Ati 5850...

[looper]

No, my GTX280 was never OC'd. I don't have the link, but an OC'd 5850 is not that far from a 5870/performance wise...

Does the 5870 need more from the power supply than the 5850? If yes, then I could run into trouble if I got the 5870. (My PS is a PC Power & Cooling 610W 'Silencer' / 49a on the +12v rail).

I have a mid tower case, and the nVidia 280 card just fits. The 5850 will fit I believe, but how 'bout the 5870?

 

[apoppin]

No, my GTX280 was never OC'd. I don't have the link, but an OC'd 5850 is not that far from a 5870/performance wise...

Does the 5870 need more from the power supply than the 5850? If yes, then I could run into trouble if I got the 5870. (My PS is a PC Power & Cooling 610W 'Silencer' / 49a on the +12v rail).

I have a mid tower case, and the nVidia 280 card just fits. The 5850 will fit I believe, but how 'bout the 5870?

i have a Cooler Master Gladiator 600 mid tower and i needed to take tin snips to the drive cage to fit a *reference* Diamond HD 5870.

However, the non-reference cards will fit as the PCB is generally shorter and wider than the reference HD 5870. My PowerColor HD 5870 PCS+ fits in with room to spare.

i am running my HD 5870 *and* my GTX 480 (separately, of course) on a Cooler Master Silent Pro 600W .. so you will be *fine* with a HD 5870

You mention the 5850 can be overclocked .. so can the HD 5870
- my Diamond gets 975/1300 on 1.35V and the PowerColor HD 5870 is 925/1300 at stock voltage.

At that speed HD 5870 becomes a *Performance Monster* and in many games it will catch the 480 GTX

. . . Just a thought

 

[looper]

APoppin...
What do you think are the best of the 'non-reference' 5870 cards? I'll need to get it as small as possible...

 

[apoppin]

APoppin...
What do you think are the best of the 'non-reference' 5870 cards? I'll need to get it as small as possible...

i only have experience with one - the PowerColor PCS+
- i like it a lot. It is cool and quiet and overclocks well on stock voltage. However, there do not appear to be voltage adjustments.

MSI has a good reputation; let others comment about their suggestions.

My only suggestion is, IF you are upgrading from a GTX 280, then a HD 5870 seems like the best performance option (to me; unless you get really lucky OC'ing your 5850 past 5870 levels)

 

[looper]

This is getting confusing...

I thought the 5870 was a 1 gig card, and the 5970 was the 2 gig. At Newegg I'm seeing 2 gig 5870's... What?

My EVGA GTX280 is @ 10.6" long and just fits my Lian Li case...I'm in trouble here...

 

[apoppin]

This is getting confusing...

I thought the 5870 was a 1 gig card, and the 5970 was the 2 gig. At Newegg I'm seeing 2 gig 5870's... What?

My EVGA GTX280 is @ 10.6" long and just fits my Lian Li case...I'm in trouble here...

Yes it is a 1GB card; the 2GB cards are currently the Eyefinity 6-pack version

My PowerColor HD 5870 PCS+ easily fits where my GTX 280 fit previously

 

[looper]

Yes it is a 1GB card; the 2GB cards are currently the Eyefinity 6-pack version
My PowerColor HD 5870 PCS+ easily fits where my GTX 280 fit previously

OK, so the 1 gig 5870 @ same size as the 280. How about the 2gig Eyefinity? Sorry to be going on & on here...

 

[apoppin]

OK, so the 1 gig 5870 @ same size as the 280. How about the 2gig Eyefinity? Sorry to be going on & on here...

to clarify

the 1 GB *NON-reference* HD5870 is shorter and wider than the (very long; too long for your case) reference HD 5870

i am unsure if the 2GB 5870 is reference (long) or not

 

[looper]

I'm leaning to getting the PowerColor HD 5870 PCS+...

 

[MrK6]

Posted in another thread, GO: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...28&prodlist=cj (don't forget cashback is 2&#37.

 

[looper]

That's the 5850 at that price at zipzoom... we're talking about the 5870... thx, though...

 

[badb0y]

That's the 5850 at that price at zipzoom... we're talking about the 5870... thx, though...

Buy that at $270 and OC it to 5870 speed. You save $110~ over a 5870.

 

[MrK6]

That's the 5850 at that price at zipzoom... we're talking about the 5870... thx, though...

Yeah, I read the OP only, my bad. It's still worth it to grab a 5850 and overclock it - best bang-for-your-buck ratio in the high-end.

 

[marmasatt]

Posted in another thread, GO: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...28&prodlist=cj (don't forget cashback is 2%).

Thanks for that link. I just bit.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Will it play this game at high res.

http://www.2404.org/news/fear-3-announcement-trailer

 

[MrK6]

Will it play this game at high res.

http://www.2404.org/news/fear-3-announcement-trailer

If it's another console port like FEAR 2, I don't see why not.

 

[looper]

Yeah, I read the OP only, my bad. It's still worth it to grab a 5850 and overclock it - best bang-for-your-buck ratio in the high-end.

Yeah, but that much of a difference from what I have? (nVidia EVGA GTX280)...

 

[MrK6]

Yeah, but that much of a difference from what I have? (nVidia EVGA GTX280)...

