GTX 650 TI Boost 1GB/2GB vs ATI 7850 1GB/2GB

[geokilla]

So a while back, I asked what GPU I should buy between the GTX 660 and the ATI 7850. Well apparently budget is tighter than expected and I realized I wasn't making a good comparison due to their different price points, so here's another thread... I apologize for not recognizing my mistake earlier.

Assuming a $150 budget, should I go for the NVIDIA GTX 650 TI Boost 1GB or the ATI 7850 1GB? I know both of them have 2GB variants as well, but since I'm gaming at 1080P, I don't need more than 1GB of VRAM correct? Again, SC2 is what I'll play the most so I know NVIDIA wins, but what if you exclude SC2? AnandTech members were saying that an overclocked 7850 is generally better than an overclocked GTX 660. I assume they were talking about the 2GB models? And not the 1GB models?

On a side note, has anyone used Zotac GPUs? Are they any good? This is the cheapest GTX 650 TI Boost 2GB I could find.

 

[tweakboy]

7850 faster...

 

[Majcric]

Either card is fine, just make sure you get the 2gb variant even for 1080p rez. And yes Zotac makes a reliable GPU there's not a lot of difference between GPU venderors outside of their warranties.

 

[daveybrat]

Go with the Zotac GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB model. It will compare about the same as the HD 7850 but with the benefit of 2GB of ram.

Trust me, you may not think it's that important, but it's really hard to recommend a mid-range gaming card for 1080P with only 1GB of ram now days.

2GB is much more future-proof and games are using more and more Vram lately.

 

[Elfear]

Go with the Zotac GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB model. It will compare about the same as the HD 7850 but with the benefit of 2GB of ram.

Trust me, you may not think it's that important, but it's really hard to recommend a mid-range gaming card for 1080P with only 1GB of ram now days.

2GB is much more future-proof and games are using more and more Vram lately.

I agree that 2GB is a good investment at this point in time but I'd probably go with a 7850 instead.

This ASUS has a nice cooler and it looks like its got unlocked voltage (according to the 7850 thread) $179.99 AR

Most of the 650Ti Boost cards are $10 cheaper (although there is an MSI card for $160 AR) but you could offset that by selling the games that come with the 7850 for ~$20.

Performance wise the cards are very close at stock speeds.

The 650Ti seems to overclock about 12% on average according to HWBot. The 7850 seems to overclock ~31%. So with overclocking taken into account, the 7850 will be 15-20% faster on average.

 

[raghu78]

the HD 7850 is the faster card. at stock speeds of 860 mhz its on par with GTX 650 Ti boost running at 1033+ mhz. once overclocked the HD 7850 trades blows the GTX 660. the average overclocks of HD 7850 are 1100 - 1150 mhz.

also 2GB is the minimum to get for 1080p. with next gen consoles having massive 8GB RAM, 1GB is just not enough.

if you cannot spend more go for Sapphire HD 7850 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202004