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worth the upgrade from a Radeon 3870 to a 6850?

MikeyLSU

MikeyLSU

Platinum Member
I know the card is much better, but is it worth the upgrade without upgrading the rest of my system? Or would it be too much of a bottleneck.

Current system is
E8400 @3.0(have gone up to 3.5)
4GB RAM
Radeon 3870

Game I play right now are SC2, L4D2 are the main ones. May pick up Crysis 2 when it comes out.

Thanks for the help.
 
yes, it is 512 MB, also haven't ever OC my graphics card.

I may be doing an upgrade soon, lol. I figure I can always sell this card to make the upgrade maybe around $100.
 
I actually run the games I mentioned very well at mostly full settings. I think at max on SC2 I get 25-30 FPS, I lowered it a little to max it out.
 
Everyone pointing to an upgrade being a great option for you is correct. Enjoy your new video card!

... and Geaux Tigers!
 
OK, I am going to get this card and didn't want to start a new thread to ask a question.

Is there any particular brand I should be going for?
From a quick look, it seems I could do HIS or Powercolor for about $10 cheaper than Sapphire.
ASUS, XFX, MSI all seem to be around the same price as Sapphire.

Are any better than the others? Or just go with the cheapest? I am thinking Powercolor.
 
MikeyLSU said:
OK, I am going to get this card and didn't want to start a new thread to ask a question.

Is there any particular brand I should be going for?
From a quick look, it seems I could do HIS or Powercolor for about $10 cheaper than Sapphire.
ASUS, XFX, MSI all seem to be around the same price as Sapphire.

Are any better than the others? Or just go with the cheapest? I am thinking Powercolor.
Click to expand...

While most cards are similar, especially if its a reference design (although I havent seen many reference 6850's) I would cast my vote for XFX. they distinguish themselves with their double lifetime warranty.

I have owned 4 different XFX radeon 4xxx series and all of them were flawless. Great quality, great performers. Never needed any support from them, but nice to have the lifetime assurance, particularly for someone like you who might hang on to a card for quite a few years. (based on that fact you are currently on a 3870)

Hope that helps.
 
n0x1ous said:
While most cards are similar, especially if its a reference design (although I havent seen many reference 6850's) I would cast my vote for XFX. they distinguish themselves with their double lifetime warranty.

I have owned 4 different XFX radeon 4xxx series and all of them were flawless. Great quality, great performers. Never needed any support from them, but nice to have the lifetime assurance, particularly for someone like you who might hang on to a card for quite a few years. (based on that fact you are currently on a 3870)

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Yes, XFX for the warranty.

FYI, there are no reference 6850s, which actually makes a warranty even more important. As Anandtech stated in its initial review: "We do know that all the initial 6870 cards are going to be relabeled reference cards, while the 6850 is launching with a number of custom designs – and in fact a reference 6850 may be hard to come by."
 
Termie said:
Yes, XFX for the warranty.

FYI, there are no reference 6850s, which actually makes a warranty even more important. As Anandtech stated in its initial review: "We do know that all the initial 6870 cards are going to be relabeled reference cards, while the 6850 is launching with a number of custom designs – and in fact a reference 6850 may be hard to come by."
Click to expand...

That would explain why I can't really remember seeing one! Kinda weird. You think at least one AIB would make a reference version. Maybe its just me, but I'm sucker for reference card looks :biggrin:
 
thanks for the advice, not exactly sure which way to go. 2 year warranty seems fine for me.

I got a 1950 in early 2007, got this 3870 in mid 2008, then I'm looking to update now. So nearly 3 years for this latest upgrade which is longer than normal for me.
 
MikeyLSU said:
thanks for the advice, not exactly sure which way to go. 2 year warranty seems fine for me.

I got a 1950 in early 2007, got this 3870 in mid 2008, then I'm looking to update now. So nearly 3 years for this latest upgrade which is longer than normal for me.
Click to expand...

You also want to take into account whether the manufacturer has a good support line. I can't speak to that issue (other than EVGA, which is excellent but only makes nVidia cards), but I know XFX's website has plenty of information that is easily accessible. Take a look around the various manufacturers' website to get an idea of how well they present themselves.
 
MikeyLSU said:
thanks for the advice, not exactly sure which way to go. 2 year warranty seems fine for me.

I got a 1950 in early 2007, got this 3870 in mid 2008, then I'm looking to update now. So nearly 3 years for this latest upgrade which is longer than normal for me.
Click to expand...

Even if it doesn't matter to you, it may help your resale value later as the second owner will get the lifetime warranty as well.
 
MikeyLSU said:
good point about resale, their warranties are transferrable then?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's where the "double" lifetime warranty name comes from. I believe the only requirement is that the card is registered on their site within 30 days of purchase.
 
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