Budget Gaming upgrade 7850 pcs+ or 7870 tahiti?

[jimjiminy]

Hi,

I want to upgrade my graphics card from my HD6850 to something more recent. I will only be playing at 1080 resolution but want to get something that will give me a couple years gaming if possible, especially with all the multi platform games from the next gen consoles coming out.

My rig is:
Phenom II x4 950T OC to 3.7 Ghz unleashed to 5 cores.
8GB 1600Ghz Ripsaw DDR 3 RAM
Kingston 96GB SSD boot & 500GB 7,200 HD.
Asus M5A78L USB3 motherboard
Case come ATX case that included 500W PSU ( LPJ9-23 ) says it has 20A on +12V so I think I'm close to limit now.

I narrowed my graphics card choice down to x2 cards, either the Powercolor 7580 PCS+ or the Powercolor 7870 Myst (tahiti). I know I'll probably need a new PSU, so looking at the corsair bronze cx500.

Would I be better off overclocking the 7850 PCS+ (seen very good reviews) knowing it will stay cool and have a lower power draw or take the chance on a 7870 Myst, that I hear runs hot and pulls lots of power? Would there be much difference in performance once the 7850 PCS+ if overclocked to around 1200Ghz?

Or should I be looking at other cards? my budget is £130-140 for the card.

Many Thanks!

 

[rolandzhang3]

The 7870 Tahiti is much more powerful and performs close to a stock 7950

The 7870 XT runs fairly warm but it's still a safe temperature for a GPU to be at, plus the XFX version with the DD cooler should run cooler than the ones you've probably heard about (namely the Powercolor version)

Also, most consider the CX series rather entry level, so this would be a nice alternative

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card (£133.99 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£49.34 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £183.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-23 11:46 GMT+0000)

 

[huilun02]

I'd pick the 7870 Myst definitely but I can't find it for under £140

 

[jimjiminy]

Hey thanks for the info. Yeah I am swaying to the 7870 tahiti but keep reading lots of overheating issues....the XFX one you suggested has some bad reviews with overheating: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/xfx-dd-radeon-7870-ghz-edition-tahiti-le-2gb-2-games-aria-138-73-inc-delivery-1681968

Hmm do you think I should just go with the powercolor myst instead?

Cheers.

 

[rolandzhang3]

That's odd, 100C is pretty hard to achieve nowadays unless the guy has a really cramped case with bad airflow haha

But seeing this review, the card seems to hit 85c under load at stock

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/28156-xfx-radeon-7870-xttahiti-le/

 

[huilun02]

I checked reviews of the 7870 Myst and they all peaked at 73-75 Celcius at full load in a closed pc case which is hot but acceptable.

I'm having trouble finding a 7870 for £140 so if you can get one it's a good deal.

 

[huilun02]

XFX cards... ugh

 

[rolandzhang3]

Well you might as well go for the Powercolor version if you can find it at a similar price point, anything under 85c for a GPU is considered safe usually

 

[jimjiminy]

Ah great thanks guys...looks like amazon have one for £140 (made by same company as powercolor): http://www.amazon.co.uk/VTX3D-Radeon-7870-Tahiti-Graphics/dp/B00AM3A7JY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

whadda ya think?

 

[rolandzhang3]

Personally I'm a bit skeptical since it's a single fan design, but the reviews for the thing seem positive so far

 

[huilun02]

The Myst also uses one fan. Looks fine to me.

 

[jimjiminy]

Great... so are all of these the same:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/126300/CGAX-7876XT/Graphics-Cards/CLUB-3D-AMD-HD7870-2GB-JOKER/VGA1930/?gclid=CMyOyLb4-roCFfLHtAodRxoA5Q

http://www.amazon.co.uk/VTX3D-Radeon-7870-Tahiti-Graphics/dp/B00AM3A7JY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

http://www.ebuyer.com/487055-powercolor-ax7870-2gbd5-2dhppv3e-graphics-card-radeon-hd7870-2gb-pci-e-dvi-hdmi-mini-ax7870-2gbd5-2dhppv3e

http://www.box.co.uk/PowerColor_Radeon_HD_7870_Video_Graphics_1352622.html?utm_medium=google_shopping&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=CN6I0KD5-roCFWmWtAodEB4AIQ


?

The ebuyer one gives the free games, amazon doesn't.


Also, what do you think of this for the PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/545509-coolermaster-silent-pro-gold-550w-rs550-80gaj3-uk

 

[huilun02]

Get the one from ebuyer. PSU looks fine.

 

[rolandzhang3]

The general consensus (usually) is to stay away from CM PSUs, though that one looks alright

You could also consider an EVGA 500B, XFX 550W or a Thermaltake 550W instead though

The ebuyer one would be the choice to go for