Trying to cash in on Black Friday: 6850 or 470?

[tbates757]

The Asus 6850 is $199 without a rebate
The Asus 470 is $209 after rebate

The benchmarks I've seen have been conflicting, but generally say that the nVidia is superior but the ATI will be better if I get Crossfire down the road. I'm about to pull the trigger on a new system, so any last minute advice?

 

[Dangerer]

I picked up the MSI GTX470 from newegg for 193.49 - 35 MIR. Hurry before they're all gone!

 

[tbates757]

It just went out of stock within this posting... is your post inferring that GTX 470 > ATI 6850? I was into hardware a few years ago but I've been out of the loop for quite some time now.

For instance, the 5870's are more expensive than the 6850's. Just from past experience, the number just from 58xx to 68xx meant a new generation and significantly better. Is this not the case anymore?

 

[Nox51]

the 68xx is the midrange in the 6 series. The high end 69xx has not been released yet.

Now going off pure memory and at those prices and assuming the cards are all at stock reference clocks (don't have links to check) I'd give a slight nod towards the 6850.
As always, buyer beware and check on anad's main site for reviews and the bench benchmark suit numbers.

Cancel that the 470 is faster than the 6850. Go for the 470. My brain hit a pothole, fell out of my head and saw the 7 as a 6.

 

[Dribble]

The GTX 470 is faster but noisier. If you can get a 470 with some sort of custom cooler that works better or don't mind a bit of noise get that, else get the 6850.

 

[jacktesterson]

The GTX 470 is faster but noisier. If you can get a 470 with some sort of custom cooler that works better or don't mind a bit of noise get that, else get the 6850.

I owned a 470 and the Sparkle version is actually not that noisy at all!

(my opinion)

 

[tbates757]

Thank guys. I was going to bite on the GTX 470 but I slept on it and now it's sold out, of course

Just wondering, why is the ATI 5850 series more expensive than the 6850?

 

[RussianSensation]

The Asus 6850 is $199 without a rebate
The Asus 470 is $209 after rebate

Sapphire HD5870 for $215 is by far the better option; and that's coming from a GTX470 owner. Do the right thing and put the code in: VGA112235 :biggrin:

Just wondering, why is the ATI 5850 series more expensive than the 6850?

Because HD5850 series is faster than the HD6850, just like HD5870 > HD6870.

Check out these benches. For $15 over 6850, you'll get 23%+ performance boost with the HD5870.

 

[tbates757]

Thanks for the info RussianSensation. I think I'll pickup that card, it seems like top of the line and for only $215 that's quite a steal. Some of the reviews said that it doesn't fit in their cases. I am planning on getting the Antec Three Hundred Illusion. They say the card is 10.5 inches. Do you think it is going to fit?

 

[RussianSensation]

I am planning on getting the Antec Three Hundred Illusion. They say the card is 10.5 inches. Do you think it is going to fit?

It should fit as long as you don't have a hard drive in that bay:
http://img683.imageshack.us/i/dsc00480.jpg/

I believe the reference HD5870 is ~ 11 inches in length.