$200 GPU Recommendation. NVIDIA GTX 660 vs ATI 7850

[geokilla]

Hey guys, is it better to get a NVIDIA GTX 660 or ATI 7850? Playing mainly SC2, but I'll be running Folding@Home as well, which ATI is very good with right now. I'm gonna play at 1080P. It'll be combined with my rig in sig.

Looking at the AnandTech comparison charts, they both seem to be fairly even, so it doesn't seem like I can go wrong with either.

AnandTech | Bench - GPU13

 

[UNhooked]

For $200 you can at times get the 7870 with games that you can sell to lower the total cost.
Btw what do you have right now?

 

[geokilla]

For $200 you can at times get the 7870 with games that you can sell to lower the total cost.
Btw what do you have right now?

Not in Canada you can't... And the games are worth only like $15 on eBay.

See sig

 

[blastingcap]

Hey guys, is it better to get a NVIDIA GTX 660 or ATI 7850? Playing mainly SC2, but I'll be running Folding@Home as well, which ATI is very good with right now. I'm gonna play at 1080P. It'll be combined with my rig in sig.

Looking at the AnandTech comparison charts, they both seem to be fairly even, so it doesn't seem like I can go wrong with either.

AnandTech | Bench - GPU13

NV has always dominated in SC2. At 1920x1200 or lower, GTX 660 beats even HD 7970, and even at higher than 1920x1200 it should put up a hell of a fight with a HD 7950 or HD 7970:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_660_Direct_Cu_II/20.html

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6276/...-review-gk106-rounds-out-the-kepler-family/11

Note that TPU was using non-AA numbers, which are unrealistic, so you don't have as much cushion as you might think. Anandtech used realistic settings (Ultra and 4xMSAA), and those are AVERAGE numbers, and probably without a lot going on like a mothership cloaking and decloaking a bunch of stuff at the same time as three other players are in the area with their motherships or colossi or whatever. So just when you need it most (tough chaotic battles), you lose framerates. Though in all fairness if your CPU is not very high end you will drop frames in chaotic situations like that, anyway. (SC2 only really uses 2 cores, and your CPU is very high end on a per core basis, especially overclocked, so I would not worry about your CPU.)

If you plan to play a wider variety of games maybe there is room for more of a discussion but for SC2 it's not even close, get the GTX card. And GTX 660 should do fine for Folding as well.

 

[Greenlepricon]

I would say go for AMD, and especially so if you plan on overclocking. I don't think starcraft 2 will give either of those trouble, and you should be happy with both options. Some people have trouble with the drivers, but I only ever have a couple of problems with radeon cards that are fixed pretty quickly. If you don't want to wait for the next generation to fill in, then that's my opinion.

 

[gus6464]

I was in the same dilemma as you a couple of weeks ago and went with the GTX660. It's a faster card and it's the same price as the 2GB 7850's. I got the Gigabyte 660OC and I am running it at 110% power profile with 0 issues.

 

[Anonemous]

Get whichever is cheaper except at the $200 mark you can also start looking at GTX 660 TI or AMD7870.

GTX660's have been as low as 175 the past few weeks. 7850's are like $135-145

 

[blastingcap]

Get whichever is cheaper except at the $200 mark you can also start looking at GTX 660 TI or AMD7870.

GTX660's have been as low as 175 the past few weeks. 7850's are like $135-145

$135-145 is for the 1GB version of the 7850 which I wouldn't recommend at this point. Still, the better-built 7850s are definitely less than $200 on sales, and occasionally you can get a 7870 at around $200 on sale. GTX 660s can also go on sale but are typically a little higher priced imho since they have not as many offsetting free games.

 

[geokilla]

When are the next generation GPUs being released? At the $200CAD pricepoint?

 

[R0H1T]

AMD 7870 or 7890 :thumbsup:

When are the next generation GPUs being released? At the $200CAD pricepoint?

