6850 or 5850

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pboy207

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 4, 2011
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Hi,

I'm currently upgrading my 4850 video card. I was thinking about the 5850 or the 6850. I would like to know which one I should get. I'm currently using a 22" monitor w/ 1680X1050 resolution. I also have a 32" 1080p lcd tv which I was thinking about using as well. Will either of these cards work? If so, which one would be better? Are there any other recommended cards? Other relevant info is the computer is using Q6600 cpu. Will that be a bottleneck when using these cards? All input appreciated.
 
both cards will work marvelously at 1680x1050 or 1366x768. The 5850 is a bit faster, especially when the two cards are compared overclocked, but looses a little bit on tessellation and lesser features (3D support, etc). Your Q6600 should not bottleneck either card if you run it over 3.0ghz.

After getting a 460gtx for my rig in sig, and sending it back due to DPC latency problems and stuttering (problem with some 775 chipsets and that card), i was going to get a 6850 but got a sweet deal on a nearly new 5850 Twin Frozr instead. Kickass card
 
Thanks Mokkat for the response. I'm glad to know that my current processor won't be a bottleneck. As far as running games on a 1080p lcd tv, will the 5850 or 6850 still be a good option? Also how important is the better tessellation on the 6850?
 
oh lol, how did I miss the "1080p" :p

either card will be adequate at 1920x1080, if you dont pump the AA.
For a better experience at 1080p you'd probably need a better system before going with a bigger card than 5850, 6850, or maybe 6870.

The improved tessellation on the 6850 is dismissable, if you get it over the 5850 it will be because of the details: improved tess+lower wattage/1x6 pin need+newer features+newer (maybe better supported) tech - or the way better argument: if it is cheaper
 
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I think the 6850 would be the best decision. Two of these on my rig cranks out the eye candy nicely. Also, I think they are less expensive too. Keep in mind 2 6850's will keep up with 1 580 GTX @ $100 more and 6970 @ the same price easily. The Eyefinity is a little iffy in BFBC2 according to another poster on this forum but one monitor @ 1080p it rocks.
 
Well, I view them as basically the same. Just get the XFX 6850 for $165 on ebay after rebate.
 
As most people have said the 5850 is a little faster it just depends on what you want to do game wise and if you want to get a second card to crossfire.
The 5850 is a really good overclocker and you can get a good 20-30% performance boost if you have any idea what you are doing. I have my stable way past the clock speeds of the 5870 at 1000core and 1250 memory.
However if you were planing on getting a second I would go for the 6850 simple because the crossfire has much better scaling.
 
5850 hands down. At the end of the day, its the faster card.
 
5850 is faster when you compare them at equal resolutions & features.. Thing is thats not the best way to compare them since the morph AA in the 6850 Means it doesnt need the same level of AA to achieve better quality.. Giving a definite advantage to the 6850 over the 5850..

Essentially its doing more with less.. So who cares about the fact that your paying for less when your actually getting more.. bwahahaha that kinda confused me so if you diddnt get it ignore this post.
 
On newegg there is a 5850 that is cheaper than the least expensive 6850 after rebates and shipping is tallied. 5850 is faster than 6850 but do you plan to add a 2nd card later or just get whatever is new when this purchase becomes slow?
 
I just bought the 6850 waiting on shipping. I did consider the 5850, but the 6850 has some advantages in saving power. MSAA, and Tesselation. It too can overclock well and going from a radeon 3870 to this will be night an day. I think with you, you could wait around longer, but if you have the money at hand and willing to spend it, you may want to spend a little more and go with the 6870. I only say this because I think it would benefit you more as you use 1080P resolution and would feel more of an upgrade.
 
samuelmorris said:
By 3%. Great. Sure was worth it for the extra cost, extra PCIe 6-pin connector and 25W of power used... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Actually its closer to 10%. Not a huge deal but still faster. And it uses 17 watts more under full load with Furmark, and 7 watts more during gaming. Dont really care about needing an extra PCIE connector. My power supply has about 50 of them.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/...renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/1

Cheapest 5850 if $185 shipped at the Egg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103085

Cheapest 6850 is $180 shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131374

So thats roughly 5-10% faster performance for $5. Cant go wrong with either card as they are pretty close but as I said, at the end of the day the 5850 is the faster card. Worth $5 to me so I vote 5850.
 
