Upgrading my 9800GT, which GPU to get? $150-$200 range

[nitric0]

Hey guys

My 9800GT is finally getting old for me and I want to upgrade my GPU. My price range is $150 to $200
I was looking at the following cards:
- GTX 560 (non ti)
- HD 6870
- HD 5850


My current setup:
AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHZ
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
9800GT 512MB

What do you guys suggest?

 

[tweakboy]

460 768mb its like 100 to 130 ...

 

[GaiaHunter]

What resolution do you play at?

If you can find a 5870 on that price range you can go with that as well.

But basically you have an overkill of choices at that range.

The performance order is something like GTX460~=6850>5850>GTX560~=6870>5870 though GTX460/560 vary a bit since there are so many differently clocked models.

 

[nitric0]

I play at 1680x1050 and I forgot to give the details of my PSU and Motherboard.
PSU -> Antec BP550 Plus 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371016
Is my PSU enough for these cards?


Motherboard -> ASRock M3A770DE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157176

5870's seem to be around hte 230-250 range (out of my range) and also to tweakboy: Where can I find a GTX 460 1GB for $150~? I see them everywhere for $200~ I see GTX 460 SE 1GB for around $150-$160, are these a downgraded version of GTX 460?


Would the GTX 560 or HD 6870 bottleneck my CPU?

 

[fire400]

560

 

[Termie]

I play at 1680x1050 and I forgot to give the details of my PSU and Motherboard.
PSU -> Antec BP550 Plus 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371016
Is my PSU enough for these cards?

...

5870's seem to be around hte 230-250 range (out of my range) and also to tweakboy: Where can I find a GTX 460 1GB for $150~? I see them everywhere for $200~ I see GTX 460 SE 1GB for around $150-$160, are these a downgraded version of GTX 460?


Would the GTX 560 or HD 6870 bottleneck my CPU?

Your PSU is strong enough. The 5870 is no longer really available (the good deals dried up long ago), but you can now get an EVGA GTX460 1GB Superclocked for $145 shipped after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130571. That's the way to go. Fast card (2x faster than your 8800gt), good company, reliable rebates (unlike other vendors in the same price range). Do not buy the SE version, it is gimped.

Another excellent deal is this $140AR XFX HD5850 from TigerDirect: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...264&CatId=3669. It's actually a bit faster than the EVGA GTX460.

The 560 is too expensive and your CPU may become a bottleneck in some games anyway.

 

[RussianSensation]

That 5850 is the best deal for sure. Faster than a GTX460 and AMD cards are less sensitive to slower CPUs. Lifetime warranty too. So no brainer right there.

Performance is very good for 1680x1050.

 

[nitric0]

Thanks guys will look more into the HD 5850, I'm leaning toward that to compliment my setup.

 

[DarkKnightDude]

I second the 5850 choice. They're pretty cheap, and performance is good, it'll be a win-win.

 

[timma]

GTX 560 900Mhz OC edition from Gigabyte,or 5770~

 

[MustangSVT]

5850 or 560.

what do you play most?

 

[Soundmanred]

5850

 

[nitric0]

5850 or 560.

what do you play most?

Well I want to play Crysis games with solid frames and Witcher 2 and hoping this setup can run Battlefield 3.

Would my CPU bottleneck the 560ti if I go that path?

 

[Termie]

Well I want to play Crysis games with solid frames and Witcher 2 and hoping this setup can run Battlefield 3.

Would my CPU bottleneck the 560ti if I go that path?

You'll likely be CPU-bottlenecked in newer games, but it will be game-dependent.

Here are a few examples that include the Athlon II X4 640/645:

(1) Crysis 2: http://www.techspot.com/review/379-crysis-2-performance/page8.html
(2) COD Black Ops: http://www.techspot.com/review/336-cod-black-ops-performance/page8.html
(3) Dragon Age 2: http://www.techspot.com/review/374-dragon-age-2-performance-test/page8.html
(4) Bulletstorm: http://www.techspot.com/review/368-bulletstorm-performance/page8.html
(5) Civ 5: http://www.techspot.com/review/320-civilization-v-performance/page12.html (huge bottleneck here)

In my opinion, it's not worth putting a >$200 graphics card in your system. You're much better off with something like an HD5850, which is about 80% as fast as the 560Ti, for $140, or if you like nVidia, a GTX460, which is about 70% as fast as the 560Ti. Each is about 65% of the price of a 560Ti, and might not even reach their potential in your system.

