It's a bit pricier than the 900 series, and you might find one for a few bucks less somewhere, but this is brand new with a full warranty. Buying used is just asking for trouble. If I were in your shoes, I'd definitely go with the new card, even if it was just a 7770.
Personally, I don't think so—because if I recall correctly, some retailers (I can't remember which ones right now) have the 6850 available, which is brand new and superior, for about $333
Brian Campbell36 said:Alright, but is there a chance down the road where this card just becomes too weak to handle really demanding titles (graphically speaking)?
Look, you’ll be able to play everything smoothly for quite a while. When the absolute heavy hitters eventually drop, you might struggle to max out every single setting—specifically anti-aliasing, which is a total resource hog. But honestly, that doesn't matter; if you're looking to push things to the extreme, you'd be buying much more expensive cards anyway.
I see some more decent power supplies have popped up in that 300-$133 range, which is exactly what most users are looking for. Could those of you who know your way around this stuff rank them for me? Feel free to describe them, share your experiences, or give your honest opinions. Which one runs the quietest, which has the best build quality or cabling, which offers the highest wattage, or which represents the best value for the money? If there's an obscure brand out there, don't be afraid to mention it—just give me the highlights.
Budget options (for the penny-pinchers and low-power builds) EVGA 600W (links 229 and $86) vs Chicony 480W (adm $73) vs Chicony Hipro HPP400W-80PLUS (it futura $89) XILENCE RedWing Edition 420W ($93 hgspot)
A bit pricier, though lower wattage than the ones above. For example, Chieftec GPS-400A8 ($112 links) vs EVGA hexa 400 ($97 centro.hr) vs SilverStone Strider ST40F-ES ($116 it futura) vs Chieftec iArena 500W (links $113)
Then we have the slightly more expensive/powerful tier. GPS-500A8 (lins $126)—what about the wattage? No reviews available. Any thoughts? vs hexa 500W (itfutura $127) vs SST-ST50F-ES-230 ($128 itfutura) vs OCZ 500W CoreXStream 2 ($126 adm) I'm specifically curious how these four stack up against each other if I were to choose just one.
Finally, the one that seems to be the top recommendation on the forums is Corsair CX430 (itfutura $114) vs LC6460GP3 (links $126) vs the priciest option, XFX 450W (links and adm $140)—why am I seeing they aren't even in stock elsewhere? WTF?
Carl Collins59 said:Did I make a solid choice? I wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer, but I enjoy jumping into FIFA 13 every now and then, or maybe a shooter like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare...
I agree. You didn't make a mistake (honestly, I don't think anyone would suggest anything else anyway), and you didn't overpay for it either. You might even run into a slight bottleneck with that processor. That's just my take—others might have a better technical grasp on it. Regardless, you won't need anything more powerful for that specific setup, just like Jeffrey Chavez6 mentioned.
Just a bit of friendly advice—be extremely careful when you're buying stuff on Craigslist so you don't get ripped off. It happens all the time, and you definitely won't be the first victim. Especially when you're dropping this kind of cash. If you absolutely have to buy used from a site like that, try to meet up in person at least (though even that isn't a foolproof guarantee that the gear actually works)—better yet, test it out right there on the spot. Forget about paying via COD.
The new album feels different. They’ve pivoted away from that signature 8-bit aesthetic; instead, there’s this dance-techno vibe going on (though I can't quite put my finger on the exact genre). It might be premature to judge since I’ve only gone through it maybe two or three times, but honestly? It feels a bit weaker than their first two records. The vocals feel repetitive across almost every track—to me, the production just feels simpler and lacks that imaginative spark they used to have. That doesn't mean the album is bad, per se, but when you're coming off the heels of such massive masterpieces, the bar is set incredibly high.
That said, it makes total sense that they’d evolve their sound. If they just churned out the exact same thing every single time, they’d basically just be a cover band of themselves. Right now, my standout tracks are "Transgender" and "wrath of god."
This older Metallica show looks absolutely insane; the crowd seems even more hyped up than usual. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQrvb...tAREGXtJRbSzag What an opening—the sheer volume, the venue, and that entrance by the band was just incredible.
Alexander Moore67 said:That's basically a Best Buy deal for your setup at just $180.
Those haven't been in stock for ages. You won't find them in any local retail shop.