Yeah, I've had to adjust the standings of the 6 series vs. the 5 series in light of the driver changes. It's about a 10-12% drop for each now, at least at 1920x1200, which is where the cards are really designed for.
 
bastage said:
5850 is faster when you compare them at equal resolutions & features.. Thing is thats not the best way to compare them since the morph AA in the 6850 Means it doesnt need the same level of AA to achieve better quality.. Giving a definite advantage to the 6850 over the 5850..

Essentially its doing more with less.. So who cares about the fact that your paying for less when your actually getting more.. bwahahaha that kinda confused me so if you diddnt get it ignore this post.
Click to expand...

MLAA is available to the 58xx cards too. Not sure how the performance compares though, the 5850 has alot more stream processors but the ones on the 6850 are more efficient.

Also, MLAA performance is hit or miss, very taxing in one game, no change in others (SC2 for instance) - and it blurs text :)
 
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Thanks everyone for the responses. From what I'm reading here and other forums. If price equal between the two, you would choose:

5850 - If not crossfiring. Best performance if using a single card.

6850- If planning on crossifiring, future proofing as more games start taking advantage of dx-11 and tesselation. Less power consumption, cooler temps.

Now, it gets a little more complicated. Newegg now has the xfx 6870 for $180. If I can find the 5850 and 6850 for $160, would it be better to get the 6870 for the $20 difference? I know XFX has the double warranty, but are they good quality wise? I thought I've read reviews where there was a lot of DOA's and issues with their other cards. Should this be a concern?

Also, if I did get a 5850, it would be the Asus 5850 Direct CU as it seems to be rated the best overall as far as OC, temps, and noise. If I OC this card, wouldn't I get the almost the same performance or better of a 6870?

I won't be crossfiring , at least not now, it could be possible in future.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
 
samuelmorris said:
Yeah, I've had to adjust the standings of the 6 series vs. the 5 series in light of the driver changes. It's about a 10-12% drop for each now, at least at 1920x1200, which is where the cards are really designed for.
Click to expand...


Could you elaborate on this. What driver changes have there been? And are you saying performance wise both cards dropped 12% with 1900X1200 resolution? Do you have a link where this is discussed? Also you said you would have adjust your standings, does that mean your no longer recommending the 6850 between the two?
 
To the OP, really either one would benefit you with an upgrade and give you twice the performance. I had the Radeon 3870 and upgraded to the 6850 and in all my benchmarks depending on game I got 2x or more performance from it, very happy with it. I'm going to say the 5850 is that in between the 6850 and 6870 in performance. I was seriously considering the 5850, but went with this because I liked the Gigabyte dual fan. Anyway, whatever you pic I'm sure you'll be happy using.
 
the 6870, because there is a great xfx deal atm for $179 after MIR =-)

Otherwise, the 6850, I think there is a deal for one of those too!
 
pboy207 said:
Thanks everyone for the responses. From what I'm reading here and other forums. If price equal between the two, you would choose:

5850 - If not crossfiring. Best performance if using a single card.

6850- If planning on crossifiring, future proofing as more games start taking advantage of dx-11 and tesselation. Less power consumption, cooler temps.

Now, it gets a little more complicated. Newegg now has the xfx 6870 for $180. If I can find the 5850 and 6850 for $160, would it be better to get the 6870 for the $20 difference? I know XFX has the double warranty, but are they good quality wise? I thought I've read reviews where there was a lot of DOA's and issues with their other cards. Should this be a concern?

Also, if I did get a 5850, it would be the Asus 5850 Direct CU as it seems to be rated the best overall as far as OC, temps, and noise. If I OC this card, wouldn't I get the almost the same performance or better of a 6870?

