Value performance at 1080?

[raptorgsus]

The arrival of Civ5, the upcoming WoW Cataclysm expansion, and the future Diablo 3 release have convinced me to finally upgrade. I'm no uber-gamer so my max resolution is going to be TV HD 1920x1080. I've seen all the epeen-measuring between the GTX 480 and the 5970, but I really don't think I need that kind of power. I don't want to cheap out - I just want to be able to run the demanding Civ5 on full settings at a 1920x1080!

Best bang for the buck that will achieve my goal?

 

[wa1]

best bang for the buck is GTX460, i'm sure you can play any games with decent setting with that card, well if you have proper specs too...

 

[neonmonkey]

In terms of power consumption, performance and price, go with the gtx 460
here is the best one on the market for price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127510&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-127-510-_-Product
Hope this helps.

 

[bystander]

Depending on the rest of your system, and your budget, you might even back it down a notch to an HD Radeon 5770.

 

[dalta centauri]

The arrival of Civ5, the upcoming WoW Cataclysm expansion, and the future Diablo 3 release have convinced me to finally upgrade. I'm no uber-gamer so my max resolution is going to be TV HD 1920x1080. I've seen all the epeen-measuring between the GTX 480 and the 5970, but I really don't think I need that kind of power. I don't want to cheap out - I just want to be able to run the demanding Civ5 on full settings at a 1920x1080!

Best bang for the buck that will achieve my goal?

Uhhhh, a Civilization game that's demanding?
A 460/5770 will play Civilization fine on high resolutions.

 

[deweycd]

You would benefit from the GTX 460(1GB) at that resolution. Civ5 is more processor intensive then graphically intensive. You should also note that none of the games you mention have issues with scaling graphics. They should all work well with a GTX 460(1GB) at 1080p and mid to high settings. If you were to buy a GTX 480 or HD 5970 you would be, in my opinion, wasting your money as the card would never be taxed based on your game selection.

 

[wolfram23]

I agree the 460 is a good card and probably suits your needs for price/performance, but a 5850 or 470 is a good upgrade above that, for around $100 more. A single 5850 or 470 can max most games out. Crysis, for example, in DX10 on High with AA (2x or 4x I forget, I think 4x) on a single 5850 ran nicely at 45+ FPS. Tho, now I have 2 5850s and run the game on Very High

Sorry... uh... yeah the 460 is a good card for the price.

On the other hand, AMD Radeon is on the cusp of releasing their 6xxx series. Some rumors say that by mid October we'll see the 6770 which should have the performance of a 460, estimated.

 

[deweycd]

For his gaming needs even a 5850 or 470 would be overkill and he would likely be wasting the $100.

 

[raptorgsus]

Thanks everyone. Considering I have to buy 2 systems (one for me and one for the wife), I need to really live in 'bang for the buck' land!

 

[wolfram23]

In that case at $200 a gtx460 is going to be a great buy. 768mb version is cheaper and only around 5% slower that the 1gb version so either should work out. Although like I said before, waiting for the 6xxx series in a couple months might be a very good idea if the purchase date can wait.

 

[bystander]

Thanks everyone. Considering I have to buy 2 systems (one for me and one for the wife), I need to really live in 'bang for the buck' land!

You really need to provide more info than "bang for buck". What budget do you have in mind and what does the rest of your system look like (CPU, RAM, PSU, etc...).

 

[shiftstealth]

Minimum Requirements

Operating System: Windows® XP SP3/ Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
Processor: Dual Core CPU
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0c

Requirements for Civ 5.

I'd advise an ATi 5750 or even 5770. For those 3 games at 1080p a 5770 should do you fine. A gtx 460 is overkill.

 

[deweycd]

Minimum Requirements

Operating System: Windows® XP SP3/ Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
Processor: Dual Core CPU
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0c

Requirements for Civ 5.

I'd advise an ATi 5750 or even 5770. For those 3 games at 1080p a 5770 should do you fine. A gtx 460 is overkill.

Civ 5 tends to be a CPU intensive game rather then a GPU intensive game. Go with 5770 as suggested since it will save you quite a bit and still perform well.

 

[raptorgsus]

Best answer selected by raptorgsus.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey