Gaming PC Upgrade TBF

TrueBoolFalse · 11-23-2012, 08:38 PM

Alright, I think it's about time for me to upgrade my PC. I have run tests and see that my GFX card and CPU are nearly maxed out, so no bottleneck other than possible RAM. I am planning on upgrading my GPU prior to the CPU because I believe that my CPU is fine, and if it does bottleneck my GPU, I could update that at a later date while maintaining a decent framerate and upping the graphics on my games. I am looking into two cards ATM. Both are HIS IceQ's. One is a 7850 and the other is a 7870. I was wondering, what is the main difference between the two? I see little, if any, difference between them. The 7870 would come out cheaper via a MIB. Here are the cards I am looking at:

7850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161416
7870 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161404

The 7870 looks cooler and my case has a side window. It's a plus, I would assume, that it is cheaper. Just hope the cooler isn't just looks lol.

Current rig specs:
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 810 (K10 -2.6Ghz)
CPU Fan: ThermalTake SpinQ (the blue one that sits sideways not the red that sits straight up from MOBO)
RAM: G.Skill 2x2GB (4GB) DDR3 1333 (PC10600 I believe. 8-8-8-21)
GPU: XFX ATI Radeon HD5770 XXX edition (8.5"W x 4.376"H x 1.5"D)
MOBO: Asus M4A78T-E
PSU: ThermalTake 380w
CASE: AzzA Solano Black
OS: Win7 64-bit

Two random hard drives at 7200RPM (500GB and 1TB). I bought a P&C 750w PSU years ago, but I ran with my old PSU of 380w since and it keeps my system up and running. So the 750w is in the closet to this day. I am running at 1920x1080 through HDMI. I understand the Mobo is PCIe 2.0, but would that really hit either card that hard... and would it make a difference between the two?

Current Windows score is:
CPU: 7.2
RAM: 7.5
GPU: 7.2
GPU Gaming: 7.2
P. HDD: 5.9 -> windows base score

Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

jkkyler · 11-24-2012, 06:36 AM

NOt sure on the requirements but I thinjk you may be pushing it or at the max with that power supply. 380w is very low for any type of gaming rig - not sure on the power draw of those proposed cards thoguh.

TrueBoolFalse · 11-24-2012, 08:08 AM

Yeah, I know. Technically speaking, 380w shouldn't be running this rig. It is supposed to have 'at least 500w', but I haven't had any problems and even had this this whole system at a slight overclock (CPU +4% and GPU 5%). Like I said though, I have a 750w Power&Cooling PSU sitting in the closet just waiting for me to use it. I posted this on another forum and they tell me what I thought was right. The 7870 is the way to go. Thing is, I don't know how long this thing will be out of stock. I guess that gives me time to see what other people think also. So no rushing for me.

semontuffy · 03-02-2013, 04:16 AM

If you likes to play a games on a PC then you should upgrade your PC or expand your RAM and all.There are many ways where you can do that but you should require many things.

preferreduser · 03-04-2013, 10:45 AM

IRRC there was something going around about being able to flash a 7850 into a 7870
might be worth a google
maybe it was on Tom's hdwe or Overclock.net

Pinoy · 03-04-2013, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by preferreduser

IRRC there was something going around about being able to flash a 7850 into a 7870
might be worth a google
maybe it was on Tom's hdwe or Overclock.net

No.

You can do it, but there is absolutely no reason to do so. The 7850's can already often be clocked upto/past 7870 speeds, and flashing the 7870 bios on them does not unlock any disabled cores or shaders. All you end up with is a slightly higher clock speed that you could have attained through software.

<--watercooled 7850 oc'd to 1175 core

[space] · 04-04-2013, 07:28 PM

The difference between them is the 50 is just a little slower than the 70.
this means the 70 will be underclocked to match up with the 50
The 2 cards together is like a 7950 I believe.
But in my opinion your CPU will be a huge bottleneck.
but with that PSU I don't think you will be able to run both cards in crossfire and trying to overclock that cpu is out of the question.
But that's just my opinion.

