Time to Upgrade from 6850?

[CrowDog]

I currently have the Asus EAH6850 and I'm wondering if I should upgrade or wait.

I plan on playing BF4 at 1920x1080 on a single monitor, do you think the 6850 will be sufficient for this or is time to upgrade?

If so what should I get? The 7950? or wait for AMDs new cards to come out? $300 is my limit

Current Specs:

CPU: i5 3470
Mobo: ASRock H77M
RAM: 8GB G Skill Ripjaws
PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX430
Monitor: Acer H213H

 

[toyota]

ALWAYS list all of your other specs in detail including exact psu.

 

[Wildman107]

Buy the game when it comes out and give it a go.

If the game is smooth and pretty enough for your standards than great. If not, there will be BF4 benchmarks all over the internet to guide your next purchasing decision.

Do a little research instead of asking people to tell you what to get.

 

[Elixer]

You can always preorder BF4 + 290X deal
You just don't know how much it is...yet.

In all seriousness, if you are CPU limited, then getting a faster GFX card won't help.
If you have a weak PSU that is OK for the 6850, it may not be good enough for higher end cards.

That is why toyota said to give full system specs.

 

[CrowDog]

Edited with specs.

Ill continue to do some research but part of that will be getting some input. Thx guys

 

[RussianSensation]

I'd wait until the game comes out for several reasons:

1) Gives AMD/NV time to polish the drivers from beta

2) Gives AMD time to show us how BF4 runs on Mantle

3) Gives a bit of time for prices on newer cards such as R9 280X cards to settle down. Maybe they'll fall another $10-20

4) Gives time for AMD to add the Never Settle bundle back to R9 280X cards once the stock of HD7970GE is cleared

5) There could be great sales on discontinued 7950/7970 lines such as MSI TwinFrozr 7970BE for $268 going even lower to $250.

6) Gives time for NV to come to their senses and drop 760/770 pricing giving you alternatives.

For now AMD is in the lead in BF4 beta, where a $299 R9 280X takes out the $399 770:

 

[craige4u]

Just download BF4 Beta with latest AMD driver and check out if you can play at acceptable graphics with your current card.

You can DL Beta from origin client.

 

[Ibra]

I'd wait until the game comes out for several reasons:

1) Gives AMD/NV time to polish the drivers from beta

2) Gives AMD time to show us how BF4 runs on Mantle

3) Gives a bit of time for prices on newer cards such as R9 280X cards to settle down. Maybe they'll fall another $10-20

4) Gives time for AMD to add the Never Settle bundle back to R9 280X cards once the stock of HD7970GE is cleared

5) There could be great sales on discontinued 7950/7970 lines such as MSI TwinFrozr 7970BE for $268 going even lower to $250.

6) Gives time for NV to come to their senses and drop 760/770 pricing giving you alternatives.

For now AMD is in the lead in BF4 beta, where a $299 R9 280X takes out the $399 770:

3 fps more with huge power draw. Not sure if it's time for cheaper=better.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/R9_280X_Gaming/24.html

 

[GaiaHunter]

3 fps more with huge power draw. Not sure if it's time for cheaper=better.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/R9_280X_Gaming/24.html

What is the FPS difference in Crysis 2 where the power consumption is taken?

And of course, other reviews show different stories.

To the OP:

While you should generally wait until you have a game where performance is getting in the way of your fun, a 7950 is a good upgrade over a 6850.

 

[Techhog]

430W PSU? Unless you plan to upgrade that too, I'd advise against the 7900 series.

 

[pcslookout]

I run my GTX 770 fine on my 500 watt power supply.

 

[skipsneeky2]

A GTX760 or a 7950/280x would be a considerable upgrade over your 6850 but like others have said wait and see how the game runs on your 6850 before you upgrade.

Your power supply should be fine enough for something like a 7850 or gtx650 ti but anything higher and its prob best just to replace that as well but i feel both those cards would be increment upgrades.

 

[Techhog]

I run my GTX 770 fine on my 500 watt power supply.

