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

[OILFIELDTRASH]

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.

I don't have to own one to know that. That's why reviewers get the big money. So they can let me know the pros and cons of each card in much more detail than I could ever know myself. I am a nvidia fan but I will not blindly support them and buy a flawed card like the 480. Sure it's fast but it's at much too steep a price. It's like my i7. Sure when I put on the voltage it gets 4.0 ghz and it kicks ass. But at what price? I'd like to keep it for a long time and sure it might last years running at such high temps and voltages but then again it might not. Ever wonder why there is no xfx fermi? Not everyone lives at home with their parents. Some of us are the bread winners of our households and don't appreciate the extra energy the card consumes and the heat it makes. I know I'll hear the well it's gaming pc deal with it. Well why should I? I just got 5850 and looks like I get to have my cake and eat it too.

 

[taltamir]

people play crysis?

 

[JAG87]

I don't have to own one to know that. That's why reviewers get the big money. So they can let me know the pros and cons of each card in much more detail than I could ever know myself. I am a nvidia fan but I will not blindly support them and buy a flawed card like the 480. Sure it's fast but it's at much too steep a price. It's like my i7. Sure when I put on the voltage it gets 4.0 ghz and it kicks ass. But at what price? I'd like to keep it for a long time and sure it might last years running at such high temps and voltages but then again it might not. Ever wonder why there is no xfx fermi? Not everyone lives at home with their parents. Some of us are the bread winners of our households and don't appreciate the extra energy the card consumes and the heat it makes. I know I'll hear the well it's gaming pc deal with it. Well why should I? I just got 5850 and looks like I get to have my cake and eat it too.

We were never talking about all these factors, you called the card a space heater, and I addressed that claim as false from first hand experience. I am telling you, reviewers run the card on an open bench, which is not an ideal environment with regards to airflow. If the reviewers put a quiet 120mm fan blowing at the back of the card (typical ventilation any good case should have), they would have shaved off 5-10C.

We know it's more expensive to buy and to run, and nobody cares if you can afford one or if you have 10 mouths to feed. That's something you have to decide, and just because you don't deem it worth it doesn't mean a product is overpriced. Nvidia priced the cards exactly where they should be with respect to the competition. You want to talk overpriced? Lets talk $700 dollars for a GTX 280 at launch. So overpriced compared to the competition that nvidia had to hand out refunds shortly after.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Does not impress me. Get a job making 5 figures, buy a house, date a fairly attractive woman. Those things are impressive. Having 2 grand in a computer makes me yawn....

Glad I got those covered! Score points for me.

Hmmm... actually on closer inspection when I quoted your post supernatural forces somehow changed it to reflect my actual life

On a more serious note, I heard good things about the 5850 as well, but it's definitely a lot of love and dedication to get that card really on par with the others.

Crysis has always been a wildcard game since it just chews anything you throw at it on max settings. I'm not sure it's a reliable standard to go by, but it is a feat one day to see any rig run it smoothly on max. I don't think it has been done yet if I recall.

 

[JAG87]

I find it funny that he says he values a house, work, and a pretty girl more than a $2K pc, and yet he's made more posts here on Anandtech in a year than I've made more than 4 years. How coherent.

 

[taltamir]

I find it funny that he says he values a house, work, and a pretty girl more than a $2K pc, and yet he's made more posts here on Anandtech in a year than I've made more than 4 years. How coherent.

I am pretty sure his point was "anyone can buy a 2000$ PC"... which is true, even the poorest can buy it (on credit)... making lots of money or getting a very desirable mate are impressive things that are more socially impressive then "I wasted more money then you on a toy, but still an amount that anyone has access to"

 

[Axon]

people play crysis?

I don't know a single person who does anything with it other than use it to bench their Frames Per Second.

 

[Axon]

On a more serious note, I heard good things about the 5850 as well, but it's definitely a lot of love and dedication to get that card really on par with the others.

Crysis has always been a wildcard game since it just chews anything you throw at it on max settings. I'm not sure it's a reliable standard to go by, but it is a feat one day to see any rig run it smoothly on max. I don't think it has been done yet if I recall.

