New build: Keep 5850?

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[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
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Hi All,

I'm planning on building new since my 680i + E6750 just won't cut it for BF3. I'll be building an i5 2500k build in October.

I've been debating internally whether or not I should put the 5850 in the new build and wait for a more substantial upgrade. It doesn't seem like the 6XXX card will be worth the cost for the performance improvement. What are your thoughts?

Also, bear in mind that the current rig will be getting hooked up to the TV in the living room. I would look to put a low end card in it until eventually moving the 5850 over if I use the 5850 in the new build. I'd do the majority of my gaming on the new machine, but I like the idea of having the TV available for certain types of games and for showing off :D
 
Keep the 5850. The 6870 is maybe 4-5% faster, so it isn't worth upgrading. However, if you really want DXHR and S2:TW, you might be able to sell the 5850 on Ebay, buy the 6870, and still make a profit.
 
If your wanting to run BF3 id recommend the 6870 as im betting BF3 is gonna be happy having all the horsepower you can throw at it.
 
I have an upgrade itch right now, Im in the same boat as you, running a 5850. The 6950 2gb cards are very tempting, especially with some of the deals on used ones right now. However, we're close enough to the release of the 7xxx series that I think it makes sense to hold onto the 5850 for now. It's still a strong card.
 
I'm in the same boat as you... I'm going to try my best to hold out. I hope they are here before the years end.
 
I agree to keep it.

It is still a very strong card and will be for quite some time....as long as you dont run DX11 :p
 
Sell the 5850 to bitcoin miners if you can find one who will buy it at inflated prices.
 
Well, just to give you some perspective, the new Deus Ex game came out today for console/PC. If you read the recommended system requirements (as opposed to minimum system requirements), it lists the 5850. In other words, the 5850 is still powerful enough to play a very new game at the highest settings. Granted, Deus Ex isn't exactly a resource hog, but to me that's still a great card you've got there and whatever performance boost you'd see with the 6870 wouldn't even be perceptible.

Part of the fun of upgrading components is the feeling you get when you fire up your system for the first time with the new part and see the improvement in horsepower. I upgraded from a 4850 to a 6970 which, on paper, should've been a huge jump. But because I game on 1366x768, the boost wasn't that major and it made me question spending that $350. Going from a 5850 to a 6870 is a waste of time. Wait for the 7xxx and do it right.

Hope that helps!
 
Well considering bf3 coming out sooner than 7000 series and current the 6xxx series are great bang for your buck along with 2gb vram.
 
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