Hello!
I am currently trying to decide between a 7850 and a 7950 for a 2560x1600 monitor. I'm upgrading from a GTS 250, so either card will be a huge upgrade, but I've heard a lot of people saying that 2GB VRAM is the minimum for 2560x1600 gaming. What I'm wondering about is the difference between 2GB and 3GB of RAM. I've even seen the 4GB 670, but that's a bit more expensive than what I'd like to buy.
Basically, I've had it with my old card, and don't want to wait to upgrade any longer. I was going to just get a 7850, but would the extra GB of ram in the 7950 make much of a difference for 2560x1600 gaming? Is it worth another $150? How close are we to games requiring 3GB of RAM for full texture settings at 2560x1600? I was thinking of maybe getting the 7950 and then running it in crossfire later. What I'd really like would be a 3GB 660 or so, but I'm tired of waiting for new cards to come out... then again, I wonder if I should wait a bit for AMD to have another round of price cuts. Augh!
Anyways, here's my system specs. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer
I am currently trying to decide between a 7850 and a 7950 for a 2560x1600 monitor. I'm upgrading from a GTS 250, so either card will be a huge upgrade, but I've heard a lot of people saying that 2GB VRAM is the minimum for 2560x1600 gaming. What I'm wondering about is the difference between 2GB and 3GB of RAM. I've even seen the 4GB 670, but that's a bit more expensive than what I'd like to buy.
Basically, I've had it with my old card, and don't want to wait to upgrade any longer. I was going to just get a 7850, but would the extra GB of ram in the 7950 make much of a difference for 2560x1600 gaming? Is it worth another $150? How close are we to games requiring 3GB of RAM for full texture settings at 2560x1600? I was thinking of maybe getting the 7950 and then running it in crossfire later. What I'd really like would be a 3GB 660 or so, but I'm tired of waiting for new cards to come out... then again, I wonder if I should wait a bit for AMD to have another round of price cuts. Augh!
Anyways, here's my system specs. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer
System Specifications:
I. Processor/CPU:
2500k @ 4.6GhZ
II. Current Graphics Card:
GTS 250 1GB
III. Display Resolution:
2560x1600
IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications:
950W PC Power & Cooling
V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent):
Watercooled, though I may not watercool the new video card as blocks are expensive...
Purchase Details:
I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option.
Up to $400
II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)?
Just want something that will OC/overvolt well
III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI?
Maybe eventually... will likely just sell the new card later on though and replace it with something newer still.
IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs?
7850 vs. 7950
V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?
Starcraft II, Diablo II, Skyrim, would like settings as close to max as possible.
VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?
Yes
Additional Notes
Feel free to add any details that you feel were not covered within this template!