gtx 460 vs HD 6850

[IDigitalDeadI]

I've been setting up my computer for bf3 (just bought a decent quad core for cheap the other day), and now I'm on my video card. I decided on getting a gtx 460 for a good deal I found. Waiting for my check to clear, I looked at amd/ati comparisons of the card. Thats when I found the 6850. Over these last few days, I've read some reviews and they've pretty much been for one or the other. So what I'm asking is, which is better? Before price becomes an issue, I've found both for about $130, which is a great deal on both ends.:drool:

 

[pillar]

My suggestion is to go to whatever site you got your motherboard from & find out bout what other people are using for video cards to get a better idea. I myself personally have the gts 450 (which has been great for me). Now im trying to get you to side w/ the gtx 460, I simply want you to do your research before making any hasty decisions. I have heard that since AMD took over ATI, things have been slowly getting better on their end. So this is where I will stop my message before I get myself in trouble.

Also to those who post in the future, lets make sure to keep this thread mature as we dont need any people obsessing over why one video card maker is better than the other. Ive seen my fair share of heated discussions (to put it lightly). Just putting this message out there right now.

 

[IDigitalDeadI]

First, your avatar is making my head hurt, and second I have done some research. They're so alike! They both have things that the other doesn't have.....its been bothering me all day. I did say that I wasn't going to side with amd/ati this time since the bf3 beta drivers for them made all of my other games crash and pretty much unplayable, but I'm not so sure now. If the 6850 performs better, I'll just have to deal with the driver issues, if any.

 

[I'm your huckleberry]

Since performance flip flops b/t games, see which one performs better in the game(s) you will be playing. After that, look at manufacturer and see which has better warranty/customer service.

 

[ghettosmurf]

I've got the ASUS EAH-6850 1gb gddr5 and it performed pretty well during the BF3 alpha and beta trials, and I can only assume the performance will improve with the production release. Still, looking at Low-Med settings tops to maintain 60fps.

 

[Black cat]

Does this site help any?
http://www.hwcompare.com/8114/geforce-gtx-460-vs-radeon-hd-6850/
To be honest I'm posting that link equally for myself to see whether you more experienced tech enthusiasts would tell me if the site is credable.

 

[I'm your huckleberry]

Unfortunately, that does not give the full picture such as fps in games.

 

[IDigitalDeadI]

That site doesn't help that much in real world applications. Good predictions on which is better for more cards however.

 

[Sn1PeR]

Using BC2 as a baseline is probably your best bet ATM as far as BF3 performance goes:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/10/21/amd_radeon_hd_6870_6850_video_card_review/6

See the bottom for apples to apples.

They didn't test the 6850 or 460 in the BF3 beta performance thread, but they did compare the 560 and 6870:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/10/03/battlefield_3_open_beta_performance_image_quality/2