Need new gfx card (now: amd dualcore 3800+ and 6600gt)

[rawgue]

I have 6600gt (ha!), 2gb ram, and amd dualcore 3800+ cpu.

I need a new gfx card. My budget should be about 220e (330$). Any recommendations? (yes i did check the charts )



Should i get something really really great so i can move it to my new pc? (good chance for this to happen ~next december) Or should i just get something to get the job done fine, and then go for the new 300 gefore series? (at least in my research i read they come out next year)

Also, overclocking my cpu will help a lot right? Never done it before by i hear it's like "standard" and safe these days.



If someone suggests something you agree/disagree with, please post it

 

[hallowed_dragon]

I have 6600gt (ha!), 2gb ram, and amd dualcore 3800+ cpu.

I need a new gfx card. My budget should be about 220e (330$). Any recommendations? (yes i did check the charts )



Should i get something really really great so i can move it to my new pc? (good chance for this to happen ~next december) Or should i just get something to get the job done fine, and then go for the new 300 gefore series? (at least in my research i read they come out next year)

Also, overclocking my cpu will help a lot right? Never done it before by i hear it's like "standard" and safe these days.



If someone suggests something you agree/disagree with, please post it

Please give us the monitor resolution and PSU wattage and brand name for us to be more helpful.
If you have 1920x1080 or higher resolution + 500W PSU: ATI 5850
Less than 1920x1080 + 400W PSU: ATI 5770.
(BTW, PSU must be a quality brand : Corsair, OCZ, Enermax etc.)

 

[rawgue]

Only crappy phone photo for now, hope it does the trick http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8955/0008g.jpg Should i change psu?

I currently have 1280x1024. There is a good chance i'll upgrade to a good monitor with 1920x1080 in <6 months.

motherboard is asus a8n sli deluxe

 

[rawgue]

*delete this post, quick edit worked above*

 

[hallowed_dragon]

Only crappy phone photo for now, hope it does the trick http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8955/0008g.jpg Should i change psu?

I currently have 1280x1024. There is a good chance i'll upgrade to a good monitor with 1920x1080 in <6 months.

motherboard is asus a8n sli deluxe

PSU review: http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=4&artpage=1622&articID=403.

The WinPower 550 is performing as good as the Seasonic S-12 which I believe it is one of the top choices in terms of performance and price; it is behind in efficiency factor which is gaining attention for some users in certain market segment.

I guess it is ok. If you are going to change for a bigger monitor get the 5850.

 

[rawgue]

ok i raised the money to get hd 5850 so i'm all set to order it

2 last problems i have:

1) Will it be compatible with a8n sli deluxe? Some friends told me that it's rather big ~27cm :/

2) Which "version" should i get? No sure what exactly these stand for or how important they are. Powercolor? Sapphire? Are there more? Which is best?

http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.515731

 

[hallowed_dragon]

ok i raised the money to get hd 5850 so i'm all set to order it

2 last problems i have:

1) Will it be compatible with a8n sli deluxe? Some friends told me that it's rather big ~27cm :/

2) Which "version" should i get? No sure what exactly these stand for or how important they are. Powercolor? Sapphire? Are there more? Which is best?

http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.515731

1. 5850 is not 27 cm, 5870 is. The 5850 is 24 cm long.
2. ATM I have a Sapphire 4870 and I didn't have any problems with it. XFX is a good choice for its lifetime warranty. For now all the 5850 are reference cards so the only difference is the sticker. I would choose the best warranty and price.

 

[jyjjy]

That card will be largely wasted on that cpu and totally pointless for your current monitor. It might be best just to hold off on buying a good video card until you upgrade both the system and monitor because the price of video cards are always dropping. To tide you over something like an HD4670 would be cheap, appropriate for your processor and give quite good performance at your current resolution.

 

[hallowed_dragon]

That card will be largely wasted on that cpu and totally pointless for your current monitor. It might be best just to hold off on buying a good video card until you upgrade both the system and monitor because the price of video cards are always dropping. To tide you over something like an HD4670 would be cheap, appropriate for your processor and give quite good performance at your current resolution.

Please read the whole thread before posting. The OP will change the monitor in <6 months with a larger one (1920x1080). So a 5850 purchase will be ok for the future when the monitor will arrive and even when the OP will change the CPU.

