Do I need new monitor for HD 6870?

[jbushman26]

Hello, I have a Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP. I'm getting a new pc though:
Either an i7 950 w/12GB 1600 w/1TB 7200 6gb/s w/radeon 6870 w/Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1366](w/Enermax Silent High Performance Fan) w/[SLI] MSI X58 PRO-E (w/Internal USB 3.0 PCI-E x1 Expansion Card) w/ 800w standard ps. Windows 7 for $1284

or
1090T w/8GB 1600 w/1TB 7200 6gb/s w/radeon 6870 w/Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1366](w/Enermax Silent High Performance Fan) w/[CrossFire] ASUS M4A87TD EVO -- AMD 870 w/ 2x PCI-E 2.0 x16
w/ 800w standard ps. Windows 7 for $1192

these r for gaming. also which setup do u choose?

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
If its strictly for gaming,then go with the cheaper build(second one) and get 4GB RAM.
Because the difference between 4GB and 8GB isn't noticeable in almost all games.
And your monitor has a maximum resolution of 1680x1050 in which 6870 can handle all games fine on it.

 

[jyjjy]

I agree about the ram but I'd recommend the first system. Just putting the extra 4gb of ram from that system on Ebay would make up the price difference and the i7 is a better processor.
Have you considered building your own computer instead of getting a prebuilt system? It's really not hard to do and you will end up with a better system for less money.

 

[Maziar]

Oh didn't notice the RAMs were different at first.Yes as jyjjy mentioned,if you put a higher capacity RAM in the first system,they'll both have pretty much the same specs.
So my vote changes for the first system.
However,instead of 12GB,go with 6GB and save some cash,because there isn't a noticeable performance between them in games.

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, 6gb is optimal for an LGA1366 system to take advantage of the triple channel ram. More than that is pretty pointless except for very specific and usually professional purposes like HD video editing, rendering, music production, ect.

 

[jbushman26]

Hello and welcome to the forums
If its strictly for gaming,then go with the cheaper build(second one) and get 4GB RAM.
Because the difference between 4GB and 8GB isn't noticeable in almost all games.
And your monitor has a maximum resolution of 1680x1050 in which 6870 can handle all games fine on it.

Thanks much for the prompt replies! I figured the 6870 will handle all games fine on it, I'm wondering if the 6870 is overkill with the resolution limitations of that monitor. And would a newer monitor allow for noticably better graphics that the 6870 could produce?

 

[jyjjy]

An upgrade to an 23-24" 1080p monitor would give you a lot more screen area and more definition. Whether it is worth the cost is something you need to decide for yourself.
The HD6870 will do well for either resolution. It's maybe a bit much for 1680x1050 but it will still help noticeably on the most intensive games like Crysis and Metro 2033.

 

[Maziar]

Right^
6870 can handle all games fine on 1080p resolution too.(You may need to lower AA in some very demanding titles such as Metro in order to maintain smooth performance)

 

[axipher]

I just got a 6879 and upgraded my monitor from a 1680x1050 to a 1920x1080, both 22" and it is clearer. I also find with the higher resolution, I can turn AA down a notch and not notice and visual difference, but a notable performance difference. The 1920x1080 is also a 16:9 resolution and is much better for widescreen movies.

 

[jbushman26]

Dang, now I want a new monitor. As far as the ram, 6GB will run almost all current games but I dont want to have to upgrade this machine for like 3 or 4 years. What are the chances top games from 2013-14 require or recommend more than 6gb ram? Good? Or does it not matter because i could always just add ram cheaper in the future if need be? I'm thinking of maybe going with crossfire 6850's with the money saved from reducing ram.

 

[axipher]

One 6870 would be able to run most of today's games and next years. You could get the RAM now and then just add a second 6870 down the road.

 

[jbushman26]

Well I bot this last night for $1261:

Case NZXT Alpha Gaming Case - Black
Case Lighting None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction None
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion None
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 950 Processor (4x 3.06GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive None
Processor Cooling Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1366] - Enermax Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade
Memory 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-2000 - Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card AMD Radeon HD 6870 - 1GB - Single Card
Video Card Brand Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA
Free Stuff [Free Game Download] - Blacklight: Tango Down - Free with Purchase of ATI Radeon HD Video Card
Motherboard [SLI] Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R w/ 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16
Motherboard USB / SATA Interface Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface
Power Supply 800 Watt -- Standard
Primary Hard Drive 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Data Hard Drive None
Optical Drive 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black
2nd Optical Drive None
Flash Media Reader/Writer None
Meter Display None
Sound Card 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit

Went with i7 950 and 6870, faster ddr3 2000 ram, and a better motherboard for cheaper than option #1. Thanks for all the input fellas. I figure I can overclock the 950, add another 6870, and add more ram later, if need be, and then would have a ridiculously fast machine for Call of Duty 9 or 10.

 

[Maziar]

That's a great machine,happy gaming

 

[jbushman26]

Best answer selected by jbushman26.

 

[Viper98]

U may dont like to hear this BUT : if u keep ur Monitor u will see very high performance , but higher monitor will takes more FPS & it slow ur VGA down .
go for 19 INCH & not higher , because with that way , lower VGA cards will act like High-end VGA cards on ur Resulation ! its the Trick that i used & were so satisfy / biger Monitor wont give u Special thing But slow down ofVGA .

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey