Running GTA IV on 30" display - almost there!

[hundere]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: over the next month or so

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming (just GTA IV), video encoding, web surfing, space heater, air filter

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS if GTA IV is know to perform as good with Vista as 7 (64 bit)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, whatever

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: SLI

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2560 x 1600 Apple


ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

This post is very similar to the one by tice03 back in 06-16-2009. I'm a Mac user who doesn't usually need anything more powerful than a late model MacBook Pro with all the trimmings + external monitor for light duty Photoshop/Aperture/FinalCutPro use. That was until Grand Theft Auto IV for PC came around last December and I saw how pitiful it performed in Boot Camp. Back then it was understood that the only machine that could run it with settings on high was something insanely expensive, if it even existed at all. So I decided to give it some time and now here we are nearing the 1st year anniversary of its launch and after some research I found that it may just be time to buy a rig that's well suited to this challenging game title.

PARTS PREFERENCES:

CPU
Intel i7-920 Quad 2.66GHz

Motherboard
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58

Heat Sink
Prolimatech Megahalems

Video Card(s)

tice03 wrote: "This is definitely the area I have thought most about the past two weeks. One day it will be the two or three GTX 275s. The next day it will be a single GTX 295. A day later it will be two or three HD 4890s. I could go a couple different ways. The more I think about it the more I am weary of spending a lot of money on this area given the fact that the next generation of video cards are seemingly right around the corner." This is a tough one to get around. I was first under the impression that GTA IV was very processor dependent and likewise where I would be spending the most. But I had forgotten about the special demands of the 30", which now makes my graphics the most expensive. All you have to do is google 295 vs 275s and the consensus is clearly with the pair of GTX 275s in SLI.


Memory

3 x 2GB is all can be sure of.

Power Supply

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ?

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA

 

[jbakerlent]

Welcome to the forum. LOL at the space heater, air filter comment.

This RAM is great
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231230

This HDD
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185


This PSU (750W is plenty for SLI/Crossfire)
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

Now on the GPU subject, the release of the 5800 series changed things - now you would be much better off with 5850s than 275s (only problem is finding one in stock)
XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442

Case
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

ODD
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

 

[hundere]

Thanks for the quick reply and making me feel welcome here!

Now I've got my memory and my ODD figured out.

Excellent pick with that Antec TruePower TP-750! ("compatible with Core i7/Core i5" and "SLI Certified CrossFire Ready")

And Samsung instead of WD, heh? Looks fine. Saves me $30, too.
You would think that since it costs a lot less than Western Digital's Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB, you would here it mentioned more often in the forums. Instead, I recall reading 'Caviar Black' 'Caviar Black', and lines like: 'It's wicked fast man' or 'Go with the Caviar Black!' over and over. If there were a difference in speed, it's likely marginal I guess.

The only tough one is that GPU choice. As I said, I did a lot of research on this, so I'm familiar with the industry's progress. I'll check it out and see what it's about and repost my findings. Far from being a Nvidia fanboy, I am open to other options. It's just that I had read numerous sources claim that the GTA IV graphics engine is better tuned to Nvidia's hardware.

Thanks again!

 

[paperfox]

take a look at this review, it should help you decide on a graphics card.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-5850,review-31692.html

 

[jbakerlent]

Yes, the F3 1tb was just recently released and supplants the WD in terms of performance (the WD is at 85mb/s, versus 110 for the F3)
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Write-Throughput,1013.html

Here's a review by Tom's showing the 5850 beating out the 285.
[strike]http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-12.html[/strike]

Edit: paperfox posted the link while I was typing mine up

 

[overshocks]

1 5850 isn't enough for 2560x1600. Unless you have low-med settings on GTA IV. Get two.

 

[overshocks]

Yes, the F3 1tb was just recently released and supplants the WD in terms of performance (the WD is at 85mb/s, versus 110 for the F3)
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Write-Throughput,1013.html

Here's a review by Tom's showing the 5850 beating out the 285.
[strike]http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-12.html[/strike]

Edit: paperfox posted the link while I was typing mine up

That's the 500GB version of f3.
You suggested the 1TB version of f3, the performance is different.

Also, I think you meant 2x5850 beating 295.

 

[jbakerlent]

^ Yeah, agree, I was implying that by saying 5850s, but thanks for making it clear.

 

[jbakerlent]

That's the 500GB version of f3.
You suggested the 1TB version of f3, the performance is different.

Really? I don't believe it's any different, but I could be mistaken?

 

[overshocks]

Really? I don't believe it's any different, but I could be mistaken?

I remember reading a review last night, the performance is different. But, I forgot from which site because someone linked it there for me.
i think it was maximumpc, not sure.

