# Budget upgrade



## cookiemonster (Apr 4, 2013)

Hi my daughter has just realised she cannot play Crysis 3, with the rest of the system she has what graphics card can she upgrade to so she can play it; budget very minimum and also an AMD card.  

NZXT Lexa 
Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P (rev 1.0) mobo 
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, Deneb Core, S AM3, 3.4GHz
4gb ddr2 6400 800mhz ram 
XFX HD 4870 X2, PCI-E 2.0, 3600MHz GDDR5, GPU 
Seagate Baracuda 500gb,  32mb cache 
Corsair 650 PSU 
Liteon DVD Writer 
Windows 7 32bit


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## Darkleoco (Apr 4, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi my daughter has just realised she cannot play Crysis 3, with the rest of the system she has what graphics card can she upgrade to so she can play it; budget very minimum and also an AMD card.
> 
> NZXT Lexa
> Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P (rev 1.0) mobo
> ...



First I think it would be good to find out exactly what you mean by a minimum budget? Also are used cards a consideration as that could broaden the search quite a bit.


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## BiggieShady (Apr 4, 2013)

Screen resolution would also be helpful

Assuming 1920x1200(1080):







Bare minimum from AMD would be 7850.

Bear in mind that these frame rates are with better CPU and DDR3 mobo


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## MxPhenom 216 (Apr 4, 2013)

SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit G...


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## EarthDog (Apr 4, 2013)

No way would I get a 1GB card for 1080p gaming...


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## Darkleoco (Apr 4, 2013)

For Crysis 3 I think that a 7850 is about as low budget as you could possibly go (assuming 1080p) just knock down the detail a bit and it will run great and look great as well. I have to run Crysis 3 at lowest settings to get 60 fps when I play on my laptop and it still looks great so unless she is very picky about her graphics you should be good.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 4, 2013)

hi by minimum budget I mean the basic card she needs to run it, would the 7850 be much of a step up from the 4870 x 2.


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## NdMk2o1o (Apr 5, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> hi by minimum budget I mean the basic card she needs to run it, would the 7850 be much of a step up from the 4870 x 2.



Let's disect this for a second:


In terms of raw power, the x2 has the edge over a single 7850 in theory but,it's not that clear cut. 

The x2 won't do DX11

It won't do well at 1080p> as it only has a 1GB frame buffer

It uses twice the power of the 7850

It's not as good in modern games

It's more liable to die on you due to it being 4 year old tech as opposed to being <2years

It will be noisy

It will likely have crossfire issues, some games will only utlilise 1GPU etc etc 

The list goes on.

In short the 7850 is a much better all round choice, will it give you better frames on Crysis3 than a x2? maybe or maybe not, either lower the settings, the res or shell out for a better card if you are debating either card.


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## Dent1 (Apr 5, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi my daughter has just realised she cannot play Crysis 3, with the rest of the system she has what graphics card can she upgrade to so she can play it; budget very minimum and also an AMD card.
> 
> NZXT Lexa
> Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P (rev 1.0) mobo
> ...



4GB of RAM is the the absolute minimum to run today's games especially for Crysis 3. You only have a 32bit OS so I guess you're stuck with it. 

A single 7850 is a fair bit faster than a well optimised 4870 X2.  Bear in mind your CPU isn't well geared towards Crysis 3 or the 7850 and your DDR2 memory is bandwidth starved.

Another recommendation is to drop in a Phenom II X6 or sell the entire rig and build around the FX Piledriver 8 core with DDR3 memory.


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## suraswami (Apr 5, 2013)

Here is your answer

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crysis-3-performance-benchmark-gaming,3451-8.html


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## Geekoid (Apr 5, 2013)

Well, the specs (http://uk.ign.com/wikis/crysis-3/System_Requirements) say:

 Minimum System Operating Requirements for PC
• Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
• DirectX 11 graphics card with 1Gb Video RAM
• Dual core CPU
• 2GB Memory (3GB on Vista)

Example 1 (Nvidia/Intel):
• Nvidia GTS 450
• Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 Ghz (E6600)

Example 2 (AMD):
• AMD Radeon HD5770
• AMD Athlon64 X2 2.7 Ghz (5200+)

So I guess the very minimum would be the AMD Radeon HD5770.


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## Dent1 (Apr 5, 2013)

Geekoid said:


> Well, the specs say:
> 
> Minimum System Operating Requirements for PC
> • Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
> ...



Ignore that. Those specifications wouldn't even run Crysis 1 let alone 3.

