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[Binabik15]

Ebay/Amazon/Play/Craig's list.

The usual places really.

Mind giving me a link to a user-friendly guide to OC that particular cpu? Or at least point me in the right direction, I´ve never OC´d besides pushing a few sliders to the right. My brother´s pc has one of them and could need a boost (and a new GPU).

PS: More games like Metro and Crysis (probably not Crysis 2), please. Texture/particle porn, zomg.

 

[Danne-Danger]

Speaking of demanding games, I'd love to see ArmA2 included in these new benchmarks. Don't think I've seen it even once post-OA... wonder why that is.

 

[brain_stew]

Mind giving me a link to a user-friendly guide to OC that particular cpu? Or at least point me in the right direction, I´ve never OC´d besides pushing a few sliders to the right. My brother´s pc has one of them and could need a boost (and a new GPU).

PS: More games like Metro and Crysis (probably not Crysis 2), please. Texture/particle porn, zomg.

Try the overclock.net forums. OCing Core 2 chips is very easy.

 

[Ceebs]

Exactly one game, that can be easily scaled down. Yes I know you can probably find a few more if you really dig but there's no denying that games today are in the need of more power as oppose to games ten years ago.

All the extra power just lets you run games with better IQ. If there is not a huge graphical leap coming you will be able to play modern games with solid framerates with the kind of IQ you see in that artshots thread.

 

[pestul]

For those interested.

Performance Highlights of the AMD Catalyst™ 10.10 release include:

Metro 2033™
· Performance increases up to 7% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations

· Performance increases up to 8% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations

· Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series in DirectX 11 and 10 modes

· Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series in DirectX 11 and 10 modes

· Performance increases up to 4% on ATI Radeon HD 5400 Series in DirectX 11and 10 modes
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.™ : Call of Pripyat Benchmark
· Performance increases up to 7% on single ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products
Unigine™ Heaven
· Performance increases up to 9% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations with anti-aliasing enabled

· Performance increases up to 8% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations with anti-aliasing enabled
World in Conflict™

· Performance increases up to 9% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series

· Performance increases up to 10% on ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series
Aliens vs. Predator™ DirectX 11 Benchmark
· Performance increases up to 6% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire

· Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire

· Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series

· Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series

· Performance increases up to 4% on ATI Radeon HD 5400 Series
Crysis Warhead®

· Performance increases up to 9% on Single ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products with anti-aliasing enabled
Far Cry™ 2
· Performance increases up to 7% on Single ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products

 

[Me_Marcadet]

Damn, the Q6600 is still very expensive in France 110€ used and 190 € new.
It's not worth it to upgrade my E8400 OC @ 3.6ghz... I really shouldn't have listened to all the reviews back then.
I was thinking to upgrade my 4850 with a 6870 but I should rather wait the next generation and do a full upgrade next year.

My config is still running all the new games fine at 720p and I don't really mind it.

 

[dave_d]

Dang, I want to upgrade too I'm currently running a 9600GT which is nice but showing it's age. (Plus my big beef, it doesn't have onboard sound. I didn't realize I'd want to play games on my TV before I got into this generation. Can't wait, Mass Effect 2 should be incredible.)

 

[-COOLIO-]

Exactly one game, that can be easily scaled down. Yes I know you can probably find a few more if you really dig but there's no denying that games today are in the need of more power as oppose to games ten years ago.

i doubt things will really pick up again until the next gen it terms of demanding reqs. id say now is the perfect time to invest in a gaming comp since it'll undoubtedly last, and max 99% of pc games until 2012 or whever nextgen rolls around.

well for that and million other reasons. i think i made a thread about it.

 

[grkazan12]

i doubt things will really pick up again until the next gen it terms of demanding reqs. id say now is the perfect time to invest in a gaming comp since it'll undoubtedly last, and max 99% of pc games until 2012 or whever nextgen rolls around.

well for that and million other reasons. i think i made a thread about it.

Hey Coolio can you link to the thread you made about pc gaming thinking about a PC but still unsure.

 

[subversus]

Here's some off-screen footage of Deus Ex:HR running on an HD6870 (on an Eyefinity setup).
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/31916
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/31915

"with tesselation TURNED ON"

fuck yeah!

This will be good.

 

[DieH@rd]

Deus Ex HR has a tesselation support!? Very nice.

 

[kittoo]

i doubt things will really pick up again until the next gen it terms of demanding reqs. id say now is the perfect time to invest in a gaming comp since it'll undoubtedly last, and max 99% of pc games until 2012 or whever nextgen rolls around.

well for that and million other reasons. i think i made a thread about it.

Completely agree. I too picked a GTX 470 few months back and I am pretty sure it will last. But still I would love that cards get more and more powerful fast cause not only next console will have better cards if cards are cheaper and also cause I this will make sure that the next time I upgrade, it will be worth it!

