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Thread: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

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    Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    OK, as I have a bit of time on my hands, I fancy doing a bit of FPS gaming.

    Currently, my system's running:
    - Q6600 running at 3GHz
    - HP 2475w monitor running at 1920x1200 (have Dell 2001FP 1600x1200 secondary mon in extended desktop)
    - nvidia 8800gt or ATI X800 FireGL workstation GPU

    my guess is that the CPU should be fine and I don't plan on changing the monitor and running at higher resolutions in the near future.

    Budget isn't a big problem, but I'm not a frequent gamer so don't want to spend money on a GPU that has high power consumption at idle and chuck out lots of heat.

    Reading up the various threads on the topic, seems the GTX560 or 6850/6870 are good bang for bucks.

    I have no allegeance to nvidia or amd/ati and can't be bothered to figure out which games run better on which gpu to help make my decision

    Thoughts?

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    6950 might be your best bet at 1920x1200, although the GTX560 Ti (make sure you get the 560 Ti, not the lower spec standard 560) is a very similar performer. The 6850/70 are a bit slower than those two.

    Most cards are pretty frugal at idle now, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    I have the same CPU, same resolution monitor, and my 6850 enables me to play current games at full res, high details, smoothly (am loving Battlefield BC2 right now )
    I'm commenting on an internet forum. Your facts hold no sway over me.
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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    If your not a gamer then 6850. Is whisper quiet when not being used and will comfortably play games today. 6950 if want to play Metro/Crysis at max settings.

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    Thanks for the replies, chaps.

    Looks like ati offerings are the preferred option then?

    edit: looking at Novatech as they're local and I can pick up. But the 6950 start at £200 and then goes up if you opt for the 6960/6970 offerings. The 6850 starts around £135 so seems better value for money. Is the 6950 really worth 1.5x the cost?

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    At 1920x1200 most likely not. For higher resolution monitors and/or eyefinity then yes the 6950 is worth the money.

    You can get 6850s for under £120 delivered, for ex.
    Sapphire
    VTX

    The 6950 1GB version would be more powerful, cheapest could find was £168 from scan
    VTX

    Any of those are a good price. I paid £230 for my 6950 on release :/

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    Thanks. I'll mull it over a bit

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    If you don't want to spend too much money the OP can get an HD6870 1GB for under £140 delivered:

    http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244474

    http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Compo...roductId=44533

    The HD6870 1GB is around 10% slower than a GTX560TI.

    Another alternative is to get an HD5870 1GB which is faster than an HD6870 1GB but has lower tessalation performance:

    http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-x...i-2-x-dl-dvi-i

    http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Compo...roductId=44608

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    Older card, but still cracking performance and excellent price is Sapphire 5850 1GB @ £99.98 !
    Main: i5 2500K, AsRock Extreme4 Z68, 8GB Vengeance, Enermax Infiniti, 5850 1GB
    Toys: Cowon J3 32GB, DIR-655, PS3 Slim, HTC Desire, HDC-SD1, Slingbox, Synology DS109j, Asus Transformer + dock

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    Quote Originally Posted by planet436 View Post
    If your not a gamer then 6850.
    I disagree, however these things are never absolute; one person (such as me) can be very happy with a game on 'high' sesttings, whilst another is quite happy to pay twice as much get be able to select 'max' settings, for example.

    But i dispute that a 'gamer' is defined by someone who always has the most expensive kit. Surely it's about being able to enjoy gaming? I stand by my first post above

    PS That 5850 is a real bargain though, providing your PSU can power it.
    See this Bit-Tech review, posted today
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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    yeah GTX 560 Ti good choice

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    Quote Originally Posted by MSIC View Post
    I disagree, however these things are never absolute; one person (such as me) can be very happy with a game on 'high' sesttings, whilst another is quite happy to pay twice as much get be able to select 'max' settings, for example.
    Apologies was slack in defining it properly. I take to mean 'gamer' in hardware terms as wanting to play graphical intense titles with max settings at high resolutions.

    You're quite right though, a 5850 will be plentiful for most purposes.

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    Re: Another 'what GPU upgrade' thread

    I just bought the 6870 and from reviews and comparisons I think it's more than enough for good, decent gaming. Grab the Sapphire 6870 for £125 on Aria whilst you can. The XFX brand is out of stock atm though, that is if you're picky on brands.

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