Game developers make money from selling games. They quote under spec'd requirements to get noobs to buy the game. That is the requirements to get the game to "load" and for the opening cinematics to run. At best a choppy experience at low settings and resolution.


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## Geekoid (Apr 5, 2013)

Dent1 said:


> Ignore that. Those specifications wouldn't even run Crysis 1 let alone 3.
> 
> Game developers make money from selling games. They quote under spec'd requirements to get noobs to buy the game. That is the requirements to get the game to "load" and for the opening cinematics to run.



Well, they can't just say that if it isn't the case. The game will actually have to run on the lowest settings otherwise they'd be covered in lawsuits. Yes, we all know that we want to aim for the higher settings, but the minimum requirements stated are just that...

Of course, to play the game properly you'd need the "high" specs (http://www.crysis.com/uk/crysis-3/buy?from=en) - so at least 8GB RAM, a 64-bit OS, an Nvidia Titan, etc....


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## cookiemonster (Apr 5, 2013)

thanks for all the info and advice I will pass it on, Nvidia Titan, I wish.


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## NdMk2o1o (Apr 5, 2013)

Dent1 said:


> Ignore that. Those specifications wouldn't even run Crysis 1 let alone 3.
> 
> Game developers make money from selling games. They quote under spec'd requirements to get noobs to buy the game. That is the requirements to get the game to "load" and for the opening cinematics to run. At best a choppy experience at low settings and resolution.



I've run Crysis on a lot worse specs, easily as a lot of people have, I remember running Crysis on a e2** dual core, 4GB RAM and an x1600 GPU and modding it to run high/medium


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## Dent1 (Apr 5, 2013)

Geekoid said:


> Well, they can't just say that if it isn't the case. The game will actually have to run on the lowest settings otherwise they'd be covered in lawsuits. Yes, we all know that we want to aim for the higher settings, but the minimum requirements stated are just that...
> 
> Of course, to play the game properly you'd need the "high" specs (http://www.crysis.com/uk/crysis-3/buy?from=en) - so at least 8GB RAM, a 64-bit OS, an Nvidia Titan, etc....



Of course I'm exaggerating, but yes the back of the box requirements is to play at lowest settings and resolution with choppy settings. You won't get any type of enjoyable experience from it.



NdMk2o1o said:


> I've run Crysis on a lot worse specs, easily as a lot of people have, I remember running Crysis on a e2** dual core, 4GB RAM and an x1600 GPU and modding it to run high/medium



Me too, I ran it on a dual core athlon X2, 4850, 4GB DDR2. Everything low/medium/low settings about 25FPS @ 1440x900. Still looked beautiful. It took many upgrades to break ultra settings until I upgraded to the Athlon II X4 and crossfired my 4850 (didnt have my 5850 at the time) by then Crysis 1 was old news.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 5, 2013)

Hi I just found the same card as mine, XFX Radeon HD 6970 880M 2GB DDR5 DUAL DVI DUAL MDP HDMI FOR £146 only thing it is graded. 

Graded graphics cards are unused returns, factory refurbished products or end of line products . To ensure peace of mind each product comes with our 12 month warranty having been fully tested by our team of in-house technicians.


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## Dent1 (Apr 5, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi I just found the same card as mine, XFX Radeon HD 6970 880M 2GB DDR5 DUAL DVI DUAL MDP HDMI FOR £146 only thing it is graded.
> 
> Graded graphics cards are unused returns, factory refurbished products or end of line products . To ensure peace of mind each product comes with our 12 month warranty having been fully tested by our team of in-house technicians.



It's a really good deal. I would buy it.  Although its 3 year old it's faster than most modern midrange cards today.

The 6970 appears to be as fast or faster than the 7850. keep in mind the 7850 is newer so you might get better support. 

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/509?vs=549
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7850_HD_7870/26.html


The 4870 X2 is selling for about £80 used on Ebay. I would look into selling it for one of the above mentioned cards http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151019742887

BTW What resolution will you be running?


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## cookiemonster (Apr 5, 2013)

Hi the 6970 I am using on my system is running at 1920 x1200 how would they do on crossfire


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## EarthDog (Apr 5, 2013)

Depends on the game.. scaling is anywhere from 0-90% but averages 60-70%.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 5, 2013)

Would it be it be a good move getting one for myself rather than going for a 7970


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## EarthDog (Apr 5, 2013)

Getting one of what? Dont you already have a 6970 and the choice was between another or a single more powerful card?


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## BiggieShady (Apr 5, 2013)

EarthDog said:


> Depends on the game.. scaling is anywhere from 0-90% but averages 60-70%.



Well, currently with CrossFire FRAPS may report that kind of scaling, but every other frame is either dropped or not used more than few percent in the final image. Everyone is waiting for AMD to fix this.


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## EarthDog (Apr 5, 2013)

While the issue was great to hear about and see some concrete values on it, the reality is most time you dont even know its happening and once AMD fixes it, all that fancy equipment everyone bought to review this will be all for not. We arent jumping on the bandwagon. Its much ado about nothing, especially post AMD fix. Its microstuttering, its on both camps, but AMD is worse. It just depends. I always say get a single card in the first place unless you are at 2560x1600 or multiple monitors. I dont like SLI/Crossfire and this blown out of proportion issue wouldnt stop me from getting either camp in a multi GPU config personally.


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## Dent1 (Apr 5, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> Would it be it be a good move getting one for myself rather than going for a 7970



Do you mean getting another 6970 for CF vs a single 7970? 

The 6970 CF would be either faster or about the same. Value for money the 6970 CF would be better as you've got 1 card already, it's only £146 additional vs £350 for 7970. Your main rig looks quite powerful already (i5 Ivy Bridge, 16GB of RAM) I doubt you need a GPU upgrade at the moment. 

Is your daughter's rig running 1920 x1200 too? 4GB really isn't enough.


Edit:

I would like to add, I've been running CF for years, 4850 CF and 5850 CF. Never had micro stutter or driver issues.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 5, 2013)

no she is running 1280 x800


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## Dent1 (Apr 5, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> no she is running 1280 x800



About the same amount of pixels as my 1440x900. I did a test 2 days ago that shows Crysis 2 (not 3) using almost 8GB of RAM (7.26GB) http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2878258&postcount=28

I think before dropping any money. Swap out the ATI 6970 from your rig into your daughter's and test Crysis 3. If it plays well, drop £146 on a new one for her. 

If it doesn't play well (it should) you know there is bottlenecking due to CPU, RAM capacity, and RAM bandwidth.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 5, 2013)

I have ran Crysis 1, Crysis add on for 1 and Crysis 2 up full with my 6970 with no problems on my old system which is lying in a box doing nothing. 

Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H (rev 2.0) motherboard 
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, Deneb Core, S AM3, 3.8GHz 
8gb Crucial Ballistic DDR3 1333mhz/PC3-10600 (7-7-7-24) 1.65v 

yes your right I should give her that as well.


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## BiggieShady (Apr 6, 2013)

EarthDog said:


> While the issue was great to hear about and see some concrete values on it, the reality is most time you dont even know its happening and once AMD fixes it, all that fancy equipment everyone bought to review this will be all for not. We arent jumping on the bandwagon. Its much ado about nothing, especially post AMD fix. Its microstuttering, its on both camps, but AMD is worse. It just depends. I always say get a single card in the first place unless you are at 2560x1600 or multiple monitors. I dont like SLI/Crossfire and this blown out of proportion issue wouldnt stop me from getting either camp in a multi GPU config personally.



I wouldn't say it was blown out of proportions at all. Difference between what's FRAPS measures and what's observed is huge. Crossfire is broken, AMD admitted it.


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## EarthDog (Apr 6, 2013)

Im with guru3d... 



> Stuttering, measuring anomalies...  isn't everybody overreacting? Well yes and no. *Small anomalies rendered and which you can experience on screen always have been a part of a graphics card and your overall game experience. For years now we have had that, for years now most of you have not been bothered by it. Aside from a small group enthusiast end-users and analysts, that is the primary context you need to keep in mind when it comes to FCAT measurements, really.*





> So it is more a question of what can we accept when analyzing anomalies and what not, because some people will totally freak out if they see a couple of latency spikes in a chart. *Realistically you'll be hard-pressed to notice it, heck one big massive scary spike in a chart could even something as simple as a game scene change.*





> Again I like to make the following statement strong, stutters always have been part of graphics cards. So I do plea... how important is it really? How much are you bothered by something you probably hardly even notice? I mean if you play a game and every now and then you see a small glitch, a stutter for a fraction of a second... does that ruin your game experience? We think not, and as such the stutter/glitches issues are a bit blown out of proportion with everybody jumping onto it. For multi-GPU gaming it is different though, if you pay attention to micro-stuttering, you can see it. But the question again remains the same, how many of you are actually bothered by it. *Sure, if you raise enough awareness then people will revolt and address the issue continuously. But we do like to ask you to look at things in perspective.*



http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/fcat_benchmarking_review,9.html

When this is fixed in two months, I bet all the dust kicked up will settle.


