Which HD7850 to buy?

[techronin]

System Specifications:
Processor/CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black
Current Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB
Display Resolution: 1680x1050
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts 500W PSU
Case: Antec Sonata III 500 Black (Air Cooling)

Purchase Details:
Budget: around $200 US
Single Card

Looking at:

HIS (IceQ) 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161405

Sapphire OC 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102999

MSI Frozr 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127663

PowerColor OC 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...37&SID=rewrite


Fan on my 4870 is going and a 7850 would be a nice upgrade - just dont know the state of manufacturers now. (Build quality, customer service in case i have a prob)

Questions:
HIS quality of parts better than the others?
Do i need 2GB VRAM?
Is there a problem with the 7xxx chip/drivers causing problems (flickers, waves, crashes etc)

Thanks - any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lehtv]

HIS quality of parts better than the others?

MSI cards are good, and the MSI 7850 2GB is the least expensive one after rebate - it's a very good deal at $175 AR. Get that one. HIS or Sapphire aren't any better quality, in fact I guess MSI is a little bit better than either.

Do i need 2GB VRAM?

For 1680x1050 you don't need 2GB. But I would argue that it's still good to have in case you play one of the few titles where it may be useful, in case you upgrade your monitor, and for better resale value in the future. Also, the difference between 7850 1GB and 2GB is very small at current prices.

Is there a problem with the 7xxx chip/drivers causing problems (flickers, waves, crashes etc)

On the whole, no. There are some bad cards like Sapphire 7870, apparently (periodically causes a black screen or something). The MSI 7850 has no common issues that I know of.

 

[techronin]

Thanks for the help. I ordered the MSI Twin Frozr .

 

[skipsneeky2]

Thanks for the help. I ordered the MSI Twin Frozr .

Good choice,i loved mine.:thumbsup:

Its small size really is gonna trip you out when you first open the box,it did for me.