5870 owners - are you upgrading soon or waiting for 8 series or ...?

R

reg411

Weaksauce
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Mar 27, 2009
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This thing was a beast and still has a bite :)
I've been using the sapphire 5870 for about 3 years now. Left it at stock. No issues at all. To my surprise, it even let me play metro 2033 (advanced dof off, everything else on) and crysis 2 with fraps at 1920x1080 on a 27" monitor. Last thing I played was black mesa and avp 2010, understandably smooth as butter.

So why am I worried about upgrading? Well, I want to get back into Skyrim. But this time with S.T.E.P. and enb with highest quality settings if possible. I'm afraid the 1gb vram might be an issue. Also thinking about getting Max payne 3, Borderlands 2, and Far Cry 3 - but based on requirements, they should be playable at just shy of enthusiast settings.

So, do I have a good reason to upgrade at this time? Nope. But its been 3 years and the upgrade itch is ...itchy :)
(The sapphire or xfx 7950 look tempting.)

Just wanted to know other people's thoughts if they're in the same boat as me.
 
7970 is a big upgrade from a 5870, especially if you get a decent overclocker. Grab one around the launch of the 89xx on the cheap and enjoy!
 
My 7970 was twice as fast as my old 5870. And this was at lauunch with the initial AMD drivers and without any overclocking. Now, my 7970 is probably 2.5x as fast.

It's a worthwhile upgrade. Sell your 5870 to recoup some of the cost.
 
waiting for 8 series. In fact I too havent had too many problems playing new games. Of course I can't max them out now, but I think waiting for the 8xxx is better than getting a 7xxx at this point and if you can wait. I plan on keeping the 8xxx for as long as I have had my 5870, and I plan on going xfire for the first time ever as well when the 8xxx series comes.
 
Its still good for me and I think I can still get a while more out of it. It plays everything at or near max settings.
I am going to wait to see what next gen consoles have for hardware before I upgrade. Never know what those new consoles will have that could instantly outdate the best gaming pc. Not necessarily in power but some new feature like a 13 core cpu or a new dx version. There could be some new requirement that you will need to play console ports.
I bought a nice p4 setup before the xbox 360 came out and I didn't get much gaming life out of it.
Good chance new consoles could come out a year from now.
 
yep im waiting for an 8XXX too. still game at 2560x1600 on my stock 5870 and dont have a problem. i dont care about maxing AA so just pulling back a couple settings on most games makes them run fine.
 
I had a 5850 and upgraded to a 670.

I didnt need this upgrade except for a couple of games. I really should have just waited. But oh well, I'm here :p

I mainly upgraded for 120hz support. Thus requiring 120FPS. I don't think that AMD has great support for 3D on my monitor as well. Like I ever use 3D anyways.
 
455olds said:
Its still good for me and I think I can still get a while more out of it. It plays everything at or near max settings.
I am going to wait to see what next gen consoles have for hardware before I upgrade. Never know what those new consoles will have that could instantly outdate the best gaming pc. Not necessarily in power but some new feature like a 13 core cpu or a new dx version. There could be some new requirement that you will need to play console ports.
I bought a nice p4 setup before the xbox 360 came out and I didn't get much gaming life out of it.
Good chance new consoles could come out a year from now.
Click to expand...

It did not take that long for the average gaming computer to dwarf the performance of consoles, and you could change parts on it just like magic.

All I have heard is the consoles will all be AMD-IBM/AMD for cpu and graphics, which means you will be able to get a higher end system then the comparable console, the difference is, the consoles will have nifty features that you can only get on a console, there is always a good and bad side.

Also as far as the DX version, Any current computer handles DX9-DX11 openCL-openGL and such, whereas the consoles only handle DX9 currently, I highly highly doubt this becoming an issue, in regards to needing new requirments to play ports, this has not been an issue in the past, the issue was always the consoles needed to tone down to effectively play games from PC ported to console, not the other way round.
 
dragonstongue said:
It did not take that long for the average gaming computer to dwarf the performance of consoles, and you could change parts on it just like magic.

All I have heard is the consoles will all be AMD-IBM/AMD for cpu and graphics, which means you will be able to get a higher end system then the comparable console, the difference is, the consoles will have nifty features that you can only get on a console, there is always a good and bad side.

