New Build Power Question

[dannyator]

I'm about to make my first build and I wanted to know possible performance and whether I have enough power.

CPU: Intel i7-860
Mobo: Asus Maximus III Formula
RAM: 8gb Corsair
HDD: WD 500gb Black Caviar
GPU: Dual nVidia GeForce 9800 GT
PSU: Antec 850W

I'm using an Antec 902 if that's important.

Also does anyone know how well this will work with Crysis, just as a benchmark? Thanks

 

[jbakerlent]

Yes you definitely have more than enough power to run that system, however I would recommend getting a different GPU such as the 5850 or if that's out of budget a 4870/90. Also, go with the Spinpoint 500gb HDD. And you could easily go with 4gb of RAM if it's just for gaming. Finally, any particular reason why you're getting such an expensive motherboard - that's more than many x58 ones?

 

[dannyator]

Thanks a lot.

I was a bit partial to nVidia because I'm not a major fan of ATI GPU's but I hav seen a lot of reviews saying that ATI cards are better than their nVidia rivals.

The motherboard was also mostly out of bias because I've seen Asus products in action and I was quite impressed. I thought that getting the best quality Asus product would ensure I wouldn't need to upgrade the rig for a while or is that not really a problem?

Can you recommend a cheap xFire combo because I really wanted a dual GPU graphics system.

Thanks.

 

[jbakerlent]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128400
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131405

Almost any Asus/Gigabyte board is a good choice.

 

[dannyator]

Thanks. I'll have a look at those.

I went on GPU review and I think the 9800 GT is the best that could fit the price range and have decent performance.

Also the problem is I'm in Australia so I can't get any products from newegg.

But thanks for the help anyway!

 

[obsidian86]

you can save a bit by going for the asus p55 pro/evo they have bout everything the maximus has

 

[dannyator]

Thanks a lot.

I've decided on the evo from Asus because it's not much more than the pro and it actually has the sli bridge.

 

[itisravi]

5850 is a far better deal than dual 9800gt. It offers more performance at a much less power consumption, and it supports DX11.

I would recommend you to get ati 5850. But if budget is a constraint, you can save some money buy getting Asus Evo and Corsair HX650 PSU, and spend that for 5850.

 

[dannyator]

I'll consider it. I think it will be better because I have a little bit extra after swapping out the mobo for a cheaper version.

Meanwhile, I need to ask what may seem like a silly question, but what are the major differences between nVidia and ATI? Performance-wise, I mean.

 

[obsidian86]

performance wise ati tends to be bout 10-15% behind nvidia in previous generations but at a much better price then nvidia cards,but cuz ati got the jump on nvidia with dx11 cards, ati is currently leading the market till nvidia catch up with their dx 11 offerings later this yr or early next, wich the keeping quiet bout, so no one knows how it compares to the ati dx11 cards