You mean the 7xx series from Nvidia ~
http://anandtech.com/show/6973/nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review

 

[geokilla]

AMD 7870 or 7890 :thumbsup:You mean the 7xx series from Nvidia ~
http://anandtech.com/show/6973/nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review

Unfortunatley the GTX 770 is $200 too expensive.

 

[SickBeast]

I would get the GTX 660 simply because it has better drivers and you can run them in SLI without massive microstutter issues.

 

[Rezist]

I would recommend the 660 in your case. Also there were 7870's on for 220 at NCIX.ca not too long ago. Would the 650ti boost be a better option for the money is the real questions. I think I seen some at 160ish maybe even 150ish.

 

[gus6464]

OP if you go with the 660 you have pretty much the same exact machine as I just built and I run SC2 HotS at extreme setting in 1080p and get 70fps in a 1v1 online match with all hell breaking lose. In a 4v4 it goes down to 55fps with all hell breaking lose.

 

[MrK6]

If you overclock get a 7850, if you don't get a 660. I'd lean towards the 660 if SC2 is a big thing for you.

 

[R0H1T]

Unfortunatley the GTX 770 is $200 too expensive.

No I meant the rest of the 7xx series as in 760/750 & their variants, they'll still be above your budget of 200$ but maybe you can get one of them at sale if you'd like to wait for'em. However I believe AMD is still the better VFM proposition going into the future so if you're sorta brand agnostic then atm go for AMD.

 

[geokilla]

What's the difference between the 7870 and 7870 Tahiti? Quick Google search seems to show that the Tahiti is better because it's based on the 7900 chips?

I would get the GTX 660 simply because it has better drivers and you can run them in SLI without massive microstutter issues.

There's no plans of SLI. I don't think my motherboard supports SLI anyways.

I would recommend the 660 in your case. Also there were 7870's on for 220 at NCIX.ca not too long ago. Would the 650ti boost be a better option for the money is the real questions. I think I seen some at 160ish maybe even 150ish.

Hmm I actually see the 7870 for $220AR. Problem is tax is so high it negates the rebate.

 

[Eureka]

7870 Tahiti is faster than the 7870 and overclocks better too. It's basically a castrated 7950. If you can get it around the same price as a 7870, the XT is a better way to go.

Between the 7870 and 660, get whichever one is cheaper. 660 is much smaller and dumps a little less heat than the 7870, so it has its advantages.

 

[Attic]

7850 OC'd with 2gigs.

If SC2 means that much then NVidia makes some sense, but apart from that i'd be looking mainly at getting the best deal on a 7850 2gb.

 

[avtar2008]

my vote is with gtx 660.

 

[Rezist]

What's the difference between the 7870 and 7870 Tahiti? Quick Google search seems to show that the Tahiti is better because it's based on the 7900 chips?



There's no plans of SLI. I don't think my motherboard supports SLI anyways.


Hmm I actually see the 7870 for $220AR. Problem is tax is so high it negates the rebate.

I was referring to a couple weeks ago they were 220 w/o a MIR and I never consider a MIR when I purchase anything too much of a PITA.

I'd try and find some 650Ti boost benchmarks if your trying to save money.

 

[jfelano]

Tom's Hardware says the 7850 2GB is slightly faster than the GTX660 (in general). So I would go with whatever benches higher with the games you play, if that's the 660 then get it.

 

[blastingcap]

660 beats every 7xxx card except the 7970 GHz Ed. at Starcraft 2 which is what OP mostly says he plays. For whatever reason NV cards do fantastically better than AMD cards for that game.

 

[SickBeast]

Starcraft 2 is a great game but a single GTX 460 will run it extremely well at 1080P. There is no need for anything greater and both the GTX 660 and the 7870 are overkill for that game IMO.

 

[SickBeast]

Hmm I actually see the 7870 for $220AR. Problem is tax is so high it negates the rebate.

I paid $190 for an XFX Double D 7870 through NCIX close to a year ago now. $220 sounds like too much to me. I'm pretty sure I've seen the 7850 2gb cards hit as low as $160. You need to look for hot deals. Try the redflagdeals.com forums.

These cards are long overdue for a major price drop.