7850 2GB vs GTX 650TI Boost 2GB

[Misha4870]

Hi All,

I would like to make an upgrade to my graphics card. I currently own a HD 4850 512MB and I'm thinking to replace it to one of the following two cards: HD 7850 2GB, GTX 650TI Boost 2GB. The budget is somewhere between 170 - 180 Eur (I'm from Europe).
Could you please advice me which one would be better for long term ?
My system specs are:
CPU: Athlon II X4 620 2.6 GHz (quad core).
RAM: 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz.
Monitor: LG 19 inches, 1280 x 1024 (4:3).
PSU: Recom Power Engine 550W.
I also have to mention that until next year I will upgrade the monitor with one capable of 1080p.
Will both cards be capable of playing at minimum 30 fps all the 2012/2013 titles in 1080p with all settings maxed out (maybe not AA) ?
I saw various reviews across the internet and the results are mixed, both cards trading blows with each other.
Which one is more future proof between the two?

Thank you in advance.

 

[willomz]

You can easily pick up a GTX 660 for that budget, no need to stoop to the 650 Boost.

 

[Misha4870]

You can easily pick up a GTX 660 for that budget, no need to stoop to the 650 Boost.

Not here, believe me. Where I live, the difference between 7850/650Ti Boost and GTX660 is at least 30 Euro, even more. And for me, this means some money.

 

[willomz]

Not here, believe me. Where I live, the difference between 7850/650Ti Boost and GTX660 is at least 30 Euro, even more. And for me, this means some money.

Then it would help if you specify country rather than just Europe.

 

[3DVagabond]

Stock the 2 cards are pretty close. If you are going to O/C though the 7850 has more headroom and will pull in front.

 

[Whitestar127]

What willomz said. Or you could also pick up a 7870 at that budget. Whichever you choose I'm sure you will be satisfied.

Since both/all cards have 2GB memory they are all equally "future-proof" I would say, even though there is no such thing.

 

[Misha4870]

Then it would help if you specify country rather than just Europe.

Ok, but strictly between the two cards what's better for long term ?

 

[RussianSensation]

GTX650Ti Boost is about 4-8% faster than an 860mhz HD7850 2GB.

http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/grafikkarten/2013/nvidia-geforce-gtx-650-ti-boost-im-test/3/

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_650_Ti_Boost_TF_Gaming/26.html

However, NV cards are more PCIe limited and more CPU limited. Therefore, the performance of both systems will be a wash.

I would suggest looking on a per-game basis in this case:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/gr...-hd-7790-geforce-gtx-650ti-boost_3.html#sect0

Also, GTX650Ti Boost uses about 18-20W more power at load.

If you play WOW, SC2, Metro Last Light, Borderlands 2, I'd go with the NV card. Company of Heroes 2 beta performs a lot better on AMD. If you don't mind overclocking, I'd go with the 7850 as it has a lot of overclocking headroom and can exceed HD7870/GTX660 in performance once overclocked. Can't go wrong with either card.

Regarding 30 fps minimum, your CPU may hold you back in some titles. Without overclocking, neither card will be better long term performance wise since they are both low-end cards and your CPU is low end. With NV though, the drivers will be updated for 6-7 years if we look at their support history. If you plan to keep this card for 5+ years, go with the NV one.

 

[willomz]

It's very hard to say, probably the 7850, but it depends upon which version of both cards and what games bundle they come with.

Can you link to the exact cards you are considering?

 

[Misha4870]

...Regarding 30 fps minimum, your CPU may hold you back in some titles. Without overclocking, neither card will be better long term performance wise since they are both low-end cards and your CPU is low end. With NV though, the drivers will be updated for 6-7 years if we look at their support history. If you plan to keep this card for 5+ years, go with the NV one.

I plan to keep this card for around 3 years. And yes, I don't mind to do some overclocking too.
However, saying "more future proof" I was thinking not about RAM which is 2Gb for both card, but about hardware capabilities (architecture).
And no, I'm not thinking about stream processors (ATI has more), because I know that 1 CUDA core not equal 1 ATI core. I'm rather thinking about the memory bus which is 192 bit vs 256 bit. Could not this become a bottleneck to the Geforce card, as the next games will have more and more heavy textures, hence the amount of data to be transferred will increase ? (considering that I play at 1080p with everything maxed out, except AA).
Also, I'm looking at the compute performance... it is very weak on Geforce... I, sometimes do some video editing / encoding (home videos, not professional) and a better performance in GPGPU would help alot here.
Plus, more an more game titles are going to use compute for various tasks.
Regarding my current CPU, in the not so far future I'll upgrade that too.

 

[Misha4870]

It's very hard to say, probably the 7850, but it depends upon which version of both cards and what games bundle they come with.

Can you link to the exact cards you are considering?

