Radeon HD 7000 series vs Radeon HD 6000 series

[Mrs Nesbitt]

Okay, it sounds kind of obvious, but is the 7000 series better or worse than the 6000 series? Specifically the HD 7770 vs the HD 6870. I have the 7770 and The Crew's beta recommends a 6870 or above. I'm fine with almost any other computer parts but when it comes to graphics cards my knowledge is next to nil. Thanks in advance.
EDIT: If it helps I'm currently running Intel Pentium G645 2.90GHz (dual core), 4GB RAM and have the Radeon HD 7770 in question, however I will soon be running AMD FX6300 3.5/4.1GHz (6 core), 8GB RAM and still the Radeon HD 7770 in question.

[schnitzeljaeger]

The 7770 is slower - how much depends on the game.

[Mrs Nesbitt]

Okay thanks, do you think it will majorly affect me in newer games such as The Crew? If it helps I'm currently running Intel Pentium G645 2.90GHz (dual core), 4GB RAM and have the Radeon HD 7770 in question, however I will soon be running AMD FX6300 3.5/4.1GHz (6 core), 8GB RAM and still the Radeon HD 7770 in question. I'll edit the description with these specs too.

[rotNdude]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/777?vs=780

[Mrs Nesbitt]

Ah, that's super helpful thanks! Final question, how does a slower GPU affect performance? Does it lower frame rate? cause stutter? etc.

[rotNdude]

Frequencies don't always matter. It depends on many factors. Shader processors, memory bandwidth, etc.

[Mrs Nesbitt]

Well the recommended for The Crew states "1024MB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or higher" I'm fairly certain that I have the VRAM covered but I can't find the 7770's Shader Model compatability anywhere in my searches.

[upcoast]

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=635&card2=675

There're both 5.0, scroll down to PS/VS.

I don't know why you'd even consider the 7770 downgrade when you already have a 6870.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/51543-amd-radeon-hd-7770-hd-7750-review-11.html

7770 is around the 6850 ^ and a lesser card. http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/51543-amd-radeon-hd-7770-hd-7750-review.html

Ps, depending what motherboard is you might be able to swap a better cpu in.

[Mrs Nesbitt]

I have the 7770, but I wasn't sure which is better which is why I asked. Thanks for your help guys.

[_I_]

amd 6xxx and 7xxx are similar performance (if xxx are the same)

but the 7000 version will be slightly lower wattage

if the psu struggles or you get strange crashing/lockups with the 6850 use the 7770
http://www.hwcompare.com/11924/radeon-hd-6870-vs-radeon-hd-7770/

[upcoast]

http://ark.intel.com/products/69116/Intel-Pentium-Processor-G645-3M-Cache-2_90-GHz

Looking at that ^ your socket 1155 should be able to take an upgrade just check the motherboard cpu support list to see what's available.

The 6870 is the better of the 2.

[_I_]

the g645 is very close to the fx6300 (sidegrade with no upgrade options at best)
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/197/AMD_FX-Series_FX-6300_vs_Intel_Pentium_Dual-Core_G645.html
g645 is better in games that dont need 4+ cores

you have a 1155 mobo, get the i5 3470 ($180)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115234

will eat the 6300 in everything
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/363/AMD_FX-Series_FX-6300_vs_Intel_Core_i5_i5-4570.html
and wont need a new mobo or os install

[Mrs Nesbitt]

Well I don't have enough for the i5 but the 6300 was on sale on Amazon and with a motherboard (for socket type) and RAM upgrade meant it was within my budget or else I'd have gone Intel, but thanks for the info on the GPU

[upcoast]

I'm an amd supporter but I have to say you're making a big mistake not just dropping in an intel i5 into your motherboard.

What are your current specs, motherboard, ram, psu,hdd?

What exactly are you buying for $180 FX6300, motherboard make model, ram size speed make?????

[Pomelo]

Currently using a Pentium G645 -> Sandy Bridge -> Socket 1155, so the board should be able to take any Sandy/Ivy Bridge CPUs.

Going for an FX6300 doesn't make sense, AM3+ is a dead (no more new CPUs but even the better Ivy Bridge i5 are better than the best models you can get for AM3+) end and in games without good multicore optimization, the FX6300 won't perform much better than the G645 you are using now.
You'd be wasting money on the FX and a compatible motherboard.

[_I_]

to make any use from the fx6300 you will need a 970/990 mobo
if they give you a cheap 700 series mobo its going to run the 6300 slower than the g645