Is it time to upgade?

[Cr0nJ0b]

I've got a 6870 that I got really cheap at christmas to hold me over until a new process chip came out that would last me a few years. I generally play BF3 and shooters, but I have skyrim and game quite a bit. Would a 680 be a good upgrade for me? It's like $500 from what I've seen and if I do that I'll probably build my new HTPC with my old 6870...or should i wait to see what other cards are coming out later in the year?

My guess is that the 680 will be it for a while...I don't plan to get one of the dual chip on card options. I like the efficiency of the new process, but i'm torn on which card to get.

thanks for the help.

 

[SickBeast]

$500 is a lot to spend.

Have you considered dropping another 6870 in there?

What games do you need the performance in? At what resolution?

 

[lavaheadache]

I upgrade when I get the itch. If you've got the itch now... It's a good time to upgrade.

 

[Keysplayr]

I upgrade when I get the itch. If you've got the itch now... It's a good time to upgrade.

You can't talk though because you're sitting in the middle of an itching powder factory.

 

[blastingcap]

mo' GPUs, mo' problems

stick to single-GPU if you can to avoid driver problems

 

[lavaheadache]

You can't talk though because you're sitting in the middle of an itching powder factory.

lol, I do always have the itch. Isn't it great to be a hardware junkie?

I think I'm about to score 2 7950gx2's, so excited!

 

[IGhzI]

Nice

 

[aaksheytalwar]

IMO buying top end makes sense only if you upgrade each generation. With your budget I would rather buy a 7850 and OC it 30%+, will nearly equal a stock 580 for $250 and will last you 1-2 years or so. You can upgrade after 1-2 years with another $250-300

 

[Spjut]

Ofc it all depends on if you are satisfied with the performance or not, but I wouldn't upgrade from a HD6870 right now

But who am I to talk, I'm planning on keeping my HD4870 until the next-gen consoles make it obsolete:biggrin:

 

[Termie]

You're talking about upgrading from a $150 card to a $500 card. I would only do it if that's what you had intended to spend in the first place. Don't do it just because a $500 card is the only serious upgrade out there. And no, getting the 7850 is not a serious upgrade and certainly not worth the hassle, especially for BF3: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=549

I personally would get another 6870 for ~$150 and enjoy near-GTX680 performance. Sure, you'll run into VRAM problems and need to turn down AA/textures, but you're talking a huge price difference. Now, you could probably sell that 6870 and make your 680 cost you about $400 net, but that's still a lot more than $150.

Here's an XFX 6870 for $140AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150561

 

[aaksheytalwar]

I just did a long article on AT long back. To equal a 680 OC you will need at least 6990 or 6970 CF where the performance really counts. or 570 SLI or 570 OC SLI. A 6870 CF will be about the performance of a single GTX 580 with lots of stuttering and hassles. And a overclocked 7850 is like 5-10% slower than a GTX 580 so about as powerful as 6870 CF even in games where CF scaling is pretty decent.

 

[Termie]

I just did a long article on AT long back. To equal a 680 OC you will need at least 6990 or 6970 CF where the performance really counts. or 570 SLI or 570 OC SLI. A 6870 CF will be about the performance of a single GTX 580 with lots of stuttering and hassles. And a overclocked 7850 is like 5-10% slower than a GTX 580 so about as powerful as 6870 CF even in games where CF scaling is pretty decent.

He can judge for himself whether dual 6870s perform like a GTX580: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/powercolor-radeon-hd6870x2_6.html#sect1

The 7850 is equivalent to a 6950 at stock, and while it overclocks a bit better, there is no way it is comparable to dual 6870s, just as a 6950, or even a 6970, wouldn't be competition for dual 6870s.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Wrong.

And I am not saying the 6870 cf won't be 15-20% faster but isnt worth doing dual card for such minimal gains

Acc to toms charts a 7850 stock to stock is 10% faster than 6950

And with a 30% performance increas it equals a 580 stock. Clearly you have no idea how much 7850 OCs and scales, even 7970 and 7870 don't overclock the same percentage as 7850

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/nvidia_gtx680_review/4

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2234512

 

[Termie]

Wrong.

And I am not saying the 6870 cf won't be 15-20% faster but isnt worth doing dual card for such minimal gains

Acc to toms charts a 7850 stock to stock is 10% faster than 6950

And with a 30% performance increas it equals a 580 stock. Clearly you have no idea how much 7850 OCs and scales, even 7970 and 7870 don't overclock the same percentage as 7850

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/nvidia_gtx680_review/4

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2234512

Nothing in your thread or that article has anything to do with a 7850.

To the OP, if you want to spend $500, obviously the GTX680 is your best choice. Below that, I don't think you're getting enough of an upgrade for your money, and that's why going crossfire for $140AR should be considered.

 

[taltamir]

lol, I do always have the itch. Isn't it great to be a hardware junkie?

Same here, it takes constant willpower to resist the urge.
A few days ago I didn't resist it and bought a 240GB intel 520 SSD for 350$.
The 180GB and the 240GB tie for being the fastest according to specs. The 480GB is actually somehow slower.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

It proves that a single 680 beats 6970 cf. and by some extrapolation a single 580 or 7850 oc compares almost to 6870 cf