Need more proof? Here it is: http://techreport.com/articles.x/20486/5, tested on a GTX460 1GB, no less.

 

[nitric0]

Wow thanks, that really is troubling haha. What model would you think is best to get for HD 5850? The Sapphire HD 5850 Xtreme?

 

[Termie]

Wow thanks, that really is troubling haha. What model would you think is best to get for HD 5850? The Sapphire HD 5850 Xtreme?

The 5850 Xtreme was a limited-run product and is no longer available.

The XFX HD5850 that I linked previously is the only 5850 that I've found currently available at a decent price. XFX is a good manufacturer to buy from due to its "double lifetime" warranty.

If you can't get in on that deal, I'd say the EVGA GTX460 deals are your next best option, or for equivalent performance, this HD6850 for $150AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161348. The advantage of this card is that it has the smallest rebate of all the above options.

 

[nitric0]

I really appreciate your help Termie. I found the HD5850 Xtreme on Amazon for $150. Good deal?

 

[Termie]

I really appreciate your help Termie. I found the HD5850 Xtreme on Amazon for $150. Good deal?

Yes, good deal, but that card is out of stock for 2-4 weeks, and given that both Newegg and Tigerdirect have deactivated the product, I doubt that Amazon can actually get the product in stock. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeo...5829029&sr=1-1.

If you're not in a rush, go ahead and order it - Amazon will always let you cancel it if it takes too long.

 

[nitric0]

AH you are right it's shipping time of 2-4 weeks. I guess I will look out for the XFX model then. Are these cards easy to OC with stock cooling?

 

[Termie]

AH you are right it's shipping time of 2-4 weeks. I guess I will look out for the XFX model then. Are these cards easy to OC with stock cooling?

Yes, the HD5850 is very easy to overclock with stock cooling. The XFX that is currently available does not allow voltage control, but you'll still get up to about 850/1200 (vs. 725/1000 stock), for a ~15% improvement in actual framerates. As a reference point, the EVGA GTX460 linked above should clock up to 850/1000, which is not as significant because it comes pre-overclocked (763/900), but just as good versus actual stock clocks of 675/900.

 

[nitric0]

If I end up getting the XFX cards, do you mind if I PM you if I have any questions for overclocking?

 

[Termie]

If I end up getting the XFX cards, do you mind if I PM you if I have any questions for overclocking?

No worries. While I don't have that exact card, I can give you some general tips.

By the way, I upgraded from an 8800gt to my HD5850. The difference is extreme, even if you don't get the 5850 "Xtreme" edition!

 

[skipsneeky2]

second hand used gtx460 and a couple beers

 

[digitard]

I know this is a little bit of an old thread, but I wanted to thank all of the above for some help.

I blew my videocard (2008 MSI Radeon HD 4850) that's out of warranty slightly while playing a game the other night (I haven't PC gamed in a bit hence my out of date hardware) and needed a card that made sense to upgrade to but was under 200 bones. Something I can replace in the future when I rebuild, but initially will at least do decently.

I ultimately decided on a EVGA Superclocked 560 GTX as they're 199.99 right now and I kept comparing the ATI vs NVIDIA side by side so much that I realized they're pretty close and my CPU (E8500 @ 3.53GHZ) is my biggest bottleneck anyways until I do the full rebuild at end of year (post BF3 release rebuild!) and this thread helped me. I read it the other day, but just remembered my account info now.

I know most weren't going for the 560, but it gave me some ideas of what to look into. Ultimately I decided it's close, the 560 seemed to be a bit quieter, and I haven't bought NVIDIA since my last rebuild so I might as well show EVGA I still love them!

Thanks again (albeit a bit dated).

 

[rootz91]

well that's a nice pick, a superclock 560ti
too bad that thing is over $250 in my country...