Considering a GPU upgrade, but on a tight budget

[Bearcat]

My last ATI card was a 9800 Pro.. :P Having said that I was working PT @ Best Buy and got a 6800 with my discount when it was brand new for $250.. (I think it was selling for a LOT more at the time .. it had just been released.. ) and have ben using NV ever since.. but I never had any issues with my ATI card at all.. and am still on the fence about where to go with my pending upgrade..

[BIGNEWY]

I would love to go for a 3 / 4gb card but finding one that is not silly money is difficult :)

( I would have to sell both of the children, and the wife would not be happy about that lol )

 

I want to upgrade without breaking the bank and also without having to upgrade any part of the pc.

 

I have to consider the power draw of the card as well, my psu is 800w and my moptherboard only supports up to pcie 2.1

[Bearcat]

FWIW I just pulled the trigger on a XFX 7870 for $269 with a $30 rebate.. $239 @ NE.. Looking forward to seeing how this build all pans out..

[BIGNEWY]

Just wanted to reply here,

 

I have finally taken the plunge and ordered a ATI HD 7850 2gb £149.99

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/390921-sapphire-hd-7850-oc-2gb-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-11200-14-20g

 

Main reason was price, it was in my budget and a good performer, and would also mean the money I have already spent on a active display port adapter would not be wasted as I can use it with this card. Also liked the fact it has a dual fan for better cooling.

 

On researching other cards also found that sapphire do a FLEX range which means no active display port adapter is needed for multi screen setups, but I could not justify spending the extra for this feature.

[PoleCat]

Enjoy your new video card. May it bring you visual happiness for some time to come.

 

Out

[BIGNEWY]

Thanks !

 

next thing is to save for a new pc :) Thats going to take a while lol

[chardly38]

( I did return to crossfire as I got it to perform well, while using softTH )

 

I got the Sapphire 7970 with 3, 21" monitors. Im watching prices drop on the 7970. I was wanting another card to run crossfire for DSC. Im glad you said that softTH helped crossfire to work.

[BIGNEWY]

yes I was surprised after not getting crossfire to work the normal way, and frustrated with ATI for lack of support on the matter

 

but here are two screen shots the first not using softTH with crossfire on

 

 

 

and the second with softTH and Crossfire enabled

 

 

notice the memory available when using softTH :)

[swe_badger]

If you can find a GTX 660 (2GB) under 200€, get it! It's the best bang for your buck ATM IMO. If that's too expensive for you, the HD 7850 is a great budget alternative. I was recently contemplating on getting a PNY GTX 660 2GB O/C for only 199€ but realized my current GPU runs DCS fine really, so I put the cash on a TrackIR 5 (with pro clip) instead. Exciting times ahead! :D

[leafer]

The GTX 660, does it have to be the Ti version because there's a GTX660 OC 2GB for roughly 200 euros in my country. The GTX660 Ti OC 2GB on the other hand costs 250 euros.

[Cedaway]

Comparison between 660 and 660Ti (+ kepler familly)

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6276/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-review-gk106-rounds-out-the-kepler-family

[BIGNEWY]

Thanks for the links and advice on this

 

 

compare on the 660ti and hd7850 ( the version I have purchased is the OC edition )

 

http://www.hwcompare.com/13141/geforce-gtx-660-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7850/

 

 

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=670&card2=678

 

 

and the one I have purchased, waiting for delivery

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/390921-sapphire-hd-7850-oc-2gb-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-11200-14-20g

Edited November 16, 2012 by BIGNEWY

[swe_badger]

Thanks for the links and advice on this

 

 

compare on the 660ti and hd7850 ( the version I have purchased is the OC edition )

 

http://www.hwcompare.com/13141/geforce-gtx-660-ti-vs-radeon-hd-7850/

 

 

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=670&card2=678

 

 

and the one I have purchased, waiting for delivery

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/390921-sapphire-hd-7850-oc-2gb-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-11200-14-20g

 

That's some good bang for your bucks right there on that 7850. The 256-bit bus coupled with the 2GB of VRAM is good if you tend to play on high-resolutions. It's gonna run DCS just fine I reckon. Nvidia are getting more competitive in the budget area for each new generation though, if they'd drop the price a little bit (it is already a fair price though) on the GTX 660's (not Ti) they'd destroy both the 7850 and 7870 as those are the main competition for the non-Ti GTX line. Good buy!:thumbup:

[Ratfink]

I've started having thoughts about upgrading my gfx card to maybe the 7870. I get about average 35 fps right now with 5770, which I'm ok with - just wondering how much diff the upgrade would make?