7850 1GB vs 7850 2GB vs 7870

[pandap]

I needed to replace my current 5750 because some weird colored pixel keeps popping up on the screen when i watch DVD vobs, it freezes my entire computer when if I had more stuff running on the side. It's getting worse as time goes by, now it starts appearing on .avi's too... so I thought I'd replace it with another card

I've been looking at some cards with similar or higher performances:

$160 7850 1GB http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=77258&vpn=11200%2D16%2D20G&manufacture=SAPPHIRE
$170 7850 2GB http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=78185&vpn=AX7850%202GBD5%2DDH&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1276
$215 7870 http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=78690&vpn=11199%2D16%2D20G&manufacture=SAPPHIRE

I know 7870 is a better card, but is it worth the extra $55?
Which has best bang for the buck? What would you guys reccommend?

System info:
Antec 750W PSU
i5-750
MSI P55-CD53 mobo
3 monitors: 23" @ 2048x1152(secondary), 24"@1920x1080(main), 47"@1024x768(where I watch movies and dramas)

 

[de5_Roy]

if you're not gonna game a lot, then a 7850 2gb. not that powercolor one. sapphire, xfx, asus, msi gigabyte make better cards. aim for one of those brands.
7870 is obviously better. it proves it's worth more when it's overclocked.
all those cards have way higher performance than a 5750.

 

[Feldmarschall]

Between those three cards I would go for 7850 2 GB.
Acording to every benchmark i have seen you'll get 10% better results on 7870. You should decide is it worth extra 40-50$.

 

[jaslion]

7870 is the best one of ll those cards

 

[MaXimus421]

Whatever you do, do NOT get a 1GB card. And I agree with the 7850 2GB recommendation. It's the better value and the 7850 will over clock very closely to a 7870's performance quite easily.

 

[r-sky]

7870 is only worth extra $$ if you play modern games on your pc...

an extra 1gig of vram on the 7850 isn't worth much... look at the charts! (having said that, I would pay the extra $20 or $25)

I needed to replace my current 5750 because some weird colored pixel keeps popping up on the screen when i watch DVD vobs, it freezes my entire computer when if I had more stuff running on the side. It's getting worse as time goes by, now it starts appearing on .avi's too... so I thought I'd replace it with another card

I've been looking at some cards with similar or higher performances:

$160 7850 1GB http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=77258&vpn=11200%2D16%2D20G&manufacture=SAPPHIRE
$170 7850 2GB http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=78185&vpn=AX7850%202GBD5%2DDH&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1276
$215 7870 http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=78690&vpn=11199%2D16%2D20G&manufacture=SAPPHIRE

I know 7870 is a better card, but is it worth the extra $55?
Which has best bang for the buck? What would you guys reccommend?

System info:
Antec 750W PSU
i5-750
MSI P55-CD53 mobo
3 monitors: 23" @ 2048x1152(secondary), 24"@1920x1080(main), 47"@1024x768(where I watch movies and dramas)

 

[pandap]

if you're not gonna game a lot, then a 7850 2gb. not that powercolor one. sapphire, xfx, asus, msi gigabyte make better cards. aim for one of those brands.
7870 is obviously better. it proves it's worth more when it's overclocked.
all those cards have way higher performance than a 5750.

I do actually do quite a bit of casual gaming... not multiplayer stuff tho, more like single player campaign games like AC3, tomb raider, etc
does that make a diff?

 

[de5_Roy]

if you're not gonna game a lot, then a 7850 2gb. not that powercolor one. sapphire, xfx, asus, msi gigabyte make better cards. aim for one of those brands.
7870 is obviously better. it proves it's worth more when it's overclocked.
all those cards have way higher performance than a 5750.

I do actually do quite a bit of casual gaming... not multiplayer stuff tho, more like single player campaign games like AC3, tomb raider, etc
does that make a diff?

well, 7870 is better for gaming on a single 1080p monitor. like i said, a radeon 7850 2gb, preferably from sapphire, xfx, asus, msi or gigabyte, is a good choice. whether 7870's higher price is worth or not, it's up to you. 7870 prices have come down to levels where radeon 7850 2gb used to be - meaning you get more performance for money.
if you turn up anti aliasing and image quality settings, the 1gb vram on the radeon 7850 1gb will become limiting factor fast. 1 gb vram is also inadequate for modern multi-monitor setups (even if you game on single monitor). that's why i don't recommend the 7850 1 gb card.