Graphics for a $1000-$1500 build

[raymundo9911]

I'm in the final stages of picking out the parts and peripherals for my Enthusiast PC build but there is this one problem that i keep coming across....

I just cant seem to find a good graphics card or two (possibly thinking about crossfire/SLI)

So what i am asking the posters of Toms is, what is a good graphics card solution for this Build?

Also, my budget would be around $600.


[UPDATE] 7/3
I've Locked my budget at $1500 now.

 

[raymundo9911]

so is it a better idea to hold out until i can get to the $1500?

and the monitor is a Black 24" ASUS.

 

[jyjjy]

I wouldn't bother with the HD5870. OCing an HD5850 or GTX 470 are the best deals on the highend right now.

 

[sabot00]

For $600 a 5850 CF or GTX 470 SLi are the best bets, right now with GTX 470's on Newegg at only $10 more than a 5850 they seem to be the best bet.
However depending on what you mostly use the rig for it might be a good idea to get the 5850 CF, save money on a PSU and take the saved money to upgrade the CPU, HDD, RAM, etc.

If you don't mind you could post the rest of what you're looking at and we could give you a better recommendation based on usage, motherboard, PSU, etc.

 

[raymundo9911]

I'll add the specs in a while.

 

[bertimus]

Here's a stat sheet of the build that I just finished up, that actually came out around 1300-1500 (1500 with monitor, 1300 w/o).

EVGA P55LE
Core i5 750
PNY GTX 480
Kingston HyperX ddr3 1600mhz 6GB
Sony disc drive
1TB Seagate HDD
Sony disc drive
Ultra LSP 750 750W psu
Xion axp 600 case + 5 cooler master case fans
Cooler Master HyperN520 cpu cooler

All ended up around what your budget seems to be, and is running really well.

 

[jyjjy]

The GTX 470 is really a much better buy than the GTX 480 and to an extreme degree if you are going to overclock.
Also the i5 chips are dual channel. You should get either 4 or 8 gigs of ram(4 should be enough for a normal person.)

 

[raymundo9911]

I've Decided to Lock my budget at $1500 so i can have more balanced recommendations from the people of Tom's.



So, here are the specs:

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz $179.99

MotherBoard - MSI 790X-G45 AM3 ATX AMD Motherboard $99.99

Memory - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory $149.99

Hard Drive - Samsung Spinpoint 1TB 7,200 RPM 32MB Cache $80

Optical - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner and ASUS DVD-E818A6T/BLK/B/G Black 18X SATA DVD-ROM Drive $40

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $99

PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W $129.99

CPU Fan - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $49.99

Case Fan - Scythe DFS123812-3000 "ULTRA KAZE" $9.99


Extras

Card Reader - Koutech All-in-one USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader $19.99


Peripherals

Monitor - ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" $219.99 (already owned)

Mouse - RAZER ABYSSUS USB Wired Optical $44.99 (already owned)

Keyboard - Logitech Black USB Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard $59.99 (already owned)

Sound - Creative Inspire T3130 2.1 Speakers $49.99


Total without taxes and shipping: $819.93

 

[jyjjy]

The Antec 900 already comes with 4 case fans, you don't need another.
The Phenom II chips are also dual channel so you still want 4 or 8 gigs(once again 4 is enough for a normal person.) Also the 955 is a better value. The 2 chips are identical really but the 965 stock speed is just set higher by AMD which is pointless if you plan on overclocking(you should.) This one is the latest stepping;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
That motherboard is a bit outdated. There are newer AMD chipsets with 6 g/s SATA and USB3.0 which you will want. This would be a good choice;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631
It also has a nice combo on a more appropriate PSU for your needs;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437643
An 850w Corsair is only really needed if you plan on SLIing two GTX 470s and AMD motherboards don't support SLI so to do so you would need to switch back to an i5 system. OCZ is a good brand and 700w should let you easily crossfire 2 overclocked HD5850s.
That said I would recommend just getting one for now. A single OCed HD5850 should be very good for your resolution. So just get one and try it out. You can always order another if/when you find it necessary. Specifically I would recommend the Asus DirectCU version of the card. Here is a review;
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1273/1/
It is currently out of stock on newegg but it is available at amazon;
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-EAH5850-DirectCU-2DIS-1GD5/dp/B003AVBSXE
Lastly if you have the money(and you seem to especially if you follow my suggestions) you may want to consider a small solid state hard drive for your OS and most commonly used applications/games. It will speed up the system in general and especially load times for Windows/apps/games.

 

[raymundo9911]

Best answer selected by raymundo9911.

 

[raymundo9911]

The Antec 900 already comes with 4 case fans, you don't need another.
The Phenom II chips are also dual channel so you still want 4 or 8 gigs(once again 4 is enough for a normal person.) Also the 955 is a better value. The 2 chips are identical really but the 965 stock speed is just set higher by AMD which is pointless if you plan on overclocking(you should.) This one is the latest stepping;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
That motherboard is a bit outdated. There are newer AMD chipsets with 6 g/s SATA and USB3.0 which you will want. This would be a good choice;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631
It also has a nice combo on a more appropriate PSU for your needs;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437643
An 850w Corsair is only really needed if you plan on SLIing two GTX 470s and AMD motherboards don't support SLI so to do so you would need to switch back to an i5 system. OCZ is a good brand and 700w should let you easily crossfire 2 overclocked HD5850s.
That said I would recommend just getting one for now. A single OCed HD5850 should be very good for your resolution. So just get one and try it out. You can always order another if/when you find it necessary. Specifically I would recommend the Asus DirectCU version of the card. Here is a review;
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1273/1/
It is currently out of stock on newegg but it is available at amazon;
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-EAH5850-DirectCU-2DIS-1GD5/dp/B003AVBSXE
Lastly if you have the money(and you seem to especially if you follow my suggestions) you may want to consider a small solid state hard drive for your OS and most commonly used applications/games. It will speed up the system in general and especially load times for Windows/apps/games.

Thanks! Ill look into that combo, but are you sure the PSU is enough for crossfire HD5850? (I want to be safe you know) Also, what small SSD do you recommend?

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, definitely. The HD5850 is very low power for its performance level. At stock it actually uses slightly less power than an HD4850. Even when OCed to the max(1000mhz+ on the core) it tends to use around 150w. So two should be under 300w leaving plenty of headroom for the rest of the components.
As for the solid state drive the last time I researched them properly was over a year ago and it is a relatively new and rapidly changing technology. So I'm not the best person to answer that question(which is why I didn't suggest one in the other post.) Perhaps someone else can field that or you can ask for a recommendation in the SSD forum.