500W is the recommended minimum for both the 770 and the 7950. I would never risk going below the minimum. Besides, getting a 7950 and not being able to overclock it seems like such a waste

 

[pcslookout]

500W is the recommended minimum for both of those cards. Besides, getting a 7950 and not being able to overclock it seems like such a waste.

My system is:

Intel 2500k @ 4 Ghz overclocked for now
GTX 770 4GB which is the overclocked version
8 GB of DDR3 ram
Crucial M4 120 GB SSD

 

[skipsneeky2]

The 500w psu may fly depending on the quality,i had a cx500 that was about a year old and i had nothing but issues with my 770 and my system as a whole till i swapped it out for the TX650.

Big problem would be how far your gonna overclock if even overclock at all with such a psu.The Op has a cx430 which i doubt is gonna run a 7950 or even a 760.

 

[Techhog]

My system is:

Intel 2500k @ 4 Ghz overclocked for now
GTX 770 4GB which is the overclocked version
8 GB of DDR3 ram
Crucial M4 120 GB SSD

Your PSU meets the minimum for that. 430W doesn't. It might work, but 70W is a lot and I'm not in favor of gambling with expensive components.

 

[RussianSensation]

3 fps more with huge power draw. Not sure if it's time for cheaper=better.

Huh? How about 3 fps faster for $100 less for a total difference of 23W in real world power. No one cares about 23W of power difference on a total 300W system when the price savings is $100!

Other reviews show even less of a difference - immaterial

The 500w psu may fly depending on the quality,i had a cx500 that was about a year old and i had nothing but issues with my 770 and my system as a whole till i swapped it out for the TX650.

Ya, of course. CX500 is a budget Corsair PSU. It's a POS. My Corsair 520W supported Core i7 860 @ 3.9ghz + HD4890 OC, then GTX470 @ 760mhz on the same system. i7 860 @ 3.9ghz + GTX470 @ 760 @ 1.087V uses way more power than your system with 770. Before I upgraded to CF, I tested my current rig with an HD7970 @ 1.256V overclocked to 1230mhz and it didn't even sweat.

 

[skipsneeky2]

If i was the Op i would sell the 6850 and drop in a 2gb 7850 and while not a massive upgrade the cost would be minimal after your 6850 is sold, no need to swap power supplies and the 7850 pulls just about the same power but if the Op wants to invest in a new power supply then he can have many other choices at $300 after swapping out the psu.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Ya, of course. CX500 is a budget Corsair PSU. It's a POS.

Yeah i figured my system maybe pulled about 300w max load and my 12v had enough amps to supply 456w and quite a few people figured it would be fine as you can see my system isn't overclocked period.

No big deal,enabled vsync and dropped my settings and resolution to cut down on power and i was still able to game just fine till i got my replacement psu.:thumbsup:

 

[toyota]

and that is not what I would consider a 430 watt power supply anyway. It makes way less than that on the 12 volt rail which is where most of the power needs to come from. It is not an appropriate power supply for a gaming PC with a higher end video card. 20 to 30 more bucks would have got a higher quality power supply that could run any video card perfectly fine with room to spare.

 

[el etro]

Upgrade your motherboard and go for two 7950s. $380 for near GTX 690 performance.

 

[toyota]

Upgrade your motherboard and go for two 7950s. $380 for near GTX 690 performance.

yeah that sounds real logical what his $300 budget. Plus he would need a power supply too on top of that.

 

[CrowDog]

Couldn't resist the Sapphire 7950 3gb (Boost) for $190AR and went ahead and got the Corsair TX650 for $50AR to go with it. Thanks for the input guys

 

[skipsneeky2]

Couldn't resist the Sapphire 7950 3gb (Boost) for $190AR and went ahead and got the Corsair TX650 for $50AR to go with it. Thanks for the input guys

Enjoy your new card and nice choice to replace the psu as well.Bought the same exact one to compliment my 770.

 

[toyota]

Couldn't resist the Sapphire 7950 3gb (Boost) for $190AR and went ahead and got the Corsair TX650 for $50AR to go with it. Thanks for the input guys

heck of a card for the price. and thats a great psu for your setup and a better deal then I got on mine last year.