Best GPU under $400?

[zodiac949]

Hey guys, quick question.

I'm looking for a GPU for Modern warfare 2 that preforms well under fraps, as I do frequent recordings for commentaries and such.

I've got an AOC 22" 1920x1080 display, and intend to max out the game's settings. I currently have a 9800GTX+ running (core/mem | 790/1125) and it isn't really doing the job for me.

I'm currently running 1280x720 on maxed settings with no AA, and it isn't performing very well under fraps, with roughly 45 frames, so I'm looking for a real performance gain under fraps with a budget of under $400.

Other pc specs...
Phenom II X4 955BE @ 3.6GHz
Antec 650W 45Amps
M4A78 Pro
3.8GB DDR2-800MHz



Thanks in advance!

 

[tigrc]

ATI RADEON HD 5870.
You could also consider 2xGTX460 or 2xHD6850.

 

[tigrc]

This 5870 is best rated in newsegg and fits your budget:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150496&cm_re=5870-_-14-150-496-_-Product

 

[plznote]

No, Tigrc
That is not the best choice.
Investing $400 in an old generation? Bad choice.
A 6870 is better or wait for Cayman.(6900)
Zodiac can you wait until the end of teh year? Cayman is going to be released and you may see price drops.

 

[plznote]

Rephrase: A 6870 is not "better" in terms of performance but it is a wiser choice.

 

[zodiac949]

No, Tigrc
That is not the best choice.
Investing $400 in an old generation? Bad choice.
A 6870 is better or wait for Cayman.(6900)
Zodiac can you wait until the end of teh year? Cayman is going to be released and you may see price drops.

I'll most likely go out in a week or so and buy something.

I've been looking at the 5870 in specific lately and haven't been very impressed with the overall performance in mw2

http://www.ninjalane.com/images/nv_gtx480/nv_gtx480_chart90-1.png

Based on what I've been experiencing with my 9800GTX+ running at around 90fps, then dropping to 45 and under when I load up fraps, I assume the card will run it at about half the performance that it doe regularly, if not less. I could be wrong, and I'm hoping I am, but it seems like there isn't much within my price range.

 

[tigrc]

Fair enough. He asked, I answered. He wants it now and the most performance increase for under 400$. I didn't say it's the best choice, I said "This 5870 is best rated in newsegg and fits your budget" which means the best choice of 5870s while staying in the budget. He didn't ask for the best choice either, he asked for a card. It depends on how you look at it

 

[tigrc]

Hmm, you might be right, zodiac949. 5870 performs better at the higher resolutions, which you don't use. 3 new AMD cards are coming out in the next month. But if you don't want to wait, what about 2x460s or 2x6970s? Does your motherboard support SLi/CF?

 

[plznote]

Good point!
Zodiac if you want great performance for MW2 look at Nvidia cards. They have such a big perf boost over the Radeon's that it is not even funny.

 

[zodiac949]

Hmm, you might be right, zodiac949. 5870 performs better at the higher resolutions, which you don't use. 3 new AMD cards are coming out in the next month. But if you don't want to wait, what about 2x460s or 2x6970s? Does your motherboard support SLi/CF?

Unfortunately my board isn't capable of crossfire/sli. I was looking into MAYBE the GTX 480, if I could find something for under $400 without having to deal with rebates.


Are the Caymans coming out in December REALLY worth it? I just can't begin to think that a 69xx would be under $400.

 

[tigrc]

Well, you can look at it from another point of view. When those Caymans come out, it is very possible the other cards will drop price, so you will be able to get a better card. If you could get a 580, that would be perfect.

 

[zodiac949]

Well, you can look at it from another point of view. When those Caymans come out, it is very possible the other cards will drop price, so you will be able to get a better card. If you could get a 580, that would be perfect.

It seems like waiting for price drops would be based more around speculation, I mean, look what nvidia did with the GTX480, when the 580 came out, they simple dropped it by $50, and placed the 580 with the original 480 price.

I guess I have it narrowed down between...

EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130550&cm_re=gtx_470-_-14-130-550-_-Product


DIAMOND 5870PE51G Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103084&cm_re=5870-_-14-103-084-_-Product


XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150506&cm_re=6870-_-14-150-506-_-Product

 

[plznote]

Get the GTX 470. It has free Mafia two and a 10% off promo code. For MW2 it will perform on par wiht the 5870 if not better.

 

[zodiac949]

Best answer selected by zodiac949.

 

[tigrc]

Agreed, get the 470

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar