New Build

[Ketsurui]

OK I am in the process of building a new PC i have everything except for a video card. I could really use some recommendations. Hear are some of the things i would like for it to have. I prefer ATI, Something with DX11, and Eyefinity, a HDMI port would be nice to. This is defiantly for gaming BTW.

My system specs:
MOBO: ASUS P6X58D PREMIUM
CPU: I7 920
CASE: CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES 800D
MEMORY: OCZ GOLD 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-PIN DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)
HEAT-SINK: COOLER MASTER V8 (SOON TO BE UPGRADED TO A FULL SYSTEM WATER COOLING)
HDD: WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR BLACK SATA III 1TB
PSU: ENERMAX REVOLUTION 85+ 1050W

I think its a good start but i am left with one of the biggest decisions which graphics card.

 

[flyinfinni]

One thing we still need to know is budget. We can suggest a bunch of things, but unless we know how much you want to spend, we may or may not help you at all.
For $150 you can get a Radeon HD 5770, which would be a little under-powered compared to your build.
For ~$300ish you can get a 5850, which is a great price/performance value and a great card.
For ~$400ish you can get a 5870, which is the best single GPU card out there and very powerful, but not as good price/performance value as the 5850.
For ~$700ish (when you can find them) you can get a 5970 which is the best single card out there right now (dual GPU) and is amazing, though pretty pricey.
If you want a little more bang for your buck right now, and are willing to crossfire, you could go for 2x 5770 for $300 as well, which will perform a little over a 5870.

 

[Ketsurui]

Well price is not a real big issue but nothing over say 500 for a single card i mean if you have a great recommendation for crossfire please let me know im willing to buy multiple cards but just no SINGLE cards over 500.

 

[flyinfinni]

Ok- with no single cards over $500, if you are willing to spend $600-650 on 2 cards, getting 2x5850 is fantastic. Great performance and great value. If you'd prefer a single card, just get a 5870 for $400ish, and with that, if you feel like its not quite keeping up with what you want, get a second one later.

 

[Ketsurui]

So in the long run if im willing to get a second 5870 down the road that would get me the best performance besides a 5970 which is still way to pricey.

 

[flyinfinni]

Right- a second 5870 down the road will get you faster than a single 5970 anyway, and will be fast enough to do just about anything.

 

[Ketsurui]

ok i guess last question is which brand of 5870 to get

 

[flyinfinni]

The brand really doesn't matter that much if its a reference design. The only difference with Reference designs between brands is the warranty and customer service. XFX has a lifetime warranty, and is the only brand of 5870 that does. If you want a non-reference version of the card, you'll just have to do a little research on the specific one you are looking at (its pretty easy to google and find decent reviews of many of the non-reference designs).

 

[Ketsurui]

Best answer selected by ketsurui.