7850 1GB vs 7870XT for Core 2 Quad

[Kenmitch]

So I've been experimenting with the 7850 in all my games and not really noticing many slowdowns (monitored via FPS). I've swapped the 7870XT in there a few times, but haven't seen too much of a difference.

I have noticed that in Civ 5 I'm getting the "gray tiles," indicating that there isn't enough VRAM to hold all the textures at once. It makes me a little nervous about the longevity of a 1GB card. But the cheapest 2GB card is another $15, plus I would have to deal with another RMA.

So at this point, I think the 7850 is fast enough for me, but the 1GB still worries me a little.

If you already have both cards then you should just keep the 7870XT and be done with it. Like you said the 1gb memory worries you and your already dealing with it's limitations....Things will only get worse in the long run.

If both games came with the codes then just cash them out. Why deal with a rma at all? You could most likely make your money back on the 7850 by selling the card and the (2)codes anyways....Maybe turn a little profit once you get the rebate back.

Later on you'll be doing the " I shoulda " , " I coulda had " thing if you don't most likely.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

What is the trade off?

 

[crazzyeddie]

What is the trade off?

Sorry, I don't understand the question. A $60 (33%) price difference between the cards vs. longevity, I think is what it boils down to.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

With your system go with a 1gb 7850 and better cpu

 

[tweakboy]

Grab 7870 XT it will go well with your CPU. thx gl

 

[Will Robinson]

You must go with the 2GB card.
If a cool new game comes out you will hit a wall with 1Gig in a flash.
7870XT is a fine chip.

 

[bgt]

Get a nice 7950 and OC it to 1300/1500. Much faster than a 7870 and about the same price.

 

[willomz]

He already owns both cards.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Get a nice 7950 and OC it to 1300/1500. Much faster than a 7870 and about the same price.

Why not 1350 or 1791? :\

 

[Face2Face]

Why not 1350 or 1791? :\

One things for sure, you are not pushing 1300 core gaming stable without being on water

 

[Souv]

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...iti-le-graphics-card-review-introduction.html

7870XT >660TI in both perf and pr/perf,so get 7870XT LE

 

[3DVagabond]

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...iti-le-graphics-card-review-introduction.html

7870XT >660TI in both perf and pr/perf,so get 7870XT LE

Wow! A pure O/C'd review? nVidia must have been late with their hush money that month.

(Or AMD wasn't. Depending on your politics.) /sarc

 

[24601]

Wow! A pure O/C'd review? nVidia must have been late with their hush money that month.

(Or AMD wasn't. Depending on your politics.) /sarc

The fringe benefit from running Sapphire 7870 XT Dual-X is that it has the same thermal design on the heatsink/fan as for the Sapphire 250w 7970 GHz edition Dual-X which means you will have very good thermal headroom on the heatsink/fan side.

If you got a bad heatsink/fan on your 7870 XT its just not worth the cost savings.

 

[kalrith]

You must go with the 2GB card.
If a cool new game comes out you will hit a wall with 1Gig in a flash.
7870XT is a fine chip.

This

When the 4870 came out in both 512MB and 1GB versions, many reviews found little difference between the two in performance. 1-2 years later, many games used more than 512MB. I think we're at a similar point now with 1GB. It will cut it today, but I seriously doubt it will in the 3-4 years that you're wanting to keep the card.

If it were a 7850 2GB version, then I'd probably say to go with that, but I wouldn't go with the 1GB card, especially if the only con is $60.

 

[darkic3]

go with 7850 1gb is enough to play at 1080p. just turn off aa, that thing eats ram + fps. you'll play modern games in high quality with no problem. don't forget to oc.

 

[toyota]

go with 7850 1gb is enough to play at 1080p. just turn off aa, that thing eats ram + fps. you'll play modern games in high quality with no problem. don't forget to oc.

1gb is silly at this point. as mentioned right above you this is like the 512mb vs 1gb debate. those that went with 4870 1gb cards did not have to upgrade anywhere near as early as those that went with 512mb models. in fact the 4870 512mb model was pretty much obsolete within a year after the 1gb model came out. there are already games right now that can go close to or even over 1gb on the settings a 7850 can handle.