FFXIV: new card recommendation (and OS advice)

[tigerlily09]

Hello all, I usually game on my PS3 but I was hardcore into FFXI and I'm psyched to try out FFXIV! However, the benchmark program LOL'd at my hardware. I don't want to buy too much card for the rest of my setup but I don't want something that will be outdated next week either.

I'm currently running XP 'cause I love it but I don't know much about 7. Would it make more sense to upgrade so 7 can take advantage of the new hardware technology? (XP can't even detect all my RAM. Sigh.)


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within a month
BUDGET RANGE: $150 - $250 or so (I spent about $200 for my mobo & processor together so it seems silly to spend much more than that.)

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: FFXIV, streaming BluRay quality video files to my HDTV (would be nice to transmit audio over the HDMI cable too). It's also likely that I would output FFXIV to the HDTV too - it's a Samsung 46" LCD I bought this spring.

CURRENT GPU: Nvidia GeForce 9400 GT (9800 is the official minimum for FFXIV)
AND POWER SUPPLY: Corsair TX850W

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS:
AMD Phenom II X3 720 (not currently overclocked but it's not out of the question)
Gigabyte 790XTA-UD4 MOBO
4 GB RAM
XP SP3
Western Digital Caviar Black 1 GB HDD
Hanns-G HG216D 22" LCD HDMI monitor
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (I'm a newbie but I'm planning on giving it a shot!)
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Crossfire, at PCIx8 for both

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050 max

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I read the reviews for the Radeon 5770 and 5830, plus the GTX 460 and I was impressed. I'm leaning towards the 5830 but I'm concerned that it would be overkill compared to the rest of my setup. I could also use some advice on which brand.

Thanks!

 

[Lmeow]

For ~ $250 after rebates you can get an HD 5850 which I'd choose over the GTX 460 for FFXIV. IIRC... the game seems to favour ATi cards. Might be wrong, but regardless the HD 5850 is faster than the GTX 460.

Here's an MSI Twin Frozr edition HD 5850 for $209.99 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127500

Otherwise here's a PowerColor one for $239.99 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131351

I suppose it is overkill somewhat, but no doubt you'd be able to fully max it at 1680 x 1050.

 

[curtis_87]

ct1615 where did comparrison chart? i would kinda be interested to see where the Ati 9700 (yes its old) and the ATI HD 3850 are on those charts/

 

[Onus]

The chart is here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gts-450-radeon-hd-4850-gpu,2732-7.html

I would not buy a HD5830 because the performance/watt is lower and the heat is higher than the others. If you want to be frugal, get a HD5770; you can always Crossfire another one later if you need it. The GTX460 is stronger, but there's no Crossfire option. I'd consider that one only if FFXIV uses PhysX (then definitely get it). Otherwise, get the HD5850. At $250 and up, it's at the end of your budget range, but is also the strongest of those cards and won't be out of date next week.

 

[yanje03]

my FFXIV experience with GTX 460 without OC is flawless. lag free without single crash from Day 1. I doubt 5850 is better even its FFXIV bench mark may higher. but in real game it is another story.

 

[Lmeow]

^ What?

No offense, but that statement sounds really stupid.

If one card receives a higher score in a benchmark than another, how does that mean that that the card scoring the lower score will perform better in a game based on that benchmark?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the benchmark is mainly based on the frames that you get, so the higher the score, the higher the FPS one would obtain, would he/she not?

If so, then how can you 'doubt' a card which scores higher framerates to be better than one which cores lower framerates?

The HD 5850 is a faster card, it's just fact. Apart from some TWIMTBP titles, I'm very sure that the GTX 460 is inferior to the HD 5850 in terms of performance.

 

[notty22]

Here is a database of benchmark scores for FF
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AimI6xhXN4XXdF9xQWRTTWlSWFZmWkRSTHFkR05zNEE&hl=en#gid=0
gtx 460's clocked at 820mhz or higher are on par with the 5850.

 

[tigerlily09]

Thanks for all the great input. Looks like I sparked a debate!

What do you all think of the Win XP vs. 7 issue?

 

[tigerlily09]

Ok, I've been shopping and I decided to go a little over my budget and get a nicer card. I remember how quickly it seemed FFXI outstripped the vid card I had when I started that game. What do you think of this GTX 470?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130550