Looking for a good GPU for the intel i7-920

[jdog1089]

Hello I was wondering what would be a good video card to go along with the intel i7-920. I'm pc gamer, and with this set up I can't even fun fallout 3 on ultra high. I want to be able to run 2 to 3 monitors.


Current computer parts:

Mother Board:
http://us.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=1&cat2_no=170&prod_no=1703

CPU:
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37147

GPU:
http://www.diamondmm.com/4670PE31GHP.php


PowerSupply:
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2740

Ram:
6 gb DDR3 1600 mhz



Thank you,
Jdog1089

 

[enzo matrix]

Well since you didn't mention a price limit, I assume you don't have one. Go with this. Radeon 5970 2GB. $700
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103088&cm_re=5970-_-14-103-088-_-Product

If you want to spend less, the radeon 5870 for $400 is a powerful option, as is the less expensive. 5850. For a 3 monitor setup, I don't think anything lower would be advisable if you like modern games on high settings. But if you are willing to sacrifice some settings then the radeon 5770 for under $200 will perform like a radeon 4870. All options are far more powerful than your current card.

 

[jdog1089]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5516676&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs


what about this?

 

[enzo matrix]

It will perform like a radeon 4850. Which will perform much better than what you have now. Supports 4 monitors depending on connections you have available.
If you would like to know exact performance of the card, you can look up "radeon 5750 review" and you will get a bunch of sites that tested the card on various modern games to see what settings they could run and what framerate they could get. Fallout 3 is sometimes used too so you may be able to find the performance on it in one of the reviews.
I also just noticed your power supply only has one 6-pin pci-e connector. so you will be limited to cards that require only a single 6-pin connector unless you upgrade your power supply.

 

[jdog1089]

Yes! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102881

It requires 6 pin 500 watt powersupply.

Whats your thoughts on it?

 

[enzo matrix]

Umm. You seem to be bouncing around a lot between the prices you are willing to spend. Do you even have a budget? If you don't, just upgrade your power supply and get a radeon 5970 or 5870. The 5750 also only requires a single 6-pin connector. The most powerful in the radeon line you can use without upgrading your power supply is a 5770.

Read the specs section again. You can't use the 5850 with your current power supply:
500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors recommended

And right below it:
Power Connector 2 x 6 Pin

You also asked what I think about the card. Great card. Worth the money. But for the games you will be playing and the framerates and settings you desire, you will need to look up reviews of the card where they benchmarked it using various games. You may find a lower card will suit your needs. Or perhaps you are en enthusiast with a greater than 1920x1200 monitor and like to enable AA and require something more powerful. I can't tell you what I think If I am guessing on all that information.

Edit: The link you gave me tells me it has 1x 6 pin pci-e connection, but it also has a picture of 2 pci-e connectors when I scroll down and says something about SLI ready indicating it has 2. You will have to look at your power supply and let me know how many connectors it actually has. You might be able to put as good as a 5870 in there if you have 2. I also would not risk more than a single 5870 due to the low amount of power provided on the +12V rails of that power supply (18A on each rail. My OCZ modxsteam, also a 600W cpu, provides 25A on each of the two rails). Total power available for the CPU and graphics will be 400W or less. the 5870 uses 188W max and the CPU you have is a 130W part.

 

[jdog1089]

Seeing I'm a college student, I can't spend too much on a card $275 is my limit.


This is what is on my power supply box:

60+4 pin motherboard connector x 1
4 +4 pin CPU +12v connector x 1
6 pin PCI-e connector x 1
SATA connector x 4
4 pin peripheral connector x5
4 pin floppy connector x 1

I'm willing to upgrade the power supply. But nothing to spendy.

 

[enzo matrix]

Well, If you were to go beyond a 5770 with a new power supply it would go past your limit anyway. The 5770 is the way for you to go I think since you only have 1 pci-e power connector. If you are willing to sacrifice DX11 and get the performance of the 5770, and you can find a 4870 for less then it would be worth it.

If you are extremely lucky however, this would be the ideal situation:
A radeon 4890 for $200. No DX11 but will perform much better than a 5770. They are getting scarce now though.
The leftover cash for a 500W or 600W OCZ modxstream. Usually they have a lot of mail in rebates. And they do have 2 6pin pci-e connectors. Might be able to get one for $60 or less.
The rest of your budget for taxes and/or shipping.

Here is fallout 3 on various cards. I prefer 40 fps minimum but can settle for 30 fps minimum.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/16365-sapphire-radeon-hd-4890-1gb-review-14.html

 

[jdog1089]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_11?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=radeon+4890&sprefix=radeon+4890

Are one of those be the one your talking about?

My power supply is 500w, but i should get one that has 2 6 pin pci-e?

the $275 limit is just for the card... I pay more for the new power supply.

 

[jdog1089]

I get about 25 fps on fallout 3 with the card now.


I had a topic on the fallout 3 foums:

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1065971&hl=

 

[duk3]

If you are going to spend 300$ on the card you could get a 5850 instead of a 5770.

 

[jdog1089]

Yea im looking at the SAPPHIRE TOXIC 100282TXSR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102881

Now I just need to find out how big it is so know if it will fit in my case. And i need a new power supply that has at least 2 6pin ... maybe 4 6 pin... if i want to ever cross fire it later on in life.

Thank you, enzo matrix for shining some light on this topic of mine.

 

[lothdk]

Whatever you end up with, please do not get that power supply in your first post, according to Cooler Master its efficiency is typically >70% and it does not have PFC *red flag*

 

[jdog1089]

lol i already have it... or its similar to the one i have currently have now. I'm going to be looking for a new power supply will looking for card i want.