Radeon 6870 with a Core i7 3770?

[ultimatebob]

Do you guys think that a Radeon 6870 would pair nicely with a new PC with a Core i7 3770 processor?

This card is still fairly new, but I'm wondering if it is going to be bottleneck for gaming at 1920x1200.

I wouldn't want to spend more than $200 for a replacement video card, and there doesn't seem to be much out there that is significantly faster than the 6870 I already have.

I'm thinking that I should wait for the next generation cards to come out. What do you guys think?

 

[Durvelle27]

no current single graphics card would bottleneck a i7-3770. A HD 6870 is a very good card will play most games fine but won't be able to max or use AA. If that matters to you could sell it and get a nice HD 7870 $200 or HD 7950 $250-290 in the For Sale/Trade Thread.

 

[Termie]

It doesn't make much sense to talk about a GPU bottlenecking a CPU. In fact, that's what you want.

If what you meant was whether it's a balanced system, then the question becomes more complex. It depends on your resolution, preferred settings, and your games.

The 6870 is a good card and equals a new 650ti, which is selling for more than you could buy a 6870 for 18 months ago. If that doesn't tell you something about how the buyer's market has changed, I don't know what would. The only legitimate place to start for an upgrade would be a 7870, which can be had for just over $200AR. It's about 50% faster on average. Whether you need that is entirely dependent on what you play and the performance you are experiencing.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

I would rather have a i5 750 with a 7850 than a 3770k with a 6870

 

[Termie]

I would rather have a i5 750 with a 7850 than a 3770k with a 6870

He's obviously building or buying a new system, so a 750 is not an option.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Then get a i5 2300/2400 instead or equivalent ivy. Spending so little on the CPU doesn't make sense at all. 7850 and 6870 aren't priced very far apart anyway.

 

[Durvelle27]

if building new drop the i7-3770 down to a i5-3570K and put the saved money towards a card

on sale for $214.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

 

[aaksheytalwar]

A 3570k plus 7950 would be ideal.

 

[mkmitch]

I'd wait and save up some dough and/or wait until the next gen. 6870 is still a capable card as it is what I have in my machine.

 

[ultimatebob]

He's obviously building or buying a new system, so a 750 is not an option.

Actually, I got a $699 Dell XPS 8500 with a Core i7 3770 on a Black Friday special, since it was cheaper than what I could build it for myself once you included the OS license.

The Radeon 7350 video card it comes with is rubbish, though, so I'm deciding whether or not to use the 6870 from my old gaming rig or get something else for $200.

It seems that keeping the 6870 is a good bet for now.

 

[AtenRa]

Keep the 6870, wait for next gen or buy 7970/gtx670 used.

 

[biostud]

it really depends on which games you're going to play and how much you demand FSAA in your games.

 

[Termie]

Actually, I got a $699 Dell XPS 8500 with a Core i7 3770 on a Black Friday special, since it was cheaper than what I could build it for myself once you included the OS license.

The Radeon 7350 video card it comes with is rubbish, though, so I'm deciding whether or not to use the 6870 from my old gaming rig or get something else for $200.

It seems that keeping the 6870 is a good bet for now.

Why not try it and let us know how it works in your games?

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Keep the 6870, it plays everything just fine, provided you lower stuff like shadows/ambient occlusion

Not worth it to buy a new card at all right now... Personally Im waiting until Crysis 3 and the new gen is released, to grab an 8850/760 (whichever is best)

 

[Denithor]

Um. You may need a new PSU, Dell uses notoriously low-powered models.

The most recent Dell I ripped apart only had exactly the required connectors for the build it was in - zero extra anything (1 24-pin, 1 8-pin, 2 SATA, that's it). Which meant I had to replace it to add a video card that only had one six-pin adapter requirement.

 

[lehtv]

Um. You may need a new PSU, Dell uses notoriously low-powered models.

Dell XPS 8500 which has the i7-3770, also has a 460W power supply which officially can handle up to a 225W GPU, at least according to PCmag: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404713,00.asp

 

[ultimatebob]

Dell XPS 8500 which has the i7-3770, also has a 460W power supply which officially can handle up to a 225W GPU, at least according to PCmag: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404713,00.asp

Yeah... you can get that system configured with a Radeon 7870 or GeForce 660. My old Radeon 6870 should work OK.

 

[paladinm]

6870 is OK for all latest games. If you've already have it, then keep it. If you're buying a new card. My advice is to wait the next gen.