AMD - Combat Crates? a decent upgrade? How is the card

Aethaeryn

I didn't see anything posted on this here. . if there is let me know.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/12684/amd-launches-combat-crate-bundles

I am coming from a i5 2500k with an AMD 7850

I am considering building a new system.  My PSU is maybe okay but most parts I have a years old.  My GPU is making some funny sounds and my case mostly sits open with the power button broken off (I can still turn it off and on)

I don't follow hardware as much anymore but my system is starting to get me down when I play stuff like Total War Warhammer.  I am fine with 1080p

I had a look at the comparison of the video cards.  It seemed like a decent boost but not double.

I am thinking of this as a stop gap measure.   Are the new Ryzen CPUs worth waiting for?  I should likely see what speed my memory is as well.

Thoughts on the crate?

Quizzical

A Radeon RX 580 should be more than double the performance of your Radeon HD 7850.  On the GPU proper, it goes from 16 compute units at 800 MHz to 36 compute units at about 1300 MHz, which is well over triple the performance.  There are also some minor architectural improvements.  The memory bus is the same width, but the memory clock speed goes from 1.2 GHz to 2 GHz, which is admittedly less than double.  Regardless, it should be more than double the performance, which is enough to justify it.

Basically, the idea of the "combat crates" promotion is that they've got some old Ryzen CPUs that they want to get rid of, and they know that there's a shortage on the video cards as prices get hiked.  So they'll sell you a video card at a reasonable price if you'll take a CPU off their hands to go along with it.

As for the new Ryzen CPUs, there's nothing to wait for unless you mean the next generation that will probably launch next year.  Second generation Ryzen is available to buy today, and about 10% faster than first generation Ryzen.  Given how slowly CPUs advance these days, you might as well get the extra 10% performance, as that's a year and some odd worth of improvement.

Aethaeryn

Ah right.  I was looking at a comparison of 2 7850s in Xfire.  I did notice the architecture differences and wondered about that.  Thanks again.

The memory I have is DDR3 - 1600 4GBX2  

My PSU is Corsair 80 Plus Gold.  

I have an SSD.  

This might be a decent upgrade then. . $799 CDN  Is there something else I should be looking at?
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113514&cm_re=amd_combat_crate-_-19-113-514-_-Product

Just thinking maybe I should just grab the card. . if the CPU is not a major upgrade and I have DDR3.  I have not overclocked my i5 (sad I know).

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814137118&cm_re=AMD_Radeon_RX_580_Armor_OC_8GB-_-14-137-118-_-Product

Quizzical

I would look at it as just another combo deal, and merely one that is better advertised and more widely available than most combo deals.  It's not a bad value, but it doesn't really save you any money as opposed to getting comparable components separately without the combo deal, either.

To upgrade your CPU, you're going to need new memory, as anything modern will want DDR4.  Be sure to leave room in your budget for that.

If I were you, I'd think of it as a replacement, not an upgrade.  Keep the old computer intact and just buy the parts you need for a new computer.  Unless you've upgraded the old computer recently, there are probably a lot of other components that have quite a bit of wear on them by now.

Aethaeryn

Quizzical said:

I would look at it as just another combo deal, and merely one that is better advertised and more widely available than most combo deals.  It's not a bad value, but it doesn't really save you any money as opposed to getting comparable components separately without the combo deal, either.

To upgrade your CPU, you're going to need new memory, as anything modern will want DDR4.  Be sure to leave room in your budget for that.

If I were you, I'd think of it as a replacement, not an upgrade.  Keep the old computer intact and just buy the parts you need for a new computer.  Unless you've upgraded the old computer recently, there are probably a lot of other components that have quite a bit of wear on them by now.

That is true. . it is old. . the newest thing is the GPU   Maybe the PSU.  thanks again.

Hyperpsycrow

All i wanna say is ..Intel CPU and Nvidia gfx cards rules over AMD crap

Aethaeryn

DarkestOverlord said:

All i wanna say is ..Intel CPU and Nvidia gfx cards rules over AMD crap

I don't know i went from a 486 to an AMD 486dx2-88 and thought that was pretty sweet.  I do tend to prefer Nvidia cards / drivers though.  

Quizzical

DarkestOverlord said:

All i wanna say is ..Intel CPU and Nvidia gfx cards rules over AMD crap

You buy a particular part, not just a brand name.  If video cards were at MSRP, then right now, AMD and Nvidia would generally both be competitive outside of Nvidia dominating the $700+ high end.  They're not at MSRP right now, however, so the price you can find a card at makes a huge difference.

On the CPU side of things, AMD and Intel are both competitive pretty much throughout their lineups, except that AMD completely dominates the very low end gaming rigs that have to rely on integrated graphics to save money.