[The-Anarchist]

Hey guys,

I upgraded my computer about 7 months ago when my RAM started to fail to the point where I was bluescreening every 30 minutes. I ended up switching the CPU/Mobo/Ram but kept the graphics card. I had a weird blip with my graphics card earlier today where my screen wouldn't start. I messed with a few things, including reseating the graphics card and changing the output I was using on the powersupply. I'm not sure entirely what it was, but it's working again now. I thought I might have to replace it and whilst I don't have to for the moment it's gotten me thinking about upgrading my graphics card.

What would be a good upgrade? Right now the games I play aren't that graphically intensive (mainly stuff like Crusader Kings 2 by PI), but I'm wanting to play SimCity, Bioshock Infinite and Rome 2 when they come out. There's also a couple of shooters like BF3 I wouldn't be adverse to playing. I'm also not sure how much longer this graphics card will last. I've had it for 4 years now, approaching 5.

I'm willing to spend up to £150 (That's UK currency, not $!). Whilst I'm using Windows 8, I'd like to be able to switch to Linux. Is Nvidia still much better than ATI for Linux graphics support? If so i'm happy for that to be used as a tie-breaking consideration.

My computer is now a AMD FX-8120 with 16GB ram if that helps.

 

[[CyGnus]]

If you go AMD a 7850/70 is a good choice if you go Nvidia get at least a GTX660. The AMD cards are cheaper though

 

[The-Anarchist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by [CyGnus]

If you go AMD a 7850/70 is a good choice if you go Nvidia get at least a GTX660. The AMD cards are cheaper though

Gainward GTX 660 - £173.99 (£23.99 over budget)
http://www.ebuyer.com/397578-gainward-gtx-660-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-426018336-2777

XFX HD 7870 2GB DDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Dual Mini DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics Card - £168 (£18 over budget)

Why should I go over my budget rather than getting something like a EVGA GTX 650 for half the price? (£89)
http://www.ebuyer.com/397564-evga-gtx-650-1gb-gddr5-dvi-mini-hdmi-pci-e-graphics-card-01g-p4-2650-kr

Edit: Powercolor 7850 is in budget (£131.99)
http://www.ebuyer.com/394841-powercolor-hd-7850-1gb-gddr5-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-card-ax7850-1gbd5-dh

 

[The-Anarchist]

This is a good deal for me, seeing as I would have to pay for Bioshock Infinite anyway (£28)

MSI Overclocked Radeon HD 7850 OC AMD Graphics Card - 1GB Overclocked
www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-msi-radeon-hd-7850-oc-4800mhz-gddr5-gpu-900mhz-1024-cores-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-dp-pluscrossfire-offe

 

[MightEMatt]

Go with the 7850 if you're so intent on staying under budget. Don't get the 650. If you're able to stretch your budget a hair, the 7870 would have noticable improvements over the 7850. Basically stick with CyGnus recommendation, but don't go for the 650; you'll regret not dropping the extra 40 bucks.

Edit: I dont know if XFX is still a reputable AMD company, but sticking with the most recent website you listed, there's a HD7870 that comes with Bioshock Infinite at a very reasonable price. An MSI is also available for a tad more with a better cooler.

 

[[CyGnus]]

If you want to play some games the minimum is what i suggested and keep in mind both AMD card's are 256bit and the Nvidia (660) is only 192bit... The 650 is 128bit so gaming with that is kind of sluggish and really no upgrade from your 4850.

 

[The-Anarchist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by [CyGnus]

If you want to play some games the minimum is what i suggested and keep in mind both AMD card's are 256bit and the Nvidia (660) is only 192bit... The 650 is 128bit so gaming with that is kind of sluggish and really no upgrade from your 4850.

Alright thanks.

Considering the 7870s posted by Matt now. Seeing as I would want to buy Bioshock Infinite it brings them both pretty much into my budget.

Is the MSI worth the extra money over the XFX?

What are ATI cards like on Linux these days?

 

[[CyGnus]]

XFX are not very good card's in my opinion if you can try a Gigabyte (best one for me), Asus DCII V2 or MSI

 

[The-Anarchist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by [CyGnus]

XFX are not very good card's in my opinion if you can try a Gigabyte (best one for me), Asus DCII V2 or MSI

Why are XFX not very good cards? I know certain people don't like certain brands and you can get whole sites where this is true. Without some sort of explanation I tend to think of it as just prejudice.

 

[[CyGnus]]

I had 2 XFX card's back in a day and both of them were hot, overclock badly and the fan died. They brought me nothing but problems but hey that was my experience i am sure there are a few guys that like them, but if you can get a better brand like i said Gigabyte Asus or MSI for those 10/20$ more they are worth it

 

[raghu78]

yeah XFX DD coolers are not good. many reviews have shown the XFX HD 7870 DD to go upto 80c.

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/37221-xfx-r7870-black-edition-overclocked/?page=11
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/XFX-Double-D-Black-Edition-HD-7850-and-HD-7870-Review-Kings-Midrange/Power-Te

the gigabyte windforce3x has one of the best coolers . Gigabyte HD 7870 has very good temps

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/06/19/gigabyte_radeon_hd_7870_oc_video_card_review/9
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_radeon_hd_7870_oc_review,8.html

For HD 7870 cards other good options are his iceq HD 7870 , msi HD 7870 twin frozr.

 

[mlp]

7850 should work nicely for you. I'm an NVIDIA guy and i'd still recommend it over the 650 at that price point.

If you are lucky maybe you can find something like a 570 on close out... but those deals are few and far between.

 

[MightEMatt]

I apologize for recommending the XFX card. Like I said, I heard they were a reputable brand long long ago and haven't heard much since. Either way, my recommendation is to listen to CyGnus as he clearly has the AMD knowledge that I lack.

 

[The-Anarchist]

My motherboard is only PCI-E 2.0. The cards are PCI-E 3.0.

Will that be an issue? Even if it's compatible will it have an effect on bandwidth etc?

 

[[CyGnus]]

No problem there they are 2.0 compatible

 

[The-Anarchist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by [CyGnus]

No problem there they are 2.0 compatible

My USB 3.0 drive is USB 1.0 compatible. Does it have an effect on bandwidth?

 

[[CyGnus]]

No, every genaration newer always support the one before

 

[The-Anarchist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by [CyGnus]

No, every genaration newer always support the one before

You still don't seem to get my point. Yes, every generation of PCI-E cards are supported on previous versions of the bus BUT they bring out new versions of the bus usually for the reason that they have run out of bandwidth and need more. In using a more modern card on an older bus, you tend to get a bottleneck through the PCI-E channels. That's why I used the example of using a USB 3.0 drive on a USB 1.1 slot. Yes, it's supported but it's way slower. There would be no point in buying a USB 3.0 drive just to use it all the time with USB 1.1 slot even though it would technically work.

I'm asking whether in a single card setup the use of a PCI-E 3.0 card in a PCI-E 2.0 slot will run into bandwidth problems? There's no point in me paying more for a brand new PCI 3.0 card if my PCI-E 2.0 motherboard bottlenecks it due to not having enough bandwidth, but I know sometimes they upgrade the bus before they technically run out of bandwidth or that it only really matters for the top end cards/cards in crossfire/SLI.

 

[[CyGnus]]

You cant saturate PCI-E 2.0 yet with any Graphics card at the moment so no worries there a pci-3.0 is marketing at this point. Dont worry about bottleneck.