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Thread: Graphics card upgrade time?!

  1. #1
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
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    Graphics card upgrade time?!

    I seem to have a touch of upgradetitus ATM,and I am considering replacing my HD5850 1GB with a new card. TBH,the card runs everything the games I play fine,and it overclocks by around 30% too,so I get around HD5870 level performance anyway.

    The cards I am considering getting are the VTX HD7850 2GB OC(975MHZ core) or the Sparkle GTX660 OC(slight overclock) for around £140. I can get the AMD game bundle with the AMD card which should drop the price,by around £20 if I sell it,and I can get the latest Metro:2033 installment with the Nvidia card,which I would keep.

    OTH,should I wait until the GTX700 or HD8000 series,although the upgrade should cost under £70 for me.

    Edit!!

    I have a Xeon E3 1220 and 8GB of DDR3.

    A few upcoming games I am interested in are:
    1.)The next Metro game
    2.)Remember Me
    3.)Saints Row 4
    4.)D3 expansion
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 19-04-2013 at 06:51 PM.

  2. #2
    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    If those are your games I'd probably go with the 660. If you wait it'll be a long time, and then you'll have to wait further for early adopter prices to go away, whereas it's a competitive market right now.

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    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    Why you need to ask advice, Moose, puzzles me.

    I'd get a 7870 to be honest, nice step up for another £35 or so:
    http://www.ebuyer.com/413364-sapphir...s-11199-19-20g

    http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=548

    The performance pretty much scales with price @ £175

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    Its more that I am indecisive!!

    My budget is not more than £150 and I do need a card not more than the length of my current one,ie, around 9" to 9.5" IIRC. The HD7870LE/XT would just about get to under £150 if I sell the games,but its too long a card so it is out of the equaton.

    Edit!!

    Here is the Sparkle card:

    http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...96250-1-1.html
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 19-04-2013 at 07:16 PM.

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    Not many reviews of either of them, is there?

    Managed to find this for the VTX
    http://www.cowcotland.com/articles/1...x-edition.html
    but it looks more like a glance than a review.

    If the sparkle is the dual-fan version
    http://www.sparkle.com.tw/en/products_detail.asp?ID=72
    then it might be quieter. But it's really hard to tell without an actual review.

    Power consumption is a fair bit worse for the 660 (96W vs 126W), but neither is that bad. But then again at stock the 7850 is a fair bit slower too:
    http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/M...0_HAWK/26.html

    Warranty wise, neither brand is on the sticky list which is not a good sign either.

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  9. #6
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    The Sparkle is the dual fan version(check the link in my previous post in the thread). Its a Novatech branded card,which should cost around £135 after cashback.

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    The 7850 I have is a reference VTX, clocks like a good 'un upto 1290 / 1450.

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    Buy a 660 from Scan and sell AC3 and the free2play bundle to make up the difference.

    The fact you can get three offers at once for a limited time is a bargain that will soon disappear.

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    A recent comparison of 7850 vs 660:
    http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/...w#.UXGcZaLqksI

    Although an expensive 7850 vs a reference 660, and on 5/6 AMD bundled games, not that that necessarily means that they favour AMD of course, after all most games come bundled with AMD cards at some point!

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  16. #10
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    I was looking on Scan yesterday and it seems the F2P bundle has disappeared from the card description today!!

    Edit!!

    It seems the VTX HD7850 is not on Dabs anymore too.
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 20-04-2013 at 12:33 PM.

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    It was on this morning :/

    Selling AC3 should still take a decent 660 to under £150 though.

  18. #12
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    How is the Novatech warranty,generally??

    My last few graphics card have been secondhand though. My current card is an XFX reference HD5850!

    Pixmania have OEM HD7870 cards for around £150 delivered,but they have poor CS and are located in France.

  19. #13
    The Ace
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    I am gonna go for the Sapphire 7870 XT.

  20. #14
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    I had a ponder at the PNY card,but went for the Sparkle one instead.

    Sparkle card




    PNY card


  21. #15
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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    I imagine the Sparkle one runs cooler too.
    Kalniel: "Nice review Tarinder - would it be possible to get a picture of the case when the components are installed (with the side off obviously)?"
    CAT-THE-FIFTH: "The Antec 300 is a case which has an understated and clean appearance which many people like. Not everyone is into e-peen looking computers which look like a cross between the imagination of a hyperactive 10 year old and a Frog."
    TKPeters: "Off to AVForum better Deal - £20+Vat for Free Shipping @ Scan"
    for all intents it seems to be the same card minus some gays name on it and a shielded cover ? with OEM added to it - GoNz0.

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    Re: Graphics card upgrade time?!

    It's also a very conveniently short card.

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