Upgrading XFX 5850

[iRaiden]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Preferably within the next month. BUDGET RANGE: Under $400

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (Dirt 2, BFBC:2, Black Ops, NFS: Hot Pursuit, GRID)

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: XFX Radeon HD 5850 and Cooler Master 1000W Bronze Modular PSU

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: AMD 1055T @4.0Ghz, Crosshair IV Formula, 4GB G. Skill Trident, HAF X Case.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.newegg.com if possible. If not, NCIXUS, Amazon, or TigerDirect. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: One of three options. Option 1: GTX 570. Option 2: HD6970. Option 3: Add a second 5850. (Option 3 is my least favorite.) Not picky about manufacturer.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Must be able to play ALL games completely maxed out with at least 50 FPS.


GTX 570:
EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

HD6970:
GIGABYTE GV-R697D5-2GD-B Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

HD5850:
XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity






All help will be greatly appreciated guys.

Thank you,


iRaiden

 

[Tamz_msc]

For the games you listed, I'd go for a GTX 570, because though the GTX 570 and HD 6970 run neck and neck at that resolution, the HD 6970 takes a bigger hit when Tessellation and Anti-aliasing is enabled in some games.The GTX 570 is also 20 bucks cheaper than the HD 6970.

 

[iRaiden]

Good point. The only thing stopping me from going that route right now is the fact that the only thing stopping me from using eyefinity is the lack of space at the moment. Also my motherboard doesn't support SLI.


It's almost come down to something as simple as "my color scheme is red and black, so I'm going with an AMD card" type thing.

 

[Stocklone]

I freaking love my Eyefinity setup with my new 6970. Eyefinity is the future of PC gaming.

I ran Dirt 2 @ 4800x1200 with everything completely maxed out. It was very smooth for me. Running their benchmark tool said 45 average and 37 for a minimum.

 

[Tamz_msc]

I freaking love my Eyefinity setup with my new 6970. Eyefinity is the future of PC gaming.

He said he can't do Eyefinity because of lack of space.And he'd have to shell out 300 extra dollars for that.

 

[iRaiden]

I have 4 monitors as it is. 3 20"s and a 27" LED.


I live in a dorm room is why space is lacking. I may get an apartment soon, though.

 

[Tamz_msc]

Do you intend to set up Eyefinity?
Not all games work properly with Eyefinity though:
http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-software.aspx
Apart form that, when you're not gaming or watching movies, what will you do with all that real estate?

 

[Stocklone]

Well I'm running 3 Samsung 21" LCD's through DVI inputs. Active single link display port to DVI adapters are about $30. It does take up quite some space but it is worth it. If you might have space within the next couple months or whatever you should consider it. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it work at first either. Being able to see inside the entire car in Dirt 2 is pretty amazing stuff.

Depending on the monitor stand you can also run in portrait mode and have it take up less horizontal space.

 

[Stocklone]

Do you intend to set up Eyefinity?
Not all games work properly with Eyefinity though:
http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-software.aspx
Apart form that, when you're not gaming or watching movies, what will you do with all that real estate?

It's not that hard to fill up all of the real estate. If you run 3 programs simultaneously, you've filled it up. HydraGrid makes managing multiples windows on a giant desktop a breeze.

I also run a tri 24" 3600x1920 Eyefinity setup at work. It's great for all of the engineering and scientific software that gets used.

 

[iRaiden]

I'll only use eyefinity with non-shooters.

Dirt 2, Grid, NFS, etc.

I never have less than 40 Chrome tabs open at any given time. Always have Winamp, Hardware monitor, CPU-Z, a few online games, messengers, etc.


Also, my 27" LED has a native DisplayPort input, so no adapter required. (Even though I have one anyways)

 

[Tamz_msc]

Some demanding games might require you to lower the graphical settings in Eyefinity.

 

[iRaiden]

Before I had to move into the dorm, I had 3x20" eyefinity setup on my single 5850.

Dirt 2 was able to get 30 FPS with high settings at 5040x1050.


I'm looking for it to be absolutely maxed out at 1920x1080 and quite decent if I go the eyefinity route, which is looking to be the better option right now.

 

[Tamz_msc]

Are you running two HD 5850s right now or one?

 

[iRaiden]

Just one.

Adding in a second would be option #3 which would probably be the cheapest along with the most powerful, yet at the same time the last thing I want to do.

 

[Tamz_msc]

Go for the HD 6970 if you want Eyefinity, or get the GTX 570 if you want to save 20 bucks, which will give you the same performance as the HD 6970 with a single monitor, but is better in games employing DX 11 Tessellation.

 

[megamanx00]

You could just add another 5850 and run them in CF.

 

[iRaiden]

That was option #3, and like I said, my least favorite option.

 

[redgarl]

Another 5850 will be stronger than a 6970... my choice two 5850 in crossfire easily.

 

[beltzy]

I know it's very appealing to go for the new shiny exciting product, but 5850cf will provide you with signficantly higher FPS at 1920x1080. Guru3d puts together very comprehensive benchmarks (though I do like Tom's reviews better the comparison sections aren't always as thorough imo)- here is an example of the FPS these setups provide in DiRT 2 at 1920x1200 [edit: scroll down a bit after clicking the links for the comparison sections]:

HD 5850 Crossfire: 102 FPS http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-crossfirex-review/9
GTX 570: 80 FPS http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-570-review/14
HD 6970: 77 http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-6950-6970-review/21

So you can pick up a 2nd 5850 for about $180 bucks (which I just did about a month ago in a similar situation- I already had a 5850) or you can get a newer shinier card for $350/380 that is going to give you 20% less performance. If you are considering doubling up on the 570/6970 in the future, that changes your picture a little, but as far as the most sensible option right now the 5850cf is your winner.

 

[iRaiden]

Best answer selected by iRaiden.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey