Wondering if GTX 260 is best for my system

[zgerrz]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out if a GTX 260 is the best option for a build that I am putting together. I plan on gaming at 1680x1050. I just want to see where the bottleneck on my new system would be and check if the GTX 260 is overkill for my system.

Here's my proposed build so far:

NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

PC USA CR-02-LZAI-2 All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader + USB 2.0 Hub

Thanks in advance!

 

[invisik]

very good setup so far. similar to mine.
that mobo i believe does crossfire not sli? u have a link to the mobo?

 

[zgerrz]

For mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

Maybe I should get a SLI mobo if this one only does Crossfire?

 

[eodeo]

get 4850 its faster with eye candy turnded up, and a bit slower at defaults. I like to play with 8x aa, so naturaly I'd pick the cheaper ati card.

If you have the money 4870 should cost as much as gtx 260, while outperforming gtx 280 in most titles with max eye candy.

If you dont care if your image is jagged or not, nvidia does pretty well too.

 

[invisik]

the gtx260 can be found for as low as 215$ at newegg. the image quality is pretty much the same. the 4870 performs slightly better then the gtx260 but cost more.
1st decide ati or nvidia. sli for nvidia and cf for ati.

 

[zgerrz]

Since I can get the GTX 260 pretty cheap and I want to stick with Nvidia, I guess I'll stay with the GTX 260.

My only problem now is the mobo since I didn't realize I had picked out a Crossfire mobo at first. I hate to stray from the topic, but does anyone know of an SLI mobo that is comparable to the one I selected above?

 

[shaundwm]

Just get a 4870?

 

[invisik]

ok so u decided on sli. ok so wats ur budget? and do u plan to oc alot?

 

[pcgamer12]

You don't need SLI for 1680x1050. That card kicks ass at 1920x1200 and then some at 2560x1600.

 

[wgdz]

if it is the 260 make sure it is the new one that was recently re-released with more umf!

 

[zgerrz]

You don't need SLI for 1680x1050. That card kicks ass at 1920x1200 and then some at 2560x1600.

Right, I'm not planning on SLI at the moment, but I would just rather get a mobo that supports SLI so that in the future I could add another GTX 260 in SLI if I wanted.

I would just feel silly if I bought a CF mobo with an Nvidia card. Doesn't seem to be future proofing very well.

As for my budget, my whole build should be around $900. I was planning for the mobo to be around $150.

 

[coozie7]

Obvious point, when looking for the SLI MB keep a close eye on the PCIE specs, not all boards give the full 2x16 lane goodness you`ll need to SLI a pair of GTX 260`s.

As for your first post...Sweet build, nicely balanced, no obvious framerate hurting bottlenecks and while I can`t see you needing to SLI a GTX260 at 16x10, you might want to select a more powerful PSU if you intend to do so later.

 

[dagger]

if it is the 260 make sure it is the new one that was recently re-released with more umf!

The new one cost $300 compared to the old one, that cost closer to $200. The extra isn't worth the small performance increase by a long shot.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106792634%201067940781%201369844342&bop=And&Order=PRICE

If bang for the buck matters, take a look at 9800gx2, at $270.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106792522%201067937879&bop=And&Order=PRICE
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=14
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=16
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=17
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=18
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=19

 

[invisik]

good mobo ppl were able to oc to 4.0ghzand its the price range u were looking at.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026

dagger has a point the 9800gx2 is a good card but i still would prefer the gtx260 and when u sli them they perform on par with the 9800gx2 in quad sli.

 

[wgdz]

oh really damn and there i thought they will be released at the same price as the older one... maybe manufactures are just jacking up the price temporary until the older units are sold? Entire reason nvidia re-released the new 260 is to compete with the 4870, no point if the new version which is still a bit below the 4870 and ends up more expensive...

 

[xxcoop42xx]

get 4850 its faster with eye candy turnded up, and a bit slower at defaults. I like to play with 8x aa, so naturaly I'd pick the cheaper ati card.

If you have the money 4870 should cost as much as gtx 260, while outperforming gtx 280 in most titles with max eye candy.

If you dont care if your image is jagged or not, nvidia does pretty well too.

you are incorrect dude, the core 216 GTX 260 is actually better than the 4870 now. a 4850 isnt far behind this card but its certainly not faster/better. the new GTX 260 dont destroy the 4870 but when tested it usually comes out on top by 2-5 fps.

 

[megamanx00]

If your going to get that board you should consider getting a 4870 instead. You won't need the performance of crossfire now, except in crysis if you want to turn up the settings, but you can drop in another 4870 down the road for increased performance when you need it. If you really want to go with the 260 then consider getting a 750i board or better. Just pay attention to what version of the 260 you get since if you get the cheaper 260 now, don't go and buy a 260 core 216 latter since you won't be able to SLi them due to the different number of execution units.

Why can't they just call the new 260 the 265 or something, is that too much to ask?

 

[M3d]

Over at guru3d they come up with the same conclusion about the GTX260 Core 216 as at anands.
"The product at reference specification is pretty much dead on with a Radeon HD 4870".

http://guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-260-core-216--bfg-ocx-maxcore/9

But that being said at 1680x1050 the cheapest GTX260 (not core 216) could max just about any game except Crysis. Just make sure who ever you purchase the card from has a good return policy just in case.

 

[jzsang]

get 4850 its faster with eye candy turnded up, and a bit slower at defaults. I like to play with 8x aa, so naturaly I'd pick the cheaper ati card.

If you have the money 4870 should cost as much as gtx 260, while outperforming gtx 280 in most titles with max eye candy.

If you dont care if your image is jagged or not, nvidia does pretty well too.

you are incorrect dude, the core 216 GTX 260 is actually better than the 4870 now. a 4850 isnt far behind this card but its certainly not faster/better. the new GTX 260 dont destroy the 4870 but when tested it usually comes out on top by 2-5 fps.

Thank you. I was waiting for someone to bring the comments about the HD 4850 and 4870 back to Earth. Yes, they both are excellent cards, but lets be a little realistic here. HD 4850 < GTX 260 (sometimes greater than, sometimes less than) HD 4870 < GTX 260 Core 216 < GTX 280.

Anyways, if you want to go with the GTX 260, this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370 - is what I would get. For $229.00 ($269.00 - $40.00 rebate), you get a GTX 260, Crysis, Newegg service, free shipping and EVGA's Step Up program. One heck of a deal if you look at the prices of other GTX's and HD 4870s.

On the other hand, if you decide to keep the Crossfire motherboard, go with this - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131117. The price is not the best, but for $289.00 you get one of the coolest (temperature) HD 4870s. In case you already do not know, the HD 48** series runs notably hot.

 

[jzsang]

Double post...?

 

[zgerrz]

I just saw this one on Newegg's daily deals

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133229&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-14-133-229-_-Product

How does it differ from this one that was previously posted?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

Both of them are excellent prices, but the first is $209.99 after rebate. Just wondering if they have the same performance

 

[jzsang]

The video card performance should be about the same. The clocks are indentical and both cards have the same cooler.

The main differences are a free copy of Crysis (w/ EVGA), the Step Up program (w/ EVGA), some minor accessories (an extra power cable w/ EVGA) and customer service. Read the customer reviews and think about your needs (ex - do you already own Crysis, are you interested in the Step Up program?) in order to make a better decision.