Asus 5850 or 6850 or 6870 for new system build

A

ATCSMike

n00b
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Feb 24, 2007
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Hi all,

I'm in the process of buying parts for my new system build. I originally planned on getting an ASUS EAH5850 DIRECTCU/2DIS/1GD5 but since the 6850 and 6870 have come out I'm rethinking my decision. I normally do not overclock either CPU or GPU, but I could in the future.

This is what I'm considering:

ASUS EAH5850 DIRECTCU/2DIS/1GD5
ASUS EAH6850 /2DI2S/1GD5
Any brand of the HD 6870

I count flight sims and first person shooters among my gaming as the most graphic intensive.

What do you all think?


Mike

System being built:

ASUS P6X58D-E
Patriot Viper II Sector 7 Edition DDR3 6 GB (3 x 2 GB) PC3-16000 2000MHz
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-930 2.80GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU
Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler
Video card to be decided
Samsung Syncmaster 204b 20" LCD (My current monitor, still works Great!)
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s 32MB Cache 3.5 Inch Hard Drive
Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black)
Cooler Master RC-922M-KKN1-GP HAF 922M ATX Mid Tower Case (Black)
Corsair CMPSU-650HX 650w HX Series 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
 
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I'd get the 6870. It's about as fast as a 5850, but should run cooler and quieter.
 
If you're not planning on upgrading that 20" monitor to a bigger one, you should probably just get the cheapest one. Those three cards won't even get taxed at the resolution you're playing at.
 
jsrivo said:
If you're not planning on upgrading that 20" monitor to a bigger one, you should probably just get the cheapest one. Those three cards won't even get taxed at the resolution you're playing at.
Click to expand...

Unless he plans to play Metro 2033 at "High" or "Very High", or a future game such as Crysis 2, then a single stock 6850 may be too little. ;)
 
Thanks all.

I'll probably keep my monitor until it dies as I haven't found another monitor that I like.

I've been looking at the different 6870's, does anyone know if one is better than the other? I know they all follow the reference design, but each company tweaks theirs in some way. I'm mainly concerned with heat, fan noise, etc...

Mike
 
umcpgrad said:
go with asus 6870
Click to expand...

I never catch that Asus 6870 in stock. Interesting that Newegg has more Sapphire cards then XFX cards on the 6870. I guess Sapphire is the biggest order. But I rather own that Asus or the XFX.
 
yeah can't go wrong with asus you know
high quality mb, monitors and even video cards
 
I agree, the 6870 is the best choice. I also use a 20" monitor and the extra power of the card will not be wasted, especially if you overclock the CPU a little (I am guessing you plan on that...water cooling and all). As for the brand, I think they are all about the same because it's all built to the same reference specs. The only 2 brands that I have not owned a video card from are Asus and XFX. I went with the Sapphire 6870 because I have owned 2 sapphire cards in the past that never gave me an issue. No matter what brand you choose, DoA and hardware defects do occur....it's like winning the unlucky lottery when you get those.
 
I'm kind of leaning toward the ASUS 6870. I found a website that did a review and even had thermal images of the card next to a reference card that showed the ASUS running cooler.

The only problem I'm having is finding someone that has them. Amazon is out, Newegg is out. I found a couple of places that have them but they want way to much to ship to Alaska. They seem to think we are in another country. I get, we can only ship 2 day air via FedEx or UPS because we can't ground ship to Alaska. Not all of them do that, but most do. What BS!

Anyway, I'm hoping Amazon will get some in soon because of the free shipping and they will be the cheapest. They have all of the other brands but not ASUS. I'll keep looking, maybe I can find a retailer that won't gouge me on the shipping so I don't have to wait 2-3 weeks for Amazon.

Mike
 
SoulCreatr said:
I agree, the 6870 is the best choice. I also use a 20" monitor and the extra power of the card will not be wasted, especially if you overclock the CPU a little (I am guessing you plan on that...water cooling and all). As for the brand, I think they are all about the same because it's all built to the same reference specs. The only 2 brands that I have not owned a video card from are Asus and XFX. I went with the Sapphire 6870 because I have owned 2 sapphire cards in the past that never gave me an issue. No matter what brand you choose, DoA and hardware defects do occur....it's like winning the unlucky lottery when you get those.
Click to expand...

