I am trying to decide between 3 options. A Radeon 5970 2gb, the ASUS Ares, and two 5870's in a crossfire setup.
My main concerns are longevity, cost to upgrade in the relative far future (3+ years), along with the amount of slots taken up (I require many slots; planning on using this with an ASUS rampage III.)
Maximum budget is ~1200, but I am not looking for top of the line over longevity. If I can make the 1200 last for 6 years, then I will go with that option.
Some considerations:
-The Ares takes up 3 slots, I don't know if it's cross fire compatible, and even if it is, it won't be available in 3 years. I don't know if I can crossfire two separate cards (say a 5970 and 5870)
-The 5970 takes up 2 slots, but I haven't heard of anyone putting it into a crossfire setup yet, or know if it's possible.
-The 5870s in a cross fire setup barely beat the 5970 in the articles I have read, and they occupy 4 slots altogether.
Here is what I am thinking:
If the 5970 can be crossfired, go with that, and upgrade with another one at a later date when they are dirt cheap.
If the 5970 can be crossfired, go with the Ares. This is not my preference because it may represent a big expenditure that doesn't help much with longevity - it will be out of date in 3-5 years.
I am considering the 5870s just as an alternative to the 5970, so far I don't see many benefits given what I want, but I may be oblivious to some issues, given my my very out of date knowledge of the power computing scene.
Here is the info the opening post requests:
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP
BUDGET RANGE: 500-1200, the less the better
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Adobe productivity apps, rendering, transcoding
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Undecided; I will buy a powersupply based on whatever is needed. This is a new setup, so no current gpu.
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Intel i7 980xtreme, asus rampage III mobo
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: none
PARTS PREFERENCES: Only considering ATI becuase of good experiences with them in the past. Although, I don't know if that's that same since AMD acquired them.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2x 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: see comments above.
Thanks for any help!
My main concerns are longevity, cost to upgrade in the relative far future (3+ years), along with the amount of slots taken up (I require many slots; planning on using this with an ASUS rampage III.)
Maximum budget is ~1200, but I am not looking for top of the line over longevity. If I can make the 1200 last for 6 years, then I will go with that option.
Some considerations:
-The Ares takes up 3 slots, I don't know if it's cross fire compatible, and even if it is, it won't be available in 3 years. I don't know if I can crossfire two separate cards (say a 5970 and 5870)
-The 5970 takes up 2 slots, but I haven't heard of anyone putting it into a crossfire setup yet, or know if it's possible.
-The 5870s in a cross fire setup barely beat the 5970 in the articles I have read, and they occupy 4 slots altogether.
Here is what I am thinking:
If the 5970 can be crossfired, go with that, and upgrade with another one at a later date when they are dirt cheap.
If the 5970 can be crossfired, go with the Ares. This is not my preference because it may represent a big expenditure that doesn't help much with longevity - it will be out of date in 3-5 years.
I am considering the 5870s just as an alternative to the 5970, so far I don't see many benefits given what I want, but I may be oblivious to some issues, given my my very out of date knowledge of the power computing scene.
Here is the info the opening post requests:
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP
BUDGET RANGE: 500-1200, the less the better
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Adobe productivity apps, rendering, transcoding
CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Undecided; I will buy a powersupply based on whatever is needed. This is a new setup, so no current gpu.
OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Intel i7 980xtreme, asus rampage III mobo
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: none
PARTS PREFERENCES: Only considering ATI becuase of good experiences with them in the past. Although, I don't know if that's that same since AMD acquired them.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2x 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: see comments above.
Thanks for any help!
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