Is a 7850 overkill for me?

[maniac5999]

So, my system is as in my signature. X4 Deneb at 3.4Ghz, with the CPU-NB at 2200, 4gb of DDR2 running at about 975mhz with 5-5-5-15 timings. I'm powered by a Corsair VX450. Now, while the PSU only has a 450w rated capacity, and one 6 pin connector, it's rated for 33A on the 12v rail, and is supposedly the same PSU as the VX550w, but with the overcurrent trip set lower. I also have a case that can only fit a 11" card (less if the plugs stick out the back) and has relatively mediocre airflow (3 80mm low speed fans)

I play games like SoSE, Civ5, SW:TOR, and Tropico a lot and things like Skyrim occasionally on a 60hz 1080p monitor, and wouldn't mind maxing all the settings, although in most games I can live with a consistent 30fps. Also, given that this is going to go next to my bed, While I'd like a blower or partial blower to help ventilation, noise is very important to me.

I've been looking at cards like the Asus DC2 and the XFX core edition. are these the best options for me? Is a 7850 overkill given my CPU and monitor? Also, I'm spending a lot of time looking at how loud it is because last time I bought a HIS 4870 because it was cheapest, and it came with a single speed fan that I had to spend an extra $50 to replace with a Zalman cooler.

 

[Jaydip]

Nah buy 7850 now, if possible upgrade your cpu later.Though Deneb can be a issue with Civ5, SW:TOR(not very sure about this one).

 

[SickBeast]

OP in most games you will be OK but you would get a nice boost from a 2500k.

I would just buy whatever 7850 is cheapest with the best cooling. I just got a powercolor 7850 for $232 shipped as a reference.

 

[maniac5999]

OP in most games you will be OK but you would get a nice boost from a 2500k.

I would just buy whatever 7850 is cheapest with the best cooling. I just got a powercolor 7850 for $232 shipped as a reference.

Linky? I just perused Hot Deals, and didn't see it listed?

 

[SickBeast]

I think it's exclusive to Canada. I can't link to it because I'm using my tablet. Is $232 a good price even in the states?

 

[maniac5999]

I think it's exclusive to Canada. I can't link to it because I'm using my tablet. Is $232 a good price even in the states?

Very. Newegg's best price is $239.99 plus $7.50 to ship it. Everything else on Newegg is $250+. Remember, the US and Canadian dollars are at parity right now, thanks to the tar sands oil revenue.

 

[Zebo]

No. better video is always better. CPU is last thing you need with a 7850.

Edit: I do recommend 8GB of ram minimum and SSD though if you want better game performance you can feel right away.

 

[Zebo]

OP in most games you will be OK but you would get a nice boost from a 2500k.

I would just buy whatever 7850 is cheapest with the best cooling. I just got a powercolor 7850 for $232 shipped as a reference.

I'd like to see proof and definition of "nice boost". Please take 2500K to AMD level and run games at monitor resolution with your 7850 and report back. No canned benchmarks please.

 

[kalrith]

OP, if you're concerned about fan noise, then I recommend spending the $10-$13 extra for one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102986

http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=69585&vpn=R7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC&manufacture=MSI/MicroStar

 

[Hatisherrif]

I'd like to see proof and definition of "nice boost". Please take 2500K to AMD level and run games at monitor resolution with your 7850 and report back. No canned benchmarks please.

As much as I hate to admit it, I must confirm this. Going from a Phenom II X4 955 @ 3.57GHz to an i5 2500K made a hell of a difference in games, even with the i5 at stock clocks (though I OCed it to 4.5GHz later), and I'm using an HD4890, a bit better than what the OP has. Minimum fps in certain games went through the skies. I mentioned it on another forum, in World in Conflict, when zoomed in on a nuke with the Phenom I got 9fps, now I get 47fps...

A CPU can make a hell of a difference in some things, but I am not sure about the games you mentioned. Maybe a graphics card upgrade would be better. As you can see, a Phenom can bottleneck even a low-end graphics card such as the HD4890. But to hell with it, I love both of my CPUs

 

[Arzachel]

This is though, most of the games you mentioned benefit a lot from a better CPU, but going from a 4870 to a 7850 would be a huge upgrade and a 2500k+ mobo + ram would end up costing the same or more I believe. The 7850 definetely won't be overkill if you're gaming at 1080p though, so I'll say go with the GPU and oc it slightly.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

As much as I hate to admit it, I must confirm this. Going from a Phenom II X4 955 @ 3.57GHz to an i5 2500K made a hell of a difference in games, even with the i5 at stock clocks (though I OCed it to 4.5GHz later), and I'm using an HD4890, a bit better than what the OP has. Minimum fps in certain games went through the skies. I mentioned it on another forum, in World in Conflict, when zoomed in on a nuke with the Phenom I got 9fps, now I get 47fps...

