Looking to "Expand"

[dab]

I'm looking to expand graphics cards. I'm currently a poor college student so I'm saving up for another gpu atm. I'm looking at getting the 7970, but I'm reading mixed feelings on the card.


What card would you suggest that I can get the max MH/s from, while not breaking the bank too badly. I'm looking for a GPU and not anything else because I'm not a hardcore miner, just my 5870 isn't going fast enough (380MH/s atm). I also want the card to be useful outside of mining.

I don't mind heat as I'm using my desktop now in replacement of my space heater (650w desktop vs. 1200w space heater).

Thanks!

[1714176701]

1714176701

[1714176701]

1714176701

[dab]

Thanks for the response!

Wow, 420? no joke? That's insane. What does 940 core mean? I've just been clicking and going with my mining

And yea, my first choice would have been 5970 but they're so hard to find. I'd prefer to get a new card over a used one. Feels like I'd get longer life out of it (especially if passed from a miner).

[dab]

Any good reading suggestions? I've had mine OC'd (Done by a friend) and the Catalyst program caps at 900 for me (Same with MSI).

[DeathAndTaxes]

Used 5870 or 5970 is your best bet.
Ignore used 6000 series cards.
7950/7970/7990 have the advantage of lower wattage but if you aren't paying for power that isn't much of a benefit.

Bad news is price on used 5870/5970 seems to just keep going up and up.  Before Christmas 5970s were going to little over $300 (say $300 to $330 average on ebay).  The price has just kept climbing since then.

Er wait ...
5870/5970s suck.  Don't waste your money.  Actually if you own some ebay them and buys some 7970s.

[CA Coins]

I am loving the 7970s personally. They are fast, cool, and damn nice cards. The only other card I would consider at the moment is a great deal on a 5970.

Can the 7970 really do 825MH/s on a bit over 200 watts?  That's pretty impressive.  I guess the 28nm node and GCN are good for hashing.  And that also explains why 6990 prices have come down a lot.

[dab]

Used 5870 or 5970 is your best bet.
Ignore used 6000 series cards.
7950/7970/7990 have the advantage of lower wattage but if you aren't paying for power that isn't much of a benefit.

Bad news is price on used 5870/5970 seems to just keep going up and up.  Before Christmas 5970s were going to little over $300 (say $300 to $330 average on ebay).  The price has just kept climbing since then.

Er wait ...
5870/5970s suck.  Don't waste your money.  Actually if you own some ebay them and buys some 7970s.

lol other than the small info about the 7000 series, this response seemed rather unrelated :<.

I've already got a 5870. Got it before the 5970 came out back in the days. Its done me good. Played the games I wanted and mines at a decent speed. Just,I want more lol. I'm looking at the 7970 because its available from NewEgg. I'd rather not buy used due to the already added stress. $400+ is too much to put in on a card that is already past its warranty and pushed further than it should for longer than it should. I also don't want to have to convert USD to BTC due to all the hassles of doing so (trust, complications, etc).

Also another reason I'm justifying another card, other than mining is so I can easily support 4 monitors. I'm not a dedicated miner. Just a hobbyist miner.

[CA Coins]

665 sounds more reasonable on a single GPU.  The wiki lists one 7970 pushing 825.  Kind of crazy.