New to PC gaming need new GPU

[bdestroyer8418]

I haven't played games on my PC in year's. With Diablo III, StarCraft II, BFBC 2 coming out I'd like to get back into PC gaming. I also want to play Crysis will my 8800 GT work for now.

Current Specs just built this last week just under $1300 so far

CPU - i7-920 (stock for now will try a overclock soon)
MB - EVGA x58 SLI
RAM - Corsair XMS3 6GB DDR3-1600 CL8
PSU - Corsair HX850W
SINK - Cool Master V8
CASE - Cool Master HAF 932
HDD - 4*WD Black 500GB

Reusing these Parts for now

GPU - 8800 GT Overclocked Edition 512MB
DVD Burner - Samsung and Philips (will be replacing these laster on)

I was going to reuse my Corsair TX750w but I was able to grab the HX850w for $180 out the door. Also I wanted to get a Modular PSU to cut down on the extra cables. Plus I wanted to get 6 PCI-E power connectors just in case I need them.

That HX750w,DVD Burners and ,8800 GT will be going into my NAS Box build soon.

I've been reading some people said to wait til the new cards come out. Would going SLI and a PhysX card be worth it for me. Right now my monitor is only 1680x1050 I will upgrade in a few months.

Just trying to get a idea on what kind of card or cards I need to get. I see the ATI cards got Direct X 11 will this just be a software update for the NVIDIA cards

I also like to start messing around with video encoding and not sure where the GPU falls into play with that was reading up about CUDA ( or does this not matter )

Thanks again

 

[deadlockedworld]

Based on the rest of your build (and that you seem to have the money) I think you would be happiest with a an ATI 5850 or 5870.

Unless you wait for Fermi later this spring none of the Nvidia models out right now are really competitive--and only the new Fermi cards will have DX 11. If you are a very strong Nvidia fan you could wait... but you risk disappointment.

I think right now a 58xx card would let you max settings on everything at 1680x1050. (and if wanted you could use your 8800GT as a dedicated physx card for a while) Later, a second 58xx would give you more power if you get one or several very large monitor(s).

 

[wa1]

With your "awesome" build, i will say WAIT, use your old 8800GT for now, when the 5xxx series cards prices goes down or Fermi has launched then u can go for a new card...

 

[bdestroyer8418]

Thanks for your help. I stopped PC gaming since I got into console gaming years ago. Which I do enjoy playing still I'm just missing too much by not playing PC games and just limiting myself to PS3.

I will check around for prices on those cards or I'll just wait like you said until the new ones comes out. Yea right now I would only have enough for 1 card and if my 8800GT will do for a little while more than I'll just go with that.

So the ATI cards are that much better than the Nvidia. I haven't used one in years but doesn't mean I won't again. Just seems everyone at the store talks about me getting a GTX 275 or 285.

MicroCenter did have 2*5770 in there demo CPU with the i7-920 and a ASUS board and they had it playing Crysis it looked great.

If 1 58XX (and then possibly adding a 2nd later) is better than running 2*5770 in crossfire than that might be the way I'll go when the 58XX drop since $400 is a little step for 1 card for me.


Thanks I thought I did good for my price so far on the new build. I had the Q6600,EVGA 680i, OCZ 4GB DDR2 SLI RAM (I bought 4GB extra same model returned them since I just bought it less than 2 weeks ago so I had a extra $115 to add to the new build), 8800 GT, Antec 900 case before this I was trying to move all that into the HAF 932 and in the process I shorted out the board. Instead of spending the money on a decent motherboard ,GPU, HDDs on that build I decided it was cheaper to just go out and get the i7-920 since I got it Brand New for $200 + tax and I was going to upgrade later in the year anyways when I convert that build into a NAS box.

 

[deadlockedworld]

Hey,

The 5770 is a good value for your current monitor, but if I were you I would want something with more muscle for a new monitor. I suggested the high end cards just because the rest of your system was so high-end... The 58xx series would be proportional to your i7.

Personally, I dont think its usually a good idea to start with crossfired cards. Yes, two 5770s($150 each) is slightly more powerful than a 5850 ($300) but they wouldn't give you an upgrade path. If you start with a single card of any kind now you will be able to double up by adding a second very cheaply in the future. That said--if the 5770 is enough for you now you could use that strategy with them. The 5770 is good for resolutions up to 1920x1200--but if your new monitor goes beyond that you may want a more powerful option.

A good compromise might be the 5830. It will launch soon (it was supposed to launch a couple weeks ago but was delayed) It should fall near the $200 mark and fall between the two in performance.

 

[bdestroyer8418]

Best answer selected by bdestroyer8418.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey