XFX 5850 dead, suggest replacement

[Ares202]

My 5850 isnt displaying any video, i swapped it out with my brothers card and my PC works fine. Id send it back to XFX but i already swapped the cooling for an aftermarket solution when the stock fan broke.

Therefore i need a replacement graphics card. $200 is my budget but id rather spend less.

 

[Grooveriding]

XFX's warranty covers using aftermarket coolers. You just have to put the original back on and send it in.

 

[Ares202]

Hmmm, ill have a look for it. Ive probably thrown it away though as i cleared out a lot of my old stuff a few months ago

 

[Grooveriding]

Well to give you a recommendation if you do replace your card a 6870 is probably what you would be looking at. They are around $175, unfortunately you're not going to be getting much more performance than you had with this new card.

 

[Ares202]

Well to give you a recommendation if you do replace your card a 6870 is probably what you would be looking at. They are around $175, unfortunately you're not going to be getting much more performance than you had with this new card.

Yeh i know, i could buy a card for like $100 and wait until radeon 7xxx arrive i guess.

GPU's have hardly moved anywhere since i bought my 5850 in late 2009

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

At $200 I would agree with the 6870 recommendation. Maybe a GTX 560 non Ti.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

go the extra mile and get the GTX 560 Ti

 

[tigersty1e]

north america only covers replacing the stock cooler.

outside of NA and you can't remove the cooler.

 

[Ares202]

I just found the stock cooler. should i tattach it and send it back? (i live outside USA)

I guess they will then send it to XFX, and i should have it back in a few weeks?

go the extra mile and get the GTX 560 Ti

Could my PSU even handle anything more power hungry than a 5850?

 

[Ares202]

double post

 

[Avalon]

Check tigerstyle's post regarding warranty, and then check up with XFX to verify before you spend money sending it off.

 

[Ares202]

Yeh i dont think ill be covered, either way i just realised i damaged the stock cooling when removing it so putting that back on is out of the question.

Im thinking of going ahead and spending a bit more to get the 560ti at least then id be upgrading not replacing

would my PSU be okay for this card? (Looks like it uses about +20w more on load compared to the 5850 in reviews)

here are my full specs

Corsair 600T case
Corsair VX550 (550W single 41A +12V rail)
4x2GB G-Skill Ripjaws 1600mhz
intel i5-750@3.7ghz
Gigabyte P55-UD3
Creative Audigy 2ZS (yes its old, but it still works!)
2X1TB HDD
1XDVD drive

 

[Termie]

Yeh i dont think ill be covered, either way i just realised i damaged the stock cooling when removing it so putting that back on is out of the question.

Im thinking of going ahead and spending a bit more to get the 560ti at least then id be upgrading not replacing

would my PSU be okay for this card? (Looks like it uses about +20w more on load compared to the 5850 in reviews)

here are my full specs

Corsair 600T case
Corsair VX550 (550W single 41A +12V rail)
4x2GB G-Skill Ripjaws 1600mhz
intel i5-750@3.7ghz
Gigabyte P55-UD3
Creative Audigy 2ZS (yes its old, but it still works!)
2X1TB HDD
1XDVD drive

The 560Ti is fine, but if you're already willing to spend that much, why not buy the 6950 1GB for the same price? You should be able to find it around $220.

The 560Ti uses 40w more at load than a 5850: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4344/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-top-to-bottom-overclock/15. It's even above the 5870, whereas the faster 6950 is well below it in power use. With a 6950 and your CPU overclock, you'll be at about 300-325w at gaming load (from the wall). You have plenty of power on the 12v rail to cover that.

 

[Ares202]

The 560Ti is fine, but if you're already willing to spend that much, why not buy the 6950 1GB for the same price? You should be able to find it around $220.

The 560Ti uses 40w more at load than a 5850: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4344/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-top-to-bottom-overclock/15. It's even above the 5870, whereas the faster 6950 is well below it in power use. With a 6950 and your CPU overclock, you'll be at about 300-325w at gaming load (from the wall). You have plenty of power on the 12v rail to cover that.

Thanks for the reply, you have a good point. I didnt know the 69xx series existed, as i havent been reading anandtech lately

 

[Ares202]

Over here the prices are marginal between the 560ti and the 6950, the anandtech review didnt really offer any conclusions on the better product, given the choice which one would you buy?

 

[RussianSensation]

Over here the prices are marginal between the 560ti and the 6950, the anandtech review didnt really offer any conclusions on the better product, given the choice which one would you buy?

Performance wise, they are pretty much the same on average. If you play Crysis 2, Civilization 5, Lost Planet 2, Hawx 2, Starcraft 2, NV will have an edge. Otherwise, it's a toss up. I'd pick whichever is cheaper, as a game bundle (if applicable) and has lifetime warranty (i.e., EVGA).

 

[Ares202]

I went for the Asus 560ti, i could have got the XFX 5950 for less but it has bad reviews for running hot and loud. Whereas the Asus 560ti has a much better cooling solution

The only thing i noticed is that the heatsink on the Asus 560ti doesnt have any cooling on the memory chips. Hopefully this wont cause any issues.