Thinking of an Upgrade

[XxQuinnzoxX]

I would like the communities opinion on something here.
I currently have an ATi Radeon 5750, and tbh I'm finding it already having some trouble keeping up in the newest games (i.e. Just Cause 2). I'm thinking of either purchasing another 5750 and Crossfiring them, or getting one of the new 470 or 480 cards (when they are available). My concern with the 470 and 480 cards are heat, as the reviewers had many complaints of heat issues. I have a 1080p monitor. Any thoughts?

 

[shadow187]

Ah, at 1080p, I'd get an HD5850, or HD5870. It depends on if you're willing to overclock or not. Might I ask about your processor and power supply?

 

[EXT64]

Yep, need the rest of the system specs.

 

[skolpo]

What's your computer specs, notably your power supply? The Fermi cards eats up a lot of power and can bring a low-end PSU to its knees. Of course there is the heat issue and if that bothers you then it would be wise to avoid it. There's also been rumors, April Fools or not, that nVidia is already working on releasing the GTX 5xx's by the end of the year so it might be a good decision to skip this generation's cards offered by nVidia. As of right now, I'd recommend an HD5850 or HD5870 since they are actually available. If you're running a resolution of 1920x1080 or higher, either card will be optimal.

 

[XxQuinnzoxX]

Ah, sorry about the other specs:
Phenom II x4 (An Unlocked x3 720) @ 3.0
4gb of DDR3 1066 ram
1000w Coolmax PSU (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159101)
Case: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078

 

[shadow187]

Holy crap you're set. What's your motherboard?

 

[rolli59]

Maybe you should get the GTX470/80 just to put some load(get past 50%) on that PSU

 

[XxQuinnzoxX]

Holy crap you're set. What's your motherboard?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157167
That is another problem, will an Nvidia card even work properly in this?

 

[shadow187]

Not if he's got a crossfire motherboard he ain't. And besides, if I was him and I didn't have a CF MOBO, I'd sell mine, grab a CF MOBO for $100, grab an HD5850 to $300, OC it like hell, then grab another one later, OCing that too.

 

[skolpo]

Yes, an nVidia card will work fine.

 

[shadow187]

Oh hell no. You have a perfect MOBO for CrossFire, you can even pull CFX.

If you want the most out of your MOBO, an HD5970 + HD5870 trifire is the best.

What I would do though, like I posted above, is to OC an HD5850 to 950/1250 core/mem, then Crossfire another one later. You'll get massive performance.

 

[XxQuinnzoxX]

Oh hell no. You have a perfect MOBO for CrossFire, you can even pull CFX.

If you want the most out of your MOBO, an HD5970 + HD5870 trifire is the best.

What I would do though, like I posted above, is to OC an HD5850 to 950/1250 core/mem, then Crossfire another one later. You'll get massive performance.

lmao, Don't think the 5970 ($700) and 2 5870s (~$430 each) will be happening anytime soon, unless I live off of Smiles and Happy thoughts

I'll look at the 5850, the main attraction to the Nvidia 4xx was the PhysX, otherwise I see no real reason to get it. Also, if I get a 5850 can I crossfire it with my current 5750?

 

[shadow187]

Na, the HD5750 can only crossfire with the HD5770. And I wasn't pointing towards 5970+2x HD5870. The PCI-E 2.0x4 will bottleneck anything worthwhile. Just one HD5970 + HD5870 would be nice.

Also, an HD5970 would crossfire with a HD5850.

As for PhysX, it's not that great, and it's even worse because you'll only be using a single card. PhysX makes a major hit on the GPU, and you'll have to lower effects, which defeats the point of a high-end card. What you COULD do is an HD5850 Crossfire + GTS250 for PhysX.

 

[XxQuinnzoxX]

Best answer selected by XxQuinnzoxX.

 

[XxQuinnzoxX]

Na, the HD5750 can only crossfire with the HD5770. And I wasn't pointing towards 5970+2x HD5870. The PCI-E 2.0x4 will bottleneck anything worthwhile. Just one HD5970 + HD5870 would be nice.

Also, an HD5970 would crossfire with a HD5850.

As for PhysX, it's not that great, and it's even worse because you'll only be using a single card. PhysX makes a major hit on the GPU, and you'll have to lower effects, which defeats the point of a high-end card. What you COULD do is an HD5850 Crossfire + GTS250 for PhysX.

Thanks, I'm looking at getting this card: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102886
(selected for best answer)
This site is awesome!

 

[shadow187]

With that card, you'd be able to get impressive overclocks. The Vapor-X edition outputs much less heat.

Have fun with your killer setup!