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Upgrades!!!

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  • Graphics Cards
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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January 9, 2010 1:07:13 AM

Hey all,

Looking to upgrade my video card (4890) to a dx11 card(s). What would be better for performance and longevity, a 5870 or 2 x 5850's in crossfire? Obviously 2 is better than one but will 2 x 5850's last me a year or is the 5870 better for now with the option to crossfire it as more intensive games are released? I'd go with a 5970 but it won't fit in my case :(  I play @ 1920x1080 on a 24" monitor but am wowed by Eyefinity and would like utilize it as funds become available for 2 extra monitors.

Here are my system specs:

OS: Wndows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Case: Antec 300 Mid ATX
PS: Antec TruePower Quattro 1000w
MOBO: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 3.12GHz on air with stock voltages
MEM: OCZ DDR3 @ 1600MHz 2 x 2GB
GPU: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4890 overclocked to 950Mhz
Boot Disk: 120GB OCZ Summit Series SSD
Media Drive: Pioneer BD-ROM 202

More about : upgrades

a b U Graphics card
January 9, 2010 2:12:52 AM

IMO with a HD 5870 is enough, and maybe, when fermi comes out, the HD 5870 drop the prices and you can buy another to do the crossfire.
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a c 190 U Graphics card
January 9, 2010 2:19:43 AM

^+1
Agree with saint19... :) 
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a b U Graphics card
January 9, 2010 2:21:15 AM

^+2 5870 now, second one for cheap in 6-8mo.
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a c 376 U Graphics card
January 9, 2010 2:32:23 AM

I'd say one HD5850 now and another later when you go for an Eyefinity setup. The HD5870 is 15-20% better at stock but costs 30-40% more. Also the HD5850 OCs to close to the same performance while the HD5870 doesn't OC well at all really. Just not worth the extra money IMO.
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January 9, 2010 5:15:54 AM

Can someone confirm that the 5850 overclocks better? That would be ideal as the added savings gets me closer to a three monitor setup. Also I have a mid ATX case so the smaller the better. I've read that a 5870 fits just barely in the Antec 300. I'm a little worried about cooling as well. I have four noctua fans at the moment and can add another one as needed. From what I've been reading I'll need it for a crossfire setup. Any thoughts out there on cooling with a projected crossfire setup? Thanks again.
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a b U Graphics card
January 9, 2010 5:47:49 AM

wyspyr said:
Can someone confirm that the 5850 overclocks better? That would be ideal as the added savings gets me closer to a three monitor setup. Also I have a mid ATX case so the smaller the better. I've read that a 5870 fits just barely in the Antec 300. I'm a little worried about cooling as well. I have four noctua fans at the moment and can add another one as needed. From what I've been reading I'll need it for a crossfire setup. Any thoughts out there on cooling with a projected crossfire setup? Thanks again.


The 5850 overclocks better in the sense that it is already clocked much lower than a 5870, so you have more headroom.
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January 9, 2010 6:05:15 AM

Well the tech in me says "mod the case and fit in a 5970!!!", so i hear everyone on the 5870. But the physical me is on a budget so I think I'll go with a 5850 and OC it. The $100 savings per card will add up to a second monitor...one step closer to Eyefinity! Thanks for all the help. God speed...
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