If you're an overclocker, yes, totally worth it. Running at stock speeds, it's close. If you can sell your GTX280 for $200 and grab a 5850 for $260-270, I'd say it's more than worth it for $70. With the price premium the 5870's are now carrying due to the lack of competition ($400-420), they're tougher to recommend when the 5850 is so close and if you're willing to overclock. With maximum overclocking in mind, the 5870 probably is only ~5% faster than the 5850, as they'll both do 1GHz+. For more mundane clocks, the advantage sways towards the 5870, as it'll do 950MHz (generally) more comfortably than a 5850. I guess it depends on the type of system you want to run. However, even if you only ran a 5870 at stock or a 5850 at 5870 speeds, you should see some substantial improvements in games over your GTX280. Here's a good summary :
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5870_iCooler_V_Turbo/29.html

 

[looper]

MrK6...

Good logic there.... you a debater in high school?

However, I've never OC'd a vid card, and am concerned with heat as these things run hot to begin with. I know, they're designed to run hot... which leads to...

I found this company through that latest computer trade show... 'CoolIt', and am impressed with the simple cooling solution products they have for both cpu and gpu...
http://www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/omni.html

Anyone know more about these guys? Any significant reviews yet on their product line?

Edit... just found this ... http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=16092034#post16092034 but some have questioned the validity of this review...
Here's another one from TweakTown: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3189/coolit_systems_eco_a_l_c_cpu_cooler/index.html

 

[badb0y]

MrK6...

Good logic there.... you a debater in high school?

However, I've never OC'd a vid card, and am concerned with heat as these things run hot to begin with. I know, they're designed to run hot... which leads to...

I found this company through that latest computer trade show... 'CoolIt', and am impressed with the simple cooling solution products they have for both cpu and gpu...
http://www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/omni.html

Anyone know more about these guys? Any significant reviews yet on their product line?

Edit... just found this ... http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=16092034#post16092034 but some have questioned the validity of this review...
Here's another one from TweakTown: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3189/coolit_systems_eco_a_l_c_cpu_cooler/index.html

The 5850 generally overclock like champs but it's not impossible to end up with a dud.

 

[MrK6]

MrK6...

Good logic there.... you a debater in high school?

Actually, yes . I was on the speech team and did a small stint in debate (latin arguments, impromptu, etc.). I didn't realize it affected my presentation so obviously, were you into debate as well?

However, I've never OC'd a vid card, and am concerned with heat as these things run hot to begin with. I know, they're designed to run hot... which leads to...

I found this company through that latest computer trade show... 'CoolIt', and am impressed with the simple cooling solution products they have for both cpu and gpu...
http://www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/omni.html

Anyone know more about these guys? Any significant reviews yet on their product line?

Edit... just found this ... http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=16092034#post16092034 but some have questioned the validity of this review...
Here's another one from TweakTown: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3189/coolit_systems_eco_a_l_c_cpu_cooler/index.html

I don't know if their systems have changed, but they had a CPU-based cooler similar to this awhile ago that kept leaking because the tubes they used were crap. If they fixed the QA issues, this might be a good product (although I don't know the cost nor if said cost is worth it). However, a product like this isn't needed unless you are going for extreme overclocks. Take a look at this chart: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gpu-power-consumption-2010_4.html#sect0 . The 5850, by all comparisons, is actually very cool running compared to its contemporaries. You'll also notice that they got a pretty decent overclock out of it before power usage started to sky rocket. Basically, power draw increases linearly with clock speed and quadratically with voltage. There's always a sweet spot where a bit of voltage gives you a huge increase in clock speed, and afterwards you get increasingly diminished returns. All of that said, the stock cooler can easily handle an overclock of 900-950MHz with the stock fan profile (low noise). I would test it out before going for an elaborate cooling solution.

 

[looper]

Got the 5870 Saphire and a Corsair 850HX PS...I actually have room in my Lian Li A16 mid-tower case for the 5870. Anything I should be especially careful with when putting in the new PS?

I'll migrate those 2 parts to the new rig I'll get later this year. Thx everyone for your ideas.

Oh, BTW... what a knucklehead I am...while tinkering inside my case, I noticed I had one of my front 120mm fans blowing out instead of in...DUH...It ain't easy getting old.

 

[Athadeus]

Nice video card choice looper. Did you want to get a modular PSU so you could clean up your case wiring?

With modular PSUs, just be careful that you don't loosen the modular connection at the PSU while working the wiring into place and cable tying, I hear that is a common occurence.

 

[looper]

Athadeus...

Well, I wanted a more powerful PS for the future, and cable clutter can be a problem in mid-size cases.

Good point about making sure the cables are plugged in/thx....that's something that would happen to me...

 

[Athadeus]

Okay, I was kinda probing to get an idea if you'd be considering CF or a Fermi in the future so I wouldn't be rude and point out that your PCP&C 610W was fine with your current system

I didn't mean that may come unplugged, or that you'd forget to plug them in. Even with the clips holding them on though, if there is tension on the cable from wire ties or cable tucking, the connection may not be as good and cause more resistance than wanted. I think you were just practicing your self-deprecating humor though. Is your account name another instance of that?