# Quiet and Cool Graphic Card Under 7k



## Tech_Wiz (Mar 9, 2012)

Hello,

My Config is in my signature. 

The GTS 250 I am running is noisy and big. It is overlapping my Mobo's SATA Connections so I cant add anything. 

I am not a HARDCORE gamer. I use a 19" Monitor with 1400x900 max res which I am not upgrading for a LONG time.

So I want something which is comparable or better with a GTS250. Shorter in length and quiet.

Budget is 7K. 

I am open to AMD and nVidia both. 

PSU: Cosair VX 450W


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## MyGeekTips (Mar 9, 2012)

6770 @ 6.5K

or 6850 @ 8.5k (SMCInternational)


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 9, 2012)

Thanks for your suggestions but how is Gigabyte HD7770?

Can it run Games are Med High Setts at 1400x900?

I read its 28 nm while my existing card is 55nm. So it must be less power consuming and Shorter thus quieter?


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## Skud (Mar 9, 2012)

Quietness depends on the cooler used. A 28nm card is much less power consuming. And HD7770 can run games at high settings at 14x9 res. But at 8.3k its over your budget. And 6850 is slightly better performing.


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## MyGeekTips (Mar 9, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> Thanks for your suggestions but how is Gigabyte HD7770?
> 
> Can it run Games are Med High Setts at 1400x900?
> 
> I read its 28 mm while my existing card is 55nm. So it must be less power consuming and Shorter thus quieter?



7770 is faster than 6790 that retails for 8K. 7770 is available for 8.2K. It is lot quieter & have less power consumption. Below 8.5K, 7770 is the best bet but if you can also get a 6850 @ 8.5K if you requires more power.


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## Skud (Mar 9, 2012)

6770/7750 is 6.2k only.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 9, 2012)

hmm I think I will go with HD7770 Gigabyte one. I can stretch budget to 8k for it.

By the review its slightly (5% to 10%) Slow at pretty much same price but power consumption is way too low. 50W approx. and I don't think I will notice the performance Gap at 1400x900 res. What say?

And How are Gigabyte Coolers?


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## MyGeekTips (Mar 9, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> hmm I think I will go with HD7770 Gigabyte one. I can stretch budget to 8k for it.
> 
> By the review its slightly (5% to 10%) Slow at pretty much same price but power consumption is way too low. 50W approx. and I don't think I will notice the performance Gap at 1400x900 res. What say?
> 
> And How are Gigabyte Coolers?



The reference design is nice & gigabyte cooler is fine too. Go for it


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## coderunknown (Mar 9, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> hmm I think I will go with HD7770 Gigabyte one. I can stretch budget to 8k for it.



HD7770 is quite a bit slow than HD6850. i'll suggest getting HD6850 Cyclone by MSI. google a bit for reviews if the cooler is silent enough but as it is an open cooler, it should be silent.



Tech_Wiz said:


> By the review its slightly (5% to 10%) Slow at pretty much same price but power consumption is way too low. 50W approx. and I don't think I will notice the performance Gap at 1400x900 res. What say?


also as you are upgrading (or changing for gpu being noisy) from 250, HD6850 will offer you a nice boost and you may overclock it later to continue gaming at HD resolution without affecting your gaming performance.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 10, 2012)

Flipkart: MSI AMD/ATI R6850 Cyclone 1GD5 Power Edition/OC 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card: Graphics Card

How is this? Priced OK? 

And yes I went through reviews and 7770 is not recommended at this price by anyone as HD6850 is available and better.

ps: Just How much faster is this card than a GTS250 roughly.. 40-50%?

and I am pretty sure my Processor wont bottleneck it 

Also just in case by budget goes in a hole which is the cheapest available Card which has comparable performance with the GTS250


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## MyGeekTips (Mar 10, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> Flipkart: MSI AMD/ATI R6850 Cyclone 1GD5 Power Edition/OC 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card: Graphics Card
> 
> How is this? Priced OK?
> 
> ...



That's the best 6850 available in India.  It is available for 8.5K in SMC International, grab it before stocks finishes. I'm too looking to buy it. 

Don't know how much it is faster than GTS250. Your processor is enough powerful to even handle 7970. :


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## Skud (Mar 10, 2012)

Bit cheaper here:-

MSI R6850 Cyclone PE/OC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Graphic Card with Eyefinity

And in SMC its 8.6k plus shipping - the cheapest, if they have stock.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 10, 2012)

Any suggestions for alternate cards which have comparable performance to GTS250? I think HD 5750 equals it but not sure.