I usually prefer Sapphire, HIS, MSI, Asus on the ATI side and Gainward, MSI, Asus on the NV side.
However, here are the links:
http://www.evomag.ro/COMPONENTE-PC-...ayPort-font-colorredPCI-E-3.0-font-92276.html
http://www.altshop.ro/placi-video/placa-video-asus-nvidia-gtx650tib-dc2oc-2g--60328

 

[Gikaseixas]

If you are considering overclock get the 7850. It is know affectionally as the Beast here @ anandtech forums

No overclocking involved? buy the cheaper of the two cuz both will easily satisfy you.

 

[Misha4870]

I forgot to mention.
Radeon card comes with free coupon for Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon and Bioshock Infinity.
Geforce card comes with free credits for some free play games like World of Tanks.
Therefore, from this point of view, the AMD card has a clear advantage.

 

[willomz]

Yeah the games bundle probably makes the difference here, I'd go for that one.

 

[Misha4870]

Ok guys, in case I would choose the Geforce, should I worry about lower bus width (192 bit) ?
I quote some of my above statements:
"I'm rather thinking about the memory bus which is 192 bit vs 256 bit. Could not this become a bottleneck to the Geforce card, as the next games will have more and more heavy textures, hence the amount of data to be transferred will increase ? (considering that I play at 1080p with everything maxed out, except AA)."

Also the compute performance...
"I'm looking at the compute performance... it is very weak on Geforce... I, sometimes do some video editing / encoding (home videos, not professional) and a better performance in GPGPU would help alot here.
Plus, more an more game titles are going to use compute for various tasks."

 

[wand3r3r]

Personally I'd go 7850. They are pretty close at stock with the edge going to the ti, but overclocking the 7850 can change that to the reverse. Granted OCing is a bit of the silicon lottery but the 7850 should be able to get some substantial oc's. The game bundles also are better imo if you want them.

 

[Jimzz]

Yea I also go with the 7850 as well. Seems like its slightly ahead of the 650ti boost. That and the 7850 will overclock really well which will only push it farther.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6838/nvidia-geforce-gtx-650-ti-boost-review-

 

[willomz]

Ok guys, in case I would choose the Geforce, should I worry about lower bus width (192 bit) ?
I quote some of my above statements:
"I'm rather thinking about the memory bus which is 192 bit vs 256 bit. Could not this become a bottleneck to the Geforce card, as the next games will have more and more heavy textures, hence the amount of data to be transferred will increase ? (considering that I play at 1080p with everything maxed out, except AA)."

Also the compute performance...
"I'm looking at the compute performance... it is very weak on Geforce... I, sometimes do some video editing / encoding (home videos, not professional) and a better performance in GPGPU would help alot here.
Plus, more an more game titles are going to use compute for various tasks."

Don't worry about the bus, the GTX660 has the same bus and that performs just fine, for a weaker card it is even less likely to be a problem.

However with the games bundle and GPGPU, I'd go for the 7850.

 

[Misha4870]

Ok guys, supposing that I'd go with 7850 for its advantages regarding overclocking and compute.
Which brand would you recommend for overclocking ?
Who is best at this ? Sapphire, HIS, MSI, Asus, Gigabyte...... ?

 

[skipsneeky2]

Love my MSI TF3 7850 but its price usually is nearly as high as when the 7870 is on sale but the cooler is good,its voltage unlocked and its relatively small at 7.76'' so no complaints here .

 

[Yuriman]

My Gigabyte HD7850 has locked voltage. It overclocks well - 1200mhz is a 40% overclock over a stock 7850 - and runs cool - 60's C under load with the stock cooler - but I'd love to have voltage control. I'm not sure which cards are still voltage unlocked.

 

[Misha4870]

My Gigabyte HD7850 has locked voltage. It overclocks well - 1200mhz is a 40% overclock over a stock 7850 - and runs cool - 60's C under load with the stock cooler - but I'd love to have voltage control. I'm not sure which cards are still voltage unlocked.

What about memory ? How much can it be overclocked in your case ?

 

[Magic Carpet]

If you play WOW, SC2, Metro Last Light, Borderlands 2, I'd go with the NV card.

Good point. I personally play Borderlands 2 a lot (it's about the only game I play right now), and with PhysX set to high, my Radeon 7770 struggled a lot (yeah, I had to get rid of it, sadly. The deep sleep bug annoyed the hell out of me as well).

With NV though, the drivers will be updated for 6-7 years if we look at their support history. If you plan to keep this card for 5+ years, go with the NV one.

Correct. Let's hope, it will stay the same way

EDIT: I'd still get a 7950, if the price was right.

 

[wand3r3r]

If you're unfamiliar with memory overclocking, check out the speed bumps as the clocks go up. It's not as straightforward as it seems. Memory holes or some sync issues?

http://www.techbuyersguru.com/VRAMocing.php

 

[Silverforce11]

What's the price difference where you are, 7850 vs 7870? Because if you don't OC, 7850 is actually poor value (comparing prices to US or AU atm).