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Best bang for $300

P

Pitbully

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Messages
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Title says it, I started a new build last week, 2500k w/Z68 Asrock board. This will primarily be a gaming system, with (1) 1920x1080p 24" Monitor. My build budget is $300 for the graphics card. I don't need nor want a $5-600 card, when $300 will work fine. The way I look at it I have 2 choices, Radeon 6950 2gb, (which I can flash to 6970) or 2x 6850s in Crossfire. I have never run a crossfire rig yet, I've run an SLI rig though, (few years back I had a SLI 7900 rig). I have a 750W modular power supply that I WILL NOT be upgrading. I want something I don't have to worry about upgrading for at least a year or more. Games I play include BF3, WOW, MW3, SWTOR, Diablo 3, ect....From most of the benchmarks I've seen the Crossfire 6850s have a performance advantage, but is the crossfire set up worth it? Is my power supply up to a crossfire rig? Yes, I will be overclocking the PISS out of my 2500k and it will be on water. Any recommendations?
 
I would say either HD 6950 or GTX 570 gtx. GTX 570 can be purchased on amazon for 329 shipped. No taxes :) Love mine and plays nicely with BF3.

I would stay away from SLI or CrossFire because you might have driver problems and even heat issues.
 
Pitbully said:
Title says it, I started a new build last week, 2500k w/Z68 Asrock board. This will primarily be a gaming system, with (1) 1920x1080p 24" Monitor. My build budget is $300 for the graphics card. I don't need nor want a $5-600 card, when $300 will work fine. The way I look at it I have 2 choices, Radeon 6950 2gb, (which I can flash to 6970) or 2x 6850s in Crossfire. I have never run a crossfire rig yet, I've run an SLI rig though, (few years back I had a SLI 7900 rig). I have a 750W modular power supply that I WILL NOT be upgrading. I want something I don't have to worry about upgrading for at least a year or more. Games I play include BF3, WOW, MW3, SWTOR, Diablo 3, ect....From most of the benchmarks I've seen the Crossfire 6850s have a performance advantage, but is the crossfire set up worth it? Is my power supply up to a crossfire rig? Yes, I will be overclocking the PISS out of my 2500k and it will be on water. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

If you are sticking to 1920x1080- I whole-heartedly recommend the 6850 crossfire. I've got the exact setup currently, and I LOVE it. My friend has a 6950 as well, and in comparison, I get better performance. I've had virtually no issues with drivers or crossfire. I'm also running my system off of a seasonic x650, so your 750W should be more than sufficient. Honestly, you probably can't go wrong with EITHER choice, but don't be scared of crossfire :)
 
I would pick up a used 6970 off the FS/FT right here at the [H].
 
6950 Toxic edition (if you can find it)
or just get a real 6970 (they are ~$305 - ~$330 after small rebates)
 
Hi there,

Flyinfinni I've a question on the same topic - I have a Gigabyte OCed Radeon 6850 1GB@820MHz. I'm wondering if I should get another OCed r6850 for Crossfire setup (PSU and mobo will be fine) or if I should sell my card and get one r7870 or one Gf 560Ti for (more or less) the same money. My budget is atm below Gf570 or r7950.

It's better to get Crossfired OCed r6850 or one r7870 or one Gf560Ti (Gf570 if the price will drop) in terms of frame rates and overall experience (i.e. drivers and possible crossfire issues)?
 
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What resolution are you running? If it's 1080p or above you'll probably want something with more than 1 GB VRAM.
 
I'm running 1920x1080 (or 1080p) and while my current setup is "just fine" a few more frames per second would be appreciated in ArmA2 and Battlefield 3.
 
If you are sticking with 1080p and not planning to increase that in the near future, Id recommend the second 6850. It really did work GREAT for me- no complaints. The only reason I ended up going to a 7950 is because the 1gb of VRAM really couldn't handle my 6080x1080 eyefinity. Worked BEAUTIFULLY for a single 1080p display:)
 
Ok, thank you - I'm going to wait for the GeForce 600-series to show up in stores but I guess even one GTX660 won't be faster than a pair of OCed 6850 cards. In April I'm probably going to buy another r6850.
 
2 6850's should still blow the new cards out of the water at the same price points.
The crossfire issues are minor at best unless you MUST have the best frames on games released day 1.
 
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