Radeon 6850 vs GTX 460 1gb

[sunglee2]

Hi guys, I'm currently building a new computer. So far I've decided on the i3-2100 w/ mobo bundle deal from microcenter, 8 gb gskill ram (2x4gb), 1 tb western digital caviar blue hdd. I'm trying to decide which video card to purchase. The graphics hierarchy chart on Tom's states they're about even, and currently Amazon has the 6850 for 159.99 (149.99 AR) and the PNY oc'd gtx 460 1 gb for 169.99 (139.99 AR). I'm trying to decide which one is the better deal?

Also, does anybody know what kind of PSU I should get? I know this would probably require a ~550W psu, but I hear the higher quality ones can support the same amount even though they are rated at a lower wattage. I was thinking of the RaidMax 530W psu, but I hear not-so-good things about these. I don't want to overspend if I can help it because I'm on a budget, so I would like to buy the required amount and not too much more. I don't really plan on overclocking or sli/xfire-ing

 

[mobohobo]

Get a corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic psu, they are reliable and will last you years. dont know on the gpu front

 

[cburke82]

They are about the same so go with the cheaper price plus if you ever go with 2 cards in the future the AMD card will scale better . A good 500w will be fine for that card but not for crossfire.

 

[sunglee2]

How do you guys feel about Cooler Master?

 

[mobohobo]

they make good cases but Get a corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic psu, they are reliable and will last you years.

 

[cburke82]

You can in most cases google the model number and name of the PSU you are looking at and find a professional review. A review like that will tell you things like the tru max output and dependability and noise. For instance alot of really good PSU can in fact produce more power that is said on the box and it works the other way as well. A cheap 600w PSU may ony be good for 400-450w max befor it starts to get hot and fail or be on the edge of failing. All the brands that mobohobo listed are good but you can find good PSU's from other brands as well.

 

[megamanx00]

I'd say the 6850 since it uses less power and it's easier to add a second one later on since it only uses one PCI-E power connector. If you get a sufficient GPU with 4x PCi-E connectors then you may want to go with the 460 since it's cheaper ^_^.

 

[Silvune]

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-crossfirex-review/4
Considering that this review states that an entire system with two 6850s only uses ~400W at the wall. Taking efficiency into account and a worst case scenario of 350W actual system power draw, 350 is still only ~65% of a 550W units capacity, which is not going to be stressful to a good unit.
Also take into account that sunglee's power consumption is going to be lower than what was shown by Guru3D because the system they used had an i7-965 which is much more power hungry than an i3-2100. Also take into account that such a system would only draw ~350W under a furmark type load, obviously if you (sunglee) know that your system is going to be under that kind of load for extended periods of time then you probably should go for a higher wattage unit.
I know that Guru3D says to use a 650W PSU for 6850 crossfire, but I disagree with that conclusion based on everything I have just said.

Obviously the 550W PSU needs to be of high quality, and I'm not sure that the Raidmax one fits that bill, so I would recommend finding one whose quality is known.

 

[ram1009]

I'm using a GTX460 presently and very pleased with it. I cannot say the same for any AMD/ATI card I've owned including a Radeon 5750 recently. Very buggy drivers.


Here's a site to research PSUs. Bigger is better. http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page2679.htm

 

[wildman78]

I own a Ati Radeon 6850 from Gigabyte that i bought from MicroCenter in my area. Ive owned for less than 2 months and i love it. I bought it to replace my Gt430. I haven't had any problems with AMD/Ati graphic card drivers make sure to use the ones from the amd/ati website instead of disk that comes with the card

 

[sunglee2]

so if I don't plan on going the oc/sli route, will this psu be viable?:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2T2TM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

it's a corsair builder series cx v2 430W psu

 

[ram1009]

I own a Ati Radeon 6850 from Gigabyte that i bought from MicroCenter in my area. Ive owned for less than 2 months and i love it. I bought it to replace my Gt430. I haven't had any problems with AMD/Ati graphic card drivers make sure to use the ones from the amd/ati website instead of disk that comes with the card

I'm very glad you haven't had any ATI driver bugs. Now you have something to look forward to.

