Is HD 7850 right for me?

[rancineb]

So I'm planning my next build and at the point of choosing a graphics card. I'm unfamiliar with what's good as far as performance and price so looking for help. I've done some reading and it seems like the Radeon HD 7850 is a decent card. I don't need the highest performing, but I don't want a card that will be obsolete right away. I haven't looked at GeForce much. Not sure which is better so would like your thoughts. Was thinking of getting 2GB card, but don't know if that's unnecessary and if 1GB would be enough.

■Looking to purchase in the next few weeks.
■$150-250 range
■I'm planning to get a Intel i7, ASRock Extreme6 MB, SSD (main) and HHD (data)
■Will be running 2 monitors at 1920 x 1080
■Plan on playing some games like Civilization and SimCity. Mostly general usage, watching movies, some game programming, and photo/video editing.

After I decide what kind I should get, what are good makes? Sapphire looks to have a lot of good reviews on Newegg for the HD7850. I see a lot from HIS, but I've never heard of them before. How about Gigabyte and MSI? Probably end up being which card has the ports that I need.

Thanks for your help, look forward to the recommendations.

 

[CaptainTom]

So I'm planning my next build and at the point of choosing a graphics card. I'm unfamiliar with what's good as far as performance and price so looking for help. I've done some reading and it seems like the Radeon HD 7850 is a decent card. I don't need the highest performing, but I don't want a card that will be obsolete right away. I haven't looked at GeForce much. Not sure which is better so would like your thoughts. Was thinking of getting 2GB card, but don't know if that's unnecessary and if 1GB would be enough.

■Looking to purchase in the next few weeks.
■$150-250 range
■I'm planning to get a Intel i7, ASRock Extreme6 MB, SSD (main) and HHD (data)
■Will be running 2 monitors at 1920 x 1080
■Plan on playing some games like Civilization and SimCity. Mostly general usage, watching movies, some game programming, and photo/video editing.

After I decide what kind I should get, what are good makes? Sapphire looks to have a lot of good reviews on Newegg for the HD7850. I see a lot from HIS, but I've never heard of them before. How about Gigabyte and MSI? Probably end up being which card has the ports that I need.

Thanks for your help, look forward to the recommendations.

You obviously have the money, so I recommend you get a 7870 LE instead for a 30% increase in price, you get a 50%+ increase in performance!

 

[DarkSable]

^+1

The 7870 LE (a.k.a. the 7870 xt, 7870 myst) is by FAR the best price / performance graphics card on the market right now.

There's no reason to consider pretty much anything else.

 

[rancineb]

All I see on Newegg is 7870 GHz Edition. Is that the same thing? I don't see any cards that say 7870 LE.

 

[CaptainTom]

All I see on Newegg is 7870 GHz Edition. Is that the same thing? I don't see any cards that say 7870 LE.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-11199-20-20G/dp/B00AWKYB1M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362544085&sr=8-1&keywords=7870+LE

Yeah the one I linked before was out of stock.


Also are you sure you need an i7?

 

[lunyone]

Here is what I'd consider:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($185.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.52 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1017.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-05 23:32 EST-0500)

* CPU is a good all around CPU for the $ and has an unlocked multiplier, so you can OC it easily, if you want to down the road.
* Mobo has everything you'll would need and is reasonably priced.
* RAM is good and has low profile heat spreaders, so you can add just about any aftermarket CPU HSF down the road, if you think you need one.
* SSD is one of the better more affordable and reliable SSD's for the $ out there.
* GPU is a step up from the 7850 and is one of the better price/performance. 7870 LE is OOS at the moment so I included one that is currently available.

I'm not sure your budget, but this build above is a pretty decent build for the $.

 

[CaptainTom]

Yeah the 7870 LE is out of stock so maybe a $290 SAPPHIRE 7950 is just a better choice at this point.

 

[rancineb]

All I've found was the PowerColor (which I've never heard of) and the Sapphire that both of you suggested. Both are out of stock. Is this not very common because there are a lot of normal 7870, but not many LE/XT/Myst?

I'm not sold on the i7, but want to get something that has a lot of power and will stand the test of time. Maybe I'm thinking too big with the i7 and should get an i5.

 

[CaptainTom]

All I've found was the PowerColor (which I've never heard of) and the Sapphire that both of you suggested. Both are out of stock. Is this not very common because there are a lot of normal 7870, but not many LE/XT/Myst?

I'm not sold on the i7, but want to get something that has a lot of power and will stand the test of time. Maybe I'm thinking too big with the i7 and should get an i5.

That's why I got an i5-3570k. I guarantee it will last at least 4-6 years. Get an i5 and a 7970. Then you will be set for a very long time!

 

[rancineb]

Thanks for your suggestions Lunyone. The build you have is pretty similar to what I have speced out. I'm between a couple here and there and your suggestions will probably help me decide. I was looking at the Samsung SSD, but Crucial was also on my list.

 

[lunyone]

Thanks for your suggestions Lunyone. The build you have is pretty similar to what I have speced out. I'm between a couple here and there and your suggestions will probably help me decide. I was looking at the Samsung SSD, but Crucial was also on my list.

The Samsung 830 is the better SSD followed by the 840 Pro model. The plain 840 version is the cheapest and is still a good option, but since your budget could afford a bit better SSD, I mentioned the Crucial M4 (it's a good SSD too). If you can afford the 7950 or even the 7970 I would go with either one (I'd probably just go with the 7950, because of cost, but that is just me).

GPU's I've owned (by brand):
* Sapphire (no issues with them)
* MSI
* Gigabyte
* Asus
* Powercolor (but it died after 6 years, was a 9800 GPU <--- long time ago)
* HIS

All above have been pretty good to me, but unsure of the Powercolor's support or quality at this point in time.

 

[rancineb]

Thanks for your help. I'll probably look at Sapphire if they have one that fits my output needs. The HD 7870 looks good, just out of stock. I'll look around and see if other places besides Newegg have it. If not, I might go 1 step up.

Since I don't plan on doing much gaming, would I get by with the 7850, or would you recommend I at least go to the 7870?

 

[lunyone]

The 7850 is plenty if your gaming or not gaming. The 7870 is a step up and won't make much difference for normal computing needs. If you don't game than there are more affordable options, like using integrated GPU options.

 

[AirForceBrat]

The sapphire 7870 xt is back in stock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024&Tpk=sapphire%207870%20xt

 

[rancineb]

Great, thanks for the heads up. So for that particular card, since I have 2 monitors, would I get an DisplayPort to HDMI cable to hook up so that the output is the same instead of using the HDMI for 1 monitor and DVI for another?

 

[lunyone]

No you can use both if you like. My son's computer uses the VGA and DVI ports on the GPU for his 2 monitors. So you can use whatever cables you need for your monitor(s).

 

[rancineb]

Would using different ports have any impact on the quality of the picture?

 

[Avenged7x]

You've already gotten good advice here, just wanted to clarify that the 7870 XT, LE or Myst is really a slightly crippled 7950 with a very misleading name. It really should be called a 7930 or something similar as its quite a bit stronger than a 7870 or 7870 Ghz. The 7870 XT,LE, Myst is one of it not the best value card available at the moment. Its probably a bit more than you need right now, but I think its money well spent over a 7850 in the longer term.