Anyway, I need some quick advice on upgrading an old PC— (running an Athlon 3500+) which of these two used options would be better? SAPPHIRE HD 4650 512MB HM DDR2 - for $50 or the sapphire HD 2600 Pro 128bit 256mb - for $33
In other words, how do both of those stack up against the cheapest modern cards (like an ATI 5450, 6450, GeForce 210, or 520gt) that go for about $100 +/- ?
I think I’ve already bugged you guys about this, but I want one final check before I pull the trigger just to be safe...
So, I'm looking at the Radeon HD 5670 512 MB DDR5 versus a slightly newer 6670, but that one is 1 GB DDR3. I noticed the 5670 has a lower GPU clock at 775 MHz and less memory (512 MB), but does that DDR5 advantage make up for the fact that the 6670 is a newer model—and maybe slightly better—with 1 GB at 800 MHz, even if it is just DDR3?
I'm passing on getting the 4850 from Micro Center because of my old power supply, an LC Power Green 460W (max 400W, with 20A on the +12V rail). A technician told me they used to pair 6850 cards with 400W units🙄 (probably cheap, off-brand power supplies). I read online that the 4850 should run fine on 400W, but I don't want to push things too far since I need to budget for a stronger CPU as well. I really don't want to buy a whole new PSU for this old rig, especially since my budget is pretty tight. What do you guys think? Is there a real risk of everything frying if the PSU fails, or does just the PSU die?
Both of these GPUs have low power draw, so is it okay given my PSU to pick up a processor (supporting AM2 and LGA 1366 sockets) while trying to avoid a bottleneck? I'd probably go with a used Athlon 5000+, which I think draws about 89W, or maybe a new Athlon X3 which pulls around 95W—is 95W pushing it? For the X2 245 or 250 models that only pull 65W, I wouldn't worry about the power, but would they be a major bottleneck?
I’ve personally seen cases where you build a high-end rig $0.00, everything looks top-tier, and even the power supplies are absolute beasts—yet somehow, two or three units just give up the ghost within a year. I wasn't even overclocking anything; everything was running strictly by the book, but I can't tell you why. The point is, you can never truly be certain. You basically need a bit of luck on your side.
Honestly, I think people are overreacting a bit regarding these power supplies. I’ve got this old, off-brand unit from a random manufacturer that’s been running for nearly six years now. My PC has been absolutely hammered with gaming 90% of the time—really pushing it to the limit—and yet, it’s still kicking. (Knock on wood here). So, the brand name doesn't necessarily mean everything to me.
crimsonstag84 said:If it’s the Radeon HD 4850 GDDR5 version, then it’s significantly better; if it’s just DDR3, they're basically mediocre. Maybe consider an HD 7750 instead? Even though it costs a bit more, it only pulls about 50W under full load, and it’ll actually handle demanding games on medium settings... 🙂
I see your point, but it feels overpriced to me—I think a more realistic price would be around $200, maybe slightly higher. And honestly, if someone has that kind of cash lying around, they might as well put it toward a much better card altogether.
On another note, what kind of AMD processor do you think is enough to actually get the most out of a 5670 or 6670? An Athlon 64 X2 5000+? Something weaker, or something beefier?
Does anyone know what the shipping rates are for orders coming from outside the metro area, and how’s the service been so far?
1. Which would be better for gaming: the HD 6670 with 1GB GDDR5 or the Radeon HD 4850 GDDR5? 2. If the 4850 is indeed the superior card—and I know it pulls about 110W—would you actually risk plugging it into an old, generic 400W power supply (specifically a Corsair B400ATX) that's already five and a half years old? Buying a brand-new power supply just isn't in the budget right now.
Taylor Brown said:Make sure you grab one with GDDR5 memory... you can find them for about $167 In your case, you've got the VTX3D HD5670 512MB - $156 (GDDR5) or the Sapphire HD6670, 1GB GDDR5 - $179
What’s actually the difference between those two? They seem like basically the same model to me. Does it really matter that one is 512MB while the other is 1GB? Also, what does "low profile" mean in the product name?
And regarding the brands—if it's the same model, like a 6670, why are there so many different versions from ASUS, VTX, Sapphire, XFX, etc.? It makes no sense; how can the exact same product with the same GDDR cost anywhere from $167 to $260 depending on which manufacturer you buy from? WTF?
Lastly, what do terms like "silent" or "passive" actually imply?
Regarding the newer cards—this entry-level tier starts at roughly $100. Which one is actually better: the 6450 or the 520 GT? I've been digging through some benchmarks, but the results are all over the place; one site says the 520 GT wins, while another claims the opposite.
One more thing—in this price bracket of about $167—is this the best option available?