$200...what does i do is?

dsaddons

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Aug 15, 2009
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Ok, so right now, i have an EVGA gtx 460 768mb and im going to be selling it(no issues with it, just feel like an upgrade, probably for around $100).
These are the cards i am considering(no more than $200):
New Hd 5870 reference (or used XFX with double lifetime warranty):$190 Future:maybe cf
Hd 6870:$180 Future:maybe cf
Gtx 560:ehhh maybe
HD 6850 CF:(i would switch out my gtx 460 with my friends hd 6850, then buy a second one. so this option would cost me $150, over the $80-$90 with the cards above)

My specs:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 OC 3.8 ghz
MSI 790gx-65 (8x8 cf) motherboard
8gb Gskill ripjaw 1600mhz RAM
2 x 1tb samsung f3 7200rpm 32mb cache
700w FSP Aurum Gold rated power supply
Cooler Master Gemini II Cpu Cooler
Antec Skeleton Case
Asus 21.5" 1080p monitor(main)
Generic Dell 17" 1280x1024 monitor(secondary)


since my $$$ situation has changed since my last post about a week ago where i planned to get a hd 6950...im looking for some insight. ive been told dont go cf dont go cf dont go cf...but its really tempting! any ideas?
 

AbdullahG

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The logic I follow is not to run dual GPUs until single GPU performance has been exhausted. Since you are getting a new card, get a single GPU card/setup.

You will not see much of a performance boost going from a GTX 460 to an HD 6870 or 6850. The GTX 460/560 perform very similar to them. I would save up just a little more and get a GTX 560 Ti.
 

dsaddons

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@abdullah Im a senior in high school without a job. i only have $ because of my birthday, so i would have to wait a while to gain more $

@pell you need a sli motherboard and i dont even have a gtx 460 1gb in the first place. please read questions more carefully if you are going to give an answer
 
Guru3D uses the following games in their test suite, COD-MW, Bad Company 2, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Metro 2033, Dawn of Discovery, Crysis Warhead. Total fps (summing fps in each game @ 1920 x 1200) for the various options in parenthesis (single card / SL or CF) are tabulated below along with their cost in dollars per frame single card - CF or SLI:

$ 155.00 460-768 MB (314/592) $ 0.49 - $ 0.52
$ 155.00 6850 (371/634) $ 0.42 - $ 0.49
$ 170.00 6870 (434/701) $ 0.39 - $ 0.49
$ 220.00 6950 (479/751) $ 0.46 - $ 0.59
$ 240.00 6950 Frozr OC (484/759) $ 0.50 - $ 0.63
$ 205.00 560 Ti (455/792) $ 0.45 - $ 0.52
$ 320.00 6970 (526/825) $ 0.61 - $ 0.78
$ 215.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $ 0.43 - $ 0.50

Two 460's get you 592 fps and a good performance per dollar at 49 cents per frame

COD-MW 160
Bad Company 2 62
Dirt 2 87
Far Cry 2 105
Metro 2033 26
Dawn of Discovery 93
Crysis Warhead 59
Total 592

So the two 6850's get you 634 fps and a good performance per dollar at 49 cents per frame

COD-MW 134
Bad Company 2 75
Dirt 2 112
Far Cry 2 117
Metro 2033 40
Dawn of Discovery 88
Crysis Warhead 68
Total 634

Next step up would be the 900 MHz 560 Ti's which would give ya 36% more performance (862 fps) at 50 cents per frame. Short term, I like the 6850, long term the 560's makes more sense I think (one now and one later)
 

AbdullahG

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In that case, listen to JackNaylorPe's suggestion (GTX 560).
 

AbdullahG

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It's okay. Everyone's cranky once in awhile (it's past 2AM where I live).

An HD 6850 would be a wise choice. Consumes less power than the HD 6870 (the performance difference isn't much), roughly equivalent to a GTX 460, and your motherboard supports CrossFire.
 
imo 6850 cf will give better fps. but the you might experience microstuttering. in that case a single gtx 560 would be a better option - nvidia has better driver support than amd. since you have a cfx-ready mobo, may be a 6870.
hd 6870 vs gtx 460 768 mb
still, 6850 cf with your friend's 6850 seems like a very good deal. i just wanted to point out the possibility of microstuttering.
 

dsaddons

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Well, I for one dont mind taking risks. I know that the 6850 CF would give me the best FPS, hopefully microstuttering wont be a problem. If it is I can just sell the 2nd HD 6850, get around $20-30 in losses, then buy a single card solution.
 

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