23 replies to this topic

[Aznpersuasion89]

So I've beening thinking about upgrading from my 7850 OC to a 7950/70, but with the next gen consoles just around the corner or 8000 gpu soon? I really only want Xbox for halo 5, so upgrading the gpu may be a better idea. I just don't like the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on a gpu just to be on par with a console. Now I've read that apu the Xbox will use will be pretty anemic, and if that's the case then the pc will still reign. Also the 8000 series should be released later in 2013. Should I just wait for the 8000 to drop the prices and leap for a 7979/90? I guess this really isn't a question, but more of a what do other people think?

[Gremlich Johns]

Console? what's that?

[Catamount]

These consoles will cost as much as a middling gaming PC and they'll have hardware to suit. Your present system already sounds about as powerful.

Frankly, I don't see the rush to upgrade unless you're actually unhappy with your present performance, though there really aren't new cards of note that will be due in the near future. There will be some new 7000 SKUs on AMD's side before year's end, and Nvidia is doing a Kepler refresh; that's about it. It won't be until next year that we see upgrades of note, as far as I can tell.


I say if you want a console, get a console. Worry about GPU upgrades next year. I may look at getting a PS4 myself eventually (though probably not at release).

Edited by Catamount, 03 March 2013 - 12:53 PM.

[Gremlich Johns]

Catamount, on 03 March 2013 - 12:52 PM, said:

I may look at getting a PS4 myself eventually (though probably not at release).

Dude, buy an 85mm f/2.8 instead.....

[Syllogy]

This game cannot be produced for the console by PGI.

This is a licensing issue. PGI is only authorized to create this game on the PC at this time.

[Catamount]

Gremlich Johns, on 03 March 2013 - 01:04 PM, said:

Dude, buy an 85mm f/2.8 instead.....

I didn't say that wasn't on the Christmas list, too! Actually I'm far more lacking at the wide end

[Aznpersuasion89]

Syllogy, on 03 March 2013 - 01:14 PM, said:

This game cannot be produced for the console by PGI.

This is a licensing issue. PGI is only authorized to create this game on the PC at this time.

If this is directed towards me I know this. No I'm not really unhappy, just want Moar. I guess I can hold out til AMD comes out with something new. My pc will see mwo duty 98% of the time. Maybe crysis 3 too. I hear the ps4 and "durango" should he practically identical as far as hardware goes.

[badnewsaaron]

I believe there was a leaked AMD roadmap that came out a couple of weeks ago that showed that there wouldn't be any new AMD video cards in 2013. Too lazy to find it right now but keep that in mind.

[Thorqemada]

The new Consoles will have a lower performance than a mainstream PC and for sure a way lower performance than yours regardless if you use the 7850 or 79xx.

[Randall Flagg]

Console.

[Flapdrol]

A 7850 is fine if you dont mind tweaking the settings. "ultra" settings dont make that much of an impact on image quality.

When games actually get better looking with high production values you can always upgrade. Getting a nextgen console is something you should only do for exclusive titles, a ps4 will have a 7850-like card in it, visuals will be similar if you tweak it right, the actual optimisations are mainly cpu related. Gpu optimisation is usually "render at lowres, stick highres interface on".

[Adridos]

Wait for the next Xbox announcement. That is only because you want Halo, nothing else as you really have 0 other reasons to buy it..

If it is also a x86-64 piece of tech, then you can simply stay and laugh at them, becuase you don't even need an emulator to run any kind of game from the new consoles. Surely someone will get their games working on PC in no time.

If it isn't, then you can safely wait until the new Halo is going to come up. You'e buying it only for that game and the price will only ever drop, and with a good PC already, there's no reason not to wait.

[Catamount]

Oh it's bad Flapdrol. I realize present consoles are ancient machines trying to play modern games, but resolutions get as low as 960x540 (what is this, 2001?) and seldom get higher than 1280x720, often with no AA. These new consoles will be a welcome step-up. The PS4's Radeon HD 7850 will be a huge jump up from running games on an over-hyped Geforce 7800. It's time for some consoles that aren't half as powerful as my 3 year old mid-range laptop.

Hopefully that will spur games with better visuals, because frankly, my 7970 spends most of its gaming time twiddling its thumbs. In fact, my 5850 usually didn't even have trouble maxing out most titles and pulling 40-60fps at 1080P.

[Inveramsay]

What you seem to be forgetting is that developers can always make much more use out of the hardware in a console because they are building it for exactly one spec. Scaling away lots of things also massively improves the available power. I do however agree that the jump to the next gen consoles will be pretty small from a mid range computer.

I would always update my PC before my consoles and a 7970 costs less than a new console will. What are the specs of the rest of your PC? Another option could be another 7850 though be aware that you will not get any more fps in MWO but you will in most other games.

[Hungus]

Gremlich Johns, on 03 March 2013 - 12:52 PM, said:

Console? what's that?

It is a gaming device for peasants.

[Catamount]

Graphics card companies can get modestly more out of a console than a typical PC, not vastly more. My laptop is just about twice as powerful as a Playstation 3, and you know what? It plays Mass Effect 3 just about twice as well, getting about double the framerates at the same resolution (ME3 doesn't have much in the way of graphical settings, oddly enough).

Still, there's nothing wrong with consoles. You generally get a very good deal on the hardware you get, and there are plenty of exclusive titles.

Edited by Catamount, 05 March 2013 - 01:04 PM.

[Aznpersuasion89]

Right now mwo doesn't even make my 7850 break a sweat on max settings. If they had halo on pc again i wouldnt even care. I read somewhere that they had a 8000 slayed for the very end of 2013. May have been an old article.

[Catamount]

As per the above comment, MWO is not really that graphically intensive. Yes, it makes GPUs run like space heaters, but it still will get good framerates on decent settings with almost any hardware. Even my stupidly old, woefully underpowered laptop GPU (5730) can run the game at around 30fps on just a bit below all medium, and it's equivalent to a desktop 5570. My 5770 and 5850 could both run the game on high, though not quite at 60fps (I had to knock a few things to medium to maintain close to 45-55fps on the 5850, and run about an even split on the 5770).

So a 7850 is massively overpowered for MWO, provided there's no technical trouble (you know, where the game just "decides" it's going to run at 15fps for no reason). Most people at this point are CPU-bound, even on very high end CPUs. The only reason to upgrade it is for the future games the new consoles will bring.

Quote

I read somewhere that they had a 8000 slayed for the very end of 2013. May have been an old article.

The 8000 series is strange. The entire series is a collection of OEM-only rebrands of 7000 series parts, not available for individual purchase, thus far.

The only new parts coming out of note will be new 7000 series parts sometime this year, and after that, hopefully an HD 9000 series later next year.

Edited by Catamount, 05 March 2013 - 03:19 PM.

[Eddrick]

Get upgrades or new more powerfull computer. They give more options and can even get more powerfull then the consoles. PlayStation 4 and X-Box 720 are top of the line electronics for the moment. But, computers will quickly outclass them.

[Adridos]

Eddrick, on 05 March 2013 - 03:41 PM, said:

PlayStation 4 and X-Box 720 are top of the line electronics for the moment. But, computers will quickly outclass them.

Well, we know nothing about new Xbox hardware, but as far as the PS 4 one goes, it is hardly top of the line.

Slight above average at best.

If you don't believe me, you can just compare the original UE 4 presentation running on GTX 680 and i7 vs the presentation from the PS 4 release. The differences are really hard to miss and the devs are already gimping graphics a bit to run it.