Really killing myself over 4890 -4850X2, help me out

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bishop113

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Hi guys

I've been asking around and looking at tons of benchmarks and I just can't decide.

My specs at the moment are.

windows xp 32bit
Quad Core Q6600 2.4ghz
ASUS P5N-E SLI mobo
2GB GDDR3 RAM
Nvidia 8800GT GPU

In anticipation for ArmA 2 I'm hoping to upgrade my now old horse 8800gt to something new and shiny. I've been crushing over the 4890 and 4850X2 but I just can't decide which to jump on.

The resolution I play on is 1600X1200 or 1920X1200 on my 24" ACER monitor. I would like to be able to run games like GTAIV, crysis and ArmA 2 on high-max settings with a nice framerate and needless to say, it's no longer possible with my 8800.

So if you guys can help me out, I've already read several threads here on the same subject but I'm hoping to get some better information for my particular situation.

Oh! I know it's the wrong section but if I could also get someone to tell me if I buy new ram do I need to buy the exact same brand and/or type as my other ram sticks?
 
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Amg

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I wouldn't go for the HD4850X2 althrough its a great card, as its = a HD4870, I would get the HD4890.

and may I ask, why are you going for ATI cards when you got a SLI mobo? could go for a GTX275 or a OC GTX260 its up to you, but you can't crossfire with that board.

 
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bishop113

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Well my budget is 2-250. I was suggested the 4850x2 and 4890 on another forum, after seeing benchmarks it seemed like a sound investment.

After looking around, the GTX 275 does look nice though, the OC version(newegg) is above budget though. Any particular brand to be considered?

Crap, after looking through the cards it looks like I'll need a new PSU, any advice on what (cheap) 6-700 watt psu I should get?
 
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armi

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If you don't have the budget. Save up =) The parts you need are parts that you shouldn't save on imo.
 
coozie7

coozie7

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+1 Armi on the PSU; Do n't get some cheap, no brand unit, they often lack good protection and can destroy a system if they pop and frequently do not deliver the power they claim.
You would be better served with a 'lower' wattage, quality unit from a good maker such as: Pc Power and Cooling, OCZ, Silverstone, Corsair or Antec. Look to about 650 Watts for SLI or 550 for a single card but by all means get more if the price is right.
As for the card it will depend on how long you are going to keep the existing rig, the longer you want to keep it, the more you should spend now, or you'll just end up paying for another upgrade next year.
If you feel OK with SLI, get a GTX260, it's plenty for most games at your resoloution and you can add another later.
If you do n't like SLI, the GTX275 is nearly as fast as the GTX285, a lot less wedge and will keep the system viable until it is time to replace it.
As for brand/maker: BFG, EVGA and XFX have the best warranties, just remember to register the card to get full coverage.
 
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bishop113

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I'm not going to SLI, ever. It just doesn't feel like enough gain to bother spending the money, even after they go down in price.

So it looks like the 275 will be fine for my needs, as for PSU, I don't mean cheap as in, trash, I just want the cheapest 'quality' psu I can get.

This looks like the cheapest I can get, 550w OCZ.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

Comes with pre-sleeved cables, which is fantastic because I spent hours sleeving my current PSU with ultra violent sleeves.

As for saving up, I don't mind spending money on parts but I want this to all be up and running around the 20th.
 
coozie7

coozie7

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@ Bishop113: You're deep into the law of diminishing returns at that price point, particularly with a *relatively* slow CPU.
Without going with the GTX295 or HD4870X2 the only faster card is the GTX285, which is, in my opinion, just not worth the extra cash.
Rangers may have a point about the overclocked HD4890, but unless you get a factory warranted card there is no way to guarantee any card will overclock to 1GHz and I would not base a purchase decision on what might be.
 
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Amg

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'rangers, they all can with a voltage tweak(asus has it anyway) but the fan needs to be set high making the card noisy, so the atmoic is the best for that, but it does come at a price
 
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Amg

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'rangers, they all can with a voltage tweak(asus has it anyway) but the fan needs to be set high making the card noisy, so the atmoic is the best for that, but it does come at a price
 
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Amg

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@rangers, they all can with a voltage tweak(asus has it anyway) but the fan needs to be set high making the card noisy, so the atmoic is the best for that, but it does come at a price
 
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Nica Guy

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the xfx 4890 is $200 free shipping on newegg... xfx covers overclocking, so thats better than any other option u might be considering and you dont need to spend the extra $50... if u want a little less there's an xfx 4870 1gb for $150 free shipping...

if u dont plan to go sli it doesnt make sense to get an nvidia card atm because unlike ati they didnt slash their prices and their cards are a bit overpriced... considering a evga or xfx 275 are both $250 or more and not better than the 4890 counterpart...

and this is an awesome psu...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

both for around $300 and they're both top notch brands...
 
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Nica Guy

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the xfx 4890 is $200 free shipping on newegg... xfx covers overclocking, so thats better than any other option u might be considering and you dont need to spend the extra $50... if u want a little less there's an xfx 4870 1gb for $150 free shipping...

if u dont plan to go sli it doesnt make sense to get an nvidia card atm because unlike ati they didnt slash their prices and their cards are a bit overpriced... considering a evga or xfx 275 are both $250 or more and not better than the 4890 counterpart...

and this is an awesome psu...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

both for around $300 and they're both top notch brands...
 
cjl

cjl

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Sounds fun :bounce:

Where could I obtain one of these 1THz 4890s? :D
 
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bishop113

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I was thinking about that last night, I also wouldn't have to buy a new power supply for the 4890 since I already have a 500w. Maybe then I can afford the TackIR for ArmA2 !
 
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Amg

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driver support o_O


use same drivers....just diffrent card :p


and I heard romers that even current gen ATI cards can have DX11, as 10.1 is techinacly just that, and waiting till septermber (next year for Nvida) is a long wait
 
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