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## Skud (Mar 10, 2012)

What happened? Not happy with the 6850?


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 10, 2012)

Na  Its nice. But my AMD stock cooler is also making hell lot of noise. Thinking about cutting some cost here and getting CM TX3 at 1.5k odd

I am not a Hard Core OCer. So Will be limited to 3.6 GHZ max. But for now it will run on 3.2 GHz + Under-volted to keep temp + Noise further down.


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## Skud (Mar 10, 2012)

Get Hyper 212 EVO @ 2k & a 6770  @ 6.2k.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 10, 2012)

Just to confirm 6770>=GTS250?


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## Skud (Mar 10, 2012)

GTS250=4850

6770/5770>=4870

Got the point?


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks 

Will be buying in April. Will post Pics when I get them 

Thanks for the Help.


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## Skud (Mar 10, 2012)

You are welcome.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 12, 2012)

Buy PowerColor RADEON HD6770 1GB GDDR5 in Mumbai India
Buy Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler in Mumbai India
Total at 8800 + Shipping 

or Flipkart: MSI AMD/ATI R6850 Cyclone 1GD5 Power Edition/OC 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card: Graphics Card

9600 + Shipping Free

Which is a better deal if I will max play at 1400x900 and not going to upgrade any hardware for a couple of years at-least after this.


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## Sujeet (Mar 12, 2012)

Kick  CM Hyper 212. 
Lick  R6850 ..Enough to handle all modern games at decent frame rates at hi settings for quite long time.!


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## topgear (Mar 13, 2012)

you can get HD6850 @ 8.85k from theitwares


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 13, 2012)

Getting a Used Sapphire HD 6870 for 8.5K. 1 yr old and 2 yr warranty left.

Is this a good deal? Because afaik this card beats the crap out of 6850 and is comparable to GTX 560.


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## Skud (Mar 13, 2012)

Pounce on it. It's a good deal, very good IMO.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 13, 2012)

Darn thing is 250 mm Long. Worried if it can fit in the Cabby. And I think my PSU is enough for this card.

If this gets through then I wont have to worry abt gfx upgrade for a LONG time.


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## Skud (Mar 13, 2012)

It will fit, just take care of the HDD placement.


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## MyGeekTips (Mar 13, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> Getting a Used Sapphire HD 6870 for 8.5K. 1 yr old and 2 yr warranty left.
> 
> Is this a good deal? Because afaik this card beats the crap out of 6850 and is comparable to GTX 560.



Get this deal now, else I would grab it.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 13, 2012)

Elite 335 - Cooler Master

Card Length max is 230 mm


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## Skud (Mar 13, 2012)

Will this help?

*www.coolermaster.in/upload/download/55/files/Height_Restriction_Elite_Series.pdf


A bit tight fit if the power connectors are at the back. You have the remove the HDD behind it.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 13, 2012)

Elite 335 - Cooler Master

Sheesh Same site posting 2 different images haha.

Forget it..When I get back home I will measure it with a Tape


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## Skud (Mar 13, 2012)

Not needed, it will fit. Go ahead with the purchase.


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## koolent (Mar 13, 2012)

From which brand is the best 6770 available? I am planning to overclock it a little bit and noise is not a problem as I play using Headphones.. 

I compared two, from MSI and Sapphire, MSI was not as good stock performer as Sapphire but I think Afterburner is better than Trixx..

 So, from which brand should I buy the HD 6770? I am into a little overclocking..


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## Sujeet (Mar 13, 2012)

MSI Aterburner / Trixx are independent of GPU .
Works for all GPUs.


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## vaibhav23 (Mar 13, 2012)

@koolentDon't get a 6770.Rather get a Gigabyte 7750 since both have the same price and 7750 performs little better than 6770
Get a 6770


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 13, 2012)

nope. 7750 lags behind 6770.

Fastest 6770 available is PowerColor Brand. Its clocks are highest.


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## koolent (Mar 13, 2012)

^^ thankuu... Got all my answers, love this forum and you guyzz..


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## topgear (Mar 14, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> Getting a Used Sapphire HD 6870 for 8.5K. 1 yr old and 2 yr warranty left.
> 
> Is this a good deal? Because afaik this card beats the crap out of 6850 and is comparable to GTX 560.



Sapphire offers 2 years warranty on GPUs - so the gpu will have only 1 year warranty left.

When OCed a HD6850 can perform neck to neck with a HD6870 - just check out my siggy 

The PSU you have is enough provided you don't OC the cpu by increasing volts.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 14, 2012)

I am yet to confirm the deal as the guy has not sent me Invoice Scan. If he doesn't I wont go through and I think my PSU is well capable of handling a 4 GHz OC on Phenom with a Decent mid range Gfx ?


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## Sujeet (Mar 14, 2012)

^^PSU is not that powerful for OC.But will do!.
Recommended would be 500watt..but still....


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 14, 2012)

It will handle it like anything VX450W is better than many 500W rated PSU out there.


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## Sujeet (Mar 14, 2012)

lol iam talking about a branded non desi PSU.
500watt will provide more headroom for ocing in comparison to 450.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 14, 2012)

Corsair VX450W Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets

Please go through 

It can deliver up to 572W at 48 Deg.


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## topgear (Mar 15, 2012)

^^ OLD VX450s have better build quality - if it's an old unit then it may handle that much load but it always safe to keep the PSU usage within it's mentioned specs.

A PII 955BE when Oced to 4 Ghz @ using 1.475v/1.5v can consume around ~400W with the cpu load only ( prime 95 ) and modern games can utilize a multi core fairly well though not like prime 95 but you also have to consider the gpu power consumption too 

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Review - Page 13 - Overclocking, Power consumption & Conclusion


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 15, 2012)

Yep I got the Old one and thanks for the post. I will keep that info in mind while OC.

Alright Finally got down to 2 Options.

1. ZOTAC GTX 560 Ti Ra.one Edition
2. Saphire HD 6950

Both Available at exact same Price.

Questions:
a. Will my Power Supply is Enough for these beats if I don't OC anything!
b. Which one to choose :$
c. I read somewhere that it require two 6 Pin Power connectors for these cards. Don't Know if my VX450 Have them or not.

Buying on Sunday.


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## coderunknown (Mar 15, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> 1. ZOTAC GTX 560 Ti Ra.one Edition
> 2. Saphire HD 6950



560Ti is more power hungry (by 30-50W). also don't expect 6950 get unlocked to HD6970. anyway why go for HD6950 now when you may find HD7850 for lesser price but is marginally slower (you won't notice a drop of 1FPS  )



Tech_Wiz said:


> Questions:
> a. Will my Power Supply is Enough for these beats if I don't OC anything!
> b. Which one to choose :$
> c. I read somewhere that it require two 6 Pin Power connectors for these cards. Don't Know if my VX450 Have them or not.
> ...



a. if you don't overclock, it should be enough.
b. better wait for HD7850 to appear.
c. VX450 have only a single 6pin PEG power connector. you'll have to use Molex to 6pin power connectors. usually these converters are shipped with the GPU.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks for fast reply man.

I am not Buying New ones. No way I can afford these ones. Getting less used ones for 10K each. HD7850 New one cost significantly more than this.

And Why you said don't expect for unlocking....I am not going to unlock anyway as this card as it is a Overkill for my puny 1400x900 for anything under the sun including METRO & Crysis


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## coderunknown (Mar 15, 2012)

in that case go for 6950. you should be able to overclock the GPU without giving your PSU a hard time.



Tech_Wiz said:


> And Why you said don't expect for unlocking



old 6950 used to unlock to a full HD6970. but new ones can't be or maybe the unlock rate is negligible.



Tech_Wiz said:


> I am not going to unlock anyway as this card as it is a Overkill for my puny 1400x900 for anything under the sun including METRO & Crysis



6850 is more than enough though with 6950/560Ti, you don't have to worry about upgrade, compromising with visuals to have the games running for some years to come


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## Aditya shekhar (Mar 15, 2012)

Yes it consume less power and allow you to play games in mid or high setting bu it cost more than 7k .


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 15, 2012)

Aditya what are you talking about


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## topgear (Mar 16, 2012)

^^ I think he is pointing to the thread title 

@ Sam - I think newer Sapphire HD6950 1GB gpus with dual fan cooler can be unlocked as well but it's not always guranteed though 

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/graphic-cards/149767-sapphire-hd-6950-1gb-unlocked-hd-6970-1gb.html


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 16, 2012)

Hey Guys,

Settled for a ZOTAC 560 Ti. The guy didnt had Invoice for HD6950 so was risky as no invoice = no warranty. 
Performance wise both are pretty neck to neck and I dont have to worry about this card fitting in my Cabby 
Will be Buying this Monday and got a assasin's creed game with it - 10.7k Shipped. 
Card is 2 months Old. 