 

[Mrbob]

Unless you are running an insanely high resolution like 2500 X 1600 your GTX 470 will last you a good couple years. Even though the 6850 and 6870 are considered "mid range", you'll get considerable shelf life out of both of these cards too at 1080P and below.

 

[kittoo]

Unless you are running an insanely high resolution like 2500 X 1600 your GTX 470 will last you a good couple years. Even though the 6850 and 6870 are considered "mid range", you'll get considerable shelf life out of both of these cards too at 1080P and below.

Yeah...and I plan to stick with it until next consoles come (if they arent insanely late). I dont have all that much money anyways lol so I plan my upgrades for longevity.

 

[Seth C]

Unless you are running an insanely high resolution like 2500 X 1600 your GTX 470 will last you a good couple years. Even though the 6850 and 6870 are considered "mid range", you'll get considerable shelf life out of both of these cards too at 1080P and below.

Yup. I'm only looking for something cheap that will play games well at 1600x900. So far I just haven't found the right card on Craig's List.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Unless you are running an insanely high resolution like 2500 X 1600 your GTX 470 will last you a good couple years. Even though the 6850 and 6870 are considered "mid range", you'll get considerable shelf life out of both of these cards too at 1080P and below.

Yes, "mid range" is a price descriptor, not a performance indicator. For most people even the "low end" cards are the best bang for the buck and will run most modern games smoothly. The "mid range" cards are a little expensive but will destroy most modern games, giving easy 60+ fps under high settings. The "high end" stuff is for the very few, filthy rich enthusiasts who, as said, run Eyefinity 250000x100000 16x AA etc.

A lot of people are suckered into spending $200 more than they really need to on a graphics card. If the $150 card gets you 60fps, and the $500 card gives you 100fps...why bother getting the $500 card? :lol

 

[Omiee]

so i have a 470 and i was thinking of selling it for 200 euro and getting 3 6870's
is that a better choise than getting a second 470

 

[Ryoma-Echizen]

so i have a 470 and i was thinking of selling it for 200 euro and getting 3 6870's
is that a better choise than getting a second 470

Also 3 HD6870(151w) consume less than 2 470(225-230w). Just 2 of them are enough.

 

[Chris R]

That 6850 with two fans looks like it has the best cooling of the bunch... Is a 6870 version coming? Like my cards cool (my 4870 runs 55C load with a custom fan on it, would prefer to just stay stock if I get a 6xxx card).

 

[Fredescu]

so i have a 470 and i was thinking of selling it for 200 euro and getting 3 6870's
is that a better choise than getting a second 470

If power is what you want, why don't you wait and see what the 69xx cards bring to the table? We should know in a month or two.

 

[camineet]

I'm saving up for a Radeon 6990 Antillies

 

[-Winnie-]

I'll probably wait for the 6970 at least, but I have a terrible feeling that it's going to be obscenely expensive.

 

[Omiee]

If power is what you want, why don't you wait and see what the 69xx cards bring to the table? We should know in a month or two.

cuz 200 for a card i can do, to get 3 maybe and not upgrade for at least 2 or 3 years, but 350 a card what may be the 6990 or 6970 price is a little to much.

 

[Hazaro]

cuz 200 for a card i can do, to get 3 maybe and not upgrade for at least 2 or 3 years, but 350 a card what may be the 6990 or 6970 price is a little to much.

There's only 1 xFire connector on the 68xx series. You can't run 3 unless you gimp it through the motherboard connection. TMK

 

[Tenacious-V]

Here is a preliminary bench of CaymanXT. http://vga.zol.com.cn/195/1953715.html

Radeon HD 6970(Cayman XT)3DMark Vantage测试成绩在X12000左右浮动，同时P模式为P24499。在Unigine Heaven (1920 1200 4AA+16AF)环境设置下运行速度为36.6帧。

HD 5870 3DMark Vantage获得P19337的成绩，在Unigine Heaven (1920 1200 4AA+16AF)运行帧数为17.3。同平台下GTX 4803DMark Vantage获得P21106和X9309的成绩，在Unigine Heaven (1920 1600 4AA+16AF）速度为29.5。

毫无疑问Radeon HD 6970(Cayman XT)将会是单卡之王，在相同状况下超出GTX 480性能10%以上，从测试中来说具备压制性的实力。

不过这张卡依旧是内部样卡，板型类似5870，核心频率在800MHz－900MHz范围内，供电接口为6+8，相信TDP应该在255W或者以上。

6970
3DMark Vantage = X12000, P24499.
Unigine Heaven (1920x1200 4xAA +16xAF) = 36.6

GTX480
3DMark Vantage = X9309, P21106.
Unigine Heaven (1920x1200 4xAA + 16AF) = 29.5

5870
Unigine Heaven (1920x1200 4xAA + 16xAF) = 17.3

Translated:

Radeon HD 6970 (Cayman XT) 3DMark Vantage test results floating around in the X12000, but P mode is P24499. In Unigine Heaven (1920 1200 4AA +16 AF) environmental setting speed was 36.6 frames.