Actually the consensus opinion around here is that Sapphire is average or below average if the card fails. Asus, xfx, msi, and gigabyte have a better record in case something goes wrong. HIS stinks when it comes to rebates, Visiontek and Diamond are the worst with warranty hassles. Just an fyi for those deciding which brand to pick.
 
I would go with Asus too, usually high quality and they have their voltage tweak for when you want to overclock the card.
 
ATCSMike said:
I found a couple of places that have them but they want way to much to ship to Alaska.

Mike
Click to expand...

Boy, with winter in Alaska coming up I would get a GTX 470 and keep my home nice and toasty.;)
 
MrC4 said:
Boy, with winter in Alaska coming up I would get a GTX 470 and keep my home nice and toasty.;)
Click to expand...

good one like that joke has not been done a mill time
but anyways
op
wait for 6950 6970 6990 rolling out nov 20
and see what nvidia comes up with
these are exciting times
 
MrC4 said:
Boy, with winter in Alaska coming up I would get a GTX 470 and keep my home nice and toasty.;)
Click to expand...

He he. With fuel oil at $3.33 a gal and it cost me over $900 to fill up my tank last month, maybe I should.

Mike
 
umcpgrad said:
good one like that joke has not been done a mill time
but anyways
op
wait for 6950 6970 6990 rolling out nov 20
and see what nvidia comes up with
these are exciting times
Click to expand...

I hope to have my rig built by then. Unless they are close in price to the 6850's and 6870's, which I doubt, I'll pass on them.

Mike
 
For the price, if you're going new, there's no reason not to go with the 6870. It'll keep you future proof for a while, and is a great price.
 
umcpgrad said:
good one like that joke has not been done a mill time
but anyways
op
wait for 6950 6970 6990 rolling out nov 20
and see what nvidia comes up with
these are exciting times
Click to expand...

Whats sad is it isnt a joke, when i lived up in alaska and my heating went out, it worked rather well keeping the room slightly warm.
 
evanisthecoastie said:
Whats sad is it isnt a joke, when i lived up in alaska and my heating went out, it worked rather well keeping the room slightly warm.
Click to expand...

ATCSMike said:
He he. With fuel oil at $3.33 a gal and it cost me over $900 to fill up my tank last month, maybe I should.

Mike
Click to expand...

MrC4 said:
Boy, with winter in Alaska coming up I would get a GTX 470 and keep my home nice and toasty.;)
Click to expand...

I can't wait for someone to legitimately make a "heater mod" using quad-SLI'd 470/480's :p

Actually, this seems like a good idea ;) :cool:
 
evanisthecoastie said:
Whats sad is it isnt a joke, when i lived up in alaska and my heating went out, it worked rather well keeping the room slightly warm.
Click to expand...

that is funny
sometimes I have my windows and balcony door open during winter around 30 degrees or so
make me sleep better at night with 5 blankets
 
Well I bit the bullet and purchased my ASUS 6870 from Tiger Direct. Decided not to wait 2-4 weeks for Amazon and the free shipping. Only TD had any in stock with almost reasonable shipping to Alaska.

Now I just have to wait for the other parts to arrive. Amazon raised the price on the i7/930 I was going to buy so I went with the i7/950 which was cheaper.
 
biggles said:
Actually the consensus opinion around here is that Sapphire is average or below average if the card fails. Asus, xfx, msi, and gigabyte have a better record in case something goes wrong. HIS stinks when it comes to rebates, Visiontek and Diamond are the worst with warranty hassles. Just an fyi for those deciding which brand to pick.
Click to expand...


Just thought I'd also say I've had a difficult time with HIS support in the past. They are NOT fast. Expect a long process, if they remedy it at all.

My Sapphire experience was good.
 
I like Asus, XFX & Gigabyte myself. Still own an HIS 4870 & it was a compete PITA to get a replacement!!! I purchased the Gigabyte & received it today. I have never had any issues with Gigabyte products, but your mileage mat vary on any manufacturer.
 
I have owned three Sapphire video cards and they've all been amazing. Overclocked well, and rebates came in at a timely manner. I've read bad things about gigabyte video cards, and my friend's XFX 4890 died within 4 months. I like their "lifetime" warranty but so far I've been very happy with sapphire and I don't see myself buying from another
 
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