7870 vs newer GPU vs 280x?

[Chiuy]

My ATI 7870 just died and I ran into a perticular problem. I painted my GPU shroud, so it voided the warranty EXCEPT if I buy another 7870 to switch out the painted shroud for the original. (XFX Representive told me).

So... I have the option to buy another 7870 for $150 on like eBay or whatever and get my old 7870 fix, then I will have 2x 7870 ATI.

OR...

I can just straight up buy a new card like 280x used for $179 on craigslist.

OR...

Is there really any newer GPU that is worth the upgrade? The 7870 is still a powerful card and I'm able to play games like Crysis on almost max-setting.

 

[GameOver007]

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1860360/graphic-card-7870-280x-gtx-770.html

 

[Chiuy]

Yes. Bravo. Thanks for sending me link to other part of the forum. Obviously, I know what cards are better but I'm curious what people will do in my situtation. Is it worth to spend $150 to get old card fix and an extra 7870? Or just straight up get a 280x/higher end card within $200 budget?

 

[TheFluffyDog]

the 2 7870's will be faster than a 770, or a 280x but its alot of power consumption and heat.

so raw performance wise, since you cant get any money for your old card and your budget is only 200$ i think the second 7870 is best option, if you had 350$ then the 970 would be the option. but a 770 is even outdated in the current market, and with your budget, performance wise, the dual 7870's is most power. just make sure the rest of the system can handle it. (PSU especially)

 

[renz496]

with $200 maybe you can get 280X.

 

[Chiuy]

I went with the dual 7870 and it's quite amazing with double the power.

 

[TheFluffyDog]

I'm just wondering, what processor, and mobo you running? And if you could run a few benchmarks ( if you already have them installed, no need to go out of your way) with one card and then 2. I know when using higher end GPU that Intel gets better scaling, but I'm always interested in how the newer mid range products scale. Especially in real life scenarios.

 

[Chiuy]

I have the 3570K and MSI G45 Z77 Board.
The GPU that was broken is currently being RMA with XFX, so I should be able to get that back within the week or so. Once that comes back in, I'll run some benchmarks for you.