9 replies to this topic

[LadyVireo]

Hi all,

I'm building a new gaming rig in preparation for GW2 and am currently debating which graphics card to buy. I'm particularly interested in the Radeon 6870. Can anyone report on how the game ran for them on this card? I don't need super high resolutions (nothing higher than 1080p) but would really like as much graphic detail as possible, and am wondering if this card would do it.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I'm looking at an i5 2500 processor for the new PC (no plans to overclock), probably 8gb ram, and this MOBO:
http://www.amazon.co...35836254&sr=8-4

Edited by LadyVireo, 01 May 2012 - 01:38 AM.

[ItStartsAtDusK]

The beta client last weekend was unoptimized and ran almost entirely on the CPU, so nobody can really tell you how the game ran on that card.

I can tell you though that the 6870 is a decent card and you will likely be able to max out the game on it, provided your CPU doesn't bottleneck it. I strongly suggest you go for the i5 2500K instead for your processor, though. You'll likely have no trouble maxing out the game completely with that CPU and a 6870.

[tijo]

ItStartsAtDusK, on 01 May 2012 - 01:45 AM, said:

The beta client last weekend was unoptimized and ran almost entirely on the CPU, so nobody can really tell you how the game ran on that card.

I can tell you though that the 6870 is a decent card and you will likely be able to max out the game on it, provided your CPU doesn't bottleneck it. I strongly suggest you go for the i5 2500K instead for your processor, though. You'll likely have no trouble maxing out the game completely with that CPU and a 6870.

This, the current beta gave us absolutely nothing in regards to how well the game will run on various video cards at launch. Once we have data that is actually meaningful, we'll tell you.

[LadyVireo]

Thanks for the fast responses and great info, both of you!

That's good to know about the beta running on the CPU. Definitely could explain some of the performance issues my old gaming laptop had.

It's great to hear that the 6870 will probably be able to max out the game. GW2 is pretty much the most graphics-intense thing I will play, so I wondered if a more expensive card could be overkill for me, and there seems to be a fairly big price jump between the 6870 and the next tier of cards.

About the processor, I didn't realize there was a significant performance difference between the 2500 and 2500k, I thought the k was basically the same except unlocked for overclocking. How much of a difference is there? If you get a chance to fill me in, that would be great, but if not I'll do more legwork and Google some benchmarks.

Thanks again!

[tijo]

At stock clocks, the 2500 and 2500K perform the same, however, overclock it to 4GHz or more and the 2500K really shines. I prefer suggesting to leave the option of overclocking open with the K if the budget permits it, but honestly, the 2500 is a very capable CPU. Also, no point in getting the 2500K if you are getting a H61 or H67 motherboard. For a Z68 and Z77 i'd definitely recommend the 2500K though, most motherboards that are using those chipsets have an easy overclocking feature, either as a button or in the bios and can safely bring that 2500K to 4GHz without you having to tweak anything. You won't get the best voltage/clock speed ratio, but the OC should be stable while still generating manageable heat for any decent aftermarket cooler.

[Elder III]

Like tijo said, the Beta this past weekend wasn't of much help for determining what Video Card's worked best at what resolutions etc.  For example, I tested on both an HD 6770 and an HD 6970 (same settings @ 1080p) and the performance difference during any larger battle was a mere ~ 4 fps.  That shows how CPU dependant it was.

[LadyVireo]

Thanks for the info, Elder, that is pretty definitive!

Tijo, thanks for explaining more in detail about the processors. That was my impression, that they run the same unless you OC. I have never OCed before and just don't want to risk the stability of my system, but from what you say, with the z77 mobo I'm getting and the 2500k, it would not be too much of a risk? What do you consider a decent after-market cooler? I was planning on one anyway, obviously, but don't know how much better it should be to allow for OCing.


In your opinion, do you all think that a 2500 or 2500k at factory clock plus a Radeon 6870 could run GW2 on max settings at 1080p? Or would I absolutely have to OC and/or get a better card to max the game? (My current gaming machine is a) a laptop and super old now, so I don't have a good frame of reference for all the newer desktop cards on the market. )

[chuckles79]

LadyVireo, on 02 May 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

Thanks for the info, Elder, that is pretty definitive!

Tijo, thanks for explaining more in detail about the processors. That was my impression, that they run the same unless you OC. I have never OCed before and just don't want to risk the stability of my system, but from what you say, with the z77 mobo I'm getting and the 2500k, it would not be too much of a risk? What do you consider a decent after-market cooler? I was planning on one anyway, obviously, but don't know how much better it should be to allow for OCing.


In your opinion, do you all think that a 2500 or 2500k at factory clock plus a Radeon 6870 could run GW2 on max settings at 1080p? Or would I absolutely have to OC and/or get a better card to max the game? (My current gaming machine is a) a laptop and super old now, so I don't have a good frame of reference for all the newer desktop cards on the market. )

Everyone has a different opinion, but I would mention that it appeared the number of compatibility problems with ATI/AMD cards was higher than the ones with Nvidia.  Also, AMD has had some driver distribution problems of late (I say this as someone who has gone back and forth between the chipsets).

We don't know for sure, but they mentioned early on that they wanted to support mid-range cards so I imagine the setup you are talking about would be good enough for all but the most extreme settings to run >50FPS (not counting internet lag)

[tijo]

A good cheap cooler would be the coolermaster Hyper 212+ or 212 evo. Prices vary, but in the higher end range of air coolers, the noctua DH14 is among the best and most expensive ones too. Closed loop liquid coolers, perform decently, but no better than most air coolers in the same price range so their main purpose is to remove weight from the motherboard and save some space.

I used a H212+ for quite a while and i was very pleased with it's noise levels and performance, but seeing as i'm a low noise junkie i went with a closed liquid loop with noctua fans since the DH14 would have been quite the tight fit for the case i am using. I get the same temperatures, but at a much lower noise level and slower fan RPM. However, i'd say i did hit diminishing returns with my setup as it is now so definitely not worth it for most people.

Edited by tijo, 02 May 2012 - 09:07 PM.

[LadyVireo]

Thank you all for the excellent info! The advice has helped a lot.
Now the fun part--shopping for parts!