[Savato28]

hello im looking to get either of these, i currently have a 6850

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-190-MS

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-097-GI&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938

will they work with my current power supply and motherboard? just 1 of them

motherboard: ASUSTeK Computer INC. M5A87
Power supply: 500W - 600W, not sure which but to be safe lets say 550W
ram: Corsair Vengeance Pro Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit
cpu: phenom II X4 965

also how much of an improve are they over my 6850? i want this for rome 2 total war i wanna max it

 

[john1016]

You should have enough power for either, but it really depends on the particular brand/model psu you have.

 

[Savato28]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john1016

You should have enough power for either, but it really depends on the particular brand/model psu you have.

not sure which, but it works with my 6850 perfectly fine

is the 7950 and 7970 massive increases in performance compared to 6850?

 

[Coree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Savato28

not sure which, but it works with my 6850 perfectly fine

is the 7950 and 7970 massive increases in performance compared to 6850?

6850's performance is near 7770 levels. The 7950B will give 50-55% performance increase over the 6850, and the 7970GE 60-65%. So yes, quite a massive increase.

 

[Savato28]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coree

6850's performance is near 7770 levels. The 7950B will give 50-55% performance increase over the 6850, and the 7970GE 60-65%. So yes, quite a massive increase.

perfect, now i need to decide between them, can i definitely run either of them with my current motherboard and PSU? PSU being at probably 500W, motherboard is ASUSTeK Computer INC. M5A87

 

[Savato28]

im just worried il buy it and it wont work, anyone know?

 

[hammong]

The motherboard will support ANY PCie x16 video card, including the 7970 and below.

The power supply, nobody knows, since you didn't list the model and brand. Pop the cover off your PC and take a picture of the label on the PSU, it will clearly say what it's total limit and individual voltage/current capacities are.

Another consideration is how many PCIe power connectors the PSU has. The 7970 requires one 8-pin and one 6-pin to function. I don't suggest ghetto rigging with Molex to PCie adapters, you can easily overload an individual rail in lower capacity PSUs by doing so.

Greg

 

[jellyman]

I went from a 6870 to 7950 and it is night and day difference. I'm on a 600 watt psu. My CPU is OC'd to 4.8 2500k and my card to 1200/1450.... And at full draw I'm pulling less than 400w, so you should be gravy.

 

[jellyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammong

The motherboard will support ANY PCie x16 video card, including the 7970 and below.

The power supply, nobody knows, since you didn't list the model and brand. Pop the cover off your PC and take a picture of the label on the PSU, it will clearly say what it's total limit and individual voltage/current capacities are.

Another consideration is how many PCIe power connectors the PSU has. The 7970 requires one 8-pin and one 6-pin to function. I don't suggest ghetto rigging with Molex to PCie adapters, you can easily overload an individual rail in lower capacity PSUs by doing so.

Greg

Very good point on the pci-e connectors....but my 7950 i got had 1 8pin and 1 6 pin (when i bought)...buy when it arrived it was a 2 8 pin model so..........

 

[raghu78]

OP when it comes to psu build quality is important. the amps on +12v rail is the most important parameter. some cheap 500w just supply 30A on +12v rail (30 x 12 = 360w) . high quality psu like rosewill capstone 450w supplies 36A on +12v rail (36 x 12 = 432w). if you want to overclock your CPU and GPU i recommned having atleast 40A on +12v rail.

here is XFX Pro 550w with 44A on +12v rail. decent quality psu.

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-psu-xfx-core-edition-p1-550s-xxb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=225

msi hd 7950 boost edition which you linked runs at 960 mhz and is atleast a doubling of performance at stock speeds. even more when you consider overclocking.

http://www.msi.com/product/vga/R7950-TF-3GD5-OC-BE.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/28.html

1920 x 1200

HD 6850 - 47
HIS HD 7950 iceq x2(950 mhz) - 100

at the same clocks HD 7950 is 5% slower than HD 7970. best value for money. if your current psu is not having 40A on +12v rail i suggest getting the xfx pro 550w and msi hd 7950 twin frozr boost edition.

 

[Savato28]

i dunno if this means anything, but here is my power outputs currently

http://puu.sh/3U5h1.png

does it look ok for the card?