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Possible upgrade from 7850, need advice!

LukieBoy007

LukieBoy007

LukieBoy007

Soldato
Joined
4 Apr 2012
Posts
2,561
Location
England
Hi,

I've been thinking about upgrading from my current 7850 as I just have the itch to upgrade. :D

I did stop playing games regularly for a few good months (got quite bored of what was out there) but I've started playing again and I now play a lot of Arma 3 as well as quite a bit of Assassins Creed 4. Also a bit of Titanfall on the side. As well as this, I'm willing to start playing BF4 again but the last time I played it (a few months ago) it was still a shambles but hey ho I've spent money on it so I may as well give it another go, especially with Mantle.

I hadn't really looked into it that much, apart from today when I noticed the 290x on sale and after looking around for a couple of hours it seems the 290 (non-X card) is a much better price/performance card than the X version? I have seen the MSI R9 290 for £299.99, would it be wise to go for that card?

It would also be worth noting I game at 1080p and have a Corsair CX500W PSU, which I'm curious as to whether it would handle the 290 or not.

Should I go ahead and grab the 290?

Thanks for any help! :)
 
Wouldn't trust a cx500 with a 290 set up. You'd think it should be able to handle it but if you take a look at the amperage on the 12v rail and what 290s can peak up to, you would think twice about the combination.
 
You'd need a new PSU for either a R9 290 or HD 7850 crossfire, I had a XFX 550w PSU and it went bad after having them run on it for a few months.
 
Wouldn't get the 290 now...

You can change the stock cooler on the 7850 to a aftermarket one and OC it.

The stock cooler of the r9 290s are really crap for air cooling
 
Thanks for the replies!

I don't really want to crossfire, I'd rather stick with a single card. In response to the question about overclocking, I already have my 7850 at 1050/1200.

Looks like the 290 is out the picture then seeing as I'd need a new PSU as well. Seems like a 280x is the way to go then.
 
I went from a 7850 @ 1050MHz to a 280X and it was a pretty good jump. If your thinking of a 280X+ I'd wait and keep a eye out for any good deals then grab one.

Another thing to do in the mean time, if you where going to wait, could be to overclock even further. My 7850 went a bit higher than 1050MHz even on stock volts.
 
BS Dave said:
Get a 2nd hand 7970 you could probably pick one up for £140 quid
Click to expand...
I'll have a look around, although I'm not sure if I want to go second hand.

thefogo said:
Yeah :)
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Great, thanks!

Smoogels said:
I went from a 7850 @ 1050MHz to a 280X and it was a pretty good jump. If your thinking of a 280X+ I'd wait and keep a eye out for any good deals then grab one.

Another thing to do in the mean time, if you where going to wait, could be to overclock even further. My 7850 went a bit higher than 1050MHz even on stock volts.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was thinking if I got a 290 then it would last me a good few years (longer than a 280x at least), but that would involve buying a new PSU as well so I may just go with a 280x instead.
In terms of overclocking, in the last few days I've tried upping it from 1050/1200 and it worked for a bit on 1050/1300 but then ultimately crashed. I also tried 1100/1200 and it wouldn't work no where near as long as the 1050/1300 did. I may have to up the voltage, but I don't really know where to begin with voltage changes.
 
i got a 2nd hand r9 280x for £160 delivered yesterday. 3 gig OC asus version to replace my 7850 when it's out of storage. runs off a silentpro 550 w psu.
 
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