Just looking at what I think you want and what you expect, I'd say the GTX 480 is the card for you. The power is there, and I've heard one in person, and it's fan is not the end of the world.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I find it funny that he says he values a house, work, and a pretty girl more than a $2K pc, and yet he's made more posts here on Anandtech in a year than I've made more than 4 years. How coherent.

Yeah I've made lots of posts you got me there. Except I'm getting paid right now! I have a job where I post on AT all day and about the last two hours of my shift I pull out my Asus laptop and start playing Fallout 3. I get paid well also. You can't top that period. Return to stroking your e-peen son.

 

[Eugene86]

Yeah I've made lots of posts you got me there. Except I'm getting paid right now! I have a job where I post on AT all day and about the last two hours of my shift I pull out my Asus laptop and start playing Fallout 3. I get paid well also. You can't top that period. Return to stroking your e-peen son.

Aren't you the one stroking your e-peen here?

 

[ebolamonkey3]

If you haven't already bought something yet, just go with the GTX480. It's louder, hotter, and definitely more power hungry, but it is definitely faster and that may even improve with newer drivers.

Don't know if you have to buy new either, but there's one for sale for $450 in the B/S/T

 

[Skurge]

Guys, this thread isn't for internet fights. You got issues, sort it out like men.

To the OP, the thing with going going over your budget by $100 means you can get a GTX480 yes, but then again you can get dual 5850s for $100 more aswell, but why stop there for $100 more you can get dual GTX470s and so on and so on.

I Know you said you don't want CF or SLI, but you want to play everything at max right well. thats really the only way. You got input from 5850 owners, 5870 owners, a GTX480 owner. so why not get some input from the CF/SLI guys and then make up your mind.

But as I said before, its better if you still to your budget cuz if you don't, where will the cutoff point be?

 

[RussianSensation]

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

Where? 1 fps difference in minimum frames? The faster cpu was consistently faster than than Core i5 750 on the GTX480 at 1920x1080. The average performance increase from i5 750 to 975 was 14% on the GTX480. The only game at 1920x1080 where there was little difference was Metro 2033.

This makes perfect sense and has been shown many times before that for the fastest graphics cards, you need the fastest cpu you can get your hands on, unless you are gaming at 2560x1600 or at 8AA.

 

[Stoneburner]

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.

I thought it automatically renews for another 12 week period.

Since you have found that deal, go for the 5870 or 480!

 

[AlgaeEater]

I Know you said you don't want CF or SLI, but you want to play everything at max right well. thats really the only way. You got input from 5850 owners, 5870 owners, a GTX480 owner. so why not get some input from the CF/SLI guys and then make up your mind.

I always welcome suggestions whatever they may be, since when you come into something you always are looking at things with one set of eyes. People throwing things out of the woodwork help us all make better decisions, so I'm not totally against those who use dual card setups... but I have to put my foot down essentially somewhere like you said and it's strictly with a single card setup.

I've had SLI and Crossfire for a long time with many different cards, and it's always a headache somewhere in the process. You have 2x the troubleshooting issues right out of the box because you're dealing with 2 cards. (Assuming you get good cards to begin with). Then come the micro-stuttering issues. Then the bad bridge connectors out of nowhere (I have no idea how something you don't touch at all goes bad. Especially since it's just a small little cable / connector to boot)

Then the driver issues and profiles with SLI / Crossfire. Then the rare v-sync issues. Some games absolutely love it, some hate it or won't run properly. Some refuse to acknowledge you have 2 cards even installed. Older games typically only run off one of the cards anyway. I'm not trying to de-rail my own post, but you get the point. God / Science / Tom Cruise help you if you run into video problems, since you now have 2x the list of items to check isolating each video card and running tests. Sometimes it's the very fact SLI / Crossfire is causing the problem as both cards may be fine! Heck I even had one issue where the power cable to one of my cards was bad (modular cable - inconsistent voltage) after a week of trouble-shooting just to find that out; nothing to do with the cards at all!

I really took a long hard look at Crossfire and SLI, but I need a break from them. I've been using those setups for 3 1/2 years now and when I took a small break with the 4870x2 card for a single slot solution, I was literally blown away how easy life was. Everything fell into place, and I didn't have to worry much ado about anything anymore than tweaking.

