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1080p upgrade advice from HD5850

Mockingbird

Mockingbird

Mockingbird

Associate
Joined
21 Jun 2011
Posts
1,448
Hello,

I'm running an i5 3570k system at the moment.

Oldest thing is my GPU - it's a HIS brand HD5850 1Gig.

I play on a single 1080p monitor and don't plan to change that any time soon, but am starting to feel the age of the card in games like FC3.

My previous thread on this:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18469288
was back in December.

Having replaced the various car bits and saved up again, I'm once more considering the upgrade.

Questions:
7870LE Still the best bet, in terms of bang-for-buck?
7950 - would this likely be longer-lasting due to higher memory bus width?
There's a B-grade 7970 on OCUK - worth the extra given it's probably not overclockable (and probably no 'never settle' bundle either)? I'd have to not eat for a bit to raise the extra, but if it's worth it maybe I'll find a way. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-302-GI

Any suggested alternatives, including any from the Nvidia camp?

I'd mostly like to keep the budget below £200 if I can, unless there's a real compelling reason or massive bargain.

My previous thread ended with "guess I'll wait for the 8000 series" but since that's still not emerging, I guess we aren't going to see anything new until the PS4 arrives, and FC3 was enough to make my current card choke a tad at times, so I'd rather not wait another 6 months.
 
If I save a bit more, I think that's doable.

A 3Gb 7950 should last me a good long while then I take it? (lack of crystal ball not withstanding)

Any particular models to either aim for or avoid?

Assuming I can find a deal on whatever model once I've saved up, I'm most likely to try HIS as a brand I've used before and trust, unless there are other recommendations.
 
I'm in a very similar situation (i5-2500k w/ 5850), and came close to buying the MSI card when it was this price a couple of weeks ago but was ultimately put off by reports of the diode problem. Now that's supposedly been fixed, it certainly looks like the best value card with a better-than-stock cooling solution.

So now I'm very tempted, but I don't see any mention of the Never Settle bundle here or for any other card - is the promotion still running? The small print on this page seems to suggest it is, it just seems suspicious that all mention of it seems to have been suddenly erased everywhere.
 
Or ask in CS, but it might be too late for a reply.

Afaik, it's an AMD promotion, if OcUK have any left, I imagine you would get the codes(as MSI was one of the promotion vendors that qualified) but if it's a deal breaker then it's best to find out first.
 
I emailed to clarify and it sounds like it's a no unless the games are included in the description, which they now seems to be for everything else, so it isn't such a good value proposition anymore.

If it's the HIS you're after then, as of posting this, there's a single B-Grade IceQ Boost left for £170 (there were two but I just bought the other), by most accounts it's the marginally better card though RMA could potentially be more difficult.
 
Sounds like me, I keep thinking I will wait for the 8000 series but keep getting impatient and wondering whats the best to get
 
Some bloke said:
I emailed to clarify and it sounds like it's a no unless the games are included in the description, which they now seems to be for everything else, so it isn't such a good value proposition anymore.

If it's the HIS you're after then, as of posting this, there's a single B-Grade IceQ Boost left for £170 (there were two but I just bought the other), by most accounts it's the marginally better card though RMA could potentially be more difficult.
Click to expand...

skylineboy said:
get the HIS!! ^^^
Click to expand...

Damnit, saw this at the weekend and was too slow to get to a PC.

/sigh, guess I'll keep watching the sales!
 
HD 7950 all the time and everyday for 1080p. Avoid XFX.
Alternatively, GTX 670 but only if Physx is important to you or you want it. Otherwise HD 7950 and overclock it.
Big price difference between the two too.
 
Looks like I'm settled on saving a bit more cash and getting a 7950.

I'm set on a 3Gb model, so now I just need to choose the brand (hence writing here, looking for tips) and exact model, and wait for a sale. You say avoid XFX - any particular reason?

I notice OCUK has TWO boost HIS HD7950's - the IceQ model and the IceQ X2 model - how much difference does the cooler redesign make? I can't seem to find any head-to-heads.

My case is a venerable Centurion 5 (Coolermaster) and can accomodate a decent size graphics card, but frankly if it interferes I can just take a hacksaw to the lower drive cage, so that shouldn't (touch wood) be an issue - I WOULD however prefer a cooling solution that exhausts air from the case if possible.
 
Mockingbird said:
Damnit, saw this at the weekend and was too slow to get to a PC.

/sigh, guess I'll keep watching the sales!
Click to expand...
Not the first time I've seen the HIS 7950 B-grade at £170. The only concern is that once the 90 days warranty with OcUK over, you'd have to get in touch with HIS yourself for RMA and would most likely need to send your card to them half way across the globe...and also not really sure how well do HIS deal with customer RMA directly.

If it was a Gigabyte WindForce 7950 at the price, then there's less to worry about as Gigabyte got UK RMA based in Milton Keynes.
 
Mockingbird said:
Looks like I'm settled on saving a bit more cash and getting a 7950.

I'm set on a 3Gb model, so now I just need to choose the brand (hence writing here, looking for tips) and exact model, and wait for a sale. You say avoid XFX - any particular reason?
Click to expand...

Really bad for warranty purposes. I have not experienced them myself but people have had problems trying to RMA their cards with XFX. I have an MSI 7950, cant fault it. Gigabyte are good too. HIS will do a decent job.
 
Hello folks - I've got a short-term offer of a brand new boxed

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Tahiti Boost Edition 3GB GDDR5

for £225.59 including VAT, comes with the never settle bundle (bioshock + crysis version).

I won't say where, as it's not OCUK (who are of course my preferred vendor, all things being equal).

It seems to be a reference cooler Boost edition.

Would you say that's worth it? Or should I wait for one of the non-reference solutions to go on sale? (Windforce, IceQ, Vapor-X etc)
 
Its a good price, comes with the games too so not bad at all. You might as well pull the trigger and buy if your happy. Try asking OCUK if they will price match.. you never know they might just be willing :)
 
I'd check if that retailer would handle the RMA directly for the full duration of warranty period...otherwise if your card crap out on you after the 1st year, you would have to RMA the card to Hong Kong (if I'm not mistaken) yourself.
 
Actually, looking at the models OCUK are offering instead...
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-190-MS&tool=3

MSI = quality manufacturer
New revisions = none of that diode/fan speed issue previously seen
Comes with Bioshock never settle bundle - tick
twin Frozr 3 cooler - stupid spelling, but AFAIK a good cooler
3 year warranty
960Mhz core speed out the box (Higher than HIS Ice-Q x2 OR Windforce 3)
only £239.99

I must be missing something - is this one just SO much better a deal than the others, or is something amiss? Is it just a dropped price due to the issues seen in the previous edition? It just seems excellent value.
 
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