Assuming you dont OC the 5850's 2 5850's would be better then a single 6950. At $165 vs $245 You save $70 while getting better performance, and if you OC the 5850's (they OC fairly well) then you can get even better. Also at this point spending less money and saving up for a 7xxx series or 6xx series 28nm GPU would be the best idea.

 

[notty22]

If you are willing to try unlocking a 6950, why not try overclocking your 5850 first? At 950/1250 it benchmarks faster than 5870. The 6950 is about as fast as a 5870. After unlocking and overclocking you gain another 10%. So if you able to get 25% or more out of 5850, then it is not really worth upgrading for that extra 5-10% performance unless you need 2gb and tessellation performance.

Was thinking the same things.
The 5850 can usually be clocked up to 5870 speeds, 725 to 850mhz at the minimum. Might feel like a 'new' card.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Yep overclock your CPU and videocard. Once you've grabbed all the low hanging fruit and feel it's still not enough sell your card and buy a better one.

 

[skoad-]

k, will probably look into OC'ing the 5850 then. Processor as well, but not sure how the mobo will fare. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128362


The only few things that worry me about a dual card setup at this point is; for one, not sure it's going to fit my current case. I did however order a new HD cage so I can relocate my drives....so should be OK after that arrives. The other worry is I don't want to sink $150 into a 2nd card, then BF3 comes out later in the year and pc chokes on it. If I go to a 6950unlocked now, BF3 comes out I could then add a 2nd 6950 and surely be set.

Guess at this point I'll see what I can push hardware to atm then order later. . . . Hell, I guess 7000's are on the way? (and maybe nvidia 600s?)

 

[mnewsham]

rumor mill is churning with information on a possible Radeon HD 7770 in august or so.

 

[WMD]

k, will probably look into OC'ing the 5850 then. Processor as well, but not sure how the mobo will fare. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128362


The only few things that worry me aboutat this point is; for one, not sure it's going to fit my current case. I did however order a new HD cage so I can relocate my drives....so should be OK after that arrives. The other worry is I don't want to sink $150 into a 2nd card, then BF3 comes out later in the year and pc chokes on it. If I go to a 6950unlocked now, BF3 comes out I could then add a 2nd 6950 and surely be set.

Guess at this point I'll see what I can push hardware to atm then order later. . . . Hell, I guess 7000's are on the way? (and maybe nvidia 600s?)

Repost. see below

 

[WMD]

k, will probably look into OC'ing the 5850 then. Processor as well, but not sure how the mobo will fare. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128362


The only few things that worry me about a dual card setup at this point is; for one, not sure it's going to fit my current case. I did however order a new HD cage so I can relocate my drives....so should be OK after that arrives. The other worry is I don't want to sink $150 into a 2nd card, then BF3 comes out later in the year and pc chokes on it. If I go to a 6950unlocked now, BF3 comes out I could then add a 2nd 6950 and surely be set.

Guess at this point I'll see what I can push hardware to atm then order later. . . . Hell, I guess 7000's are on the way? (and maybe nvidia 600s?)

Yes the wise thing to do is wait for the release of BF3 and next gen cards. Then see what is the best solution. This generations performance increase is not really that worth the upgrade. I don't recommend CF either too much issues with scaling, flickering, inconsistent performance with new games that may take weeks or even months to fix. Go with the single powerful video card solution.

 

[OCGuy]

I wouldnt do it....I would maybe think about a 2nd 5850. You can do it for ~$150 and it will smoke any single GPU card solution out right now. (see sig)

 

[happy medium]

I wouldnt do it....I would maybe think about a 2nd 5850. You can do it for ~$150 and it will smoke any single GPU card solution out right now. (see sig)

This gets my vote. I would not worry about BF3 with twin 5850's :thumbsup:.

 

[timma]

buy GTX 570 OC~

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Sticking with a single card solution, just wait until the next gen comes along. In the meantime, overclock your processor, overclock your 5850, make sure you have a decent power supply, and turn down a few settings if you want to increase your framerate.

 

[Silverforce11]

CF 5850s are still the best bang for buck. Not to mention most will do a 30% OC and you will have no problems with anything at 1080p res. I don't think games will use more than 1gb vram at 1080p for a long time.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

i would get two of these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-591-_-Product

 

[3DVagabond]

i would get two of these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-591-_-Product

What? Why would you do that?

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

What? Why would you do that?

max out everything

 

[3DVagabond]

max out everything

He'd be better off, and a lot cheaper, to add a second 5850. Did you forget he already owns one?

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

He'd be better off, and a lot cheaper, to add a second 5850. Did you forget he already owns one?

problem with those cards in cf
i posted the link in another thread with the 5xx cards from Amd

otherwise

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3067296&SID=

if you not bothered about the noise

OP is that monitor 3d capable

 

[3DVagabond]

problem with those cards in cf
i posted the link in another thread with the 5xx cards from Amd

otherwise

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3067296&SID=

if you not bothered about the noise

OP is that monitor 3d capable

There is no problem with 5850 crossfire. The 5850's will easily do what the 5970 will and there's still lots of O/C room. 480's are an awful card. Hot, noisy, power hogs. Much better off with a 6950 for less money.