Should I get 7970/7970Ghz?

[p0rkguy]

Should I get the 7970/7970Ghz for ~$350? Should I wait?
I currently have a 6870 and play BF3 in high settings. Currently only playing at 1920x1080. Awaiting BF4, GTA5 and many other games planned for release this year. Will 7970s drop much lower before BF4? Will there be much better cards at this price before BF4?

 

[blackened23]

350$ isn't a bad price, but there have been a few 7970s on sale in the US for around 300$ after MIR. I'm not sure if those are still around. The next step up beyond the 7970GE is the GTX 770, which costs 400-450$ depending on VRAM configuration, and that will generally be 2-7% faster depending on the game. So i'd say 350$ isn't bad, but i'd check around for one of the 300$ deals.

AMD is supposedly releasing new cards around September/October, but there aren't any specific details. I'd say if you can find a 7970 for around 300 bucks, to hop on it.

 

[Greenlepricon]

The next generation for AMD is rumored to be coming out at the end of this year, so I can expect we'll see the $350 cards either at the tail end or early next year. I'm not sure if they'll be much better than a 7970 if at all at that price point. You'll see a pretty good upgrade from your 6870, especially if you're willing to overclock. If you don't want to turn down some settings to play these games, it may be worth selling your old card and upgrading.

 

[p0rkguy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202001
This is 347.79 after coupon, which makes me really want to jump on it. There's also a $20 rebate but I don't really do rebates...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008
This is 329.99, no coupon but $20 rebate.

 

[lehtv]

What's your CPU and PSU?

 

[p0rkguy]

AMD 965 and I believe some Thermaltake TR2 500w or 600w. Don't remember which one.

 

[tential]

I wouldn't purchase for a future game. Instead, I'd wait for those games to come out, be benchmarked, then decide. For all we know, the next gen AMD cards could be AMAZING, or they could be horrific lol. Nvidia could release a driver update when BF4 comes out that makes its cards the only option as they are just that good.

So much can happen driver/hardware wise in a couple months that it doesn't really make sense to purchase a card for a game that isn't out yet.

 

[p0rkguy]

I'm not so much worried about the drivers.
AMD announced they would have BF4 bundled with the next gen video cards which is making me think it won't be much of an upgrade or is absurdly overpriced.
BF4 demo at E3 were 7970 CF along with AMD FX-8350.

 

[RussianSensation]

AMD 965 and I believe some Thermaltake TR2 500w or 600w. Don't remember which one.

That CPU is too slow for a GPU of 7970GE/680/770 level. I suggest going with HD7870/760 or even 7950 and overclocking instead. I would strongly considering upgrading the CPU platform at some point. I agree with the suggestion of waiting until those games come out since there are often delays. Not sure about GTA5 as I wasn't aware this was even coming to the PC in 2013. Is there even an announcement that GTA5 is coming to the PC?

 

[ocre]

Cpu bottleneck may be an issue but i am just as concerned with the 500watt psu. Do you overclock your 45nm phenom2 quad? I think you will need to upgrade maby things if you go with a 7970. I would suggest just as RS on this one. The 760 which is a hundred cheaper at ~250$. Its a much better fit for your system. Less power than a 7970 and its pretty powerful. Its really a great value. If your not interested in nvidia then the next option would be the 7870/7950 if your not planning on upgrading more components like your psu. I am not sure i would overclock a 7950 unless you have a top of the line 500w psu.

I think your system could still last you awhile. But the 7970ghz just doesnt seem like a good card for you unless your gonna start upgrading the whole thing. A 770/7870/7950 would get you some more life out of it for sure.

 

[24601]

Anything over GTX 460 wouldn't be advisable on that CPU if it's running stock.

 

[ocre]

I would not set the bar that low. The bottleneck will range, in some cases it wont be measurable. The 460 is not the max his cpu can handle. It will scale up past a 460. There are many ppl running phenom2s with more powerful gpus

 

[24601]

I would not set the bar that low. The bottleneck will range, in some cases it wont be measurable. The 460 is not the max his cpu can handle. It will scale up past a 460. There are many ppl running phenom2s with more powerful gpus

Only in situations where the 2 additional cores can pick up the slack of the crap per core performance of that chip.

My Core 2 Duo @ 3.3 ghz (faster per hz per core than the 965) was heavily bottle-necking my 460 in single and double threaded games.

