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Need a replacement for a 5870

Judgeneo

Judgeneo

Judgeneo

Soldato
Joined
15 May 2010
Posts
10,111
Location
Out of Coventry
I've had my GPU for about 3 1/2 years and its starting to have serious heat issues.

I've had to turn on more case fans to stop it bombing out during video, and games are out of the question. So I need a replacement


I'm no longer in the market for bleeding edge games, and I don't have any manufacturer alligences. It currently drives a 720p TV and a 1080p monitor, and it will be driving my second 1080p monitor when I get some more desk space.

Ideally I want its replacement to be able to drive all three screens at once. I only game on one monitor at once, so I only want a little more power than the 5870 has currently, and I want it to run quieter - particularly when idle

What are my options for various price brackets?
 
Whens the last time you gave it a good clean including a good blast of air, agree with redoing the TIM on the GPU.
 
My 5870 is in my media pc now was a great card still quite capable just 1gig of ram can be a issue, When i swopped it out i cleaned it and noticed the Tim was needed replaced + the thermal pads had cracked and were flaking. With new TIM new pads easy dropped 20c off the temps gaming even in a far more cramped case.
If it does what you need i'd suggest a good disassemble and clean replace TIM etc
 
I think the minimum price range you would be looking at is £130. There are basically 3 three tiers of cards which could be of interest to you.

£130-170 - R9 270/R9 270x

£230-270 - GTX 770/R9 280X

£330-£370 - R9 290/GTX 780

Judgeneo said:
Ideally I want its replacement to be able to drive all three screens at once. I only game on one monitor at once, so I only want a little more power than the 5870 has currently, and I want it to run quieter - particularly when idle
Click to expand...

Given what you stated, I would think that the best option would be to go for an overclocked 270X as it should give you an appreciable jump over the 5870 (up to 50% performance improvement) and best value for money.

Perusing the different models, the Sapphire R9 270X Boost 2GB and the MSi R9 270X OC Gaming Edition 2GB seem like the go to choices in the range, both with a decent factory overclock and both with large non-reference coolers which should improve quietness.

Here is a rough guide to 5870 vs. R9 270X. Keep in mind the R9 270X in those results are at stock clocks; the above cards will be faster. Also the temperature and noise scores for the 270X will be better with the above cards as they have non-reference cooling.

If you did want to step up to the next tier, a 280X would pretty much give you double the performance of a 5870. There is a great MSi 280X Gaming Edition for £236 when it comes back in stock.
 
Today I'll receive my new tri-x 290 as an upgrade to my aging 5870. I felt the old 5870 wasn't keeping up @ all any more and just bit the bullet.

I fired up dayz the other day (after being out of the country for months not being able to use my PC) 75c pretty quickly and the fan spinning super fast. I just took it out, cleaned it out and it dropped the temps by a good 10c.
 
I didn't realise replacing the TIM could have that much effect. I'll order some new TIM and do that over the weekend.

I've never opened up a GPU before, what should I be aware of compared to say replacing the TIM on a GPU?

If that fails I'll probably just have to buy a 270X, thanks for the comparison ArchAndroid
 
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