I won't be crossfiring , at least not now, it could be possible in future.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

I run two of these in a crossfire (Asus EAH5850 DirectCU). Both overclocked to 975/1200 - better than 5870. I paid $330 few weeks ago on newegg. Otherwise get FXF6870.
 
I just picked up the 6870 and so far it seems like a pretty decent card for $180. It performs better than a 5850 and about 10% slower than a 5870 (according to most of the reviews I have seen). If there had been a reference 5870 for the same price I probably would have picked it up instead, but I am happy with my purchase.
 
pboy207 said:
Thanks everyone for the responses. From what I'm reading here and other forums. If price equal between the two, you would choose:

5850 - If not crossfiring. Best performance if using a single card.

6850- If planning on crossifiring, future proofing as more games start taking advantage of dx-11 and tesselation. Less power consumption, cooler temps.

Now, it gets a little more complicated. Newegg now has the xfx 6870 for $180. If I can find the 5850 and 6850 for $160, would it be better to get the 6870 for the $20 difference? I know XFX has the double warranty, but are they good quality wise? I thought I've read reviews where there was a lot of DOA's and issues with their other cards. Should this be a concern?

Also, if I did get a 5850, it would be the Asus 5850 Direct CU as it seems to be rated the best overall as far as OC, temps, and noise. If I OC this card, wouldn't I get the almost the same performance or better of a 6870?

I won't be crossfiring , at least not now, it could be possible in future.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

You really should go for the 6870, in my opinion it's one of the best bang for buck cards out there.
 
fenx591 said:
Im thinking about buying the 6870, will it fit in my ASUS M4A78LT-M micro atx motherboard?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131619
Click to expand...

It should be ok as long as you have enough case clearance. My 6870 is a good deal longer than my 5750 was, so when I put it in it covered part of my motherboards IDE plug (which isn't a big deal). I have a few cm clearance between the end of the card my my hard drive rack. Since the PCIE power plugs are on the side and not on the end, that wasn't an issue either.
 
Hmm [H]ard is censoring my link to Hardwarecanucks.

Anyway, go over there and locate their article under video cards that has "HD 6870 & HD 6850 vs. GTX 460 1GB: An Overclocking Study".

It might help you decide between the 6870 and 6850. A 5850 overclocks much like a 5870 when it's receiving like voltage. Still, I'd probably go for the later card. The Asus HD 6870 DirectCU is a darn good card.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...graphics-card-review-power-temp-noise-oc.html

They are down to 199 AR. I like UVD 3 as well.
 
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Thanks again everyone for the responses. I was going to get the xfx 6870 but then the deal expired. Now I see that I can get the Asus Direct CU gtx 460 1gb for $120. Given this new development, which would be the better choice 6850 or the 460? Keep in mind the 6850 is around $160 while the gtx 460 would be $120. From the rankings it seems at stock they are pretty much even. Not sure when it comes to the OC'd. What are your thoughts between the two cards?
 
pboy207 said:
Thanks again everyone for the responses. I was going to get the xfx 6870 but then the deal expired. Now I see that I can get the Asus Direct CU gtx 460 1gb for $120. Given this new development, which would be the better choice 6850 or the 460? Keep in mind the 6850 is around $160 while the gtx 460 would be $120. From the rankings it seems at stock they are pretty much even. Not sure when it comes to the OC'd. What are your thoughts between the two cards?
Click to expand...
Is the GTX 460 a 1GB or 768MB version? I'm guessing it's the 768MB so no, stick with the 6850.
 
Its hard to beat the 4601gb @ 120.00 as long as you get your rebate id go for it. They are both really neck & neck. Literally
 
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Why is that? They seem to be on par (6850 a little faster) as far as performance based on rankings.
 
5850 because it is faster at default clocks, OCs better and has better OC scaling.
 
Thanks for the response. Too late now... OOS. I took too long deciding. The search continues...
 
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