New Card: Does a 6850 even make since?

[rh535]

I thought i would have a new computer by now, but i decided on studying aboard instead. Because of this i was looking at just upgrading my GPU to hold me over for a year. I should have upgraded earlier, but like i said i thought i would have a new rig by now. I also wont use this card in my new rig next year. This card is just to hold me over. I currently have a eVga 8800 GTS 320MB. I was looking at a new 6850 or 6870. My monitor resolution is 1680 x 1050.

Budget: Under $175


My Specs:

Mobo – Asus P5W DH Deluxe
CPU – Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz : Running at 2.30
GPU - EVGA 320-P2-N817-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3
Memory - Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) & Another set of name brand memory (2 x 1GB)
Monitor - SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms
Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb (I have 4 of these)
Keyboard – Microsoft Sidewinder X6
Mouse – Logitech G5
PSU – OCZ 600w

Games I play / want to play:

Battlefield 3
Saints Row 3
Mass Effect 3

Questions:

1. With my monitor resolution and CPU would a 6850 even be worth the money?

2. If not(1st Question), what would be the best card for me?

Thanks
rh535

 

[wahdangun]

just get HD 6870 its cheap now and it even faster than GTX 470

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-review/13

 

[Leyawiin]

Its going to be pretty bottlenecked by your five year old CPU (especially with it at stock clocks). You might want to consider an HD 6770 and save the cash - would be a better match.

 

[wahdangun]

Its going to be pretty bottlenecked by your five year old CPU (especially with it at stock clocks). You might want to consider an HD 6770 and save the cash - would be a better match.

no just no, i mean if he ever want to upgrade the CPU then he will left with underpowered GPU.

 

[mosox]

Wait, the new HD 7850 is just about to be launched.

 

[wahdangun]

Wait, the new HD 7850 is just about to be launched.

nah that new HD7850 will no doubt make him way over budget. and after the fact that HD 7770 will have lower performance than HD 6870. so i don't think buying HD6870 right now is wrong.

 

[Vesku]

I also think it's a good time to buy a 6870, 7770 is going to be similarly priced and most likely slower.

 

[Arkadrel]

Cant a Core2Duo E6400 hit like 3ghz or something with abit of luck and good overclocking?
Something like that probably wouldnt hurt any.

I think a 6850 makes sense, I doubt CPU bottleneck will be to bad in most games.
Toy around and see if you cant overclock it abit higher though

 

[rh535]

Remember i won't be using this new card in my new system. This is just something to hold me over for a year.

Thanks for all the replies

 

[ChippyUK]

It's certainly tie you over for that year without breaking your wallet. I think it's a good choice.

 

[Smartazz]

That processor is pretty ancient. If you hope to play Battlefield 3 multiplayer you're gonna want a quad core.

 

[Termie]

That processor is pretty ancient. If you hope to play Battlefield 3 multiplayer you're gonna want a quad core.

Yup, based on my experience with my C2D 8400, which is way faster than your cpu, the most GPU you'd be able to use is 6770-class. You can pick one up for $85AR. About 1.5-2x faster than your GPU. Anything more is a complete waste, and frankly, you still might not be able to play BF3.

 

[Jhatfie]

One option if you do not mind doing some light overclocking is to pick up a used quad like the Q6600 and OC to around 3.2-3.4Ghz ($80-90) and pick up a 6850 ($115-120 AR) and sell your E6400 to bring you to about within budget. That is pretty much what I am running in my son's gaming rig. Q6600, HD 6850 which easily OC'd well past 6870 speeds (975/1175), 4GB ram. Still a great rig and easily plays BF3, Witcher, Skyrim, etc at 1080p with respectable details turned on and solid frame rates.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Even an E8500 @4.0GHz Bottlenecked the crap out of my HD 6850.

 

[Smoblikat]

just get HD 6870 its cheap now and it even faster than GTX 470

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-review/13

I call BS on that chart, it says that the GTX 480 beats a GTX 295 and an HD5970, and that the 5870 is 4 points slower than the GTX 295.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Grab the 6870 while you still can. AMD/Nvidia is only interested in giving us the same or slower performance for more $$$ in this price segment.