Also as far as the DX version, Any current computer handles DX9-DX11 openCL-openGL and such, whereas the consoles only handle DX9 currently, I highly highly doubt this becoming an issue, in regards to needing new requirments to play ports, this has not been an issue in the past, the issue was always the consoles needed to tone down to effectively play games from PC ported to console, not the other way round.
Click to expand...
It was a issue in the past. I had a newer high end computer that was instantly outdated by the xbox 360 and the computer could not be upgraded. It was a waste of money,I would have liked to get more life out of it.
The next console will be built to last a lot of years and could have a new feature that could outdate our current setups. Just like 360 did in the past.
 
well, I do not think that will happen again. Also, most of us get computers that can easily be upgraded, as far as a new cpu another gpu more memory etc. If you get a mid range or lower end system that cannot upgrade, or for example, you got said system from dell or whatever, and in the best of days has little to no room to upgrade, well.

I guess its just that, knowing what could happen, make sure your system has at least some room for expansion, and you`ll be fine.

I do not know what you mean by
"The next console will be built to last a lot of years and could have a new feature that could outdate our current setups. Just like 360 did in the past."

Any decent gaming rig was very much able to keep up with the 360 as far as outright performance.
dual core cpu-at least a decently mid-top end gpu-4gb or so of system ram etc, there was no instantly outdated, and within 6 months after its release, if I recall, PC were easily able to regain the lead in performance.
 
dragonstongue said:
well, I do not think that will happen again. Also, most of us get computers that can easily be upgraded, as far as a new cpu another gpu more memory etc. If you get a mid range or lower end system that cannot upgrade, or for example, you got said system from dell or whatever, and in the best of days has little to no room to upgrade, well.

I guess its just that, knowing what could happen, make sure your system has at least some room for expansion, and you`ll be fine.

I do not know what you mean by
"The next console will be built to last a lot of years and could have a new feature that could outdate our current setups. Just like 360 did in the past."

Any decent gaming rig was very much able to keep up with the 360 as far as outright performance.
dual core cpu-at least a decently mid-top end gpu-4gb or so of system ram etc, there was no instantly outdated, and within 6 months after its release, if I recall, PC were easily able to regain the lead in performance.
Click to expand...
I meant the next gen console will be built to last 8+ years so if there is some new requirement for future games it will be included.
Even if you have room for expansion there could be something new to make current computers or video cards obsolete. Last time you needed a new socket to upgrade to multi core cpu.
 
well, I suppose you can look at this multiple ways. PC will always have more games, will always have a much larger selection of parts, software etc. True consoles may come out with different things to make you "want" them, but they def will not come out with a new "spec" that instantly makes PC obsolete, seeing as they are and will be built using customized PC parts. They can only generally offer somehting currently in the market.

Look at the PS3 as an example, the Cell processor was one of a kind, and cost an arm and leg to develop compared to the way the 360 was made, they were both ground breaking in the way they were designed, but they most certainly did not make the average gaming computer obsolete, and they definately did not bring anything to the table as far as "requirments" to make playing new games impossible.

Can roll around this multiple ways, I guess its just this, Nintendo, MS, and sony, will all be making thier next gen systems based on AMD and AMD/IBM components, they will be "modern" but not futuristic in comparison to when the 360/ps3 were released. If anything, I have a feeling AMD will be trying to keep things on a level playing field to make it easier for devs, and not leaving themselves or thier customers in a pickle for the long run.

PS3 and 360 were also built to last a long time, but they were also outpaced very fast in just hardware alone, nevermind capabilities compared to PC. I suppose its simple as this -you want to play with the better toys, you have to put the older ones down. It sux, but its no different with any technology really, and to top it off, I do not think MS or Sony are stupid enough to lose $ like they did with thier previous consoles, so they will not be raising the bar nearly as much as they did with previous gen, they cant afford to do so(ask sony) and most customers are in no position to afford $600 consoles again with the way the market currently is. I think they will take a good performance boost, but not much beyond that, it simply is not worth it. If they are comparable to modern gaming systems, then they will be a fair amount more powerfull then last gen consoles and "good enough" to last quite a few years.

Hell I know folks gaming on dual core systems with Nvidia 8k gpu still i.e comparable to ps3 and 360 level performance from years ago.
 
Sold my 5870s during the bitcoin craze for more than they were worth. Turned around and bought a couple of 6950s for less than half what I made.
 
Next year will be a good time to upgrade because new consoles will also get released - which brings more performance intensive games for the PC as well.

5870 ~ 7850 in terms of performance so it is still relevant at this time

I am waiting for the next gen GPUs and Haswell myself.
 
Also still running my 5870 (non-official ghz edition... :D ) since launch. Added a 5830 cheap a year and half, or so ago. Was originally for bitcoins, but after I stopped (unfortunate, but was very profitable) it became it's occasional asymmetrical crossfire partner.

Decided to skip the 7970 after the 6GB version was not a 6 dp edition.

