Replacement card that is > two 8800 GTS G80 in SLI

[timaishu]

So I am looking into replacing my current Evga 8800GTS 640mb G80 with a new card.

I made a similar post a month or so back but the situation has changed. I originally was considering getting a replacement card or another 8800 to sli with.

I now have two jobs so money is now flowing in my direction. And after doing some thinking, I figure it makes the most sense for me to get a new card as my brother has the same Evga card as I do. We will kill two birds with one stone I guess you could say. Me buying a new card will give both of us a performace boost as he will get my old card to go SLI with.

My main concern is getting a single card that will outperform the two cards in SLI. I dont want to get a card that will equal the two or be slightly better. I want this purchase to be worth it so I am not wasteing my money and essentially paying to upgrade his computer.

I do not care whether its and ATI or Nividia card. So my question is... What single card will outperform 2x8800GTS 640mb in SLI?

My current specs..
E6600 OC'd to 2.7ghz
P5N32E-SLI Plus 650i motherboard
2x1gb SuperTalent DDR2 ram
2x320GB harddrives in raid 0
Thermaltake Toughpower 700w PSU
Evga 8800GTS 640

 

[timaishu]

I dont currently have two in SLI. I own one and my brother owns the other. I planned to sell him mine so he could go SLI and then I would buy a new single card that is better than the two in SLI.

 

[timaishu]

I have to be in that range to be faster?

Hmmm,

I was hoping to keep my budget around 200-240 tops.

 

[rolli59]

HD5770, HD4870, HD4890, GTX260 and GTX275 even maybe HD5830 (trades blows with4890) are all in a performance class with 2 x 8800GTS 640mb in SLI. Some are better than others but no big gaps in performance.
A single faster card I would recommend is HD5850 but then again this HD5830 would be the faster end of the group above and the price is finally on the right track at $199 after MIR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161327

 

[timaishu]

So a 5850 would be my best best? I probably could push my budget. Like I said, if I am giving my brother my old card, I want my computer to be better as he is getting a free upgrade.

Any 5850's that would be recommended?

 

[rolli59]

This is recommended for its overclock potential and cooling solution http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127500
And then there is always XFX and their warranty http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150494

 

[timaishu]

The MSI reviws arent that good. :/

They mention issues with overclocking. Is there really much of a benefit with their cooling solution over say the XFX cards?

Airflow is definitely not a problem with my case.

 

[rolli59]

Always take newegg reviews with a grain of salt, people that are unhappy with products are more likely to complain.
The XFX card I linked to will work great in a well ventilated case and if you qualify for the dual lifetime warranty it is hard to pass it by.

 

[AMW1011]

Yeah, the MSI Twin FROZR has known issues with increasing voltage, the main feature with these cards. I'm not sure if it has been fixed yet or not.

Get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121375&Tpk=5850

Great cooler like the TWIN FROZR and is guaranteed to over-volt. The newegg reviews are using an old version of smart doctor, and you can use OCC to increase clocks anyway, which can be more stable.

That XFX card is non-reference so you will never be able to change the voltage.

 

[timaishu]

Ive never heard of a reference/non reference card before. Im a little out of the loop when it comes to current hardware.

That asus looks pretty good.

 

[AMW1011]

Reference means that the card is exactly to ATI's or nVidia's specifications, and in the 5850/5870's case, this means it can be overvolted with BIOS flashing or MSI afterburn. Non-reference cards need special software to allow it from the manufacturers, and only MSI and Asus provide that.

 

[timaishu]

Ohh okay. Got it..

So one more question. Do you think prices will drop at all soon?

Im looking to buy now as I have the money so I figure I may as well. But if prices will randomly drop in a week or so ill wait.

My plan is to get the asus you recommended and then also buy the arctic cooling freezer cpu cooler to push my core 2 further.

 

[AMW1011]

There is no reason for the prices to drop for a good long time, the next wave of cards aren't to be out for a good 6 months or more.

This is a much better cooler for the price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835124022

Its a re-branded version of mine and is still one of the top performing heatsinks out there.

 

[timaishu]

Yeah, haha Im not waiting that long.

Kingwin huh? What is it a rebrand of? Also, does it just snap in? The reason I was looking into the AC was because it used the push pins. I dont want to take out my motherboard for a heatsink install. Too much hassle with my case.

 

[timaishu]

Ahhh I fell so terrible for spending the money.

But I bit the bullet and I should soon be the owner of a 5850 and the kingwin cooler.

I added thermalpaste to my cart as well.

Total came out to $394 plus tax/shipping.

Im kinda worried though because the 5850 now says autonotify. Im hoping I was the last one who purchased it to make it change to autonotify.

 

[AMW1011]

The Kingwin is a rebranded Xigmatek HDT-s1284, they are slightly different but only slightly. Also, the Kingwin uses push pins.

 

[timaishu]

Best answer selected by timaishu.