From ATI to Nvidia - Choosing GPU to Replace Radeon HD 4850 x2 (crossfire)

[IceBoy109]

I really don't do a lot of gaming anymore. Most of my time is spent with Photoshop, Rendering Video in Vegas Video, or using Handbrake. I do enjoy some PC gaming, but nothing that requires the latest and greatest. WOW, CS, and dabbled with CoD2. ANYway, My current rig has two HD 4850 GPUs working in Crossfire when I play games, but I disable Crossfire when I want to watch something on my third monitor (my TV). That being said, I'm looking to replace these two 4850s with a single card from NVIDIA that maybe has the same processing power (or more) than what I've currently got going, and if possible provide output to three different displays.

Here's the catch though. The third monitor/tv is of a different resolution than my PC monitors. (1920x1200 x2, 1080p). Can a single card output to a second or third monitor at a different resolution yet? It'd be a perk to know that the card I get is capable of SLI in case I decide to get a second card in the future to handle more graphic intense games should I so decide,

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[happy medium]

hd6950 and welcome to the forums buddy. Nvidia cards do not use 3 monitors with one card, except the Palit gtx460 1gb

 

[busydude]

How does your rest of the system look like?

 

[IceBoy109]

hd6950 and welcome to the forums buddy.

Thanks for the reply and the welcome. However, I was hoping to switch to NVIDIA because I just upgraded my motherboard on my PC. As a result, I can no longer use the proprietary software that worked in controlling my PC case lights and fans. I've read from others in similar situations that the only alternative in controlling the case and fans on our particular model of computers (Dell XPS 730x) is by using Nvidia System Tools program that only installs and works if you have an NVIDIA card installed.

P.S. Did a quick read about the 6950 and it looks like it wouldn't be a whole lot better than two 4850's which is actually kind of ideal for me. But, I can't find anywhere talking about being to output to different resolutions. Is this just a common thing for GPU's with multiple outputs to be able to do now? Each of my 4850's only have the two DVI outputs and they have to be the same resolution.

 

[IceBoy109]

How does your rest of the system look like?

CPU - i7 940 @ 2.93 GHz
Motherboard - MSI Big Bang-XPower (MS-7666)
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB)
Graphics Card - ATI Radeon HD 4850 (x2) Crossfire
Sound Card - Quantum Wave Audio Card
Case - Dell XPS 730x
OS - Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
Monitor - 2x Dell 2405

 

[busydude]

P.S. Did a quick read about the 6950 and it looks like it wouldn't be a whole lot better than two 4850's which is actually kind of ideal for me. But, I can't find anywhere talking about being to output to different resolutions. Is this just a common thing for GPU's with multiple outputs to be able to do now? Each of my 4850's only have the two DVI outputs and they have to be the same resolution.

Yes, 5XXX and 6XXX cards can drive 3 monitors with different resolutions.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/tech...gy/for-consumers/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx

 

[IceBoy109]

Yes, 5XXX and 6XXX cards can drive 3 monitors with different resolutions.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/tech...gy/for-consumers/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx

Thanks for the response busydude. I don't see where it specifically states that it will support different resolutions across. Maybe it's just understood? I guess my fears are sparked by posts like these:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/275443-31-build-monitor-display-eyefinity-question

http://forums.amd.com/game/messagev...did=120609&highlight_key=y&keyword1=eyefinity

Thanks for your patience.

 

[Powermoloch]

6950 2gb :thumbsup:

 

[IceBoy109]

Looks like I may have found the answer in the Eyefinity FAQ:

"All monitors running in a Display Group or cloned modes must be running with the same resolution. If monitors have different native resolutions, the highest common non-native resolution between the monitors will be used when creating Display Groups. Monitors running in extended desktop mode can have independent resolutions."

Well...I'm looking to switch to nVidia anyway...maybe they have a better solution?

 

[Keysplayr]

Did you have a budget or anything? A rough idea of what you would be comfortable spending? Knowing that could make things a bit easier to decide where to go.