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## BiggieShady (Apr 7, 2013)

EarthDog said:


> When this is fixed in two months, I bet all the dust kicked up will settle.



I hope so. 
The issue does seem fixable in drivers in two months.
There are lots of inconsistencies though, if you ask me. 
Many reviews are trying to lessen the blow for the sake of the healthy market (and I support that) saying that frame rate spikes are common with multi gpu solutions.
Problem is we only have nvidia as competitor and since SLI is working fine we can't say anymore micro stuttering is common issue with multi gpu setup.


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## EarthDog (Apr 7, 2013)

> Many reviews are trying to lessen the blow for the sake of the healthy market (and I support that) saying that frame rate spikes are common with multi gpu solutions.


Lessen the blow? Its the truth. I still think this whole thing is blown out of proportion and have been saying that since prior to that Guru3D article even..

I think the inverse in that some sites are making a mountain out of a molehill on this one.


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## BiggieShady (Apr 7, 2013)

EarthDog said:


> I still think this whole thing is blown out of proportion



So you do. I also see that you run both SLI and Crossfire on your setups. Basically what you are saying is that you don't see difference in your experience. In that case you should contact AMD immediately, your hardware configuration may be the clue for them how to fix it.


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## EarthDog (Apr 7, 2013)

LOL... No. I just used it and read enough to know some are making more out of this than there really is. I have used 7770/7870/7950, and 7970 CFX solutions and in the titles I play (BF3, Dirt 3, Batman:AC, AvP, Civ V, Metro2033), I don't notice any micorstuttering. Perhaps I'm just not sensitive enough? I dont know. I also currently have a 690, and ran 680's in SLI as well and currently have a pair of 650 Ti Boosts on the test bench. So yes, I have seen both sides of the fence with the same games in fact. 

I think what you are not understanding is that not in every title, with every driver (especially the newest ones), in every set of games, will this problem occur to a NOTICEABLE extent. I have conceeded that AMDs frame time is worse, but like a tree falling in the forest, if there is nobody there to hear it (notice the frame time spikes/problems) does it make a noise (is it a problem)? Understand this problem not everyone can see. If it was everyone there would be A LOT more complaints across forums than you see now.


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## Ikaruga (Apr 7, 2013)

http://www.microcenter.com/product/409620/GeForce_GTX560Ti_1GB_PCI-Express_Video_Card_-_Refurbished

560ti is enough for the "minimum", but her CPU is the bottleneck imo.


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## Mindweaver (Apr 7, 2013)

The 7950 seems to be the best bang for your buck right now. I'd get a 7950 before I bought a 6970 if you can pick up a 7950 around the same price as the 6970. But the 6970 is still a solid card and would be a great upgrade to a 4870x2.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 8, 2013)

Hi daughters PC is coming down tomorrow and I will put the new AM3 mobo and the 8gb DDR3 ram in but she cannot afford to upgrade her win 7 32bit Ultimate will that still be okay to run.


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## EarthDog (Apr 8, 2013)

It will be ok, but what is the point considering a 32bit OS can only allocate 4GB. You wont be able to  see/utilize the other 4GB...


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## Anggoro (Apr 8, 2013)

EDIT: i was going to suggest to buy new mobo and ram.

Really, i'm using a A8 3870K on resolution like your daughter use., and it's not that bad for me.

to get it to med/high setting, you'll just need a 7850 1 GB i think if it's the limit of ur budget.if not, 7870 is even better.
Don't really mind your CPU bottleneck. it's just 5 FPS differents at most on most occasion, and isn't worth hundreds of poundsterlings, tho it'll give you a better upgrade path for next 5 year.

I've seen people who play games and so sensitive to smoothness. some of them even use athlon II x4, with decent GPU of course, and never have i see them complain.

i myself used a deneb @3.6 daily, and it was great for gpu bound gaming.

and that 4GB ddr3 is already OK if it's for non-3Drender/for gaming only.
CMIIW


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## cookiemonster (Apr 8, 2013)

It was 4gb DDR2 she was using so I suppose I could just put in the 4gb DDR3 1333mhz it would be an improvement.


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## EarthDog (Apr 8, 2013)

Her board in the first post uses DDR2. DDR3 will not fit.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 8, 2013)

That was an AM2 I will be putting in my last mobo which was an AM3 and that supports DDR3.


