New Gaming Setup Advice

[Manicslayer]

Hey community!

I am a college student (BUDGET!!) that enjoys gaming as one of my main hobbies.

I recently got a new computer but it came with a 9600GT. Unfortunately, I don't agree with the frame rates it produces at 1600x and 1920x.

I have about $300 to work with (most likely a little less) and I have been reading review after review to figure out what card(s) are best for me. Unfortunately, I can't seem to narrow it down.

I have a Crossfire X mobo but the PCI-E slots are 16x and 8x. I have a 700W PSU so CFXing some older/lower consumption cards is no problem.

The cards I have looked at are 260GTX, 5770, 5850, 2x 4870's, 2x 4750's, 2x 5770's.

With the 300 and under price cap in mind, what does the community think? The lower the price for decent 1920 playback, the better.

Thanks in advance, I will be checking in to answer questions/response to feedback.

 

[Rustyy117]

well the best there performance wise is the 4870's in CF, but that depends what games you play and whether or not there optimized for multi GPU's
I'd recommend the HD5850 as its pretty close to 4870's in CF, is DX11 capable, will use alot less power than 2 x 4870's, will produce alot less heat and you could crossfire later down the road. But it is right at the top of your budget.

Or you could go for a HD5770 which has roughly the same performance as a 4870/GTX260 although a 5770 may struggle at 1920 x 1080 +

Maybe wait a month and see if the Fermi cards from nVidia bring down the price of the 5850.

 

[nrnx]

I recommend getting the 2x 5770s in crossfire for the $300. They are the best bang for the buck and perform equal to a 5870. I personally own three now and have two of them in crossfire and they kick major butt. The 5850 is good too, but if your going for performance NOW and won't upgrade again in the next year 2x 5770 will do you better in the long run.

Edit: plus its always fun to build your first crossfire system!!!

 

[Manicslayer]

I was looking at a HD5770 for a long time, but apart from DX11 I see no reason to get it over the 4890 or GTX260.

Oh, the monitor I am forced to use now only goes up to 1600x1200. With this new 1600x1200 top resolution cap, what does everyone think? 5770 or gtx260 is what it's looking like.

2x 5770's is a possibility, although it looks like it will cost a good deal more. OH well, I could always get one at first and get another later.

 

[paperfox]

Since your monitor is only 1600x1200 then get the 5770 over the 260 as it is cheaper and performs nearly the same. If you don't care to much about DX11 then the 4890 would be your best choice, If you can find it. Though the 5770 has more future proof in that you can crossfire another down the road if you choose.