 

[IceBoy109]

Did you have a budget or anything? A rough idea of what you would be comfortable spending? Knowing that could make things a bit easier to decide where to go.

Ah, yes. Sorry. If I am successfully replacing two gpu's for one that outperforms them I'd feel pretty comfortable spending around $250. My last two posts haven't showed up yet (require moderator approval) I think because I included hyperlinks to cite my sources...but I don't think Eyefinity means that it will allow support to multiple monitors with different resolutions.

In any case...for the reasons I mentioned above...if possible, I'd be interested to switching to nVidia anyway...not sure if that gives me less or more options.

 

[busydude]

I included hyperlinks to cite my sources...but I don't think Eyefinity means that it will allow support to multiple monitors with different resolutions.

There are two "modes" to Eyefinity. Gaming and Productivity;

Gaming(If you want to play across 3 monitors): All the 3 monitors are classed into a single group.. and the resolution of each monitor will be the highest common resolution of the group.

Productivity: 3 monitors can be driven separately regardless of the orientation and resolution.. all the 3 monitors should operate at their respective native resolution.

You need to drive atleast 1 monitor using the Display Port(DP) to make use of eyefinity.

Nvidia cards only drive 2 monitors with a single card.. you need to have two cards to drive 3 monitors if you opt for Nvidia cards.

 

[IceBoy109]

There are two "modes" to Eyefinity. Gaming and Productivity;

Gaming(If you want to play across 3 monitors): All the 3 monitors are classed into a single group.. and the resolution of each monitor will be the highest common resolution of the group.

Productivity: 3 monitors can be driven separately regardless of the orientation and resolution.. all the 3 monitors should operate at their respective native resolution.

You need to drive atleast 1 monitor using the Display Port(DP) to make use of eyefinity.

Nvidia cards only drive 2 monitors with a single card.. you need to have two cards to drive 3 monitors if you opt for Nvidia cards.

Thank you...you're my hero. Please disregard my posts when/if they do show up eventually then.

Really bummed to hear about needing two cards again in order to control three monitors with Nvidia. I really wanted to be able to control my case lights/fans with the Nvidia System Tools program but having to get two cards again...argh.

On the off chance I decide that it's worth going the nVidia route to control my lights and fans...is there an SLI setup that is comparable to the 6950 at a cheaper price...or...at the very least better than my dual 4850 setup at a cheaper price?

For the time being...your suggestions of the 6950 seem to be the best. Thanks all.

 

[ZimZum]

Thank you...you're my hero. Please disregard my posts when/if they do show up eventually then.

Really bummed to hear about needing two cards again in order to control three monitors with Nvidia. I really wanted to be able to control my case lights/fans with the Nvidia System Tools program but having to get two cards again...argh.

On the off chance I decide that it's worth going the nVidia route to control my lights and fans...is there an SLI setup that is comparable to the 6950 at a cheaper price...or...at the very least better than my dual 4850 setup at a cheaper price?

For the time being...your suggestions of the 6950 seem to be the best. Thanks all.

In your price range youre options are 560 and the 6950 2gb. The 6950 is faster and it can drive 3-6 monitors from a single card.

 

[happy medium]

Mabe your solution is 2 gts450 in sli (240$). You get your 3 monitor support and they will be slightly faster then a 4850x2.

Or a slighty more expensive solution is gtx460's in sli (330$) which would be much much faster then your 4850x2 and handle 3 monitors. This solution is as fast or slightly faster than a gtx480 or gtx570.

But if you can wait a week or 2 you could try 2 gtx550's in sli (about275$), these cards should retail for less then a gtx460 (under 170$) but will be a good deal faster then the gts450. In fact price and performance should be above a gts450 but below a gtx460.

2 gtx550's will be faster then a gtx580 and give you 3 monitors.
That sounds like your best bet.
I'd wait a few weeks.

