Best card to get

[Job]

Ok, I've saved up and I am now faced with the choice of pretty much any graphics card - should I get the x1900xtx, the 7900GTX, 7900GT Sli or the 7950GX2?

These are the things I find important:

1) Raw speed (obviously)
2) Overclockability
3) Low noise
4) MUST not mess up my dual monitor setup

As DX10 is a few months around the corner, I doubt I will upgrade to dual setup in 6 months - will probably just sell - so Sli vs Crossfire isn't really an issue (unless I opt for 7900gt sli of course!)

Any advice would be v useful!

 

[ElFenix]

SLI is out if you don't want to mess up a dual monitor setup. iirc, neither it nor crossfire work with dual monitor setup. your options, then, are the GTX, which is quiet but at a price premium over the 1900xt (don't bother with an xtx as pretty much every xt will run at xtx speeds anyway, so the $100 premium ain't worth it), or a 1900xt (get the HIS and it's just as quiet). i'd take the XT and the $50, but that's just me.

 

[Job]

I know (for some godforsaken reason) that Sli wont work with dual setup. Just how much of an arse is it to switch between single and multi mode? I won't be using dual monitors for gaming, its just that I've heard that ppl have had some problems switching between modes.

If the XT can match the XTX can the XTX go much higher also? Just how noisy are they?

 

[ElFenix]

i don't have any personal experience with crossfire or sli, so i'm not sure how much of a pain it is. i suppose it depends on how hard it is to switch from sli mode to non sli mode, which is dependent on the motherboard.


i don't think xtx's overclock to higher speeds than the xt's do (unless you get BJ12 memory on the xt instead of the BJ11, but seems like everyone gets BJ11).

the stock fan is quiet at idle, and even more quiet if you play with the controls, but it is quite loud under load. which is why you get the HIS model with the quiet setup to start with, or an aftermarket cooler like the accelero X2. i'm a silence oriented person, so i've got the accelero, and i sometimes need to put my ear to the system to tell if its on.

 

[imported_Wanger]

You have to restart your computer each time you switch in and out of SLI.

 

[Cheex]

if money is not a problem for you i'd suggest getting the 7950 GX2.

 

[Job]

I was thinking about the GX2 - the only minor quiffle being that its not stricly a single card and would be a bit annoying to switch in and out of sli mode. However, this is probably not that important seeing as it kicks the ass out of anything else on the market right now.

I will be buying from the UK (for such a high price, I will want a proper warranty) so I will probably be paying an extra 60-70 pounds more than a GTX - will it be worth it?

It will be cheaper to get 7900gt sli - would a GX2 be siginificantly better - bearing in mind its essentially 2 cards glued together?

Remember- I can't buy off newegg or other cheap US sites, so prices are as follows (approx)

X1900XT = £260
7900GTX = £300
7900GT sli = £365
7950GX2 = £380

Am leaning towards GX2 at the mo - good idea?