GPU Replacement 6870 to New

ScottAD

Senior member
Jan 10, 2007
736
77
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My rig has a 2500k in it, no hurry to upgrade the CPU currently but the 6870 is going to someone who wants to do some moderate gaminf and I figured it would be a good excuse to upgrade from it.

I'm not bias on nVidia or AMD so it's whatever but I don't need a 1080 or other high-end card. Something ~$200-$250 or lower. I am usually playing Diablo 3 or DayZ
 

AtenRa

Lifer
Feb 2, 2009
14,003
3,362
136
My rig has a 2500k in it, no hurry to upgrade the CPU currently but the 6870 is going to someone who wants to do some moderate gaminf and I figured it would be a good excuse to upgrade from it.

I'm not bias on nVidia or AMD so it's whatever but I don't need a 1080 or other high-end card. Something ~$200-$250 or lower. I am usually playing Diablo 3 or DayZ

Get a 4GB RX 480 if you find one.
 

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
Look for the GTX 1060 reviews soon, and custom RX 480 reviews soon as well. Next couple of weeks
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
Honestly given the games you play a clearance GTX 970 wouldn't be a bad solution. Then you don't have to wait for anything.
 

maddogmcgee

Senior member
Apr 20, 2015
410
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Would not go a 970. 3.5 gig ram and probable bad future driver updates don't make it seem like a value card, especially if the OP will keep it as long as his last card.
 

boozzer

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2012
1,549
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81
Honestly given the games you play a clearance GTX 970 wouldn't be a bad solution. Then you don't have to wait for anything.
it isn't like he will mind the 2 weeks since he will likely be keeping his gpu for 3-5 years.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126
My rig has a 2500k in it, no hurry to upgrade the CPU currently but the 6870 is going to someone who wants to do some moderate gaminf and I figured it would be a good excuse to upgrade from it.

I'm not bias on nVidia or AMD so it's whatever but I don't need a 1080 or other high-end card. Something ~$200-$250 or lower. I am usually playing Diablo 3 or DayZ

What resolution you going to play?

You can go down to a 460 or 470 if you aren't going to play in 1080. These also have H.265 encoding/decoding in case you watch videos.

You can also get a older 370 or 380 which are usually cheaper than a 950/960.

It just depends on your needs.
I think it would be much better to get a 460 or newer or 1050 or newer to be more future proof though.

From your price point, the AMD 480 or nvidia 1060 are what you are looking at for the newest cards from each company.
The older cards are much cheaper.
 
Mar 10, 2006
11,715
2,012
126
My rig has a 2500k in it, no hurry to upgrade the CPU currently but the 6870 is going to someone who wants to do some moderate gaminf and I figured it would be a good excuse to upgrade from it.

I'm not bias on nVidia or AMD so it's whatever but I don't need a 1080 or other high-end card. Something ~$200-$250 or lower. I am usually playing Diablo 3 or DayZ

GeForce GTX 1060 when it comes out on July 19.
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
it isn't like he will mind the 2 weeks since he will likely be keeping his gpu for 3-5 years.



He is giving the old GPU to someone, which means he might be GPU-less if for a month if he waits until he can actually buy a 1060 or an AIB 480. I was just suggesting the best "go to the store today and buy it" option. I agree if he can play the waiting game he might as well see what the 1060 is all about.
 

ScottAD

Senior member
Jan 10, 2007
736
77
91
Thanks for all the replies everyone!

To answer about res, Yes 1080P resolution or better. I saw new cards dropping. I don't necessarily mind stretching budget a tad to get a bit more than I need. My gaming may change but with school it won't currently. U may get Battlefield but I don't need Ultra settings

Typical consumer want it all but nah. The 1060 or the 480 seems nice for the price. 480 worth the extra to get 8GB?

I won't be without GPU so waiting is no big deal. The GPU is going to my little brother who is 11.
 

crisium

Platinum Member
Aug 19, 2001
2,643
615
136
If you intend another 5 year cycle then I'd favour the 480 8gb over the 4gb. In a couple years 4gb could be limited to medium textures (as 2gb is now in some games).
 

VulgarDisplay

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2009
6,188
2
76
Wait for reviews of aftermarket rx480's and 1060's in dx12/Vulcan games. The 1060 may be faster in older dx11 titles but recent trends should put amd cards in a good position to last you a long time. We will know more when we see rx480 vs. 1060 in dx12/Vulcan games.

People can tell you that dx11 performance matters, but at 1080p even if the rx480 isn't as fast it's not going to be a noticeably worse experience because of it.