I could be mistaken too.

 

[hundere]

Whoa, that 'future-proofed' 5850 is some act to follow! 40nm circuitry! Cooler and more efficient! And faster than the GTX 285! The next-gen has truly arrived! However, the elephant in the room, of course, is Nvidia’s as-of-yet unannounced next-generation part, which we all know is coming, but don’t know when. Until then the 5850s are very scarce to come by. AND EXPENSIVE!
Q: But does anyone know if they'll play nice with the ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 mobo ?

First some info on the 275s:

GeForce GTX 295 Vs. GTX 275 SLI: When Two Are Better Than One

and specifically in regards to running GTA IV: Benchmark Results: Grand Theft Auto 4

This review compares the different vendors producing it:GTX 275 Road Test
I don't get it. What does this get you besides some OCing straight from the box?

What parts would I need to max this at 2560 x 1600?

Now onto the juicy 5850 stuff:

Here's a killer chart comparing a whole slew of Crossfire GPUs along with the 275/85/95: Sibling Rivalry - ATI Radeon HD 5850

and specifically in regards to running GTA IV: Radeon HD 5850: Knocking Down GTX 295 -Grand Theft Auto IV

Look at dual 5850's if your going with two 275's.

a few quotes I gathered:

"...the fact remains that the guys in green have been comprehensively beaten to the market by ATI. The next few months should be interesting, as ATI prepares to launch their dual-GPU Hemlock cards and NVIDIA rushes against time to get their Fermi cards out before it's too late. But right now, however, all signs point to the Radeon HD 5850 as being the best bang for buck card bar none."

Built on the same RV870 architecture as the 5870, the 5850 gives you 90% of the shading and texturing units as the 5870 for $120 less. Now because it runs at slower clock speeds also, that doesn’t mean it delivers 90% of the 5870’s performance, but it is built to give you most of the performance in a smaller, more case-friendly package that also consumes less power and generates very little noise. ATI pitches it as the perfect card for the performance-minded gamer on a budget who may have been contemplating a GeForce GTX 285 purchase.

I'm pretty sure I'll gather all the other parts on my list first and leave the GPUs for last, like maybe in early December. Still unsure about the case.

 

[overshocks]

You posted a lot of links. What is your main question? Be straight forward.

The 5850 is the best bang for the buck card, we know already.

So get 2x5850 and play gta iv at 2560x1600.

Case solved.

Why did you choose best answer already, now less people will visit this thread and help you out.

 

[hundere]

You posted a lot of links. What is your main question? Be straight forward.

...

Why did you choose best answer already, NOW LESS PEOPLE WILL VISIT THIS THREAD AND HELP YOU OUT.

First I want to say you're right. And as to your first Q, I'm still looking for the right GPU(s) to complement the ASUS P6T, the i7-920, and the Antec PSU. I should have indicated from the start that I thought the 5850s would not be the best and that I should find a 'current-gen' solution instead.

The reason for posting the links is so I could pass on the 411 to those with similar GTA IV / 30" display issues who might be reading it. This forum is awesome and I really appreciate the help.

I'm sorry for my lack of etiquette, I just joined 2 two days ago and so I had no idea that clicking on the "best answer" would create such an impact on the page. I didn't know that it would have a CASE SOLVED result. Lesson learned. Thanks for your patience.

 

[dndhatcher]

Did you read the key thing in that article you linked...

Notable also is that the GeForce GTX 295’s 896MB of memory per GPU isn’t enough to run the demanding settings we’ve chosen to try taxing these boards at 2560x1600.

A GTX 295 is a pair of GTX 275s on one card; 275s will not work for you because they dont have 1GB RAM.

 

[hundere]

Here's what I got so far:


Motherboard:
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

Processor:
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Memory:
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop
6820231230 ]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231230

HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
6822152185 ]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

ODD:
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Case:
Antec P183 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129061

PSU:
Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power CPX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 "compatible with Core i7" Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024

Fans:
ENERMAX MAGMA UC-MA12 120mm Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214001

Heatsink:
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev B. Intel CPU Heatsink (LGA 775 / 1156 / 1366)

Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008 ]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008


The memory described above was recommended by jbakerlent, but I think I'd rather go with Crucial. Anybody know how to pick the right one for my ASUS P6T and i7-920? I used the 'RAM Memory Advisor' on Crucial's website and it came up with a bewildering variety. How should I know which?
Cas Latency: 7 or 8?
Timing: 7-7-7-24 or 8-8-8-24 ?
HOW MUCH PC3 ?
and what do I gain by overclocking them?

STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE WHOLE GRAPHICS CARD DILEMMA (^_^)>?