Powercolor 5770 a good budget upgrade?

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HardLiner

Gawd
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I'm looking to upgrade my Video card, right now I'm using a Visiontek 3850 256MB and I'm thinking of getting a Powercolor 5770 1GB for $159 Canadian.Would it be worth upgrading over my 3850MB,is the 5770 any good?
 
5770 seems to be the best budget card at the moment (feel free to correct me on that); so I'd say go for it. From what I understand, Speed-wise it's basically last generations high-end.
 
I think so. I built 2 PC's for friends, both with 5770's, both overclocked like mad and performed well even at stock. It all depends on your resolution though. 5770 is perfect for 1680x1050 and below.
 
HardLiner said:
Is Powercolor a good brand? I noticed the XFX version is like 35 bucks more?
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The difference between the two brands: Warranty and support.

Powercolor is all too typical in which the warranty runs for only two years, and its technical support is either nonexistent or relatively unknowledgable. XFX comes with a "double lifetime" warranty and relatively extensive tech support.
 
E4g1e said:
The difference between the two brands: Warranty and support.

Powercolor is all too typical in which the warranty runs for only two years, and its technical support is either nonexistent or relatively unknowledgable. XFX comes with a "double lifetime" warranty and relatively extensive tech support.
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Two year warranty should be good enough since it si only a budget card,much like my 3850.
 
HardLiner said:
Two year warranty should be good enough since it si only a budget card,much like my 3850.
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Excellent line of thinking. Also make sure you get a 5770 with the "orb" or "egg" style cooler (like this: http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dl...eBGrLp2zJS6lF5jwpQfVAU1d-EWDD8SDR27l7DQ2d8cjD) and not the shroud style cooler (like this: http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/4B...gosKLY-uzzHkE-cI6o80WvHZItOqya3FVxSbLyUqSqsis). The egg style coolers are quieter and give lower temps.
 
It's neither of what he is describing, but looks to be a nice aftermarket cooling solution.

This card will blow away a 3850...
 
HardLiner said:
I'm looking to upgrade my Video card, right now I'm using a Visiontek 3850 256MB and I'm thinking of getting a Powercolor 5770 1GB for $159 Canadian.Would it be worth upgrading over my 3850MB,is the 5770 any good?
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hell yeah!
 
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Yup 5770 is really the best budget card with some "punch" in the $150 range right now. It's also an amazing overclocker, so you get extra value there as well.
 
u might get a buck or two for ur old card. If you can help it though, keep it just in case.
 
Don't get overly consumed by the gpu cooler the tests show only a degree or two difference. Honestly, the Powercolor is neither of the above mentioned designs but you still will probably get a bit of OC out of her and it definitely will be a noticeable upgrade from 3850 especially if your res is 1680x1050 or less.
 
HardLiner said:
Two year warranty should be good enough since it si only a budget card,much like my 3850.
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I will agree that the 35 dollars is a bit step for a premium but hossdaddy posted one for the same price. anyways it IS worth a premium. this would be event if you had to do an RMA. I know quite a few people that have gone cheaper and regretted it. customer service is not a factor that should be discarded.
 
I'd have to agree with pretty much everyone here and say go with the XFX one just for the double lifetime warranty. It protects you from any mishaps, and even increases its resale value if you choose to upgrade in the future.
 
good find hossdaddy!! I think I will buy the xfx 5770 now. I was reading the comments and some people are have problems with them...locking up etc has anyone here had any problems?
 
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HardLiner said:
good find hossdaddy!! I think I will buy the xfx 5770 now. I was reading the comments and some people are have problems with them...locking up etc has anyone here had any problems?
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And that's why you have the lifetime warranty in case something happens. But if you ordered it from Newegg you can usually get a replacement within the first 30 days or even your money back. Keep your working video card for now until you're sure your new video card has no problems.

Looking back, I regret selling off my 9800GT before I made sure the 4890 that I ordered to replace it was in good working order. I had to RMA the 4890 and had no 9800 GT. Instead I had to plug in an ANCIENT 6600GT until a got another videocard - turned out to be a 5870. ^_^
But turns out now I probably should have kept the 9800GT as a Physx PPU. *shrugs*
 
HardLiner said:
Two year warranty should be good enough since it si only a budget card,much like my 3850.
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You need not sacrifice warranty coverage, even for budget cards, as XFX and Visiontek both have lifetime (double lifetime in XFX's case) warranties, even on their budget cards (my fan-free Visiontek HD5450, even further down the budget scale, has a lifetime warranty).
 
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