 

[jyjjy]

I did read the whole thread. First off he didn't even say he will change the monitor, just that there's a good chance. Second even when he does upgrade the monitor the processor will be bottlenecking that card and something half the price like an HD4870 would be the proper recommendation.
I fully recommend just getting a cheap card appropriate for his current situation then putting the money saved towards an eventual upgrade of everything rather than spending several times the money on a card he doesn't need right now and could very well be much cheaper when he does need it. Don't assume because someone disagrees with you they haven't read all the information.

 

[hallowed_dragon]

I did read the whole thread. First off he didn't even say he will change the monitor, just that there's a good chance. Second even when he does upgrade the monitor the processor will be bottlenecking that card and something half the price like an HD4870 would be the proper recommendation.
I fully recommend just getting a cheap card appropriate for his current situation then putting the money saved towards an eventual upgrade of everything rather than spending several times the money on a card he doesn't need right now and could very well be much cheaper when he does need it. Don't assume because someone disagrees with you they haven't read all the information.

I welcome contra arguments. It gives the OP better options. Now, if the OP will change the monitor to a higher resolution one, at full details (AA, AF maxed out too) only older games will be bottlenecked by the CPU. If he gets the 5850 and a bigger monitor a system upgrade might not even be necessary (maybe 2GB more ram).

 

[rawgue]

Hmm, i will most certainly get a new monitor, probably a couple of months from now. I noticed that prices drop so ridiculously fast, that's the main reason i held back for soo long to get a new card. I have 2gb ram and 3800+ dual core amd. The bit about my card getting bottlenecked by the cpu sounds indeed troubling. Should i try overlcocking my cpu? Will i see noticable results? How safe would that be?

 

[rawgue]

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I ordered it back when i made this thread and a few days later the shop called me and said they are out of stock and don't know when they'll get more. I delayed the card till now while checking sites almost every day for new shipment. Any idea if it will be "re-released"?

If not, what are my other good options?

Please read the whole thread before replying 8]

 

[zarxs]

Rawgue, I am in very similar situation, I have a 3800+ processor with a 3850 video card. I have a 650 ps with a single rail 12volt. So I can do the bigger video card. I have the 1920x1200 monitor. I'm no going to upgrade my motherboard/cpu/memory for 6 months. So I'm very curious to see if you got the 5850 (the card I wanted) and did it make a difference?

I play WoW nearly exclusively. My dual core shows one core at 60% and the other at 80% so I don't have alot of bandwidth.

Rawgue did you get it? The cards are available again on Newegg.

 

[rawgue]

Yes, i saw it was available again
I ordered it a couple of days ago, it should be here in 1-2 days so i'll let you know. A friend told me that the processor will hurt the performance quite a lot but i'm hopeful.

 

[wh3resmycar]

a more reasonable upgrade would be the ff:

1. xfx 5750 @ $140

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448&cm_re=5750-_-14-150-448-_-Product

2. an am2+ motherboard 785g, $70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186181&cm_re=785g-_-13-186-181-_-Product

3. and an x3 ahtlon2 $87

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9103724&cm_re=athlonII-_-19-103-724-_-Product

a more balanced system which is very well suited to your gaming resolution and your psu.

 

[zarxs]

a more reasonable upgrade would be the ff:

1. xfx 5750 @ $140

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448&cm_re=5750-_-14-150-448-_-Product

2. an am2+ motherboard 785g, $70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186181&cm_re=785g-_-13-186-181-_-Product

3. and an x3 ahtlon2 $87

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9103724&cm_re=athlonII-_-19-103-724-_-Product

a more balanced system which is very well suited to your gaming resolution and your psu.

I liked your selection of parts, definitely well balanced and inexpensive. I've been using AMD for years but generally unhappy with the inconsistancy in quality. I guess I've had 10 years of badluck Anyway I'm leaning on going toward intel this time. I don't think it will be 6 months though, I'm thinking 2 months instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188055

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857

 

[rawgue]

zarxs, i got it and after some tests i'm very happy with the results. I'm sure that the system is "choking" it a bit but it's fine.

 

[zarxs]

Thanks for getting back to me. I'll order mine soon then.