7850 or gtx 660?

[crazymonkeyzero]

I was going to purchase a video card in the next couple of days (upgrading from 9800gtx+) and am currently torn between this 7850 OC 2gb and this GTX 660. I am not an nvidia or amd fan boy, but they both have pros and cons. Currently I like the AMD free games offer atm, but then nvidia is also currently offering metro last light free, and on top of that the gtx 660 has dropped to below $200 regularly now. What would you guys do? Can someone tell me why I should buy one or the other, or neither? I am not willing to pay more than $200, regardless of rebates. So the $185 GTX 660 and $180 7850 are the best cards that come to mind.

Heres some additional info.
I plan to run no higher than 1080p, on a 20-23 inch monitor.

main system specs
cpu Intel Core i5 2500k (stock)
ram 2x4gb DDR3 1333 memory (kingston hyperx 1.5v)
psu 500w Corsair CX 500M


Thanks fin advance of any advice or tips

 

[tviceman]

The 660 is generally the faster of the two cards. You can look at summarized results here:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/783?vs=778
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_GTX_760_TF_Gaming/27.html

If you don't care to whip out a calculator, the 660 is about 15% faster than a 7850 at your resolution. It's up to you to decide if the price difference is worth the extra performance or not (also factoring in the game bundles). IMO you can't go wrong either way. I typically like to get the absolute fastest card I can afford within my budget, but if you value the games AMD offers with their cards more than Nvidia's 1 game then I'd say get the AMD card. If the bundle isn't your ultimate concern, then I'd say get the Nvidia card.

 

[Yuriman]

The gap narrows when you overclock the 7850 - mine overclocked 33% on stock voltage so it's pretty similar to an overclocked 660. Neither card is a bad choice.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Thanks for your responses tviceman and Yuriman. I just pulled the trigger on the 660 and don't think it will disappoint. Both cards are a huge step up from my 9800gtx+, so I guess I'll be a happy camper.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

You got a 2GB version, right?

 

[guskline]

Thanks for your responses tviceman and Yuriman. I just pulled the trigger on the 660 and don't think it will disappoint. Both cards are a huge step up from my 9800gtx+, so I guess I'll be a happy camper.

I have 2 GTX660s running in rig3 (not posted because no room in my sig). I have an Asus Sabertooth 990FX Rev2 mb with a 8320 OC'd to 4.3 Ghz, 16 Gigs of AMD DDR3 1866 and 2 GTX660s in SLI (EVGA GTX660 OC and MSI Twin Frozer 660 OC). The GTX 660 is a GREAT card for the $$. You will be pleased.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

You got a 2GB version, right?

Yep, bought a 2gb one. They only have 2gb right? I don't recall ever seeing any 1gb models of the 660.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

I have 2 GTX660s running in rig3 (not posted because no room in my sig). I have an Asus Sabertooth 990FX Rev2 mb with a 8320 OC'd to 4.3 Ghz, 16 Gigs of AMD DDR3 1866 and 2 GTX660s in SLI (EVGA GTX660 OC and MSI Twin Frozer 660 OC). The GTX 660 is a GREAT card for the $$. You will be pleased.

Yea, if I upgrade to a better monitor some time (perhaps black friday?), I will definitely will consider putting in another 660, by then, they should have gone down in price even more!

 

[geokilla]

Hopefully my recent thread helps a bit in your decision making...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2323386