Maybe I'll go for a 8xxx, will see.
 
I'm still running a 5870 and have debated getting a 7950 if I can find one for a good price. I cant justify spending $400 for the 7970 with only one monitor, and I've seen some good deals on the 7950 locally ($225 on craigslist). I'm hoping the 8xxx series will bring down the 7xxx prices a bit, or introduce something at the ~$250 price point that puts the 5870 to shame.
 
I'm running an HD 5850 and I've decided to wait for the 8000 series. I just upgraded to gaming at 1920x1200 and the 5850 is still pushing the games I play at acceptable levels, so I'm in no hurry.
 
upgraded to a 5870 about 2 months ago to a 7970. Was definitely worth it. especially now with the ref cards price drop.
 
Mines been great too and the only thing I can't play on max settings is BF3. I can play Crysis, Metro (DOF off) and everything else tho at max with frame rates in the mid 30's and I turn down BF3 one tick to the 2nd highest settings and I'm in the upper 40's and lower 50's.

I would like to overclock so I could get some higher frame rates but I can't make myself pull the trigger cause the minimum I'd consider to be a worthwhile upgrade would be the 7950 or GTX670 so I think I'm gonna wait til the 8000 cards come out and then pick up a 7970 when they get down to $300. I bought this 5870 for $200 when he 6000's launched and it was $400 a couple months before! AMD has a nice habbit of dropping last gen prices when the new stuff comes out. Nvidia not so much. Hell I think GTX580's are still over $400 last I looked!

So yeah, wait for 8000's to release and pick up 7970 on fire sale.
 
The 5870 still providers alot of power. I was able to run basically any game with mostly high/ultra settings at 1920x1200.

If it weren't for my coworker offering to sell me his 7970 with a Swiftech waterblock for $300, I'd still have a 5870 and I'm pretty sure I'd still be happy with it.

I'd hold out til the 8xxx cards.
 
Wait for 8xxx. I sold my 5870 and went to a 5850, I still don't feel the hurt in most cases. Every time I look at upgrading I eventually decide its not worth the jump at all right now.
 
I had the itch a month ago, ditched my 5870 for 7950. Happy with everything so far, just needed the extra memory for the catleap I'll be getting soon.
 
I'd say wait for it! That's what I'm doing, was feeling the itch as well with these price drops.
 
HD5870 was good enough in handling BF3 at high settings,
I got my HD5870 last nov and upgraded to the HD7970 this summer due to a good deal along with the games which I later sold and lower the cost on getting the HD7970.

I say you should get the HD7970 when a deals pops up. You could get the 8xxx if you plan on paying the high price prem.
 
i have a 5850 and my upgrade path i think will totally depend on pricing during boxing day sales. If there is a good price for a 7870/79xx cards, i'll upgrade. If not, i will wait for the 8xxx series then. Of course, 1 big thing for me though is that my rez is just 1680x1050 so i really don't have to upgrade at all lol.
 
Couldnt wait any longer, orderd a MSI Radeon HD 7970 Lightning BE-Twin Frozr IV to go with my IB @ 4400Mhz.
 
What about 5850 or 5870 in crossfire? Anyone running this setup on these new games like FarCry 3 or Assassins Creed 3? I've ran an overclocked 5850 for 3 years now and have been able to play most games at decent settings. But seems the 5850 has finally shown its age with FarCry 3. Thinking about upgrading to the nvidia 680. But I can also pick up another 5850 on ebay or forums for about 100 bucks. Haven't really kept current with crossfire tech in last 3 years so has compatibilty aand scalability improved? Would be real nice if I can run Farcry 3 at 1080p with ultra settings with a 5850 crossfire setup.
 
I went from a 5870 to a 7970 and it's a great upgrade. It's fast as shit in comparison. I had my 5870 OC to 950/1200 (the E6 edition has shitty mem that cant overclock) and my 7970 is at 1070/1400 and it like night and day. Though I am running eyefinity and indeed need an upgrade.
 
i thought of upgrading to a 7970 early this year, but had to put this on hold due to relocating and other expenses. now with the next generation cards on the horizon,skipping the 7k series seems the better option. i'm more an oldschool fps fan anyway, so this upgrade isn't urgent. i'll also swap my 1090t for haswell, and full hd for 1440p @ 120hz, at which point upgrading from the trusty 5870 becomes necessary (xfx @ 880 mhz, served me well for almost 3 years now)
 
I am still waiting. It makes no sense since I am running two setups with crossfire (5850 and 5870). I can always lower my resolution from 2560x1600 and the games run just fine.
 
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