A plea from a PC gamer - Best Single card solution right now?

[Triglet]

The egg has the EVGA 480 for $500 shipped right now, BCB will get you another $5 if you use it. I have a 5850, and just pulled the trigger on the EVGA as I just wasn't impressed with the minimum framerates the 5850 was giving me in BC2 @1920x1200.

 

[MagickMan]

His power supply will be more then enough.

@ Magicman
I just get tired of repeating myself when people don't read the thread before responding.

And your getting as bad as banned T2k. with your fanboy accusations

Whatever, man. I like ATI because they offer the best value and are the most efficient, but you're worse than any of the rest of us. :\

threatening me doesn't change the truth.

 

[RussianSensation]

Don't forget, on a non-overclocked Core i7 920 processor, GTX480 will be held back at 1920x1080: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/cpus-and-games-2010_4.html#sect1

Therefore, GTX480's 20% performance increase over 5870 will be more like 10% since 5870 is not help back by a 920 processor as much. Bang for the buck, 5870 wins hands down. Performance wise, GTX480, especially when overclocked, is a monster though.

 

[happy medium]

Don't forget, on a non-overclocked Core i7 920 processor, GTX480 will be held back at 1920x1080: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/cpus-and-games-2010_4.html#sect1

Therefore, GTX480's 20% performance increase over 5870 will be more like 10% since 5870 is not help back by a 920 processor as much. Bang for the buck, 5870 wins hands down. Performance wise, GTX480, especially when overclocked, is a monster though.

Something is definitly wrong with that review.

Can you explain the results on this page?
Seems like it depends on the game and which cpu you were using.
Sometimes the faster cpu was slower also?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/cpus-and-games-2010_6.html

 

[extra]

Once again the 5970 IS CROSSFIRE!

We know, no need to yell At first the OP said single card though, so was just throwing that out there (both 480 and 5970 were out of his price range anyway). If money is no object then the 480 would be the fastest card...But post said less than $450, which rules it out...If you can get a 5870 for cheap enough it'd definitely be a great option... However, don't rule the 470 out. They overclock much better than you'd think. Mine overclocked to >=gtx480 speeds very easily--I was amazed. With how well they scale when overclocked they can become extremely appealing at the $350 price point. Why not weigh the 470 vs 5870 based on what games you play, price, and power consumption/heat? You can't go wrong with either. And drivers for both are fine. Hell, you can use msi afterburner with both brands too (yay!).

 

[bunit]

If I were you, I'd honestly just wait a little bit.
The GTX275 can probably still handle most things you throw at it if you're gaming at 1080p..

ATI's SI should be due late Q3/Q4 and while it's not a major leap in performance by any means (20-30% over single card 5870 not counting potential driver improvements) it will most likely be the fastest single card solution (beating the GTX480). More importantly though it should be priced 'right', probably at 400? 450?
We'll see.

If you can't wait, really want the best single card solution, and you can stomach the potential heat/noise annoyances go ahead and get the GTX480, it is indeed 20% faster for many games according to xbitlabs.

 

[Lonyo]

The egg has the EVGA 480 for $500 shipped right now, BCB will get you another $5 if you use it. I have a 5850, and just pulled the trigger on the EVGA as I just wasn't impressed with the minimum framerates the 5850 was giving me in BC2 @1920x1200.

I hope you have that processor overclocked then, otherwise you might not get the improvements you are imagining.

 

[Shmee]

if you are interested in overclocking and decide on a 5870, try to get the reference version. I hear they are easier to overclock as MSI afterburner works on them. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Skurge]

Something is definitly wrong with that review.

Can you explain the results on this page?
Seems like it depends on the game and which cpu you were using.
Sometimes the faster cpu was slower also?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/cpus-and-games-2010_6.html

So something is wrong with the review if it doesn't show the GTX480 being great?

Those are within the margin of error, so that review is fine.
OP said no more than $450, the fastest card under $450 is the 5870, no doubt.

No point forcing him to spend more when he doesn't want to.

 

[Axon]

I'd get the 5870 in your position, OP. You can get a used Vapor-X edition for $375 if that floats your boat...

 

[TemjinGold]

OP: You never mentioned it but do you care about heat and noise? If it matters to you, the 5870 is MUCH cooler and quieter than the 480.

 

[Triglet]

I hope you have that processor overclocked then, otherwise you might not get the improvements you are imagining.

Yep, good point. I just got this processor, and haven't oc'd it yet but from what research I've done the E0 will hit 4ghz rather easily on my board. I know I won't see I7 performance with the 480 but I think it'll be good enough. Good enough anyway to justify not spending the cash on a new platform upgrade.

 

[at80eighty]

I think he meant he didn't want to run multiple cards. Jesus, calm down a notch. You're getting as bad as Wreckage ever was.

didnt you get the memo? he can overreact as he pleases, but if one calls him on how he's acting lately - THAT guy get reported for trolling. ugh.

