ATI 5770 video card maker

[trembl27]

Hi!

I finally narrowed down the video card for my moderate gaming PC.

I downgraded my choice from a 5850 to a 5770 and used the money elsewhere in the PC.

I'm playing at 1680x1050 or on a 1080P HDTV.

1) Is a 5770 enough for this? (at least for a year, then I would upgrade or crossfire )

2) Since I was aiming at a quiet pc (it will be in the living room and will partially be used as a htpc to stream some movies ), I also want a quiet video card.

I could not find any reviews on the best brand / edition for a quiet yet reliable video cards.

I was looking at the Saphhire VaporX or the Asus CuCore edition.

Any opinion on them? ( also it helps if they are available on newegg.ca )

Thanks for the help!

 

[flyinfinni]

A 5770 should be enough for you in most games- its a great card, and adding a second one later will put you ~ equal to or better than a 5870 in most games. As far as the particular version or brand, I don't think it matters terribly much. I would not suggest getting one of the OCed versions, as they cost more for an OCed speed that most reference cards can reach without too much trouble. Save the money, and OC them yourself. That being said, I would suggest buying based on warranty and/or brands that you have had good experiences with. I personally am really liking my XFX 5750. It is working perfectly, and it also has a double lifetime warranty, which means that it'll have better resale value later because you can transfer that lifetime warranty to whoever you sell it to.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462
Its also $15 cheaper than the VaporX.

 

[lemon07r]

I'm pretty sure that , 1680x1050 is 16:10, where as 1080p is 16:9. BTW go with msi, better OC at minimum prices and great alternative coolers (MSI R5770 Hawk; ic can reach 1050/1400).

 

[Canuck1]

I would like to know which manuf. to go with, too.

XFX is the only ATI make that has the 'lifetime' warrany although if any others have a good card, maybe it doesn't matter as much?

Also, should one go with one of the 'modified' cooling fans? I'm inclined to think so. Agree or?

 

[wa1]

XFX, Vapor-X from Sapphire, HIS, all of them are good brands...

 

[flyinfinni]

The modified cooling fans are often cooler, but not always. If you are looking at a particular non-reference cooler, then you'll want to do some searching for reviews that can tell you how much of a difference they actually make from the reference design. The reference coolers really do work well for these cards, so if the non-reference ones are more, then I wouldn't spend the extra to get one. (I have 2 reference 5750s and they stay plenty cool with the fans on Auto and they're not even very noisy- can't hear them over my case fans.)

 

[Starges]

Don't think brand matters, all of them OK. Difference is in after sales services, like RMA.