Upgrading damaged 5870

[ErrorFindingID]

Currently having, or was always having issues with my card.
AMDKMDAP if anybody has heard of it. Only fix was to underlock it drastically. Not even sure what the real issue is. Whether it's bad memory, mobo, or video card.
I finally want to upgrade out of it either way.

System is
i7
Asus p6t-se mobo
SAPPHIRE 5870
GX 550w
6gb ddr3
Windows 7.
Edit: playing on 1920x1080

I'm not too sure what is compatible with my motherboard.
I'll say my budget is 500, pushing it to 600 if its actually worth it.
I'd wish for a good upgrade to what I have right now. Do I have to replace any other part if I do switch out gpus?
I'm not too much of a hardware person so I'd be afraid doing it myself unless it's as easy as some people say it is.

Thanks for any recommendations and advice.

 

[xcomvic]

Buy a 6870 if it's the video card

 

[xcomvic]

And no, you won't have to replace anything else. The Power Supply is sufficient and you have a 2.0 x16 PCI slot for it.

Save your money for Ivy

 

[FlintIronStagg]

the only thing i could see being a holdback would be if you wanted to go with an sli setup or somethign like a 580, then i would recommend a bigger power supply. if you want a step up form that GPU and not a sidestep like the 6870, then i would recommend the 6970 or the 570. I would upgrade the psu as well seeing as how either of those cards wont break your budget either so you have more overhead on your wattage and such for overclocking.

 

[blade061188]

ErrorFindingID,

Have you contacted Sapphire? I had a very similar problem with my 5870. I sent them my bad 5870 (I had already owned it for 6 months before I had the problem) and they replaced it with a 6950 for free.

I would see what you can get from Sapphire before you spend your own money.

 

[DeadRam]

What are the Power Supply specs? 550 Watt is too weak for most high end cards. The GTX 570 might work. "Minimum 550W or greater system power supply with a minimum 12V current rating of 38A". Also your 5870 should be under warranty so get it replaced and sell it if you still want a new card.

 

[ErrorFindingID]

Thanks for the responses.

Is there a huge difference between 570 and 580? There is a price difference of atleast 100 dollars.
I will probably up my psu as well just for assurance.
I will also probably send sapphire my 5870 back for a new one and sell that.

I'm having so much trouble deciding. 570 would be able to play max on all games that will be out for the next year or two, right?

 

[ErrorFindingID]

Just want to add. The whole point of this thread was actually to try to attempt to max bf3

How is this card?
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 DS SSC Fermi 900MHZ 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-E 2.0 2XDVI Mini-HDMI Video Card

I'm not too sure if I am allowed to link so I'll post that info.
For power, cost, performance.

 

[jyjjy]

The GTX 560 and HD6870 are actually weaker than the HD5870. If you want a worthwhile upgrade the GTX 570 would be your best choice. The GTX 580 is only 15% faster while costing nearly 50% more, not worth it IMO.

 

[ErrorFindingID]

In that case, the people that recommended on the forums would have to be..

EVGA GeForce GTX 570 Superclocked Fermi 797MHZ 1280MB GDDR5 2XDVI Mini-HDMI PCI-E Video Card

Will that be a sufficient upgrade? Goal is to nearly max and hopefully will max BF3.

edit:
I actually see a better card
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 570 Fermi Windforce 845MHZ 1280MB 3.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI Mini-HDMI PCI-E Video Card
From a manufact. that's trusty as well.
Both at $380.
I may go for that instead.

 

[blade061188]

I would wait to see what Sapphire will give you. They aren't making the 5870 anymore, so they will probably offer you the same thing they offered me: a 2GB 6950.

There are lots of youtube uploads showing a 6950 running BF3 (Beta) max. Why not wait to see if you can get a free card that does what you need before buying something so expensive?

 

[jyjjy]

$380 is quite pricey for a GTX 570. Here's an EVGA card for $40 less;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130684
If you want an OC just do it on your own. It's quite easy really and you will get better results. No reason to pay someone to do it for you.