11-23-2012, 08:38 PM	#1
TrueBoolFalse High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 59	Gaming PC Upgrade TBF Alright, I think it's about time for me to upgrade my PC. I have run tests and see that my GFX card and CPU are nearly maxed out, so no bottleneck other than possible RAM. I am planning on upgrading my GPU prior to the CPU because I believe that my CPU is fine, and if it does bottleneck my GPU, I could update that at a later date while maintaining a decent framerate and upping the graphics on my games. I am looking into two cards ATM. Both are HIS IceQ's. One is a 7850 and the other is a 7870. I was wondering, what is the main difference between the two? I see little, if any, difference between them. The 7870 would come out cheaper via a MIB. Here are the cards I am looking at: 7850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161416 7870 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161404 The 7870 looks cooler and my case has a side window. It's a plus, I would assume, that it is cheaper. Just hope the cooler isn't just looks lol. Current rig specs: CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 810 (K10 -2.6Ghz) CPU Fan: ThermalTake SpinQ (the blue one that sits sideways not the red that sits straight up from MOBO) RAM: G.Skill 2x2GB (4GB) DDR3 1333 (PC10600 I believe. 8-8-8-21) GPU: XFX ATI Radeon HD5770 XXX edition (8.5"W x 4.376"H x 1.5"D) MOBO: Asus M4A78T-E PSU: ThermalTake 380w CASE: AzzA Solano Black OS: Win7 64-bit Two random hard drives at 7200RPM (500GB and 1TB). I bought a P&C 750w PSU years ago, but I ran with my old PSU of 380w since and it keeps my system up and running. So the 750w is in the closet to this day. I am running at 1920x1080 through HDMI. I understand the Mobo is PCIe 2.0, but would that really hit either card that hard... and would it make a difference between the two? Current Windows score is: CPU: 7.2 RAM: 7.5 GPU: 7.2 GPU Gaming: 7.2 P. HDD: 5.9 -> windows base score Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance. Last edited by TrueBoolFalse; 11-24-2012 at 12:02 AM.

11-24-2012, 06:36 AM	#2
jkkyler I bleed for HD Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,301	NOt sure on the requirements but I thinjk you may be pushing it or at the max with that power supply. 380w is very low for any type of gaming rig - not sure on the power draw of those proposed cards thoguh. __________________ HT- Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 1080p plasma, Panasonic PT-AX200u LCD projector, Elite Vmax Electric 100' screen, Onkyo TX-NR905 AVR, Paradigm Titan Monitor v5 fronts, Paradigm CC-190 v6 center, Paradigm Atom Monitors v5 surrounds(x4), HSU research VTF-2 sub, xbox360+hd-dvd player ,Sony BDP-S550 blu-ray, D*tv H21 HD-DVR Bedroom: Insignia NS-lcd26, Samsung BDP-1400 blu-ray Den - Vizio 20" 1080p LCD + Samsung BD-p1600 Don't believe everything you read on the internet - Albert Einstein

03-04-2013, 10:45 AM	#5
preferreduser High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 53	IRRC there was something going around about being able to flash a 7850 into a 7870 might be worth a google maybe it was on Tom's hdwe or Overclock.net Last edited by preferreduser; 03-04-2013 at 10:49 AM.

11-24-2012, 08:08 AM	#3
TrueBoolFalse High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 59	Yeah, I know. Technically speaking, 380w shouldn't be running this rig. It is supposed to have 'at least 500w', but I haven't had any problems and even had this this whole system at a slight overclock (CPU +4% and GPU 5%). Like I said though, I have a 750w Power&Cooling PSU sitting in the closet just waiting for me to use it. I posted this on another forum and they tell me what I thought was right. The 7870 is the way to go. Thing is, I don't know how long this thing will be out of stock. I guess that gives me time to see what other people think also. So no rushing for me.

03-02-2013, 04:16 AM	#4
semontuffy My plasma is High Def. Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 5	If you likes to play a games on a PC then you should upgrade your PC or expand your RAM and all.There are many ways where you can do that but you should require many things.

04-04-2013, 07:28 PM	#7
[space] How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 18	The difference between them is the 50 is just a little slower than the 70. this means the 70 will be underclocked to match up with the 50 The 2 cards together is like a 7950 I believe. But in my opinion your CPU will be a huge bottleneck. but with that PSU I don't think you will be able to run both cards in crossfire and trying to overclock that cpu is out of the question. But that's just my opinion.