Sapphire 7850 vs 7870

[thedoormat]

I was looking at the XFX Double D 7850 when I started reading some reviews about heating issues and Sapphire cards (for 7850s) seemed to be coming in with better reviews so, having settled on the Sapphire 7850 OC Version, I noticed that the Sapphire 7870 was $30 more. Can someone tell me if the increased performance is worth the $30 extra?

The mobo is the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 (not yet purchased), case is Rosewill Challenger U3 (not yet purchased). If you need any other information regarding my build to better answer, I'll be glad to get you that information.

Edit: PSU I am currently looking at is the Corsair TX650 V2 ($70 on newegg after $20MIR). Please let me know if this is a good price to buy it at, or if I should consider alternatives or waiting a bit longer.

Thank you
TheDoormat

 

[lehtv]

I think it is worth $30 extra assuming a gaming resolution of 1920x1080. $195 AR is a superb price for a 7870... but the large amount of one star reviews is a bit alarming. I suppose it's worth the risk, at that price; if it works, it works and if it doesn't, you return it.

I would not recommend the TX650 V2. The motherboard you plan to get is crossfire compatible and while 650W is sufficient for 7870 Crossfire with overclocking, you would be forced to use 4-pin molex to 6-pin PCIe adapters since the TX650 only has two power connectors by default, and 7870's require two each. And if you have no intention to Crossfire but are merely getting the Extreme4 for the overclockability and audio codec over Pro3 and Pro4, a 500W power supply would be enough.

Corsair CX500 $40 AR
XFX 650W is internally almost the same as TX650 V2, but has four PCIe connectors. $65.48 AR

 

[Durvelle27]

This should be in the "Video and Graphics Forum"

 

[thedoormat]

Hi Lehtv,

I'm going to check with Sapphire before pulling the trigger on the 7870. If however, I don't like what I hear, I'll stick with the 7850. Newegg has a $20 off 200 offer for checking out with V.me, so that makes it only a $10 difference (must purchase by 12/31).

That settles the GPU section, but you have raised even more questions for me on the PSU front.

I looked up the XFX 650W Core Ed. and it seems to be discontinued. I went to the XFX website and found that the newer models is here.

I also did a comparison of PSUs in the relative price range I am looking at, with either Corsair, XFX or Seasonic. I know that some of the Corsairs and XFXs are Seasonics on the "inside". However, I am not privy to which ones in this list are, so any help will be appreciated.

PSU Compare

Having said all that, would you still recommend the one from NCIX? Also, this all becomes moot if I end up buying the 7850, correct? Or does it also need two connectors/card?

Thanks for all the information and advice.

I think it is worth $30 extra assuming a gaming resolution of 1920x1080. $195 AR is a superb price for a 7870... but the large amount of one star reviews is a bit alarming. I suppose it's worth the risk, at that price; if it works, it works and if it doesn't, you return it.

I would not recommend the TX650 V2. The motherboard you plan to get is crossfire compatible and while 650W is sufficient for 7870 Crossfire with overclocking, you would be forced to use 4-pin molex to 6-pin PCIe adapters since the TX650 only has two power connectors by default, and 7870's require two each. And if you have no intention to Crossfire but are merely getting the Extreme4 for the overclockability and audio codec over Pro3 and Pro4, a 500W power supply would be enough.

Corsair CX500 $40 AR
XFX 650W is internally almost the same as TX650 V2, but has four PCIe connectors. $65.48 AR

 

[thedoormat]

So I typed this response and now it seems to be missing. So I'll try again, while trying to keep it coherent.

I noticed there is a $20 off 200 Promo for V.Me Visa users. Which effectively makes the 7870 on $10 more than the 7850 (unless I buy the PSU/RAM on newegg as well). I figure I'll check with Sapphire prior to making a decision either way. So I guess that settles the GPU issue.

However, it seems your post about PSUs has caused a ripple. I was looking at Newegg for the XFX 650Pro and that seems to have been discontinued. The newer version (found it from the XFX website) seems to be $90 after MIR. My question is, Is the XFX version on NCIX the discontinued model? And if so, would you still recommend it over the Corsair or the newer XFX models? I am not sure if I will purchase another card to crossfire/SLI just yet, as I haven't owned a desktop in almost a decade and feel like a fish out of water. Also, I noticed that the newer XFX 750W is $85 after MIR on newegg. Would that be overkill?

Thanks so much for all your help.

I think it is worth $30 extra assuming a gaming resolution of 1920x1080. $195 AR is a superb price for a 7870... but the large amount of one star reviews is a bit alarming. I suppose it's worth the risk, at that price; if it works, it works and if it doesn't, you return it.

I would not recommend the TX650 V2. The motherboard you plan to get is crossfire compatible and while 650W is sufficient for 7870 Crossfire with overclocking, you would be forced to use 4-pin molex to 6-pin PCIe adapters since the TX650 only has two power connectors by default, and 7870's require two each. And if you have no intention to Crossfire but are merely getting the Extreme4 for the overclockability and audio codec over Pro3 and Pro4, a 500W power supply would be enough.

Corsair CX500 $40 AR
XFX 650W is internally almost the same as TX650 V2, but has four PCIe connectors. $65.48 AR

 

[mfenn]

I would save $30 on the motherboard and get a Z77 Pro3. Then I would save $10 on the PSU and get an XFX Core 550W. I would put that $40 saved towards a GTX 660 Ti for $239 AR. The GT 660 Ti is as fast or faster than the 7870.

 

[lehtv]

It doesn't matter if the XFX PSU is discontinued. NCIX to which I linked still seems to have it in stock.

TX650 V2 is also discontinued, did you know? It's been replaced by a new TX650, not to be confused with the TX650's prior to the V2.

 

[thedoormat]

I was not aware about the TX650 V2. I did find it odd to find the V2 less expensive than the non V2, but put it down to aggressive mktg.

Thanks for the help in deciding this. I think I'll pull the trigger on the XFX.

 

[mfenn]

It doesn't matter if the XFX PSU is discontinued. NCIX to which I linked still seems to have it in stock.

:thumbsup: Discontinued doesn't mean "bad". Plenty of people would jump at the opportunity to buy the original CX400 which was replaced by the inferior (but still decent) CX430.

TX650 V2 is also discontinued, did you know? It's been replaced by a new TX650, not to be confused with the TX650's prior to the V2.

Arrrrggggghhh. Who does Corsair think it is, Nvidia?