HD 5870 3DMark Vantage P19337 results obtained in Unigine Heaven (1920 1200 4AA +16 AF) running 17.3 frames. The same platform GTX 4803DMark Vantage P21106 and X9309 results obtained in Unigine Heaven (1920 1600 4AA +16 AF) speed is 29.5.

There is no doubt Radeon HD 6970 (Cayman XT) will be the king of a single card in the same circumstances beyond the GTX 480 performance above 10%, from tests run with oppressive power.

However, the card is still within the sample card, similar to plate 5870, the core at 800MHz-900MHz frequency range, power supply interface is 6 +8, I believe should be 255W TDP or more.

If these are accurate, it looks like the 6970 is going to take over the single core performance crown. The 6990 or whatever the dual GPU Cayman XT will be, is going to be ridiculous.

 

[scitek]

Is the 6970 the one expected to be in the $300 range?

 

[Wallach]

Is the 6970 the one expected to be in the $300 range?

Pretty unlikely, I think. I'm expecting no less than $400. The 6950 I could see around $300-350.

 

[Tenacious-V]

Is the 6970 the one expected to be in the $300 range?

No idea of final pricing, but it almost certainly will be more than $300. It's the replacement for the 5870. The 6950 could possibly be in the $300 - $350 range.

 

[subversus]

I'm worried about its length. If it is in 5870 range, I'm fine.

 

[scitek]

No idea of final pricing, but it almost certainly will be more than $300. It's the replacement for the 5870. The 6950 could possibly be in the $300 - $350 range.

Ah cool, then that'll probably be replacing my 5770.

 

[mr stroke]

The 6990 or whatever the dual GPU Cayman XT will be, is going to be ridiculous

should be insane, but at what cost

The 5970's were being sold for $700-$800, I can only imagine what a 6990 would go for




crossing fingers the 6970's end up under $450

 

[dLMN8R]

I consider the 6850 to be a big enough leap above my 512MB 4870, especially since I game at 1920x1200 and 512MB is severely limiting at that resolution. Games like Assassin's Creed and Metro 2033 had severe micro-stuttering at that resolution since they couldn't quite handle it.

The 6870, on the other hand is about 33% more expensive, but in the best case benchmarks showed it as only ~20% faster or so. Overclocking would probably narrow that gap quite a bit too.


Anyway, the Gigabyte 6850 is back in stock and at MSRP of $180:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125348

I found some reviews that suggest that, despite the cooler's size, it's actually very quiet. I took the plunge, here's hoping I'm not disappointed! Seems like I should be able to sell my 4870 for around $100 too.

 

[Hazaro]

Seems like I should be able to sell my 4870 for around $100 too.

If you're lucky. I'd expect around $85 tops (used internet pricing). Local sale can get you a lot more. Or eBay, but then you have to deal with fees and sometimes bad people.

Upgrade totally worth it though.

 

[dLMN8R]

If you're lucky. I'd expect around $85 tops (used internet pricing). Local sale can get you a lot more. Or eBay, but then you have to deal with fees and sometimes bad people.

Upgrade totally worth it though.

I just watched an ebay auction end at $100, and some local listings on Craigslist show a fairly similar price range. But yeah, $100 is definitely the top-end of what I expect to be able to get.

 

[JudgeN]

Yes, "mid range" is a price descriptor, not a performance indicator. For most people even the "low end" cards are the best bang for the buck and will run most modern games smoothly. The "mid range" cards are a little expensive but will destroy most modern games, giving easy 60+ fps under high settings. The "high end" stuff is for the very few, filthy rich enthusiasts who, as said, run Eyefinity 250000x100000 16x AA etc.

A lot of people are suckered into spending $200 more than they really need to on a graphics card. If the $150 card gets you 60fps, and the $500 card gives you 100fps...why bother getting the $500 card? :lol

Because your not getting locked 60 FPS, my GTX 470 can't even get me locked 60 FPS on "high" in Crysis. Maybe its just me but I get annoyed when the game runs at 60 FPS 85% of the time, and it drops to 30 because of all the explosions and shit the other 15%.

Its all about locked 60 FPS to me, if its not locked its no good so I always spend a little more :lol

 

[TheExodu5]

I found some reviews that suggest that, despite the cooler's size, it's actually very quiet. I took the plunge, here's hoping I'm not disappointed! Seems like I should be able to sell my 4870 for around $100 too.

