Out of the loop, Best Mid-Range GPU?

CaptainMorgan

CaptainMorgan

[H]ollywood
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Aug 31, 2007
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Hi guys,

Just need to know what your choice in the $100-150 range would be and also if its better than my GTX 280. I dont do heavy gaming on the PC, but if the card helps decode HD video, that would be a plus (sorry if that sounds stupid).

Im not looking to gain a ton of performance (although if that happens, I wouldn't be surprised with the age of the 280).

The only reason i am looking is because im starting to notice problems with my current card, and its on its way out.
 
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+1 for the 6870, if you wait for the right deal / rebates you get it for around 110...example the newegg deal w/ deus and sho gun...155 AR, sell each games for 30-40 cost about 110...cant beat that ...
 
I see it lists that card as being PCI-E 2.1, will it still work with my 965P DS3 Mobo?

Also, any big difference between this and this?
 
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PCIe 2.1 is backwards compatible, so you can use the cards in older mobos.

If you game at 1680x1050, then a 6850 is fine too ($130AR). The 6790 is mostly ok, but IMO the 6850 and 6870 offer better value. If you like Nvidia better, the Zotac GTX 560 (non-Ti) can be had for $155 AR from Newegg.
 
How bad are the issues and who is the maker of the 280? There is not a huge difference between the 280 and 6870 either as seen here (285 in 280's place). If the card can hold a bit longer you maybe able to get a new AMD card coming out this fall that will actually be a real upgrade in the pricing bracket.
 
Sadly in the mid range market you have the GTX 550 Ti GTX 560 Non Ti and to me it seems that the AMD 6850 and 6870 are better offerings for the price. It depends on rebates and where the sales put the prices but usually I find it hard for nvidia offerings to beat amd here.

If your using a GTX 280 you may want to wait a little for newer cards to come out. Some rumors point to AMD releasing their mid range cards first as soon as a month or 2.
 
I just picked up a 6870 with the rebate deal a couple weeks back. Good bang for the buck card. Played Deus Ex HR on max settings DX11 no problem.

It's much quieter than my previous 4890 and has been solid so far.

My bro has a 6850 he purchased last November and it's been solid for him, he's also playing some Deus Ex HR and before that, Batman Arkham, Call of Duty, Dragone Age 1 and 2 and Mass Effect 2 and really likes the performance.
 
If you can stretch a bit, the 560Ti can be found for $200 and slightly under with rebates ($199 here for decent models in Canada so I assume the same in US). I went from a GTX280 to a 560Ti and it was a big upgrade, even with my old CPU.
 
" better than my GTX 280. I dont do heavy gaming on the PC, but if the card helps decode HD video, that would be a plus (sorry if that sounds stupid)."

You want a Nvidia based card such as a gtx460 for 130$ AR. This card is factory overclocked past 6850 speeds for games, and another plus that Cuda accelerates video encoding.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133326
 
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happymedium said:
" better than my GTX 280. I dont do heavy gaming on the PC, but if the card helps decode HD video, that would be a plus (sorry if that sounds stupid)."

You want a Nvidia based card such as a gtx460 for 130$ AR. This card is factory overclocked past 6850 speeds for games, and another plus that Cuda accelerates video encoding.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133326
Click to expand...

He said DECODE HD video, not encode. Also, CUDA encoding produces huge files with good quality, or small file with completely crap quality. AMD's GPU encoding does much better; still no match for x264, but not nearly as junk as CUDA.

Encoding video on GPUs is a joke.
 
iconiK said:
He said DECODE HD video, not encode. Also, CUDA encoding produces huge files with good quality, or small file with completely crap quality. AMD's GPU encoding does much better; still no match for x264, but not nearly as junk as CUDA.

Encoding video on GPUs is a joke.
Click to expand...

Oh my bad, decode it is. and the gtx460 pre-overclocked is still the best choice for 130$AR.
 
@happymedium and iconiK - if you dont have a link to back it up, it's not the best.

That said, go with whatever is cheaper and in your budget. I would vote for the the 6870. 68xx series are ok. The 4xx were a bit gimped, that's why you have the 5xx series now for Nvidia, which if you can go for, would be better.

In your price range, the 6850 is probably the best value for you, since it trumps the non OCed 460 in pretty much everything and costs less, so it would be my bang for buck recommendation.

Go through the review and see what games you play and how it will affect you.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/amds-radeon-6870-6850-renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market
 
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6850 is a good choice (as mentioned above). Also look for good prices on gtx460's and non-ti 560s.
 
Megalomaniac said:
@happymedium and iconiK - if you dont have a link to back it up, it's not the best.

That said, go with whatever is cheaper and in your budget. I would vote for the the 6870. 68xx series are ok. The 4xx were a bit gimped, that's why you have the 5xx series now for Nvidia, which if you can go for, would be better.

In your price range, the 6850 is probably the best value for you, since it trumps the non OCed 460 in pretty much everything and costs less, so it would be my bang for buck recommendation.

Go through the review and see what games you play and how it will affect you.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/amds-radeon-6870-6850-renewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market
Click to expand...



The gtx4601gb I linked is overclocked 10% out of the box and cost the same.
SO in this case the 6850 is not the better card .

If you overclock both cards the gtx460 will destroy it.
First google hit..
http://www.google.com/search?q=Harw...e7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=&oe=

Game , set , match. :)
 
i currently have a NVIDIA 285, and thinking of upgrading for BF3, but not really sure what to go with. Is the 480 the card i should go with?
 
I really like the 6870. I haven't found something I can't max settings on yet. I'm sure there are, but I haven't found any yet.
 
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