Reccomendation

[Dogfood09]

Hi Guys,

Just brought a new build , see below , now need to decide on a card.

OVERCLOCKED* Intel Core i5 750 2.66Ghz @ 4.00GHz
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 Intel P55 Motherboard
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz DDR3
Corsair TX 850 PSU
Coolermaster Scout Case

What i am think is either

HD4870x2 x2 In Crossfire
HD5850 or 70 Single
Or wait and save up for new 5970??

Any Suggestions

Regards
Dog09

 

[hunter315]

2 4870x2s will not perform great, quad fire scaling is not great, you are best sticking with 1 or 2 cards. What resolution monitor will you be using? A single 5870 will handle most setups quite well, but if you are going to be running 2560x1600 then you probably want to save up for a 5970.

 

[deadlockedworld]

HD4870x2 x2 In Crossfire seems like it would run really really hot.

Personally I would go for 5850/70 now and have the option to crossfire later. This way you wont have to rely on integrated graphics or whatever you currently have until upgrading.

 

[rodney_ws]

Tough break. Neither a 5870 nor a 5970 will fit in your case. I have the same case and went with a 5850. It fits, but barely... you'll need access to a welding torch or some sort of saw if you want cards longer than 10.5 inches. It's the 3.5 inch drive cage that will obstruct the longer cards.

 

[Dogfood09]

Ok , i do have the capabilites of modding inside my case , I am running this set up on my LCD 1080p Tv so i guess the res would be 1920x1080 ?

Regards

 

[rolli59]

how about one HD4870X2 it will work fine on your TV.

 

[capt_taco]

If you're planning on using it for any gaming, I'd always say to get a 5xxx series card with an i5 or i7. DirectX 11 it may not be a huge deal right now, but it will be before you replace the rest of your system.

I'd say the 5870 if you can afford it and/or make it fit in the case, and as others have said, you can always crossfire it if you need the power later.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491.html

Here's the "winners" from THG's latest (December) GFX Roundup
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: December '09

$50 - HD 4650
$65 - HD 4670 / 9600 GSO
$85 - 9600 GT
$95 - 9600 GT / HD 4830
$110 - GTS 250 512 MB
$120 - GTS 250 1 GB
$155 - HD 5770 / GTX 260
$200 - HD 4890
$240 - 2 x GTS 250
$310 - No winner (HD 5850 Honorable Mention)
$330 - 2 x GTX 260 / 2 x HD 5770
$400 - 2 x HD 4890
$410 - No winner (HD 5870 Honorable Mention)
$465 - No winner (GTX 295 Honorable Mention)
$625 - No winner (HD 5970 Honorable Mention)

 

[capt_taco]

$310 - No winner (HD 5850 Honorable Mention)
$410 - No winner (HD 5870 Honorable Mention)

... which basically means, even though the 5800 series cards are awesome, they're too expensive to be worth it right now unless money is absolutely no object (which I wholeheartedly concur with).

I honestly think that the best time to build an i7 system is going to be about 3-4 months from now, when the 58xx cards come down off those high prices a little. A DX11 card is going to be a big plus for system longevity, but the 57xx are not powerful enough to take full advantage of an i7's speed unless you crossfire them. Which leaves you in the same situation as 48xx cards: The only upgrade options that make sense involve throwing away your existing card(s).