In search of a video card

[Miek]

Well, I'm sort of torn. I have another dilemma going in another section about what processor I should get. It started to evolve into a video card thread, so I continued that quest here and set the other thread back on track.

 

Anyway. I'm looking at several cards, including but not limited to the...

* Note: NOT IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE.

- ATI Radeon HD 4850

- ATI Radeon HD 4870

- ATI Radeon HD 4890 <--- May be out of my budget.

- nVidia GTX 260

- nVidia GTS 250

 

I plan on doing SLI/Crossfire later on.

 

As always, the never ending flow of questions that seem to spawn from my mind...

- Would two 4870 cards in Crossfire offer good enough performance to run most games maxed out? I don't know what resolution I'll be playing at until I get a monitor chosen. However, that's another topic for another time.

- Would it be worth it to get a 4890 or maybe another later on for Crossfire?

- What sort of performance would I get from two HD 4850's in Crossfire?

- What are some good ATI cards that run fairly cool? I don't want my card(s) to fry.

- What sort of performance would I get from two GTX 260's in SLI?

- How hot do the GTX 260's tend to run?

- Is the GTS 250 really basically a re-release of the 9800gtx+?

 

Feel free to suggest video cards. Note that I will only be able to get ONE video card when I do my build to keep costs down.

 

I will be gaming. I want to be able to run fairly graphically intense games such as Crysis, though I mostly use Crysis as a benchmark. Still, it's a fun game. Nothing like throwing a rock at a helicopter for half an hour only to find that strategy actually sucks...

 

Thanks a TON for reading. Another ton of thanks if you answer all of my questions.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Miek

[ccokeman]

You can look at this review to get an Idea of where your choices scale on the performance ladder. Looky here What games are you playing? What resolutions will you be running?

 

 

For ATI cards you cant beat the Toxic or Vapor-X model put out by Sapphire for Quiet cooling.

 

The GTX 260 reference fans do not do bad with the fan speed increased to around 65%. When running F@H on mine they tend to stay at right around 60C under load

 

GTX260 SLI was the price vs performance leader in the referenced review above and offers really solid performance

 

Yes the GTS 250 is a Re branded 9800GTX+. Supposedly it was done to more closely align the naming structure to eliminate confusion for the consumer. Opinions may vary though.

 

 

Lastly what is your budget?

[dr_bowtie]

Well, I'm sort of torn. I have another dilemma going in another section about what processor I should get. It started to evolve into a video card thread, so I continued that quest here and set the other thread back on track.

 

As always, the never ending flow of questions that seem to spawn from my mind...

1)- Would two 4870 cards in Crossfire offer good enough performance to run most games maxed out? I don't know what resolution I'll be playing at until I get a monitor chosen. However, that's another topic for another time.

 

2)- Would it be worth it to get a 4890 or maybe another later on for Crossfire?

 

3)- What sort of performance would I get from two HD 4850's in Crossfire?

 

4)- What are some good ATI cards that run fairly cool? I don't want my card(s) to fry.

 

5)- What sort of performance would I get from two GTX 206's in SLI?

 

6)- How hot do the GTX 260's tend to run?

 

7)- Is the GTS 250 really basically a re-release of the 9800gtx+?

 

 

 

1) Yes...I run a 4850X2 and I have a rig with 4850s in crossfire and I can run COD5 maxed and still manage 100fps...I say thats pretty darn good

 

2) sure...but even a 4870 and another later on for crossfire is still a good option...or even 2-4850s for crossfire....get whatever your budget will allow....

 

3) darn good....like I said..I play Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and I average 135fps (fraps test) and COD5 and I average around 100fps with eveything max...

 

4) any of them are good with the extra cooling options or stock cooling with tweaked fan profiles....

 

5) there are no GTX-206s but the GTX-260s in SLI as ccokeman said are the price point for SLI...and run very well...

 

6) with ambient temps (room temps) of 80f my GTX-275 idles at 45c and games at 65c with the fan on 45% (with EVGA precision)

 

7) as said Yes...but still a very good card...albeit a budget card now...the GTX-260 is a much better choice...

[Miek]

You can look at this review to get an Idea of where your choices scale on the performance ladder. Looky here What games are you playing? What resolutions will you be running?

 

 

For ATI cards you cant beat the Toxic or Vapor-X model put out by Sapphire for Quiet cooling.

 

The GTX 260 reference fans do not do bad with the fan speed increased to around 65%. When running F@H on mine they tend to stay at right around 60C under load

 

GTX260 SLI was the price vs performance leader in the referenced review above and offers really solid performance

 

Yes the GTS 250 is a Re branded 9800GTX+. Supposedly it was done to more closely align the naming structure to eliminate confusion for the consumer. Opinions may vary though.

 

 

Lastly what is your budget?

 

Games I'll Be Playing

- Left 4 Dead

- Crysis

- Fallout 3

- Far Cry 2

- Dead Space

- Maybe Halo 1 & 2, as they were inexpensive

...Probably more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

 

My budget: My total build cost is basically capped at $1500.00. I'd prefer to keep costs as low as possible, though.

[ccokeman]

A 4870 or GTX 260 will l do well with max settings on everything but Crysis. If you do not enable AA and use high you should be alright.

 

IF interested I have a noc referenced 4850 and GTX 260 available is you are interested.

[Miek]

Regardless of what card I end up choosing, I plan on doing Crossfire/SLI mode. Should I get a 512 MB or a 1 GB cards/cards?

[tkrow21]

The lower option

[Miek]

512 MB?

 

Pardon me if I sound dumb, but I thought that in memory, bigger was better.

 

How does this card look?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16814102801

 

I'm also thinking about the Sapphire Vapor-X card.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Miek

[IVIYTH0S]

512 MB?

 

Pardon me if I sound dumb, but I thought that in memory, bigger was better.

 

How does this card look?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16814102801

 

I'm also thinking about the Sapphire Vapor-X card.

go vapor-x

[ccokeman]

Go Toxic for the same price

[ocre]

There is one big question that i dont see anyone asking. What resolution are you running, or plan to run? 2 260s seem like overkill for most resoltions, I game at 1650x1080 and all games totally maxed out with no problem with 1 gtx260. Resoltion is so important... one of the most important things to consider when buying a graphics card. I think you might be under estimating these cards you have mentioned

[Miek]

There is one big question that i dont see anyone asking. What resolution are you running, or plan to run? 2 260s seem like overkill for most resoltions, I game at 1650x1080 and all games totally maxed out with no problem with 1 gtx260. Resoltion is so important... one of the most important things to consider when buying a graphics card. I think you might be under estimating these cards you have mentioned

 

Most of the monitors I'm looking at have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 or 1680 x 1050.

 

Yes, 2 cards may be overkill. But, I'm starting with 1 card in my build (to save costs) and will add another later on if I need more performance. Probably after consulting here, though. If 1 card gives me all the performance I need, I won't have to buy a second one.

Edited June 7, 2009 by Miek