Thanks for the suggestion though anyway, I always welcome it. I sometimes think SLI / Crossfire with me is a toxic relationship I need to take a break from. It's always attractive, but when I dive into it I get burned somehow.

 

[AlgaeEater]

I thought it automatically renews for another 12 week period.

Since you have found that deal, go for the 5870 or 480!

Haha, yeah you can cancel. Slightly off-topic, you seen Conan lately? He looks like an axe-murderer with that beard.

 

[JAG87]

I always welcome suggestions whatever they may be, since when you come into something you always are looking at things with one set of eyes. People throwing things out of the woodwork help us all make better decisions, so I'm not totally against those who use dual card setups... but I have to put my foot down essentially somewhere like you said and it's strictly with a single card setup.

I've had SLI and Crossfire for a long time with many different cards, and it's always a headache somewhere in the process. You have 2x the troubleshooting issues right out of the box because you're dealing with 2 cards. (Assuming you get good cards to begin with). Then come the micro-stuttering issues. Then the bad bridge connectors out of nowhere (I have no idea how something you don't touch at all goes bad. Especially since it's just a small little cable / connector to boot)

Then the driver issues and profiles with SLI / Crossfire. Then the rare v-sync issues. Some games absolutely love it, some hate it or won't run properly. Some refuse to acknowledge you have 2 cards even installed. Older games typically only run off one of the cards anyway. I'm not trying to de-rail my own post, but you get the point. God / Science / Tom Cruise help you if you run into video problems, since you now have 2x the list of items to check isolating each video card and running tests. Sometimes it's the very fact SLI / Crossfire is causing the problem as both cards may be fine! Heck I even had one issue where the power cable to one of my cards was bad (modular cable - inconsistent voltage) after a week of trouble-shooting just to find that out; nothing to do with the cards at all!

I really took a long hard look at Crossfire and SLI, but I need a break from them. I've been using those setups for 3 1/2 years now and when I took a small break with the 4870x2 card for a single slot solution, I was literally blown away how easy life was. Everything fell into place, and I didn't have to worry much ado about anything anymore than tweaking.

Thanks for the suggestion though anyway, I always welcome it. I sometimes think SLI / Crossfire with me is a toxic relationship I need to take a break from. It's always attractive, but when I dive into it I get burned somehow.

There is nothing wrong with SLI/CF, it's perfectly seamless if you know how to use it. SLI more than CF in this case, because of customizable game profiles.

But you don't need either one for playing at 1920x1080. One GTX 480 will do. And you get customizable profiles (huge in terms of getting the best IQ for different games), physx (bleh), and cuda (yay). Heat and noise are a non-issue. The only negative is power consumption. If it's too rich for your blood get a GTX 470.

If you aren't willing to put up with the power consumption and don't care for the "nvidia package" then just get a 5870. It's a great card there is no question about it. If I were you and was going with ATI I'd actually get a 5970, but you said it's out of your budget.

 

[Skurge]

I took a small break with the 4870x2 card for a single slot solution, I was literally blown away how easy life was. Everything fell into place, and I didn't have to worry much ado about anything anymore than tweaking.

Isn't the 4870x2 just crossfire on a single card?

 

[AlgaeEater]

Isn't the 4870x2 just crossfire on a single card?

Yeap it is, hence I was still haunted by driver issues. It eliminated most of the problems, but still on occasion had hiccups with certain games, especially missing textures.

Card was (and is) a beast though, best purchase since the 9800 pro I had back then.

 

[SolMiester]

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

Well then...GTX480 it is!

 

[SolMiester]

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....

Hahaaa, says the guys stroken he own with the card in his sign...!!! Fark off dude!

 

[thobel]

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....

What if they have all that plus the pc

 

[Skurge]

Hahaaa, says the guys stroken he own with the card in his sign...!!! Fark off dude!

I see what you did there

 

[Skurge]

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....

 

[tweakboy]

I said it I think before. ATI AMD 5970 dual GPU 4GB ram

After this card it's probably a 480 GTX oced gl