Best vid card for 1920 x 1080

[envymert]

I currently have a i7 920 12 gigs of ram and a 5970. I did not overclock anything ...but I am building a new computer for myself. My fiancee will be using my old computer for when we game together (WoW). I am waiting and building a sandy bridge system the i5-2500k and looking to OC it. I play other games besides WoW and quite frankly cannot wait for Battlefield 3 and RAGE. Now what would be in my best interest? I plan on gaming on a 27inch monitor and not willing to go to a multiple monitor set up. So the question is should I get a Fermi 580, or go with a 560 SLI set up? I was even thinking of getting some 6950's in SLI. Money is not holding me back, but I dont need to SLI two 580's. Or should I just grab a 6850 or 6950 and take the 5970 and put it in the new build? Thanks for reading and the feedback

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

A 5970 isn't enough for you? And money isn't an issue?

Not sure what to tell you. 5970 Crossfire, even though money is not an issue, is not a good choice at all:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_5970_CrossFire/25.html

It scales HORRIBLY (notice, a single 5970 is only 20% less powerful). I suppose I would, in your case, sell off the 5970, get a SLI-ready motherboard and go Nvidia. The 5970 would not be compatible with the 6000-series, so your only choice there is to get another one (again, horrible scaling) or get new GPUs.

I see you talking about "running 6950s in SLI". If that was a mistake, whatever, but if not -- SLI is NOT CROSSFIRE. If your motherboard supports one, it won't support the other without hacking. Make sure your new mobo supports whatever GPU manufacturer you go with.

Personally, I think you're best converting to a single 580, making sure your mobo supports three PCI-e slots at at least X8, and you can SLI another 580 down the road (and have a 3rd GPU for PhysX or tri-SLI, whatever floats your boat).

 

[envymert]

Yeah the 5970 is a good card but I have RMA'd the damn thing 4x in the past year. The heatsink/fans on them suck and go after awhile. Yes I did mean 6950 crossfire, But yeah I was thinking of getting a single 580 and maybe a second down the road. I just have that uncontrollable itch for a new build. Its been a year now, and my fiancee takes over my comp quite a bit so its time. Money being no option due to tax return ..... I had WAY to much taken out and am getting over $8000 back.
Obviously I cannot build the new comp until the 1155 motherboards come out but like looking at other components everyday.
And yes I agree with you ....it looks like this 5970 that I got this week will be going on ebay. I was really leaning towards the 580 just wanted to make sure before I pulled the trigger.

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

Yeah the 5970 is a good card but I have RMA'd the damn thing 4x in the past year. The heatsink/fans on them suck and go after awhile. Yes I did mean 6950 crossfire, But yeah I was thinking of getting a single 580 and maybe a second down the road. I just have that uncontrollable itch for a new build. Its been a year now, and my fiancee takes over my comp quite a bit so its time. Money being no option due to tax return ..... I had WAY to much taken out and am getting over $8000 back.
Obviously I cannot build the new comp until the 1155 motherboards come out but like looking at other components everyday.
And yes I agree with you ....it looks like this 5970 that I got this week will be going on ebay. I was really leaning towards the 580 just wanted to make sure before I pulled the trigger.

Well, the good news for you is that a single 580 is still one of the best cards around. It seems to fall a little short of the 5970, but you're also looking at a $500 price difference; not to mention the maintenance issues the 5970 has. I have no doubts that a single 580 will do you good for a few years to come, and if that itch hits you again, a second 580 will make it that much better.

 

[envymert]

Thank you for the help/info

 

[envymert]

Best answer selected by envymert.