Is a 7870 + 2500k a balanced config?

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futurefields

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2012
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Would you consider a 7870 and a 2500k to be a well balanced configuration?

And would the 7950 be worth the extra $$$ if I am using a single 1080p monitor to play games like Diablo 3, Left 4 Dead 2, and future Xbox 720/PS4 ports or would the 7870 be enough for 1080p?

Thanks,
 
blastingcap

blastingcap

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2010
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The short answer is yes they are balanced, and no, anything more is overkill for the games you mentioned, at 1080p. In fact, even the 7870 is overpowered for games like those you mentioned. Even a 7770 is enough, especially if you overclock it a little.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

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Sep 5, 2003
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I agree with blastincap. HD7770 is more than enough for those games. Xbox 720 / PS4 ports won't be out until 2014. That's 1.5 years away. Who knows how well HD7870 will fair. HD7770 is actually a great card for you. It'll be good enough for the games you mentioned and when next generation games come out you'll have $130+ saved from not buying an HD7870 and upgrading to a next generation card.

Of course if you intend to play more GPU-intensive games then listed above, you can step up to the HD7850/7870. If you want a little more oomph, $145 HD6870 is 40-50% faster in Diablo 3 than 7770 is for not much more and it is still $100 less than most 7870s!

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futurefields

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2012
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Just for reference I would be upgrading from the 6850, so the 7770 would be a downgrade.

I know a 7870 is overkill for D3, I also play other games. I play a lot of fps too and I like good graphics.

Just wondering really if there would be a difference at 1080p between 7950 and 7870 (I know the 7950 will pull well ahead in eyefinity but I won't be using that)
 
B

B-Riz

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2011
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futurefields said:
Just for reference I would be upgrading from the 6850, so the 7770 would be a downgrade.

I know a 7870 is overkill for D3, I also play other games. I play a lot of fps too and I like good graphics.

Just wondering really if there would be a difference at 1080p between 7950 and 7870 (I know the 7950 will pull well ahead in eyefinity but I won't be using that)
Click to expand...

How long do you want to keep the new card?

Will you ever get a 1900x1200 or 2560x1440 monitor?
 
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futurefields

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2012
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1080p for the foreseable future.

For reference, I am using the 6850 currently on a 1280x1024 (yes one of those).

As I anticipate the 6850 struggling a bit on newer titles at 1080p high settings, I will be buying the new gpu and 1080p monitor together.
 
3

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
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futurefields said:
Just for reference I would be upgrading from the 6850, so the 7770 would be a downgrade.

I know a 7870 is overkill for D3, I also play other games. I play a lot of fps too and I like good graphics.

Just wondering really if there would be a difference at 1080p between 7950 and 7870 (I know the 7950 will pull well ahead in eyefinity but I won't be using that)
Click to expand...

The 7870 hangs with the 7950 at reference clocks. 800MHz for the 7950 and 1000MHz for the 7870. Set them both at ~1100MHz (not at all unreasonable for either) and the 7950 will walk away.
 
F

futurefields

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2012
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What's important to me is being able to lock games at 60fps (vsync).

I like having enough headroom to do that.
 
B

B-Riz

Golden Member
Feb 15, 2011
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A 7870 ~ to a 580, good at 1080P.

If you don't mind spending more $$$, a 7950 with 3GB VRAM is worth it.
 
kalrith

kalrith

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2005
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Are you willing to overclock the card? If so, you can save money by buying a 7850 with a good cooler and overclocking it. If you compare a 7850 max OC to 7870 max OC, the 7850 is only 6% slower than the 7870.

How often do you upgrade your video card? I personally upgrade mine every 2-3 years. Because of that, I like to buy a card that performs faster than I currently need it to in order to still play games that haven't even come out yet. If you upgrade every year, then doing that would be a waste of money.
 
R

Rvenger

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator <br> Video Cards
Apr 6, 2004
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futurefields said:
Would 7870 do BF3 ultra at 60fps?
Click to expand...



7870 - No
7950 - No
7970 - no
GTX 680 - no
GTX 690 - Yes

It depends on the map really. I am basing this on a 64 player map. It will hit 60fps and the 7970 and 680 will more than likely stay closer to 60fps but it surely will dip at times into the 50s and sometimes high 40s in areas with high traffic/explosions.
 
Last edited:
Termie

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
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www.techbuyersguru.com
Rvenger said:
7870 - No
7950 - No
7970 - no
GTX 680 - no
GTX 690 - Yes

It depends on the map really. I am basing this on a 64 player map. It will hit 60fps and the 7970 and 680 will more than likely stay closer to 60fps but it surely will dip at times into the 50s and sometimes high 40s in areas with high traffic/explosions.
Click to expand...

futurefields said:
That is ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Actually, if you're talking about averages, most of those cards will average 60fps at 1080p ultra in BF3. What Rvenger is saying is that it will not stay locked at 60fps, as you might want for vsync purposes. Depends what you were asking.

A 7870 will probably average about 55fps in BF3, however, so ultimately the answer to your specific question is no.
 
p_monks33

p_monks33

Golden Member
May 22, 2011
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I know that my 680 always stayed above 75fps and my mildly overclocked 7970 stays around 70-80 .. I think a heavily overclocked 7850 would probably come close to 55-60 fps average.. You may have to back the AA down a little.
 
R

Rvenger

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator <br> Video Cards
Apr 6, 2004
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If you exclude MSAA, then yes. I use MSAA at all times so If you want to lock at 60fps, then forget it.
 
R

Rvenger

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator <br> Video Cards
Apr 6, 2004
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Termie said:
Actually, if you're talking about averages, most of those cards will average 60fps at 1080p ultra in BF3. What Rvenger is saying is that it will not stay locked at 60fps, as you might want for vsync purposes. Depends what you were asking.

A 7870 will probably average about 55fps in BF3, however, so ultimately the answer to your specific question is no.
Click to expand...



Thanks for clarifying Termie, that was exactly what I meant. I should have quoted off of this instead.



futurefields said:
What's important to me is being able to lock games at 60fps (vsync).

I like having enough headroom to do that.
Click to expand...
 
blastingcap

blastingcap

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2010
6,654
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Way to drastically change your question OP, big difference between L4D/Diablo3 and BF3... obviously my 7770 suggestion no longer stands. Get a 7850 and oc the hell out of it at reasonable settings. If you want ultra@60, you will need to spend much, much more.
 
F

futurefields

Diamond Member
Jun 2, 2012
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So the stock 8150 beats a stock 2500k?

Did not know that. Everyone said the 2500k was king for games.
 
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