Good enough deal I suppose.


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## Skud (Mar 16, 2012)

Deal is good.


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## coderunknown (Mar 16, 2012)

Tech_Wiz said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Settled for a ZOTAC 560 Ti. The guy didnt had Invoice for HD6950 so was risky as no invoice = no warranty.
> Performance wise both are pretty neck to neck and I dont have to worry about this card fitting in my Cabby
> ...



10.7k for a shipped 560Ti with a free game is always a nice dead.



topgear said:


> @ Sam - I think newer Sapphire HD6950 1GB gpus with dual fan cooler can be unlocked as well but it's not always guranteed though
> 
> *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/graphic-cards/149767-sapphire-hd-6950-1gb-unlocked-hd-6970-1gb.html



but i read about AMD removing the unusable part. but sad that HD7850 doesn't have any dual bios.


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## Tech_Wiz (Mar 16, 2012)

Slight Problem...

If you see my Motherboard :
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

The GFX Card Currently Dual Slot GTS250 Overlaps the Top3 Sata Ports. The New ZOTAC 560Ti is also with Dual Slot Cooler hence it will follow suit. 

The balance 2 Ports are occupied by 1 TB HDD and a DVD RW. 

Now I can't add any internal Drives. Is there any solution? External HDD is also an option but its last one.


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## topgear (Mar 17, 2012)

^^ use SATA 90 degree angled cable - usually comes with mobo box pack 

@ Sam - on newegg page of Sapphire HD6950 1GB DiRT 3 edition read the feedbacks :

Jkx - 1/18/2012 ( epople also bought this on 6th and 8th jan has the same experience )



> No more unlockable shaders. I contacted Sapphire and they said
> 
> "The latest version does not offer this anymore.
> 
> ...



but on  2/4/2012 8:26:07 PM some said :



> Pros: -fast
> -keeps really cool
> -bios switch still there, unlocked 6970 shaders



I though most probably Sapphire is once again HD6950 ( dirt 3 ed. ( gpus with bios switch but like I said before it's not guaranteed and if anyone interested in buying an old HD6950 they can always ask the seller if the card has the bios switch or not


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

Is there any BIOS switch installed in HD 6770... Can it be overclocked with or without usig the switch..


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## ArjunKiller (Mar 17, 2012)

@koolent, nope.


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

^^ OMG No overclocking..


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## topgear (Mar 17, 2012)

^^ use Sapphire Trixx to OC HD6770


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

Hmm.. What about HD 6790 ? Which has better OC options and capacity ? ?


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## Cilus (Mar 17, 2012)

Why are jumping from tree to tree? What is your budget...be clear and tell us how much you are gonna overclock...we'll suggest you the best one. Overclocking potential depends not only upon the cards but also on the model and manufacturers. A card with a MSI Cyclone cooler can be Oced much higher than the reference models of the same card.


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

ok.. Budget is recently increased for 7k to 8k and I want to push it as far as I can under my budget..


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## MyGeekTips (Mar 17, 2012)

Get MSI 6850 Cyclone From SMC International. It will cost you *9K* inclusive of shipping & taxes. It is more futureproof than any card below 10K.


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## Skud (Mar 17, 2012)

The thread has been successfully...


... hijacked!!!


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

I am sorry for hijacking lol... But I cannot spend a penny more than 8k..


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## Skud (Mar 17, 2012)

Then tough call, 7770 would be slightly higher than 8k and better than 6790 which should come within your budget.

Provided you can find a 6790 in shops.


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

ohk.. what about good overclocking capabilities ?


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## Skud (Mar 17, 2012)

Hard to differentiate. If you don't care much about warranty get the Gigabyte 7770, it should be around 8.5k.


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## coderunknown (Mar 17, 2012)

koolent said:


> ohk.. what about good overclocking capabilities ?



grab hd7770. it can be overclocked by 10%. hd6790 is old and draws more power. grab hd6790 only if you can't increase budget. for model, get the cheapest one else it'll cross your budget. hope this was clear enough.


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## koolent (Mar 17, 2012)

hmm.. It certainly did..


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## ico (Mar 17, 2012)

Closing this thread.

Time to get either of HD 7750 or 7770 now.


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