 

[ram1009]

so if I don't plan on going the oc/sli route, will this psu be viable?:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2T2TM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

it's a corsair builder series cx v2 430W psu

I never want to run any PSU at over 50% of it's rating. Think of the extra money you spend on the PSU as an insurance policy but remember there are crappy PSUs in all sizes.

 

[cburke82]

I'm very glad you haven't had any ATI driver bugs. Now you have something to look forward to.

It could be possible that after AMD purchase ATI they made a point to have as few bugs as possible. I have a Msi 6950 and have also had no problems. I think Nvidia fans keep bringing that up because they are upset that AMD cards now scale better in 2-3 card setups lol.

 

[cburke82]

I never want to run any PSU at over 50% of it's rating. Think of the extra money you spend on the PSU as an insurance policy but remember there are crappy PSUs in all sizes.

You sound like a PSU salesman lol. The reason to spend good money on a PSU is so that you can run it at more than half its rating. A good PSU will be able to run more than what it says on the box and a good corsair can run at 80% no prob. To manny people get cheap PSU and have trouble but also there are lots of people spending way to much on a PSU they dont need.

 

[ram1009]

It could be possible that after AMD purchase ATI they made a point to have as few bugs as possible. I have a Msi 6950 and have also had no problems. I think Nvidia fans keep bringing that up because they are upset that AMD cards now scale better in 2-3 card setups lol.

I quit buying ATI cards years ago because of buggy drivers. I decided to give them another try last year and found their drivers as buggy as ever. I have no reason to be partial to Nvidia except that they perform better for me and I only use them one at a time. I actually look forward to the day when I, and many others, consider their competitive. Competition helps everyone.

 

[ram1009]

You sound like a PSU salesman lol. The reason to spend good money on a PSU is so that you can run it at more than half its rating. A good PSU will be able to run more than what it says on the box and a good corsair can run at 80% no prob. To manny people get cheap PSU and have trouble but also there are lots of people spending way to much on a PSU they dont need.

Well, I don't sell PSUs or anything else, but I do design commercial products that use power supplies. I never said you can't run a power supply above 50% I just said I'd never do it and I'd never design a product that would either. You may very well get away with it for a while but I guarantee a PSU running at 50% will last longer than one running at 80%. For my money, it's the cheapest insurance policy anybody can buy for the machine.

 

[genghiskron]

what about 51%?

 

[grody]

The GeForce 400 series cards were rushed out the door by nVidia and were quickly replaced by the 500 series cards after 3 months. For whatever reason the 460 1gb still remains viable, although I think nVidia would prefer people buy their 560ti. T problem is that the 460's suck up a lot of juice and produce a lot more heat then the 500 series, along with some other poor design choices.

As for your power supply: you'll be safe with an Antec EarthWatts 380W.

 

[ram1009]

The GeForce 400 series cards were rushed out the door by nVidia and were quickly replaced by the 500 series cards after 3 months. For whatever reason the 460 1gb still remains viable, although I think nVidia would prefer people buy their 560ti. T problem is that the 460's suck up a lot of juice and produce a lot more heat then the 500 series, along with some other poor design choices.

As for your power supply: you'll be safe with an Antec EarthWatts 380W.

One of our major failings as a species is our inability to learn from each other's mistakes especially our elders. We all prefer to make our own mistakes and I'm no exception. Have a nice life.

 

[Silvune]

You may very well get away with it for a while but I guarantee a PSU running at 50% will last longer than one running at 80%.

Yes you are right about this, but just because you use a PSU at 80% doesn't necessarily mean that it will stop working before it's useful lifetime is over. And then there are degrees; using a PSU at 80% for say an hour a day isn't going to be that stressful, but using a PSU at 80% for five hours a day 7 days a week would definitely be stressful, even to a good, well built PSU.