For perfect scenario 4 well threaded games you will still be left with very very poor minimum frame rates, meaning for FPS games getting over the 460 would be pointless still (Since minimum frames happen in the most important situations). Same goes for RTS games.

 

[p0rkguy]

I'd like to know everyone's definition of "bottleneck".
IE. Starcraft 2 graphics at max settings but huge amounts of units still causes drop if fps due to weak CPU. This isn't a bottleneck to me. The GPU isn't being held back by the CPU.

I haven't built computers for a while but it seems the internet has changed up the whole definition of bottleneck. It seems builders want parts of the same generation/tier/quality/price to "prevent bottlenecking".

Also, Rockstar hasn't officially confirmed/announced for PC but there has been too many leaks about its release for PC.

 

[24601]

I'd like to know everyone's definition of "bottleneck".
IE. Starcraft 2 graphics at max settings but huge amounts of units still causes drop if fps due to weak CPU. This isn't a bottleneck to me. The GPU isn't being held back by the CPU.

I haven't built computers for a while but it seems the internet has changed up the whole definition of bottleneck. It seems builders want parts of the same generation/tier/quality/price to "prevent bottlenecking".

If I do I'll get banned again by attracting the legions of people trying to defend using 8350s with 7970 crossfire. And/or deal with the guy that refused to understand why he was having stuttering issues using a stock 2500k with 780 SLI.

 

[p0rkguy]

Ouch, price for the GE jumped back to 450.
I hope 9xxx series come out with something better...

 

[RussianSensation]

Ouch, price for the GE jumped back to 450.
I hope 9xxx series come out with something better...

HD7970 with 1000mhz clocks is $360 with the game bundle promotion. That card will be 3-4% slower than 7970GE. Regardless, your CPU is too slow for any card above 7950 level to be honest.

 

[ocre]

I'd like to know everyone's definition of "bottleneck".
IE. Starcraft 2 graphics at max settings but huge amounts of units still causes drop if fps due to weak CPU. This isn't a bottleneck to me. The GPU isn't being held back by the CPU.

I haven't built computers for a while but it seems the internet has changed up the whole definition of bottleneck. It seems builders want parts of the same generation/tier/quality/price to "prevent bottlenecking".

Also, Rockstar hasn't officially confirmed/announced for PC but there has been too many leaks about its release for PC.

There is always a bottleneck. Its inevitable. If there wasnt then you would have unlimited fps, infinite. We dont. The bottlenecks in PC gaming are many: CPU, GPU, vram, bandwidth, etc.

We are specifically on the subject of GPUs and this is the bottleneck we are referring to. PC gamers typically want their GPU to run at their max potential. We want it to be the bottleneck. But if you dont have enough ram or your CPU is slow then the GPU spends a lot of time waiting on data. This prematurely drives down how many frames per second it can render. But remember, there is always a bottleneck that limits the amount of fps. We just aim to make the GPU that limiting factor.

As for your CPU, I think your CPU would hold back for multiGPU purposes. In these case, intel is far superior. But i absolutely guarantee that your CPU will scale past a single 460. That a 760 or a 7950 would give you a very nice boost in most games. You will be fine. Could you get more fps out of a better CPU, sure but this is generally always the case.

I promises you can upgrade your GPU and get more life out of your system. Its got a few more miles in her, lol.

 

[ocre]

Only in situations where the 2 additional cores can pick up the slack of the crap per core performance of that chip.

My Core 2 Duo @ 3.3 ghz (faster per hz per core than the 965) was heavily bottle-necking my 460 in single and double threaded games.

For perfect scenario 4 well threaded games you will still be left with very very poor minimum frame rates, meaning for FPS games getting over the 460 would be pointless still (Since minimum frames happen in the most important situations). Same goes for RTS games.

I have a q6600 at just 3.3gjz and although its not as fast as my 4ghz i7 you are hard pressed to tell the difference when gaming. unless you run software to watch the fps, benchmarks, etc-the experience is not much difference. There are some games that have 5 to 10fps difference but none that are so significant that its unplayable on one and playable on the other. What i am saying is the q6600 has scaled up nicely with every GPU i have tried in it. Are the GPUs bottlenecked? Maybe, slightly perhaps but it matters little when i turn up the settings to load it down. I am not saying he wont have a bottleneck, i am saying that he should see great results with a 7950/760. Going past there, i am not sure i would.