A CPU can make a hell of a difference in some things, but I am not sure about the games you mentioned. Maybe a graphics card upgrade would be better. As you can see, a Phenom can bottleneck even a low-end graphics card such as the HD4890. But to hell with it, I love both of my CPUs

I second this.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

With your CPU you cant max games like skyrim with a smooth playable experience. You need at least a 2500k at stock for skyrim

 

[maniac5999]

With your CPU you cant max games like skyrim with a smooth playable experience. You need at least a 2500k at stock for skyrim

 

[aaksheytalwar]

You need experience with a range of CPUs over several years to fully realize this, and with different combinations of gpus

CPUs are hugely under rated

 

[toyota]

You need experience with a range of CPUs over several years to fully realize this, and with different combinations of gpus

CPUs are hugely under rated

for all but a few games it will make little to no playable difference at all between a 3.4 Phenom 2 X4 and 2500k when using a single gpu. Skyrim is one of those games though were having a 2500k will certainly help as it needs really fast cores to keep the framerate at 60fps on highest settings.

 

[kalrith]

This is though, most of the games you mentioned benefit a lot from a better CPU, but going from a 4870 to a 7850 would be a huge upgrade and a 2500k+ mobo + ram would end up costing the same or more I believe. The 7850 definetely won't be overkill if you're gaming at 1080p though, so I'll say go with the GPU and oc it slightly.

I think this is the most relevant post here. If the OP's budget is $250-$300, then getting the 7850 is his best upgrade option. Even if he could buy a 2500k + mobo + ram for $300 after selling his current setup, it still wouldn't increase his gaming performance as much as buying the 7850.

He also mentioned things like noise being important and 30fps being acceptable. Because of that I think the 7850 with one of the custom coolers I posted earlier would be the best choice. If he can upgrade his CPU at some point in the future, that's even better. But it's not like he's talking about pairing a 7850 with a totally anemic CPU. Just one that won't take FULL advantage of the 7850 in EVERY game, which is probably something he'd live with before upping his budget to $600 or more.

 

[AtenRa]

I can only speak about Civ5, it needs both CPU and GPU even in 1080p and above in DX-11. But better upgrade the GPU first and then the CPU.

One more thing, I would wait a month or two for NVIDIA's GTX660 to be released and choose a GPU after that.

 

[HURRIC4NE]

well first off, see if your computer has the connectors that are needed for the graphics card, and if thats good, then go for it... you can upgrade your other components later, btw 400 watts might not be sufficient enough, and even if you dont have the socket, i would recommend you buy a new psu

 

[maniac5999]

I can only speak about Civ5, it needs both CPU and GPU even in 1080p and above in DX-11. But better upgrade the GPU first and then the CPU.

One more thing, I would wait a month or two for NVIDIA's GTX660 to be released and choose a GPU after that.

I know Civ5 and Skyrim need a decent CPU, TBH, I'm board limited with this OC, the chip is only using 1.3v, and I'm trying to hold off for Haswell to replace it. I also think that I agree with you about waiting for Nvidia to drop their mid-range parts, and for 28nm production to become less constrained before buying, but my philosophy has always been to be ready to buy, but not anxious, so that when a good deal comes along, you can snag it.

Also, there's no question, I'm going to OC the 7850 when/if I buy it. Given the 40% performance boost that OCing it can give you, not overclocking it is a sin, unlike my 4870, which wouldn't OC by 10%, and where the OC gave you minimal improvements.

Also, Re: the SSD, I have a cheap Kingston V100, I know it's not the best, but it was under $1/GB a year ago, so I'm good there

well first off, see if your computer has the connectors that are needed for the graphics card, and if thats good, then go for it... you can upgrade your other components later, btw 400 watts might not be sufficient enough, and even if you dont have the socket, i would recommend you buy a new psu

I'm sorry, but wow. Seriously? READING COMPREHENSION FAIL. Look at the original post. I'VE GOT A FREAKING 4870 IN THERE RIGHT NOW! 30 SECONDS WITH GOOGLE WOULD TELL YOU THAT IT USES A PCIe SLOT AND MORE POWER THAN A 7850, AND I'VE EVEN TOLD YOU THAT THE PSU HAS A 6 PIN PLUG! Not only that, but I even went out of my way to tell you that it's one of the best 450w PSUs out there!

I'm sorry to go off like that, but blatant stupidity bothers me, thanks everybody else for being helpful.

 

[chimaxi83]

well first off, see if your computer has the connectors that are needed for the graphics card, and if thats good, then go for it... you can upgrade your other components later, btw 400 watts might not be sufficient enough, and even if you dont have the socket, i would recommend you buy a new psu