 

[busydude]

The best bang for buck SLI setup I can find is 2 x GTX 460 for ~$300, they are generally faster than 6950 2GB and they tend to overclock pretty good.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/314?vs=293

 

[IceBoy109]

Thanks for all your input, folks. Since I'm not pressed for time, it looks like I'll be waiting to see the price point on the gtx 550s. For now though, I'll be going with either the 2x GTX460 or the 6950 2GB.

I just have to decide how important case lighting is to me. Thanks again!

 

[happy medium]

The best bang for buck SLI setup I can find is 2 x GTX 460 for ~$300, they are generally faster than 6950 2GB and they tend to overclock pretty good.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/314?vs=293

Actually they are much faster then a 6950 and generally faster then a gtx570/gtx480 and when overclocked will = a gtx580.

 

[IceBoy109]

Actually they are much faster then a 6950 and generally faster then a gtx570/gtx480 and when overclocked will = a gtx580.

The price point for $300 is actually for the GTX 460SE which as busydude explained to me via PM is still superior to my current 4850 setup (which is what I wanted anyway, but with less performance than the regular GTX 460.

One of the reasons I wanted to go to a single gpu was because my 4850s are just so damn hot. At idle they average a temperature of 70-75C. I'm not sure how the 6950 runs, but I saw a chart showing that the 460SE runs pretty cool...so maybe having a dual card NVIDIA setup won't be so bad after all.

I am curious about what people think about in terms of how the SE performs against the non-SE and 6950. I don't think I'll be disappointed with any of my choices though coming from the 4850s.

 

[happy medium]

Just get the regular gtx 460 1gb for about the same price if you don't want to wait for the gtx550. 149$ AR. The SE version sucks for only 10$ less.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

 

[IceBoy109]

Just get the regular gtx 460 1gb for about the same price if you don't want to wait for the gtx550. 149$ AR. The SE version sucks for only 10$ less.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

Ah...I must have overlooked rebate options. Unfortunately, being in CA means I pay sales tax and with shipping when I buy from Newegg...after rebate it would come out to $170 per card.

Amazon has free shipping for me (since I'm an Amazon Prime user) but they only have one left in stock of the same item.

Then I searched for it again and found an EVGA version for a little bit more $166 after rebate, tax, and shipping that comes with a lifetime warranty. Seems pretty reasonable, no?

 

[happy medium]

$166 after rebate, tax, and shipping that comes with a lifetime warranty.

Thats a good price! I'd grab that one.

 

[96Firebird]

The external exhaust EVGA that you linked to would work well in an SLI setup since they blow the heat out the back rather than onto the other card... However , I believe they run a little hotter to begin with and are louder because of the cooling setup. Plus, when I clicked on the link, it said one left. Perhaps you will have luck getting two.

 

[IceBoy109]

The external exhaust EVGA that you linked to would work well in an SLI setup since they blow the heat out the back rather than onto the other card... However , I believe they run a little hotter to begin with and are louder because of the cooling setup. Plus, when I clicked on the link, it said one left. Perhaps you will have luck getting two.

Yeah, I was just reading a review about the EVGA version. They mentioned that it ran hotter (which I'm fine with considering the 4850s I use now idle at over 70C) but I'm not to keen on the loudness issue. I use my PC as a part time HTPC and the quieter the better. Granted, when I'm watching a movie the GPU will be at idle anyway (unless I use them in conjunction with VLC or something), but I'm still searching for a site that list gpu decibel levels so I can compare.

I'm hoping tomorrow or the next day Amazon has more of the cards in stock. As it is, both the EVGA and Galaxy version only have one available.

 

[IceBoy109]

Actually they are much faster then a 6950 and generally faster then a gtx570/gtx480 and when overclocked will = a gtx580.

Could you link me to a source where I can see a side by side comparison showing that the GTX 460 x2 (sli) is much faster than the 6950?

I've found comparison charts for a single GTX 460, but I don't think I can just double every spec listed to do a fair comparison of the 6950.

I'm leaning more and more to the GTX 460 x2, but I just want to make sure I know where the 6950 might outperform. I still feel a little silly letting control over my case lights be part of why I'm considering nvidia.

Thanks.