How much GPU is too much?

[blenze232]

Hello everyone!
Following the $400 gaming budget build, i built the following system:

MB ASROCK M3A770DE 770+SB710 RT 1
PSU COMPUCASE| XP1080 1080W RT 1
CPU AMD|ATH II X3 445 3.1G AM3 RT 1
CPU THERMPASTE|AS5-3.5G % CPU COOL|ZALMAN CNPS10X PERFORMA 1
MEM 2G|PATRIOT PSD32G13332 RT 2 (4 gig total)
HD 500G|WD 7K 16M SATA2 WD5000AAKS 1

The reason for the large power supply is hopes that eventually I can run video cards in Crossfire or SLI - in 2 or 3 years when my system can no longer run new games.

I plan on overclocking the CPU - which is the reason for a good CPU Cooler

Now, would throwing in a monster video card be overkill? a card such as:
DIAMOND 6970PE52G Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
(not sure i could ever run 2 with the PS i bought listed above - If i ever needed in the future)

What video card(s) you all recommend for my system. Currently I run 1 22inch widescreen at something like 1440 x 900 (not home right now to check..)

Ideally I'd like to keep this new card(s) under $400.

Only game i can play on my old system (new one still in mail) is Counter-Strike 1.6. The new one will be playing this as well as some COD Black OPS and whatever new games come out that look good to me - mostly FPS's.

 

[wolfram23]

Well, it would work. But first off at 1440x900 well that's considered a smallish resolution. Also the CPU isn't all that fast so overall you'll probably see some GPU bottlenecking, but it will play any game for you over 60fps at max detail settings for sure. To get more performance with that card you should definitely try unlocking the 4th core and overclocking the CPU.

That said, I don't really think doubling the PC's budget on a GPU is going to give you the best results/bang for your buck. Check out the GTX560 Ti or 6870. At your resolution either of those will be great cards and shouldn't suffer much (if at all) from the Athelon X3.

 

[vilenjan]

All you need is a regualr or even a 768MB GTX 460 to cap out an X3.

 

[megamanx00]

At 1440x900 I wouldn't get more than a GTX 460 or 6850. A 6950 would only make sense if you were using a 1080p monitor, but is just way too much overkill for a 1440x900 resolution. By the time a 6950 isn't enough for 1440x900, your CPU would long have been the limiting factor especially at it's stock settings.

 

[wolfram23]

Here's an extremely relevant article. X3 bottlenecks a 5850 compared to an i7, up until super high resolutions. This is why I mention unlocking 4th core and overclocking.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-ii-x3-440-gaming-performance,2619-5.html

But yeah I do think that if you have $400 to spend, a 6870 and a new Phenom II X4 would make a big difference.