• Competitor rules

    Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.

Is it worth it? (7870)

Rhyswh

Rhyswh

Rhyswh

Associate
Joined
10 Jan 2012
Posts
806
Hi, I've been off this forum for a while now (technically this is a good thing because it means I've had no problems since completing my build a year a go!!) but I have decided that I would like to get my self a GPU!

Just to give you a a bit of background, I built my computer last year all for making music and had no intention of playing games so I didn't bother with a GPU. After seeing how cheap some games are on Steam I think it might be a good investment! Games that I like to play like COD and Battelfield 3 I will always get on my xbox (because I'm rubbish on the PC!!) but for the extra games that I buy just to try it out then I think it would be ideal for my PC.

So I was thinking of either the HD 7850 or the HD 7870. I don't want to spend loads on one as I'm not a serious PC gamer but would like a half decent one! Is the 7870 worth the extra money?

I've heard that the 7850 is very good when you overclock it, how easy is this??

Thanks.
 
What kind of games do you want to play?

If it's the older games, or more simplistic xbox arcade type games off Steam then you can go with a cheap card. If your after the more serious kind of games then it gets more expensive. Although that said I am still playing most things maxed out on a 480 SOC...but I am also waiting for the new AMD's and then upgrading.
 
Not sure to be honest! Just everything that's not COD, Battlefield and UFC I guess. It's just for the second hand games I buy for £12 - £20 on the xbox that you can get for £5 on PC! I already have Bad Company 2 on PC although I've never played it!! Would like to see how I get on with it and you never know I might convert to PC player! Although I will be getting the xbox one!!!
 
1080p. Thanks for adding the controller lol although I've already got a wired one it sure would help a PC Gaming noob!!! Just a quick question, how much of a disadvantage would I be at against a good PC player with my controller?

How easy is it to overclock a GPU?
 
Suppose it depends on how good you are and how bad your opponent is, for instance i am a casual gamer and not very good, so you will probably wipe the floor with me. :D

Some people are deadly with a mouse and keyboard though.

Here is massive thread on overclocking a 7850.
 
I'm pretty good with a controller, so if I was to come across a pretty good mouse and keyboard player would he be better?!? I'm not going to lie, I like doing well in games......and hate doing badly lol so I just don't want to go from my xbox where I do quite well to the PC and just get destroyed by everyone!!

I've looked at that post a few times but couldn't see where he said how to do it!!! Then I realised it says in big bold yellow writing "see post #11!!"

So I guess the next question is, is an overclocked 7850 better than a stock 7870?
 
Rhyswh said:
At the moment the 7850 is £119 *B grade* so I just thought it might be worth it if it overclocks well,
Click to expand...
Do bare in mind B-Grade cards only has 90 days warranty with OcUK, and after that period, it would be the whatever warranty remain with the manufacturer (in this case, it is usually start counting from the date of manufacture). If it is brand with UK RMA base such as Gigabyte, then it wouldn't be to bad...but if it is other brand, you might need to RMA it to Netherlands, or even Asia area such as Hong Kong, Taiwan etc...which would be a pain in the rear.

You'd better off try getting a new 7850 (which has full warranty- some with 1 year warranty with retailer and remaining with manufactuer; some with the entire duration of the warranty with the retailer) and enjoy the free games come with it.
 
freddie64 said:
If you do go for 7870, maybe consider this

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D HD 7870 Black Boost Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £199.99
Total : £210.79 (includes shipping : £9.00).




Is supposed to be very close to a 7950 (after overclocking).

Usually is on offer though, so if your not buying right now.....
Click to expand...

Rhyswh said:
what's the difference between that and the saphire one?
Click to expand...

It uses the same chip as the HD7950/70.

Just a warning though, I went from a Powercolor HD7870XT(the same card but different branding) to a HD7950.
an overclocked 7870XT @ 1150/1600 matched the HD7950 overclocked at 100/1300 but at those speeds the HD7870XT do get hot and quite noisy.
You start noticing the difference when you turn up the AA in games though, I noticed this in Batman AC and using the TresFX in Tomb Raider.
 
If budget is top on the list a 7850 2gb is all you need tbh,I've yet to find a game that it struggles with,maybe a little on farcry3 but you can adjust the settings to suit without losing any enjoyment,overclocking is easy as moving the sliders in ccc,and even higher clocks with a mild voltage tweak in sapphire trixx

I have no major gaming issues with mine @ 1050/1375 clocks

If of coarse you can bag a 7870xt or even a 7950 for not much more then go for it,but the 7850 esp using latest beta drivers will serve you well,plus it runs very cool n quiet
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom