6850 died - What next (7950 or 7970)

[Sidekicknichola]

My 6850 died on me last night, and I would like to pick something up today/tonight and not deal with shipping and rebates - local options are:

MSI R7970-2PMD3GD5
XFX 7970 Black Edition
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 7970 GHz Edition 3GB
SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB (obviously cheaper)

Is it worth the price bump to hop up to the 7970, or will the 7950 be enough of a jump from my 6850 to make it seem worth it? It will be running with a AMD FX-8120 processor if that matters for any of these cards.

Most played games -
BF3
Arma2 (wasteland / DayZ)

 

[Eureka]

Even a 7850 will be a measurable jump from the 6850. I would look into the 7950 as your upgrade, if you don't plan on playing the most intensive games. The 7970 is far overkill for most games. The 7950 will max out BF3 at 1200p.

 

[Sidekicknichola]

The 7970 is far overkill for most games. The 7950 will max out BF3 at 1200p.

What I was hoping to hear....
As long as there isn't a monster difference in current titles I figured save the $$$$.... I just hate when I buy something and regret - either should have spent more or should have spent less.

Probably hit Microcenter this afternoon.

Thanks!

 

[aaksheytalwar]

even a 7850 is a huge jump, like twice as fast when oced high enuf, or at least 50% faster for half of a 7950s cost.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Did you find the 6850 adequate or slow? Because a 7850 is a LOT faster.

What resolution are you playing at? A 7850 should be a great upgrade for you. I game at 2560x1440 with a 7850, though I play mostly RTS's like Starcraft 2 that don't take too much horsepower.

For BF3 and other demanding games, if you play at below 1920x1200 a 7850 should be fine, but at 1920x1200 or above 7870 or 79xx class card will be more future proof.

 

[Sidekicknichola]

Did you find the 6850 adequate or slow?

I thought it was fine for BF3, Arma2 runs like sh*t (I know it is in how it is optimized) when playing online. If I was to go into a city in DayZ or Wasteland I would drop to 10-15 fps, it was unplayable.


I usually play at 1080p, since we moved to a small apartment I'm using a 40" LCD as my monitor so it can double as a tv.... then can also output to to my projector / screen.
*New tiny downtown apartment setup*

I picked up a 7950 at microcenter today, with their return policy, I'll give it a go and decide if I want to go down or up from here. It was $310 but than has a $30 rebate, so same as newegg and no waiting on shipping.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Plimogz]

What flavor of 7950 did you opt for?

 

[Eureka]

I would believe the Sapphire, since he listed it originally.

For everyone else, a 7850 is a measurable, but not a huge jump from a 6850. The 6850 is easily more powerful than a 7770, so it slots right in between the 7770 and 7850. The 7950 is the right choice here.

 

[Sidekicknichola]

The Gigabyte GV-R7950
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...n_HD_7950_3072MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card

3 fan gimmick got me.

 

[Eureka]

Gigabyte's a good brand. Won't be disappointed in the quality, at least.

 

[Sidekicknichola]

Knock on wood, I've had awesome luck with Gigabyte Mobos, this is my first GPU from them

 

[lehtv]

It should handle overvolting quite well and should OC to 1.1-1.2GHz

 

[Elixer]

Curious, how did your 6850 die, and what brand was it ?

 

[Tweak155]

I picked up a 7950 at microcenter today, with their return policy, I'll give it a go and decide if I want to go down or up from here. It was $310 but than has a $30 rebate, so same as newegg and no waiting on shipping.

Thanks for the help!

I live by MC, this might be worth the trip.

EDIT:

Shows $299.99 after rebate on the web page, was it $310 with $30 rebate or $319 with $20? Big difference

 

[Shephard]

that's not a very good price for the Gigabyte. Unless money doesn't matter to you I wouldn't buy at the price.

In Canada it has been going for $289 with free shipping.

99% of time USA is cheaper. Plus Microcenter usually has the good deals?

Seems like a rip off!

 

[Tweak155]

that's not a very good price for the Gigabyte. Unless money doesn't matter to you I wouldn't buy at the price.

In Canada it has been going for $289 with free shipping.

99% of time USA is cheaper. Plus Microcenter usually has the good deals?

Seems like a rip off!

? $280 is a very good deal, especially from B&M.

 

[Shephard]

? $280 is a very good deal, especially from B&M.

no way.

HIS 7870 was $160 after $20 rebate back in November. My big regret for waiting for the 'deals' to come.

so even if I didn't do rebate because they suck - $205 after tax and shipping. $185 if you do rebate.

7950 would be about $326. way to expensive for me anyway.

 

[Tweak155]

no way.

HIS 7870 was $160 after $20 rebate back in November. My big regret for waiting for the 'deals' to come.

so even if I didn't do rebate because they suck - $205 after tax and shipping. $185 if you do rebate.

7950 would be about $326. way to expensive for me anyway.

You aren't making any sense. He got a 7950. 7870 pricing is irrelevant.

 

[Shephard]

You aren't making any sense. He got a 7950. 7870 pricing is irrelevant.

did he buy already?

my point is 7870 and 7950 are usually only $40-$50 price difference. No point buying 7870 when it's like that. But $140 price difference? hell yes!

 

[raghu78]

OP get the sapphire hd 7950 boost. USD 280 after mail in rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202006

if you want the Gigabyte HD 7950

www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Mini-Display...dp/B007581QHG/

 

[lehtv]

raghy78 read the thread first. he bought already

 

[raghu78]

raghy78 read the thread first. he bought already

my mistake. i thought he was asking for opinion when he posted the microcenter link. anyway good luck to the OP.

 

[Tweak155]

did he buy already?

my point is 7870 and 7950 are usually only $40-$50 price difference. No point buying 7870 when it's like that. But $140 price difference? hell yes!

That is a different argument altogether. I hear the 7870 tahiti LE is almost as fast as the 7950 and is in the lower $200's. Might be best bang for buck.

 

[tweakboy]

My 6850 died on me last night, and I would like to pick something up today/tonight and not deal with shipping and rebates - local options are:

MSI R7970-2PMD3GD5
XFX 7970 Black Edition
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 7970 GHz Edition 3GB
SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB (obviously cheaper)

Is it worth the price bump to hop up to the 7970, or will the 7950 be enough of a jump from my 6850 to make it seem worth it? It will be running with a AMD FX-8120 processor if that matters for any of these cards.

Most played games -
BF3
Arma2 (wasteland / DayZ)

Get 7950 that is perfect for BF3 ... gl

 

[lehtv]

7870 doesn't OC quite as well as the 7950. You can expect 1.1Ghz out of a 7950 which makes it considerably faster than an overclocked 7870 - it's worth the $50 difference in my opinion