[GPU] Should I buy an AMD HD 7850 1GB?

[Deleted]

My specs are:

PSU: Fortron 600W
MB: Asus P5QL-E
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93Ghz overclocked to 3.63Ghz
GPU: Asus GTX 260 (version with 216 shaders)
RAM: 4 GB DDR2
Gaming resolution: 1920x1080

Ancient PC which I got back in 2009, has served me and is serving me well and without any hiccups for WoW in both PvP and raiding.
However I can't play Bioshock Infinite with acceptable framerate on medium settings, so I'm thinking of buying a new GPU.

The Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7850, 1024MB, GDDR5, 256bit seems suitable, considering the small local market (Southeastern Europe) with a price point of $187 or 146EUR.

I am wondering if this is a solid choice in terms of upgrade value per dollar, so to speak.
I've seen graphs and comparisons from different sites between my current GPU and this GPU and on them,
for the resolution I'm playing on, this seems like a solid upgrade in terms of frame rate in 3D games.

What do you think? Is there a better option for this price range?
Will this or another GPU be bottlenecked by my CPU?

[Deleted]

tbh it's not worth getting a 1Gb Vram card these days for modern games. (they use 1,5Gb most of the time)

[Ftk]

if you check newegg you can find 7870 2gb for 209/229 after mir MUCH better buy.

[Deleted]

if you check newegg you can find 7870 2gb for 209/229 after mir MUCH better buy.

OP doesn't have acces to newegg since he is from south east europe. (somehwere in the balkan i assume?)
would ebay germany perhaps be an option? (or got any local sites we could check?)

[Deleted]

Indeed I don't have access to newegg and I'd avoid using eBay UK / amazon UK even though I have access to both due to delivery cost and waiting time (I want to make up my mind and make or not make a buy within this or the next week).

local currency is 2:1 to the EUR, i.e. 50 local currency is 25EUR.

I will include local shopping sites I have access to and thanks in advance for your time:

The first one is the website which offers a decent price on the above mentioned AMD GPU, they're new on the local market (originally from Romania) and offer some deals:
http://translate.google.com/translat...ory%2F&act=url

This one has more choice but many of the GPUs are unavailable (the ones which have a green box next to them in the menu are available):
http://translate.google.com/translat...D10019&act=url

Another website:
http://translate.google.com/translat...ideocards.html

[Deleted]

http://translate.google.com/translat...ideocards.html
perhaps an option? (or that pushing budget too much?)
although it's not a good brand it should work as intended. (for 15 euro more you could get gigabyte one or just 10 euro more for a 650Ti instead from asus)

[Deleted]

Which card did you link? I'm guessing due to google translate, but it only shows the main page for one of the stores.

[Deleted]

Which card did you link? I'm guessing due to google translate, but it only shows the main page for one of the stores.

it was an XFX 2gb 7850

[Deleted]

it was an XFX 2gb 7850

I was actually hoping to stay below the 150EUR mark, but appreciate the suggestion.

Is the difference in actual performance between 1 and 2 GB GPU's actually big enough, considering the rest of my hardware is pretty old?

[Deleted]

I'd also suggest a 2GB model like this but obviously going to cost more (~170 Euro?):

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB

It'll give you better performance for longer (like if you upgrade your CPU later on) but if you can't afford it by all means get the 1GB unit.

[Deleted]

Ram doesnt really effect cards until running very high resolutions or textures, which is pointless for 1080p...

1GB ram is fine for 1080p gaming.

My 5850 1GB runs Bioshock Infinite at "very high" and doesnt seem to be struggling at all..

It is an older pc too so dont waste cash on the bigger card that would never be used to full potential on a core 2 duo @ 1080p.

[Deleted]

More than 1GB isn't pointless for 1080p and as I mentioned

It'll give you better performance for longer (like if you upgrade your CPU later on)

[Deleted]

Ram doesnt really effect cards until running very high resolutions or textures, which is pointless for 1080p...

1GB ram is fine for 1080p gaming.

My 5850 1GB runs Bioshock Infinite at "very high" and doesnt seem to be struggling at all..

It is an older pc too so dont waste cash on the bigger card that would never be used to full potential on a core 2 duo @ 1080p.

Vram =/= (system) RAM
also 5850 powering bioshock infinite at very high without issues? (either your resolution is 1600x900/lower or fps is likely <30)
bioshock infinite isn't a cpu heavy bound game, a core 2 duo can max it with the proper gpu.
also how would it be wasting cash if the gpu can be reused in a later build?

edit: typo

[Deleted]

No 1080p, using vsync i get 60 on high, On v high 60 most of the time with the odd drop to 30 if really busy and never drops below 30 fps on ultra, so could play it on Ultra if i didnt mind console fps.

Is overclocked a bit to 850/1200 tho idk if it makes that much difference..

[Deleted]

Notarget, thanks for the suggestion - but considering I'll rather buy a completely new rig next, I don't think it's justified to overstep the comfort of my budget for no other gain than vram.

Foil can you share the rest of your specs?

[yurano]

Notarget, thanks for the suggestion - but considering I'll rather buy a completely new rig next, I don't think it's justified to overstep the comfort of my budget for no other gain than vram.

Is the 660 within range of your budget? Its ~15% faster stock and always comes with 2GB. In the US, its priced slightly more than the 7850 2GB (5-10% more).

Nvidia vs AMD prices vary from region to region. Sometimes one is much cheaper than the other.

[Deleted]

GTX 660 is a very fine GPU indeed, but way out of my league financially and I don't think it makes sense to get it anyway, considering my old CPU and mobo.

[yurano]

GTX 660 is a very fine GPU indeed, but way out of my league financially and I don't think it makes sense to get it anyway, considering my old CPU and mobo.

Well, according to your other post, I assumed you were going to upgrade within the near future. A 2GB 660 would scale much better into a new rig.

From Anandtech benches, the 260 isn't actually that slow compared to a 7770.

The 7770 pulls 23 FPS at 1920x1200 in Bioshock Infinite at Ultra w/ FXAA, potentially doing 40+ FPS at medium.

Could it be that your CPU is the bottleneck instead? Check by noting your GPU usage percentage compared to the CPU usage percentage (measured per core). I would also check VRAM usage as well to see if its a VRAM bottleneck.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

1920*1080 resolution screens are known to need up to 1.25-1.5GB VRAM in quite a few games. Personally, I would go without take-out food for a month if it meant I could have a 2GB card instead of 1GB.

[Deleted]

Dropping in to let you know I've had the Sapphire HD 7850 1GB for 2 days now, and I'm pretty happy - I can play Bioshock Infinite on Ultra with a stable ~50 FPS.

The difference is quite amazing. Pretty happy with this choice, considering the price. Thanks everyone for your time and advice!

If you have any particular questions about my experience with the card please ask away.