Gaming and rendering:metro 2033 and 3dmax..

you got a budget?

Also what Power supply and case do you have?

I am not familiar with rendering software (am basically only a gamer) but by 3dmax do you mean....

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=12...

If so, then this is the part of the system requirements that matter:



I don't know your budget, but I do know Metro2033... it is a high demand game, and even with Crossfire 4870s (considered by many to be about equivelant to the performance of a 5870 when Crossfire is being utilized) I can play on max settings @ 1920x1080, but have to deal with periodic drops in framerate during the more intense graphical portions. To be fair, this could be mainly due to my lower available video memory (512mb).

I would probably start at either a 5850 2gb model (since 3Ds Max recommends 1gb or higher, and rendering is your priority) or a 5870. If you got the budget, you probably won't be disappointed with a 5870 2gb model. Price/Performance of Nvidia products is debatable, BUT, the GTX 480 is a stronger card than a 5870, splitting the difference in video memory between the 1gb and 2gb ATI cards (with 1.5gb) and a stronger GPU. The downside is that you need to be prepared for a 480 as far as heat goes. You case needs to be properly ventilated to ensure that the 480 won't run too hot.

Pricewise, a stock 480 will generally be the same as the basic 2gb 5870. How much video memory effects 3ds max will have to be left to an experienced user of the program, but if the 512mb difference is minor, than a 480 will give you better gaming performance than a 5870, and probably the better choice.

If budget is tighter, a 1gb 5850 will probably be a great choice as well.

EDIT: oh yeah, your PSU is important, as these video cards need a solid power supply to keep them in the juice, though much more so for the 480 than the others.

first thing first,
i am Malaysian, therefore currency here would be usd1 = rm3.40
my budget would be around rm3000-rm4500

I do not really have a tight budget, yet I just don't want to spend too much on dekstop in a short time. I can choose to buy the hard wares whether to wait for a year or maybe just next few months depending .Any recommendation for later upgrade that flow with the selected hardware is invited.


p/s:example of the price in Malaysia
i7 930 -rm945
gigabyte ex58a-rm799
samsung 23'fhd-rm715

you can check Malaysia hardware price here
http://www.hardwarezone.com.my/priceguide/

JofaMang : Maybe i'll go for 1gb 5850 as the price here is about rm1000(usd1=rm3.40)
I consult my senior about tis, particularly, he recommend me to find the biggest one I can found, so that it can fit large fan and more upgrades...about the metro thing ...I think my game enthusiasm has fade when more responsibilities come.moreover, as an architecture student, I do not have lot of time for gaming...

sorry for any grammatical error i've made..i am still learning English as my second language..