 

[spat55]

Unless you need a GPU now, then I say wait for a HD 9xxx and GTX 8xx and see what takes your fancy then, I have been thinking about the HD 7970 myself since I have a 1440p monitor, but my overclocked HD 7850 can still do the job decent enough.

 

[lehtv]

I'm not so much worried about the drivers.
AMD announced they would have BF4 bundled with the next gen video cards which is making me think it won't be much of an upgrade or is absurdly overpriced.
BF4 demo at E3 were 7970 CF along with AMD FX-8350.

Your 6870 is a decent match for the Phenom II 965. Anything faster and you'll just bottleneck it. Of course you would get higher framerates but you just wouldn't be able to get the most out of the upgrade.

I recommend upgrading to 4670K+Z87 (or 4570+H87 if you don't OC), then buying the best GPU you can afford, anything from GTX 760 and up. Could be worthwhile to wait for the 8000 series, although NVIDIA cards usually perform better in Frostbyte engine games.

 

[p0rkguy]

I'm trying to avoid upgrading my CPU as much as possible.
My motherboard is M4N72-E. Highest is AM3, fastest ram is DDR2 800 without OC.
If I do upgrade, I will most likely go the Intel path but the total will most likely cost the same or more than the GPU alone, going with $350. Means I'll be playing BF4 with the 6870, at that point PS4 is already a better system than my PC for the game. I find that silly so I'd rather upgrade GPU first.
Also, with the X4 series lasting this long it's quite a miracle and makes it AMD's best CPUs ever offered. I still remember the days where my loading times in games would always be faster than a friend's with the first gen i7 and a better gpu. My friend was so mad and upset of his $1300 PC while mine was barely $800.

 

[ocre]

I stand firm behind what i said. The per core ipc of your CPU is just as good as bulldozer and many of the FX chips out today (only the recent highest clocked piledriver chips edge it out). In gaming single thread ipc is over all. As for threading, few games will thread past 4 which seeing as you have a quad core.....your fine.

I really disagree with the people claiming the 6850 is as high as your processor can handle. Its really far out there to me.

here is some related thread:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1372252/...gaming-compared-to-the-newer-more-pricier-fxs

Also look at the 900 pildriver/bulldozer threads and you will see that the higher clocked phenom2 x4s hold their own against all the new AMD chips out there today.

Like this:
http://www.techspot.com/review/586-amd-fx-8350-fx-6300/page6.html

Granted that is a phenom 2 980 but since you have a black edition its like nothing to turn up your multiplier to 3.6ghz even on stock cooling.

You will easily get more life out of your CPU if you upgrade your GPU. There are masses of people with phenom2 x4s and fx chips out there chugging along fine with way more powerful GPUs.

 

[RussianSensation]

You will easily get more life out of your CPU if you upgrade your GPU. There are masses of people with phenom2 x4s and fx chips out there chugging along fine with way more powerful GPUs.

Depends on the game. 965 Phenom is a huge bottleneck in many titles when paired with an HD7970Ghz. Same for 8150 or 8350.

It makes no sense at all to get a 7970/GTX770 series GPU for such a slow CPU. GTX760 OC or HD7950 OC max is the most upper ceiling for such a CPU. Even then in many games, those cards will be bottlenecked.

Also, it's not a justification that 965 has a similar IPC to Bulldozer since Bulldozer is itself a bottleneck in many games.

As I already linked, 955 with Titan only gets 43 fps in BF4 Alpha vs. 70 fps with the fastest Intel CPU. So how can you say that 965 is just fine for a high-end GPU?

If I do upgrade, I will most likely go the Intel path but the total will most likely cost the same or more than the GPU alone, going with $350. Means I'll be playing BF4 with the 6870, at that point PS4 is already a better system than my PC for the game. I find that silly so I'd rather upgrade GPU first.

Then upgrade the day BF4 comes out. At least then maybe GPU prices will fall so that you wouldn't be wasting $350 on a high-end GPU with such an outdated CPU. Perhaps HD7950/GTX760 will fall to $190-200 by end of October and we might see HD7970 925mhz for $250.

 

[MrK6]

I can't recommend any 7970 at the moment when the 7950's are almost $100 cheaper ($250 AR vs. $350). I agree with Russian that you should consider a new CPU, especially if you're interested in BF4. I'd at least save $100 and look at a 7950 or GTX 760/660Ti. If you're an overclocker I think the 7950 would be your best bet atm.