I order this card from Amazon , specifically because it be the right card at the right price . check out pcper.com and search hd 7850 review to see how this card stack up against the competition , and you will get a more complete picture -lrb- no pun intend -rrb- . but to summarize : at $ 250 , this card destroy the Nvidia GTX 560tus -lrb- $ 230 -rrb- and run just short of the gtx 570 -lrb- $ 300-330 -rrb- unless you overclock . the figure I be use be valid at time of purchase . you can assume the lowest possible price either at Amazon or at a competitor . further info . pro : 1 . power consumption . this card only draw about 130w on one 6-pin pcie power cord , which be ridiculously low for its capability . a pcie slot already provide a bit more than 70W , so the draw on the power supply be minimal . this mean you can upgrade without spend a lot on a power supply -lrb- minimum 500w -rrb- . the 570 need either 2 pcie 6-pin or a 6 and a 6 +2 with 550w - 600w minimum power supply , depend on sub-manufacturer . 2 . temperature . the card only run about 60 c at load , which be also very low , and this mean you do not have to worry as much about case performance to maintain temperature within operate limit . this do not mean you can leave you case a mess , but it do mean that you do not have to spend serious cash to get good airflow . good cooling = longer life . 3 . capability . the hd 7850 can maintain a good to great fp -lrb- frame per second -rrb- on the highest setting on you favorite directx 11 game . this be the programming platform for 3d gaming , and at the time of review , it be the most current form of 3d platforming . as a estimation , this card should be able to run a good fp well into the future . best guess be 2 year . after that , I would not be surprise if you be not already consider a new pc or a upgrade anyway . 4 . size . this go unappreciated by a ton of upgrader and gamer , but the size of this card make it a viable upgrade , even for micro-atx mobo and case , mean you still must measure , but it be more likely than not that this card will fit into into you case . 5 . overclocking . dl the Sapphire TRIXX app for you desktop , and you can stabilize a 20 % increase in performance . exceptional and freak awesome , mean without purchase the oc version of the card , you can crank this puppy up to way beyond stock clock for f-r-e-e . best price ever . con : 1 . performance . I be a bit disappointed this card do not lay the gtx 570 to waste , but when you consider the premium you pay for the gtx 570 , I think this card be justified . I would expect the gtx 570 & 580 to go on a significant discount for a long time with high rebate from the manufacturer because of this new series of Radeon card and the gtx 600 series , which be be release as this be type , but as mention above , power consumption and ventilation with the NVIDIA 570 be subpar in comparison . 2 . warranty . I could not find the xfx version of this card at the time of purchase , which be a bummer because XFX have the best warranty -lrb- lifetime -rrb- and customer service of any radeon sub-manufacturer . Sapphire be not a pushover with 2 year , and they have be make Radeon for a long time with great success and reliability . 3 . the answer : I be wonder whether Radeon should have design accord to a higher spec and standard ; it be as though this card be design to compete with older gtx 500 series card . I would expect NVIDIA to answer the Radeon 7800 series gpus with something exceptional as they continue to release the gtx 600 series . then again , you can always get a better deal on dated merchandise if you wait to buy ... Conclusion : you will not make a bad decision between this card and the gtx 570 -lrb- evga have a good reputation , warranty , and customer service -rrb- , but at the time of release and my purchase , the Radeon 7850 be a great bang-4 - $ card , and it deserve all the praise it receive for be a serious card at a good price with greater accommodation for more case , mobo , and power supplies than the gtx 570 or 560ti . Update 4\/24\/12 : everything still work at 100 % . battlefield 2 Bad Company be smooth as dive chocolate on highest setting . battlefield 3 seem even better . have already purchase Guild war 2 , for which I be sure this card will be overkill . BTW : run AMD 955 black , 8 gb 1300 RAM , Samsung 7200 1TB HD , 600W OCZ PSU . Update 5\/13\/12 : no problem whatsoever . play in the gw2 beta over 4\/27 -4 \/ 29 , and with the exception of a massive amount of player who take part in the good-bye extravaganza , no lag at highest setting , which be excellent for beta . Witcher run very well , but Witcher 2 seem to be the new benchmark for video card . I 'll have to nab that at some point in the future . I have have 2 reader ask I about x-fire previously , which I do not really advocate because of the relative expense . you could get a top o crop card for $ 500 , and one gtx 680 or hd 7970 will lay this card to waste . I can not give you the technical expertise -lrb- technical writer , not a engineer -rrb- to show it , but I have it on good authority -lrb- pcper.com , pcbuilder.com -rrb- that one premium card be worth more than two mid-range . that be say , if you insist on x-fire , you can only bridge 2 HD 7850s together with the current hardware . I do not see this as a `` con . '' if you be serious about gaming and would like to bridge mid-range card together , go for it . but I think that be a feature best reserve for premium stock , where there be no improvement beyond add additional card . if you want better gaming , save you dime and buy the better card . Make sure to keep you eye out for GTX 6XX card . at this point , the gtx 680 -lrb- good luck find one -rrb- and 670 -lrb- $ 400 , also good luck find one -rrb- have be release , and I would expect that the 660 will be the horse run at the neck of the hd 7850 . we 'll see .