680 or 7950 or 7870

[TRWOV]

I'd vote for the 7850; out of the current offerings it has the best bang for buck. Some overclocking would put it within GTX580 performance.

 

[moocow0463]

I'd vote for the 7850; out of the current offerings it has the best bang for buck. Some overclocking would put it within GTX580 performance.

I have to agree, from the toms hardware review 7850 is just slightly behind in a bf 3 benchmark at high resolutions. It was my original choice as well.

 

[Crap Daddy]

I'd vote for the 7850; out of the current offerings it has the best bang for buck. Some overclocking would put it within GTX580 performance.

I don't think so:

Since you kept your cards that long my advice would be to go with a powerful card. Since you sadi that your crossfire is close to a GTX580 remember that the 580 falls very close and inbetween the 7950 and the 7870. Although overpriced for the performance (slightly better than last gen at the same price) the 7870 seems better value than the 7950 which, at 450$ is useless. The 7970 is worth the money if it settles around 450-480. The best card out there right now is the GTX680 but it has the premium price of 500$. Wait until April and see the availability on these and the prices and then decide.

 

[ChristTheGreat]

I agree. GTX 680 has a very good price, until AMD change the price, GTX 680 is the best choice..

I would see the HD7970 at 450$, HD7950 @ 350$ and the HD7870 @ 270$. And if so, I'm selling my HD6950 xD

 

[PopcornMachine]

If I were shopping now, I would hope for a price drop on the 7870. Getting on of those near $300 would be great.

 

[moocow0463]

I don't think so:

http://tpucdn.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7850_HD_7870/images/bf3_1920_1200.gif

Since you kept your cards that long my advice would be to go with a powerful card. Since you sadi that your crossfire is close to a GTX580 remember that the 580 falls very close and inbetween the 7950 and the 7870. Although overpriced for the performance (slightly better than last gen at the same price) the 7870 seems better value than the 7950 which, at 450$ is useless. The 7970 is worth the money if it settles around 450-480. The best card out there right now is the GTX680 but it has the premium price of 500$. Wait until April and see the availability on these and the prices and then decide.

This is stock for stock he was saying oc 7850 vs stock 680 would be comparable

I agree. GTX 680 has a very good price, until AMD change the price, GTX 680 is the best choice..

I would see the HD7970 at 450$, HD7950 @ 350$ and the HD7870 @ 270$. And if so, I'm selling my HD6950 xD

680 is also sold out people on ebay currently selling at over $ 600, I agree with those prices and so does the used market I just got a 7970 with extended warranty for that price shipped no sales tax of course

If I were shopping now, I would hope for a price drop on the 7870. Getting on of those near $300 would be great.

Sounds about right

 

[nt300]

Either the HD 7950 or GTX680 would be good for you. You can always buy another for crossfire or sli in the future and an upgrade option. Right now don't buy anything wait for price drop in about 2 to 3 months time. They too expensive right now and are a rip off.
But as for your current HD 4890s 1GB in crossfire, they may be competative with say the HD 5870's era but that is about it.

 

[Crap Daddy]

This is stock for stock he was saying oc 7850 vs stock 680 would be comparable

I'm sure you wanted to say 580. Anyway, from the reviews I read the 7850 is not a good overclocker and is TDP limited. Remember, it has only one 6 pin connector. So it's not in any way comparable to a GTX580. It is the replacement of the 6950/560Ti category and while it's power consumption is exceptional for the performance it is a mid-range card that technically is weaker than your Crossfire setup.

 

[moocow0463]

I'm sure you wanted to say 580. Anyway, from the reviews I read the 7850 is not a good overclocker and is TDP limited. Remember, it has only one 6 pin connector. So it's not in any way comparable to a GTX580. It is the replacement of the 6950/560Ti category and while it's power consumption is exceptional for the performance it is a mid-range card that technically is weaker than your Crossfire setup.

Yes I meant 580 sorry, I see I'd like to see the 2 side by side tho, the 2 4890s perform exceptionally well I'm really impressed with crossfire scaling ran a benchmark in heaven 3.0 without tessellation they only fell 5 fps behind a 7950. I'm curious to how they'll stack up against the 7970 not only in bench but in game performance as well. Either way I'm sure I'll be happy with the 7970 as it brings better technology to the table and maybe slightly less power

 

[Phusius]

I like my 7970, though wish I would have waited for the 680.

 

[moocow0463]

I like my 7970, though wish I would have waited for the 680.

fairly comparable in performance depending on the game one card can be better then the other etc. some people belive the technology behind the 680 is better some would argue 7970 is better. honestly both cards are good, in gaming they are typically just a few fps off of one another not really big enough gap to say one card destroys the other. if the 680 was more available right NOW id consider heavily getting one however getting a 7970 cheaper then the 680 retail with a 2 year extended warranty im not going to complain one bit. i know prices will drop etc...but prices always drop if your waiting for a price drop your probly still waiting for cards 2 generations behind. im sure in the future ill run a crossfire 7970 setup to keep up with new games but for now i imagine this card will work wonders and i plan on having some fun with it testing out OC's etc

 

[happita]

Congratulations on the purchase man

I'm sure you'll be very happy with the performance it gives you. Also don't forget about the insane OC you can get with this thing with minor voltage adjustments. That 7970 should keep all your gaming needs at high/very high settings with playable FPS for the next 3 years.

 

[eidairaman1]

Look this way you can crossfire another 7970 with it in the future

 

[moocow0463]

Congratulations on the purchase man

I'm sure you'll be very happy with the performance it gives you. Also don't forget about the insane OC you can get with this thing with minor voltage adjustments. That 7970 should keep all your gaming needs at high/very high settings with playable FPS for the next 3 years.

I believe so too I don't think I have anything to regret

Look this way you can crossfire another 7970 with it in the future

That was the deal closer for me, I did the same thing with my current gpus. I actually bought the 2 for different rigs and when frames became an issue pulled the other one for crossfire

 

[manofthem]

Congrats! You'll love the 7970 for sure.