As for AMD having buggy graphics drivers, if they do then they are not in isolation. Intel and Nvidia both have problems with their drivers from time to time.
I wonder how many people on these forums have bought AMD graphics cards in the past year, how many of them have reported back about problems with their drivers? I know I haven't seen any, but that is probably because I have not looked, but they also haven't jumped out at me.
You may not consider them competitive, but many others do.

Frankly I think alot of what you've said in this thread is theoretical, especially in regards to sunglee's question about PSU, you haven't told him what size of PSU he should get.

 

[ram1009]

Yes you are right about this, but just because you use a PSU at 80% doesn't necessarily mean that it will stop working before it's useful lifetime is over. And then there are degrees; using a PSU at 80% for say an hour a day isn't going to be that stressful, but using a PSU at 80% for five hours a day 7 days a week would definitely be stressful, even to a good, well built PSU. You're splitting hairs, IMHO. There are no absolutes when talking about the lifespan of electronic components. The best you can do is improve the odds. I've said many times on this board that using an oversize PSU is an insurance policy and a cheap one at that.

As for AMD having buggy graphics drivers, if they do then they are not in isolation. Intel and Nvidia both have problems with their drivers from time to time. Everybody has buggy drivers occasionally. ATI's problems are the rule rather than the exception, IMHO.
I wonder how many people on these forums have bought AMD graphics cards in the past year, how many of them have reported back about problems with their drivers? I know I haven't seen any, but that is probably because I have not looked, but they also haven't jumped out at me. I doubt everybody on this forum runs to their computer to report every anomaly. I certainly don't. Over the years I've read of MANY driver problems on ATI boards and my personal experience mirrors those reports. To me the difference (when compared to Nvidia) is night & day.
You may not consider them competitive, but many others do. I'm sure you're right.
Would you prefer I keep my opinions to myself?

Frankly I think alot of what you've said in this thread is theoretical, especially in regards to sunglee's question about PSU, you haven't told him what size of PSU he should get.Nor will I. I have neither the time nor inclination to select individual components for individual board members. Perhaps you do. Since I don't, I have provided some guidelines that I would use to select my own components. If you wish to call that theoretical it's OK with me. Frankly, the whole tone of your response seems to be telling me I should mind my own business and keep my opinions to myself. I doubt the staff or members would agree.

 

[Silvune]

I just disagree with a lot of your opinions, so I was sharing my opinions on the matters you raised.

 

[Guest]

The 6850 of course, why did Tom's Hardware choose it over the GTX 460 in the "Best Graphics Cards for the Money" thing and for the $500 build.

No need to complicate things, the 6850 gives slightly better scaling, less power use and multi-display support, and FYI I'm actually an Nvidia fanboy, I choose Nvidia when the cards are exactly the same on average, but here AMD wins. The AMD drivers for the 6 series aren't screwed up, forget the past.

As for the power supply, the Antec Earthwatts 380w (which costs $40) is just enough to power a 6850 and a 95w processor- As shown in the Tom's Hardware $500 budget build. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-gaming-pc-phenom-ii-radeon-hd-6850,2903.html


Also the i3-2100 is a 65w processor so the 380w Earthwatts green should be fine. But if you crossfire, or upgrade other parts, you will have to upgrade the PSU, but that's not a problem since it's only $40.

You should just get this build-

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-gaming-pc-phenom-ii-radeon-hd-6850,2903.html

EXCEPT get the i3-2100 with a motherboard of your choice instead of the AMD processor.

 

[ram1009]

I just disagree with a lot of your opinions, so I was sharing my opinions on the matters you raised.

Well, I'm sure we both know what's often said about opinions. Whatever our divergent opinions are I don't think this person's thread is the place to compare them. As you now see there's always someone around who knows exactly how to answer every question.