Bigger cooler generally means more quiet, since the large fans don't need to spin as fast to cool as much as the smaller fans.

I ordered the Gigabyte 6850 for my cousin's new build. It definitely seems like the most attractive card out of all the releases. 6870 and stock cooler hardly seem worth the extra expense. Probably best to save up for a 6950 if you're looking for something faster than the 6850, IMO.

 

[dionysus]

At 1080P and 60FPS, with a 6870 are we talking about maxed out sliders on all options plus tons of AA and AF for most PC games, especially multiplats? Obviously the PC graphical showcases will be a different story like Metro 2033. I ask this because I am still playing most PC games at 45+ FPS at 1080P with some AA with only a 4890.

It just seems that given normal resolutions and the fact that directx9 and consoles are holding pc games back, that upgrading from one card generation to the next is just buying you increased AA, supersampling, or other such wizardy. 3 generation (ATI 48XX, GT 2XX) old cards are still playing new games fine at 1080P.

 

[plagiarize]

Because your not getting locked 60 FPS, my GTX 470 can't even get me locked 60 FPS on "high" in Crysis. Maybe its just me but I get annoyed when the game runs at 60 FPS 85% of the time, and it drops to 30 because of all the explosions and shit the other 15%.

Its all about locked 60 FPS to me, if its not locked its no good so I always spend a little more :lol

yep. it isn't about average framerates, it's about MINIMUM framerates.

 

[Animal]

If the 6970 benchmark posted earlier is anywhere close to true I am blown away.

 

[TouchMyBox]

My credit card is ready, AMD. Inject me with 6970!

 

[darthbob]

My credit card is ready, AMD. Inject me with 6970!

 

[burgerdog]

Meh, missed ups so no 6870 until tomorrow for me.

 

[pestul]

If the 6970 benchmark posted earlier is anywhere close to true I am blown away.

When are leaked Chinese benches ever true? It's probably just two 5870s or something as some think over at Guru3d. I do expect this card to blow us away though.

 

[godhandiscen]

Here is a preliminary bench of CaymanXT. http://vga.zol.com.cn/195/1953715.html

http://2d.zol-img.com.cn/product/51_500x2000/153/ceweTiWHDWaU.jpg
http://2e.zol-img.com.cn/product/51_450x337/154/ceEWytvUe5JI.jpg



6970
3DMark Vantage = X12000, P24499.
Unigine Heaven (1920x1200 4xAA +16xAF) = 36.6

GTX480
3DMark Vantage = X9309, P21106.
Unigine Heaven (1920x1200 4xAA + 16AF) = 29.5

5870
Unigine Heaven (1920x1200 4xAA + 16xAF) = 17.3

Translated:



If these are accurate, it looks like the 6970 is going to take over the single core performance crown. The 6990 or whatever the dual GPU Cayman XT will be, is going to be ridiculous.

I think I will get 2x6970. If I can fit two of these in my lowly 750W PSU then I will be happy.

 

[kamspy]

so i have a 470 and i was thinking of selling it for 200 euro and getting 3 6870's
is that a better choise than getting a second 470

Not sure how much luck you'll have finding games that support Tri Crossfire. I had the hardest time getting two 4870s to play nice in Crossfire. It was a while back, but probably 25% of what I played even used the second GPU, and even then it was really diminishing returns.

A second 470 would probably have a lot less compatibility issues. There aren't many games that are going to tax 470 SLI either, so...

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

I'm saving up for a Radeon 6990 Antillies

Same

Im hoping its 28nm, and AMD gets Bulldozer out the door same time Crysis 2 hits.

 

[Fredescu]

Im hoping its 28nm

I thought everything in the 6 series was 40nm.

 

[K.Jack]

28nm is not coming until this time next year.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Because your not getting locked 60 FPS, my GTX 470 can't even get me locked 60 FPS on "high" in Crysis. Maybe its just me but I get annoyed when the game runs at 60 FPS 85% of the time, and it drops to 30 because of all the explosions and shit the other 15%.

Its all about locked 60 FPS to me, if its not locked its no good so I always spend a little more :lol

besides crysis and metro, what else gives you trouble in the 60fps department?

 

[JudgeN]

besides crysis and metro, what else gives you trouble in the 60fps department?

Dawn of war 2/Xpac
Dragon Age /w texture pack
Cryostasis (poorly coded)
Red Faction Guerrilla ( FPS start drop when explosions start happening)
The Last Ramnant (Could be poorly coded)
Lost Planet 2
FFXIV lol )
Stalker Clear Sky
Stalker Call of Pripyat
Neverwinter Nights 2 (Poorly coded)

So yea we need MORE POWER :lol