 

[nenforcer]

I would wait until at least the 15th of this month, which is when the 7770 is supposed to be released.

You'd have to wait until March for the 7850 / 7870, which may be worth waiting for, but it barely makes any sense with your CPU.

 

[sunny4691]

Get the hd6850 or hd6870 for now and later upgrade your cpu to a better lga775 or completely new platform. You can also buy a used quad core lga775.

 

[edplayer]

Questions:

1. With my monitor resolution and CPU would a 6850 even be worth the money?

2. If not(1st Question), what would be the best card for me?

Thanks
rh535

Yes, the 6850 is a good choice for you. It really depends on how much you can get it for. You talk about studying abroad. Are you in the U.S. right now? If so, the most I would pay for a 6850 is about $120. You can find it at those prices on sale if you keep up at slickdeals or a similar hot deals forum. Maybe you will get lucky and be able to get one for $100AR or less in the upcoming weeks. Not positive but I suspect there may be at least one deal in that price range coming up soon.

Its going to be pretty bottlenecked by your five year old CPU (especially with it at stock clocks). You might want to consider an HD 6770 and save the cash - would be a better match.

A 6770 is also a good choice. If in the U.S. this one is worth checking out:

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-HD6770&c=CJ

$73AR after using code WALNUT

Grab the 6870 while you still can. AMD/Nvidia is only interested in giving us the same or slower performance for more $$$ in this price segment.

I have a feeling that you will be right. AMD started it off with this crap perf/price ratio on its 7970/50 and I suspect that Nvidia will play along instead of bucking it. That way everyone wins. By everyone I mean AMD and Nvidia.

 

[Leyawiin]

I have a feeling that you will be right. AMD started it off with this crap perf/price ratio on its 7970/50 and I suspect that Nvidia will play along instead of bucking it. That way everyone wins. By everyone I mean AMD and Nvidia.

I hope that's not the case. I would hate only the top end cards benefiting fully from the new architectures. I'm going to be in the $200-300 range for a new card myself this year and for it to have only marginally better performance than the current crop would be a big disappointment (even if they're more efficient).

 

[Barfo]

no just no, i mean if he ever want to upgrade the CPU then he will left with underpowered GPU.

Read the OP, he won't use it in his next rig.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I hope that's not the case. I would hate only the top end cards benefiting fully from the new architectures. I'm going to be in the $200-300 range for a new card myself this year and for it to have only marginally better performance than the current crop would be a big disappointment (even if they're more efficient).

Take $300/$450 x Performance of a 7950. You get a new card that barely beats a $150 6870.

 

[deadken]

I'd say grab a 6850 right away! It's a great card for a great price. A 6770 would be even cheaper and do well considering your CPU limitations. As others have said, O/C your CPU. Even then, you are going to be CPU limited in at least BF3. In other words, I can't say that you'll be happy playing the games that you want to play. If you can get a Quad core and sell your dual core (like someone suggested), you'll have a better chance at being happy playing BF3.

I certainly could be wrong, but I'm thinking that you have Vista / DX 10. In that case, I'd consider getting a used Quad core and a used GTX 260 (216) to stay within your budget and get the best performance that I think you'll get.

 

[bigsnyder]

Ditto. Overclock that CPU more if you are intent on using it. I would upgrade to a yorkfield quad if you can find a good deal on one in the FS/FT forums. Less time consuming than a full system upgrade.

Cant a Core2Duo E6400 hit like 3ghz or something with abit of luck and good overclocking?
Something like that probably wouldnt hurt any.

I think a 6850 makes sense, I doubt CPU bottleneck will be to bad in most games.
Toy around and see if you cant overclock it abit higher though

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Ditto. Overclock that CPU more if you are intent on using it. I would upgrade to a yorkfield quad if you can find a good deal on one in the FS/FT forums. Less time consuming than a full system upgrade.

+1

and you can offset the price for the cpu by selling that old cpu

hey look, another fella from NC