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## Outback Bronze (Apr 8, 2013)

Anybody recommended the new 650ti? Or does it HAVE to be amd?


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## cookiemonster (Apr 8, 2013)

Yes I think so but she would prefer an AMD.


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## tokyoduong (Apr 8, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> Would it be it be a good move getting one for myself rather than going for a 7970



Why don't you just give her your 6970 and buy yourself a 7970? Nothing is wasted and problem is solved.


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## Anggoro (Apr 8, 2013)

tokyoduong said:


> Why don't you just give her your 6970 and buy yourself a 7970? Nothing is wasted and problem is solved.


the title is budget upgrade. 
well 7970 is a bit cheaper now.but still it's not a budget card.

and it is indeed improvement from ddr2 to ddr3, tho you may won't notice it.
650ti is indeed great. but 7870 or even 7850 is enough for her display reso.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 8, 2013)

I had thought on getting a 7970 for myself but it's a bit to expensive plus my 6970 is enough for me.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 8, 2013)

my daughter is running Win 7 ultimate 32bit, I have Win 7 premium 64bit can I buy another serial so I can install it on her new system when I put it together if so where can I get it.


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## EarthDog (Apr 9, 2013)

Yes.

Microsoft.


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## tokyoduong (Apr 9, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> I had thought on getting a 7970 for myself but it's a bit to expensive plus my 6970 is enough for me.



Like I said, The best bang for  your buck is actually getting an upgrade for yourself and give her your 6970. You are buying 1 card but upgrading 2 systems. A 7950 is much cheaper and can easily perform the same as the 7970. The extra shaders made little to no difference in performance.

Or if your budget is a fixed amount rather than amount per system then you should just get her a 7850 1 GB. It will play any game on high except metro and crysis 3. If you look at the reviews, by the time the card needs more than 1 GB, it is already unplayable. The gpu will bottleneck before the memory in almost all cases. If you plan to go above 1080p or duels/triples then get the 2GB.


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## xvi (Apr 9, 2013)

NdMk2o1o said:


> Let's disect this for a second:
> 
> 
> In terms of raw power, the x2 has the edge over a single 7850 in theory but,it's not that clear cut.
> ...



I would have to disagree. I went from a 4870/4850 CF setup to a 5870 and I have to say both setups perform about the same in ideal conditions for both.
1GB frame buffer should be okay for 1080p, albeit only just.
Power usage on the 4000 series cards is horrendous, yes, and inherently have a noisy fan because of it.
Crossfire issues aren't guaranteed.



Dent1 said:


> I ran it on a dual core athlon X2, 4850, 4GB DDR2. Everything low/medium/low settings about 25FPS @ 1440x900. Still looked beautiful. It took many upgrades to break ultra settings until I upgraded to the Athlon II X4 and crossfired my 4850 (didnt have my 5850 at the time) by then Crysis 1 was old news.


Similar thing for me. Phenom II X2, single 4850, low settings, ran in the 20-30 FPS range for me. Don't remember what resolution the monitor was, maybe 1680x1050?



EarthDog said:


> Getting one of what? Dont you already have a 6970 and the choice was between another or a single more powerful card?


For the daughter's computer.



tokyoduong said:


> Like I said, The best bang for  your buck is actually getting an upgrade for yourself and give her your 6970. You are buying 1 card but upgrading 2 systems. A 7950 is much cheaper and can easily perform the same as the 7970. The extra shaders made little to no difference in performance.
> 
> Or if your budget is a fixed amount rather than amount per system then you should just get her a 7850 1 GB. It will play any game on high except metro and crysis 3. If you look at the reviews, by the time the card needs more than 1 GB, it is already unplayable. The gpu will bottleneck before the memory in almost all cases. If you plan to go above 1080p or duels/triples then get the 2GB.


I don't think "bang for your buck" is how I'd describe a 7950 when used cards are an option. If she doesn't mind medium settings, I'd try that 6970 (which is roughly the same performance as a 5870) or a 5870. Those cards still cost a bit (~$150-200 USD), but their HD XX50 counterparts would save you a couple shillings with a minimal hit in performance.

The HD 4000 series cards are mostly useless considering their lack of DirectX 10 support. I loved mine, but 200-300 watts per card and lack of DX10/OpenCL pushed me to upgrade.



tokyoduong said:


> Why don't you just give her your 6970 and buy yourself a 7970? Nothing is wasted and problem is solved.





cookiemonster said:


> I had thought on getting a 7970 for myself but it's a bit to expensive plus my 6970 is enough for me.


