Christmas Shopping time: Best bang for buck Radeon VC

[rivethead]

Hi all,

My son just asked for a video card for Christmas. He's currently running an i3 CPU, Radeon HD 5750 VC, 23" monitor at 1920 x 1080.

I'm thinking the HD 7850 is the best bang-for-buck card out now, but wanted your thoughts.

Ideally I'd like to keep it under $200. He'll likely need a new PSU too (he's using an old Antec 350w right now).

Thanks for any input and suggestions you provide!

 

[Eureka]

HD7870, a good bit faster than the 7850 and can be had for under $200.

 

[Jimzz]

Yea for $150ish is the 7850 and $200ish is 7870 now with Rebates and other deals.

 

[rivethead]

Thank you both for the replies! It was good to confirm I'm looking in the right area....I'll check out the 7870s.

 

[Nomercy1]

!!! i agree with the 7850/7870 comments , however im not seeing them for the prices your stating. 7870 for 200 $ ? or a 7850 for 150? the 1gb versions or what? Not talking smack i just wanna find em at those prices !

 

[Vicaar]

Those prices only come around in rare deals, and usually sell out within minutes. Right now, prices are hovering around $180-200 for the 7850 and $220-$250 for the 7870, which is unfortunate. I've been waiting on the 'right' 7870 deal myself, and have missed the few that have happened.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Keep an eye on the hot deals forum as well. Might catch something.

 

[The0ne]

I'm not seeing good deals lately and am patiently waiting

 

[Nomercy1]

I'm not seeing good deals lately and am patiently waiting

Same here :'(

 

[rivethead]

Same here :'(

Same here and since this is an Xmas present, I'm out of time......I'm probably going to go the 7850 route. Doing so will allow me to buy him the new PSU he'll need to go with it - and stay within my budget.

 

[Jimzz]

Seems close to the $150ish range...

$165 NO rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161426

$155 WITH rebate (but also $7.56 shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150642


$175 AR for 2gb 7850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131473

 

[rivethead]

Ok, I decided to bust my budget. This kid has had a heckuva year and he deserves it.

So I'm going to get him a 7870 instead of the 78750.

I'm thinking this is one of the better deals currently available:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...49670&csid=_61

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Jimzz]

Heres a 7870 thats a little cheaper and I like its heatsink/fan setup better...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161404

 

[aaksheytalwar]

A i3 can't even fully use a 7850. So no point in buying anything better than a 7850.

 

[rivethead]

A i3 can't even fully use a 7850. So no point in buying anything better than a 7850.

I'm intrigued by this comment. Are you saying the i3 would bottleneck the 7870's ability to render graphics?

 

[netarangi]

I'm intrigued by this comment. Are you saying the i3 would bottleneck the 7870's ability to render graphics?

That's exactly what he's saying

 

[rivethead]

I hadn't thought of that at all (obviously). I appreciate the comment aaksheytalwar (and the verification netarangi).

You just prevented me from overspending. Thanks!

 

[frozentundra123456]

I'm intrigued by this comment. Are you saying the i3 would bottleneck the 7870's ability to render graphics?

I am not too sure the i3 would bottleneck a 7870. I think it would depend on the game, the resolution, and the graphical settings. However, I think a 7850 would be a great match for an i3 in most cases.

 

[sbudbud]

7850 2gb, I got one for ~160ish from Newegg open box
Check out this thread for some nice overclocks
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18389760

1350MHz Core Stable and benchable @ 1376-1400MHz
^^^^^^
Just an example of one overclock

 

[SPBHM]

I'm intrigued by this comment. Are you saying the i3 would bottleneck the 7870's ability to render graphics?

it really depends on the game and settings, my i3 2100 can easily "bottleneck" a Radeon 5700 in some games at lower res... the 7850 is much faster, so it should be quite visible in many(most) games, as long as you stay away from the highest settings/resolution... also, some games have very little impact from the CPU, in others the i3 is great, but that's not always the case...

but, I still think the 7850 is a good buy, even with the i3... games will be playable, at much higher settings, compared to the 5750...