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MentalIlness

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
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Ok, This is a which GPU is better for me thread. Please....if you can only post a one sided argument, please do not post in this thread. I do not want flaming or trolls here. I want this to be a valid discussion. If this turns into a flaming/troll thread, I will ask the mods to lock it immediately.

Now, With that said. I picked up the CPU and now I need the GPU "last part for the new build"

I only upgrade GPU's once every two-three years.

Here are my needs.....

* The best gaming experience I can get. "Prefer the most eye candy"
* I would like minimum FPS to be at least 30.
* Average FPS would be nice to be at least 45 or more
* Resolution is 1920x1080
* I will be doing some video editing/compression.
* I do not care about Physx / Eyefinity / 3D
* I do not care about power draw
* I do not care about noise
* I do not care about heat
* I do not Fold
* I care alot about image quality

If you need a basic list of the type of games I will be playing, just say so. Most GPU intensive game will probably be Crysis / Crysis 2.

I am not opposed to Nvidia or AMD.

Rest of the specs of the new build are:

AMD 1100T BE
Gigabyte UD5
8 GIG G.Skill

Cards I am considering is GTX570 / AMD 6970 / AMD 6950 / AMD 6870 (6870 is the minimum I prefer to go)

Preferred brands to stick with : XFX / EVGA / Gigabyte / ASUS
I also "prefer" reference cooling.

I may even consider the GTX 580 if there is a good enough reason for me. I would "prefer" to keep the price $400 or less. But can go a bit higher if I need to.

Please post your recommendation and why....I am purchasing this card on Tuesday.

________________________________________________

http://techreport.com/articles.x/20126/1

Well, I ordered the pair of XFX 6870's. After reading the review I just finished reading and posted here in the OP, it honestly seemed like the best way to go. I'm actually kind of anxious to see what all is different with the AMD/ATI cards now, the last one I had was a X1900GT. Which I upgraded to from a X1800XL. Don't know why though.

But...ever since then I have been Nvidia only. 7600GT/7900GTX/8800GTS 640/9800GTX. And all of those were EVGA except for the 7900GTX "BFG" . Which I was very happy with.

I also "cross shipped" the 1100T BE back to Newegg, in favor of the 1090T BE in order to save $40. Which seemed like a waste when their the same CPU anyway.

I have never before ran dual cards, so I'm hoping there isn't any problems. I read occasionally here on the forums that some users have problems with the AMD/ATI drivers. So I guess I will find out if I have any once the cards arrive. I am also currently reading up on profiles for Crossfire etc:

I was also "considering" waiting on Sandy Bridge. But I got to thinking, Some of the GPU money may dwindle away by then, so I jumped. And I figure this setup will last a good while anyway. And I didn't go with the 69xx Series with 2GiG of memory because I figure I may not need it at 1920x1080. And by the time I do need it, They will be very cheap cards. The biggest thing that persuaded me to go with this was the Crossfire scaling. In almost every game I play, the scaling is almost perfect. It simply seems to be great right now. And hopefully driver updates will make it a little faster still.

But thanks to all that replied, and once everything is setup, I will bump the thread with my review/opinions.

Thanks all. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
dancing_banana.gif
 
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biostud

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
19,766
6,850
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I only game 1680x1050 so I just ordered a 6850, and usually play games from steam sale, so I don't need to be able to play the newest games @ max. If I find out that there some games I really want to play but can't, then I'll just get another 6850, or more likely do an upgrade once 28nm mid range cards are out.
 
MentalIlness

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
11
76
Well, I really can't consider SLI because of the motherboard. The Gigabyte UD5 is a Crossfire board. Unless it can run SLI and I just don't know it.

Went with this board not because it was Crossfire, but because it was an AMD board and one of the best 890FX boards.

Would prefer to stick to single card though.
 
3

3dMozaiK

Junior Member
Dec 26, 2010
5
0
0
A gtx 470 with a custom cooler from Gigabyte or Msi or any other non reference 470.
I have just picked up a Giga 470 oc ver. 2.0.
It has an excellent price/performance ratio and Nvidia has better drivers for a range of apps.,not only games.
Cuda can help with video editing for sure.
 
T

tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
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I say at that res, gtx570. If the price is too much to stomach, then either get the hd6870, a gtx470 with a good cooler, or wait two weeks for the gtx560.
 
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MentalIlness

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
11
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6870 Crossfire does look really good. But doesn't the 69xx cards have better Tess than the 68xx cards ?

Of course, I already know that the GTX 4xx or 5xx series still has better Tess than what I mentioned above.

Does someone have a list of games that use Tess ? Or is this more or less supported by all games ?
 
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RavenSEAL

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2010
8,661
3
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MentalIlness said:
6870 Crossfire does look really good. But doesn't the 69xx cards have better Tess than the 68xx cards ?

Of course, I already know that the GTX 4xx or 5xx series still has better Tess than what I mentioned above.

Does someone have a list of games that use Tess ? Or is this more or less supported by all games ?
Click to expand...
Yea, but it's up to you if you want to shell out $600 for 6950 CF.
 
MentalIlness

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
11
76
Well, its really not Crossfire that I was referring to. Would a single 6950 be better "well not better, but Tess stuff" than 6870 Crossfire ?

Probably not. Not even sure why I asked. But still, does all or most games work with Tess ?

Would a single GTX570 be better in Tess games than 6870 Crossfire ? I know the Crossfire setup would smash a single 570 in FPS, but what about Tess ?

More importantly, is Tess even important right now ?
 
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RavenSEAL

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2010
8,661
3
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Metro2033 is the only game (that I know of) in which tessellation is heavily relevant.

No idea if that's in your play list, seems like Crysis 2 and BF3 might include some tessellation as well.
 
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tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
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MentalIlness said:
Well, its really not Crossfire that I was referring to. Would a single 6950 be better "well not better, but Tess stuff" than 6870 Crossfire ?

Probably not. Not even sure why I asked. But still, does all or most games work with Tess ?

Would a single GTX570 be better in Tess games than 6870 Crossfire ? I know the Crossfire setup would smash a single 570 in FPS, but what about Tess ?

More importantly, is Tess even important right now ?
Click to expand...

Tessellation isn't the end all to what is most important on a current graphics cards. While crossfire/SLI setups are tempting, my honest recommendation to steer clear of throwing out an old card and upgrading to a new, dual-card setup. There is more management and more inherent issues with dual card setups. I always go for the get the best single card I can afford now, and if later on in the future I need to upgrade I will consider either adding a second card for SLI/crossfire or getting a whole new card together.
 
MentalIlness

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
11
76
RavenSEAL said:
Metro2033 is the only game (that I know of) in which tessellation is heavily relevant.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks.

So I have decided against the GTX470 / GTX580.

Deciding now between GTX 570 / 6870 Crossfire.

You know, the last time I bought a new GPU, it took me almost two weeks to decide.
 
R

RavenSEAL

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2010
8,661
3
0
tviceman said:
Tessellation isn't the end all to what is most important on a current graphics cards. While crossfire/SLI setups are tempting, my honest recommendation to steer clear of throwing out an old card and upgrading to a new, dual-card setup. There is more management and more inherent issues with dual card setups. I always go for the get the best single card I can afford now, and if later on in the future I need to upgrade I will consider either adding a second card for SLI/crossfire or getting a whole new card together.
Click to expand...

Yea, but a 9800GTX in SLI is only calling for trouble, too much power, too much heat, too little benefit...
 
R

RavenSEAL

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2010
8,661
3
0
MentalIlness said:
Ok, thanks.

So I have decided against the GTX470 / GTX580.

Deciding now between GTX 570 / 6870 Crossfire.

You know, the last time I bought a new GPU, it took me almost two weeks to decide.
Click to expand...

Took me 3 seconds to decide on my HD6850 :biggrin:
 
MentalIlness

MentalIlness

Platinum Member
Nov 22, 2009
2,383
11
76
RavenSEAL said:
Yea, but a 9800GTX in SLI is only calling for trouble, too much power, too much heat, too little benefit...
Click to expand...

Yea, but the 9800GTX that I have in the rig below, the load temps after two hours of Furmark is only 55 Celcius. Thanks to the Accelero Xtreme 9800 :)
 
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