No one said it was a wise option, but it is the most _awesome_ option. 
I actually would like to +1 this, though. The hand-me-down upgrade model isn't a particularly bad one.


Edit: I just realized I was disagreeing with a moderator about the 6970 vs 7950 debate, but I think I'll hold my ground. Mindweaver, perhaps you're thinking of the 7850? The 7950 is $300 on a good day whereas the 6970 seems to go for $200-ish.
Also, the 5870 and 5970 are within striking distance of each other, but the 6970 is generally priced quite a bit higher.


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## jagd (Apr 9, 2013)

Do you know microsoft has any partnership with schools in UK ? They have/had some programs called '' academic '' or similiar and you could get microsoft software from your school/college free/very cheap for students/teachers  iirc



cookiemonster said:


> my daughter is running Win 7 ultimate 32bit, I have Win 7 premium 64bit can I buy another serial so I can install it on her new system when I put it together if so where can I get it.


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## cookiemonster (Apr 11, 2013)

Hi as I cannot afford a new card for myself my daughter is going to stick with the 4870 x 2 until she can save up for a better card thanks for all the help and advice, one last thing I noticed on the mobo I am giving her that it has •Integrated ATI Radeon HD 4290 graphics (DirectX10.1)  

ATI Hybrid Graphics is a technology umbrella brand encompassing several technologies, such as ATI Hybrid CrossFireX™, ATI SurroundView™, ATI PowerPlay™, etc. that allow both an AMD integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor to work co-operatively on an AMD based system to provide enhanced gaming performance, productivity and platform efficiency to the mainstream PC. 

can this be tied into the 4870x2.


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## Geekoid (Apr 11, 2013)

As has already been mentioned, that 32-bit Windows 7 will really hold you back. 32-Bit Windows 7 can only access a maximum of 4 GB (you'll see around 3.25 GB in real terms with minimum hardware). So you'll be very limited indeed memory wise if you get a graphics card that has 1 or 2 GB on it! Also, if your existing Windows licence is an OEM one, then you can't transfer it to a new motherboard. Windows 7 OEM licences live and die on the motherboard they came with. Thankfully they've changed this with Windows 8 Personal System Builder, allowing you to do things like change the motherboard. If you're going to be changing things like this often, I'd suggest Windows 8 64-bit thanks to the "personal use" allowance.


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## Melvis (Apr 11, 2013)

cookiemonster said:


> Hi my daughter has just realised she cannot play Crysis 3, with the rest of the system she has what graphics card can she upgrade to so she can play it; budget very minimum and also an AMD card.
> 
> NZXT Lexa
> Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P (rev 1.0) mobo
> ...



Is it that Crysis 3 is only a DX11 game? because that set up I would think should run it ok ish with some settings turned down?

I ran Crysis 2 maxed out on my old system with a Stock Phenom II 965 and quadfire 4870X2 and would get up to 110FPS in that game, and i only had 4GB of RAM at that time.

Either its realy bad driver support for the card, or your hitting the RAM limit? something doesnt seem right to me.



Dent1 said:


> Ignore that. Those specifications wouldn't even run Crysis 1 let alone 3.
> 
> Game developers make money from selling games. They quote under spec'd requirements to get noobs to buy the game. That is the requirements to get the game to "load" and for the opening cinematics to run. At best a choppy experience at low settings and resolution.



I ran Crysis 1 on a FX-57, 2GB of RAM, Windows XP and a 3850 at max medium settings at 20-30FPS. 1280*1024


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## cookiemonster (Apr 11, 2013)

Hi she knows that she can't play directX 11 games until she can upgrade Windows and graphics card,all I want to know is can I tie in the onboard graphics  to the 4870x2 just to give it a boost in directtX 10.1 games.


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## Melvis (Apr 11, 2013)

She can still play DX11 games with that card they just wont run in DX11 they will run in dx10 or 9. 

And no you cant do that sorry.


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## itsakjt (Apr 11, 2013)

A Phenom II X4 955 with NB overclocked to 2600 MHz(hits easily) or more and equipped with DDR3 will never bottleneck a 7850 or even a 7870 much.
So if you are concerned about budget, get a good DDR3 AM3+ mobo(AM3+ for the future) and atleast 4GB RAM(preferably dual channel) and hook a 7850 with it and you are good enough.


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