 

[tviceman]

One other small thing to consider is that with nvidia cards you get physx. Not too many games use hardware accelerated physx, but it is a nice bonus when used.

 

[taltamir]

Just get the GTX 480 and use your 275 as a PhysX card.

physics card? for what games?
and of the 3 games that use physX, which actually require it in ADDITION to the GTX480? (remember, they can run physics on the same card doing the graphics)...

I say SELL your 275 and buy either a GTX480, GTX470, HD 5870 or 5850

 

[Stoneburner]

1920x1080? You could get a 5850 and use the extra hundred on getting a subscription to the economist.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the responses (yet again) so far. It's nice to get different viewpoints on things and I hope somehow this thread helps others who are in the same boat.

As for heat and noise level, I don't care at all. A card can draw as much power as it wants, output as much heat as it wants and be a fan blower for all I care as long as it pushes out the FPS. This is simply a gaming rig and nothing more, it comes with all the associated things one does with gaming (loud noises, overpriced hardware, temperatures you can cook food with ) Of course being cooler, quieter, and more efficient never hurts, but it's not a decision where it would affect me in a negative or positive way.

I have a separate computer simply intended for work purposes and browsing that is SFF and all passive cooled. On the gaming machine, I pretty much expect ridiculous noise, power draw and heat. It's cheaper and makes more sense to me to just divide rigs now-a-days for different roles considering the lower cost of hardware. I still wake up sometimes and think laptops are $5000 and 500mhz is a "speed demon" computer, so my brain is still hard-wired in the past on occasion

 

[AlgaeEater]

1920x1080? You could get a 5850 and use the extra hundred on getting a subscription to the economist.

Haha, or I can get that trial introduction for 12 issues for $12, cancel and then sign up again with a different address for work for another 12.

 

[tweakboy]

That is easy

ATI 5970 ,, one card but 2 GPU's and 4GB of ram.

That is the most powerful card right now and for another couple months probably knowing nvidia... thx gl:awe:

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

My 5850 seems more than enough @ 1080p. Also have a i7 so maybe that helps. My gtx 280 still kicks ass @ 1080p too. Not sure why you need that much card at 1080p?

 

[AlgaeEater]

My 5850 seems more than enough @ 1080p. Also have a i7 so maybe that helps. My gtx 280 still kicks ass @ 1080p too. Not sure why you need that much card at 1080p?

Just stubborn I guess. I always max out whenever possible. To me anything under 35FPS with max settings is kinda painful. But then again if I were rational I probably could just buy all three major gaming consoles for not much more and a gamefly subscription and be done with it all. PC gaming is an expensive hobby

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I would think the only thing that a 5850 couldn't max out @ 1080 is crysis. I'm sure everything else would be just fine and supposedly the 5850's overclock nicely. I'm like you I prefer nvidia but wasn't no way in hell I was gonna pay $500 for a space heater. I paid about $500 for my gtx 280 and I still think that was a damn good bargain. $500 for a 480. Hahahahaaaa!

 

[JAG87]

OP, just get one GTX 480 and you will be happy for a long while.

ATI can't even do transparency AA in dx10/11 right now, plus you will miss physx and cuda, and you will miss the beauty of customizing game profiles to take the image quality as far as performance allows.

I'm not pro-nvidia, just listing why the GTX 480 is worth it's money over the 5870, performance aside.

I'm like you I prefer nvidia but wasn't no way in hell I was gonna pay $500 for a space heater. I paid about $500 for my gtx 280 and I still think that was a damn good bargain. $500 for a 480. Hahahahaaaa!

It's not a space heater. My cards have never went past 80C unless I am playing Crysis or Metro, both of which I don't even consider games but more like image quality/stress tests. If you have good case ventilation the cards are no where near as hot or loud as the reviews say. Sure if you run furmark you will see 90C, but I don't play furmark. If you don't have one, don't voice your opinion.

 

[MJinZ]

I would think the only thing that a 5850 couldn't max out @ 1080 is crysis. I'm sure everything else would be just fine and supposedly the 5850's overclock nicely. I'm like you I prefer nvidia but wasn't no way in hell I was gonna pay $500 for a space heater. I paid about $500 for my gtx 280 and I still think that was a damn good bargain. $500 for a 480. Hahahahaaaa!

My 5870 Crossfire can't even max out Crysis with an Overclocked i7 @1920 x1200. Forget about a puny 5850.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

My 5870 Crossfire can't even max out Crysis with an Overclocked i7 @1920 x1200. Forget about a puny 5850.

Are you using my post to stroke your e-peen? I never said a 5850 could max out crysis. I wouldn't call a 5850 puny. It's plenty for most gamers unless you need to game on a 30" screen. Tri fire quad fire blah blah blah.. Does not impress me. Get a job making 6 figures, buy a couple houses, date a smoking hot woman. Those things are impressive. Having 2 grand in a computer makes me yawn....