Wait a bit for reviews, and see how stupid 1060 prices go on launch. I'm calling $340 1060's due to lack of supply.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 

ScottAD

Senior member
Jan 10, 2007
736
77
91
Thank you all for the input. I have some time so waiting to see how the market evolves shouldn't be too terrible an idea. Worse case scenario I have to play on board for a bit. Not the end of the world for me since I don't get much time to game anymore.
 

guachi

Senior member
Nov 16, 2010
761
415
136
My guess is the 480 will still be the perf/$ champ after the 1060 debuts and will definitely win on games that take advantage of Vulkan/DX12 (just look at the crazy scores in Doom).

However, the card (480 or 1060) would actually have to exist in order to purchase it.

If neither card exists because of stock issues, it's possible you can find a 390/970 whatever on a great deal. The upside to an old 390 is the AMD cards will almost assuredly have longer legs than the 9xx series from nVidia.

I'm basically in the same boat, but coming from a 5870. Looking at cards I've purchased I spent $440 on the 5870 in 2010, $285 on a 4870 in 2008 (hated the blower), $280 on a 8800 GTS in 2007, and $288 on a 6800 in 2005.

Since you rarely game, I'd really go for the best perf/$ that also has performance that isn't so mediocre it's not much of an upgrade. Right now, barring major sales, that's a 480.
 

Headfoot

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2008
4,444
641
126
Buying the old gen right now is just a bad idea. Once the aftermarket fan versions of both 1060 and 480 are out, pre-order one you like at a price you like from any of the etailers that let you do that and just wait for them to stock it. It's not nearly as hard as people are making it out to be
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
Keep a lookout on used 980Ti cards if you want to play the latest AAA games. Don't buy a $270-300 RX 480/1060. If you want best value, $200 RX 480 4GB to 8GB unlock. Wait for reviews of 1060 vs. 480 and real world prices of both. Make sure to overclock your CPU too. For the light games you described a $150 used 290 or a $150 RX 470 launching in August would also be great. No need to spend $260-300 on a GPU for such games.
 
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swilli89

Golden Member
Mar 23, 2010
1,558
1,181
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My rig has a 2500k in it, no hurry to upgrade the CPU currently but the 6870 is going to someone who wants to do some moderate gaminf and I figured it would be a good excuse to upgrade from it.

I'm not bias on nVidia or AMD so it's whatever but I don't need a 1080 or other high-end card. Something ~$200-$250 or lower. I am usually playing Diablo 3 or DayZ

You are the perfect upgrade use case for an RX 480! You demonstrated you want 3+ years of value from your video cards, that 6870 is at least 3 or 4 years old, if not more. nVidia has shown that it either A) Does not support its cards by designs longer than its current generation and/or B) Its cards simply aren't built for future API designs like Vulkan and DX12.

If you want great perf/$ and you want great longevity, then the RX 480 is the only choice for you.
 

GodisanAtheist

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2006
8,255
9,605
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Looking at your usage habits, you're probably the model case for buying a GCN card.

Used: 290/390
New: RX 480
 

tonyfreak215

Senior member
Nov 21, 2008
274
0
76
All of that applies to me also. I can't wait for AIB cards!

A reference card would almost be a waste as my case (FT02) is perfect for open air coolers.
 

swilli89

Golden Member
Mar 23, 2010
1,558
1,181
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All of that applies to me also. I can't wait for AIB cards!

A reference card would almost be a waste as my case (FT02) is perfect for open air coolers.

And indeed not to mention the overclocking headroom that an 8-pin connector will allow! I'm thinking in a few months once we see the best AIBs out we will see 1500mhz as a possibility without going too crazy on power consumption.
 

tonyfreak215

Senior member
Nov 21, 2008
274
0
76
And indeed not to mention the overclocking headroom that an 8-pin connector will allow! I'm thinking in a few months once we see the best AIBs out we will see 1500mhz as a possibility without going too crazy on power consumption.

It'll be interesting what the performance will be like. I remember seeing somewhere where around 1.4ghz was close to Fury performance.
 

SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
19
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The performance between the RX 480 and GTX 1060 should be very close, with the 1060 edging out the 480 in most cases if I had to guess. With all this new stuff coming out about GCN DX12 and Vulkan performance the 480 may well end up having better legs in the future though. It's almost a toss up for me. I'd want the 8gb 480 if I bought one. In that case the price difference will be negligible once the 1060 pricing settles down. That's something to think about too. The 1060 may not be available for the $250 msrp for some time even after launch. I really don't know what prices for the 480 are like right now though.