Upgrading From a 4890 - Best Bang for Buck Right Now?

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adamwb

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2008
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I know it's an old video card, but I haven't really played any games recently that go lower than 25-30fps - so I've never really felt the need to upgrade. I usually never upgrade my computer until I find a game that or program I need to run faster. So now it's that time.

I just got Assassins Creed 3, which I really like. My 4890 handles it OK, but it dogs down a bit in some instances, especially when in snowy/foggy/smoky environments.

My CPU is an Intel Core i7 (920 I believe? If not, 900-something. I can look it up if this part is important.)

I'm assuming I don't really need to upgrade my CPU do I? I bought my video card long before I bought the CPU/Mobo, so I figure the vid card is by far the bottleneck in my configuration. I'm actually surprised how long the 4890 has kept up with current games. I've had this video card for a while! I hate the look of maxed out AA/AF for some reason, so I think that's why I've gotten away with this card for so long.

Budget - I'd like to spend $100-$200 - my goal is the biggest bang for the buck. If I can get away with spending $100 and get 75% of the performance of a $200+ card I'm down with that. I'm definitely not a penny pincher, but I'm not after the latest and greatest, and I'm not picky if all my games don't run at 60fps + max settings like hardcore gamers. If I can max out details, and still run at 30-35 fps I'm just peachy.

Monitor is 1920x1080 resolution.

I'm totally out of the video card / hardware game right now so I need some help! Any suggestions?
 
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Jacky60

Jacky60

Golden Member
Jan 3, 2010
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If you're going to keep the card as long as you kept the 4890 I'd get a 7950. 7850/7870 are also good choices but the 7950 will really last better.
 
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raghu78

Diamond Member
Aug 23, 2012
4,093
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Get the HD 7850 2GB. overclock it to 1 Ghz at stock voltage .easily double the performance of your existing card.
 
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adamwb

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2008
22
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raghu78 said:
Get the HD 7850 2GB. overclock it to 1 Ghz at stock voltage .easily double the performance of your existing card.
Click to expand...

Seems like the 7850 is quite a bit cheaper, so I may go with that. I'm not really big into overclocking though - how big of a risk is it to overclock it and how much will it degrade the life of the card? I usually keep my cards for about 18-24 months - since that's usually about the time they start not being able to perform above 25fps in modern games. Do you think it would last that long if I OC it?
 
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adamwb

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2008
22
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Also - is it worth it to look into the Nvidia equivalent? I'm going to run to BestBuy today and see if they have any good deals - but they usually have a lot more Nvidia cards than AMD.

lehtv - that's a great deal. Just might pull the trigger on that!
 
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skipsneeky2

Diamond Member
May 21, 2011
5,035
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raghu78 said:
Get the HD 7850 2GB. overclock it to 1 Ghz at stock voltage .easily double the performance of your existing card.
Click to expand...

Overclocks aren't guaranteed,Op should buy whatever he could afford.

This msi tf3 7850 i have has a asic quality of 73% and for the most part my games start to artifact as soon as i pump the core up 25mhz and the memory 100 over its stock 900/1200 config and for 1050/1450 being the max my card can do,i need 1.225v.

I of course would recommend the msi tf3 7850 to the Op for its small petite 7.7'' size and awesome cooling and after dealing with a stuttering fest with a evga gtx670...damn glad to be using this 7850 again.
 
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raghu78

Diamond Member
Aug 23, 2012
4,093
1,475
136
adamwb said:
Also - is it worth it to look into the Nvidia equivalent? I'm going to run to BestBuy today and see if they have any good deals - but they usually have a lot more Nvidia cards than AMD.

lehtv - that's a great deal. Just might pull the trigger on that!
Click to expand...

150 bucks for HD 7850 2GB is incredible. grab it asap. :thumbsup:
 
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adamwb

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2008
22
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Local Best Buy has an EVGA gtx660 for just shy of $200 out the door. Should I run over and grab it? Looks like it's a bit faster than the 7850?
 
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adamwb

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2008
22
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Hah, just found out my motherboard only goes up to pci-e 2.0. Should I even bother upgrading? How much of a performance loss am I going to get by putting a 3.0 card into 2.0 slot?
 
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Rikard

Senior member
Apr 25, 2012
428
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adamwb said:
Also - is it worth it to look into the Nvidia equivalent?
Click to expand...
660 non-Ti looks pretty decent. Usually has both performance and price between a 7850 and 7870 so it is not as overpriced as other Nvidia cards.

adamwb said:
Hah, just found out my motherboard only goes up to pci-e 2.0.
Click to expand...
The same is true for your CPU. You are looking at replacing both if you absolutely want 3.0.
AnandThenMan said:
0.1%
Click to expand...
I think that should be 1%, but yes it is not a performance difference you will ever notice.
 
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Rikard

Senior member
Apr 25, 2012
428
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tweakboy said:
Guys whats the 7850 equivlant to.. That was a good deal.

Is it like a 660 Ti ? thx
Click to expand...
No it is much slower than the Ti, unless there is some odd situation. It is comparable to the non-Ti however, though typically a bit slower and cheaper as well. Where I live the 7850 is the better buy from a price/performance perspective, though I expect that is not a universal law.
 
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dirksquarejaw

Member
Nov 9, 2012
31
0
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The 660ti gtx is a solid upgrade but it'd about 100 bucks more expensive. The 7850 fits your budget and gives you.the best bang for your buck given your specifics.
 
Denithor

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
6,298
23
81
If you keep cards as long as you say you do, I'd spring for either a 7870 or a 7950. The extra cores in there will definitely give better longevity than buying a lesser card and overclocking.

Basically, overclocking a 7850 will give you stock 7870 performance. But the 7870 can be overclocked too. Right now the 7870 @ $200 is a nice performance/price point. Use it stock for a year or so (about half your expected life cycle) and then overclock it to gain some additional performance to keep it chugging along for the second half.
 
RussianSensation

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
adamwb said:
I just got Assassins Creed 3, which I really like. My 4890 handles it OK, but it dogs down a bit in some instances, especially when in snowy/foggy/smoky environments.

My CPU is an Intel Core i7 (920 I believe? If not, 900-something. I can look it up if this part is important.)
Click to expand...

Don't worry at all about PCIe 2.0 vs. 3.0. If you are primarily upgrading for AC3, then get an Nvidia card --> Benchmarks

Your CPU is fine, but if you get a Cooler Master 212+/Evo and overclock it to 3.8ghz, it will help you in this and future games, although with your $200 budget, you'll be GPU limited in AC3. Newegg had a Galaxy GTX660Ti for $225 just this week. I'd wait to pull the trigger until Cyber Monday and see if there is a sale on a GTX660/660Ti online.
 
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adamwb

Junior Member
Mar 9, 2008
22
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Was an interesting day yesterday. Went to Best Buy to grab that gtx660 for $200 out the door, but they didn't have any left in stock at that store. The guy found another store with 1 left about 30 minutes away. So I bought it right then and there (in store pickup) then went to go pick it up. Took me about 2-3 hours to get there and wait in line since it was black Friday.

Come to find out they had sold the last one...the one that I just bought. Grrr!!!

I complained to the manager big time, wasted 4+ hours because of their mess up.

Anyway, the complaining worked. They had a EVGA 660ti in stock ($299), 1 left. He gave me that for the price of the gtx660.

So I basically spent $200 for an evga 660ti. I think I made out pretty good?
 
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