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Powercolor HD 7850 PCS+ vs. MSI HD7850 OC R

Duvan

Duvan

Duvan

Associate
Joined
17 Nov 2010
Posts
113
Which of the following would you pick IF NOT OC:ing? Could I find a chart with the two in it somewhere or similar models being compared?

MSI 1GB D5 X HD7850 OC R [V273-030R]
- 3 year warranty (isn' specified but I assume MSI has that on all its gpu:s??)
- 900mhz GPU clock.
- single fan
- 192,50€

POWERCOLOR RADEON HD 7850 PCS+ 2GB DDR5 [AX7850 2GBD5-2DHPP]
- 2 year warranty.
- 1000 mhz GPU clock.
- single fan
- 214,90€

Questions:
1. How many FPS would I even gain with the powercolor? 1-2 FPS difference is more or less ok... 3-5 FPS is starting to not be OK in a ~50fps settings.

2. I haven't found a benchmark comparing the two...or even a review of the specific MSI card (in 1 gb or 2gb) at all. Just the Twin Frozr (with 950mhz clock). But still impossible to compare it to the Powercolor as they are not on the same chart/game settings. Any tips?

Note:
Don't bother about prices being higher than in the UK btw ;) Frustrating fact that u shouldn't take in consideration is that here the MSI one delivers in 1-2 weeks, Powercolor already in the store. :/
 
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Would it be okay to assume that:
OEM: 860 mhz
MSI: 900mhz
Powercolor: 1000mhz

In a Games FPS benchmark review of the Powercolor, it was on average 10% faster than OEM. = Powercolor would be 7% faster than MSI?
Or do manufacturer parts differ so much that it's not a good assumption?:)
 
But overclocking is not something I do :) As I prefer to not risking the warranty among other things.

Thanks.

2gb memory important? You can't notice that in any gaming benchmarks though...
 
Duvan said:
But overclocking is not something I do :) As I prefer to not risking the warranty among other things.

Thanks.

2gb memory important? You can't notice that in any gaming benchmarks though...
Click to expand...
In this day and age, I'd go with a 2gb card. Also, you really can't destroy your GPU while overclocking. The only thing that poses a threat is the voltage. 1.225 or 1.25v is the highest you'd want to go. You can go higher, but it's recommended that you have a very good cooling solution for your GPU.

Watch this video, particularly the end, and see the performance increase the HD 7850 has to offer with an overclock. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmEkwV7ec0s
 
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Duvan said:
But an overclocked card... you void the warranty don't you?
Click to expand...

Well I'm pretty sure that MSi warrants the card if you use MSi Afterburner to overclock. I don't think they can know that you've overclocked if you used software overclocking (as opposed to flashing the BIOS, which they will know about). Basically, if you don't touch the voltage and only overclock, there's nothing you can damage. Worse that can happen is you get artifacts in games and the drivers might crash and restart, but then you just simply move the sliders on afterburner back to a level you know will work. BIOS flashing is where it becomes dangerous, because you can brick a card if you do it wrong. I would only ever consider BIOS flashing if you have a dual BIOS switch (and even then I wouldn't take the risk myself)
 
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Thanks.!

Well, but if software OC:ing is most likely alright... Should I just not get a:
MSI HD7850 2GB TWIN FROZR
instead for 10€ more but +1 year warranty?
Also has the double fans... -> better OC:ing and more quiet than the Powercolor maybe?

What's even good about factory OC:ed cards if you can do it yourself?:) Do they have anything different than the stock clocked ones?
 
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Duvan said:
Thanks.!

Well, but if software OC:ing is most likely alright... Should I just not get a:
MSI HD7850 2GB TWIN FROZR
instead for 10€ more but +1 year warranty?
Also has the double fans... -> better OC:ing and more quiet than the Powercolor maybe?

What's even good about factory OC:ed cards if you can do it yourself?:) Do they have anything different than the stock clocked ones?
Click to expand...

Factory oc'd cards generally have better cooling (the Powercolor PCS+ certainly do).
Does not mean the chip will necessarily oc higher but it certainly has scope to if it runs cooler.
 
Look for the thread on over locking a HD7850, it's very easy to do just by moving 2sliders in CCC.
I've got my Sapphire HD 7850 860/1200 Oc @ 1000/1300 an get 1500+ in Heaven bench mark.
The 7850 for the price an Oc amount is well worth the cash an the MSI brands have a 3 year warranty
 
Thanks guys:)

What would you think about not taking one of the mentioned cards but instead choosing:
http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Series/HD7850DC22GD5V2/#overview

It's stock 860mhz clocked... but the twin fan cooling could be guessed to be as quiet/effective as the Powercolor's no?
And... +1 year warranty from the Powercolor (that's why I'm considering it).
They seem to OC about as high hmm (noy exactly same Asus-model but same fan design I guess?):
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_7850_PCS_Plus/31.html
 
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On your link it suggests the XFX is not cooling as well as the others at similar overclocks so perhaps the fans are spinning slower?
Only a guess though.
 
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