What card should i get with a 22" monitor?

[xdemon123]

Ok, ive been wanting to build a new computer for quite some time now, and right now the ATI vs NVIDIA war is going on. so i just wanted to ask everyone what they think about some of the questions i have.

 

[xdemon123]

Sorry acidentally pressed enter lol. but newayz, my build is this
Antec 1200
850W PSU
Quad Q9550
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4
4Gb (2x2Gb) 1066Mhz
500Gb HDD
Microsoft Windows Vista 64bit

now onto my questions. since i am going to get a 22" monitor(1680x1050), i was wondering whether i should get 4850x2(waiting for it), 4850, 4870 or a 4870x2(i wouldnt mind if u gave me nvidia suggestions!!). the only games i will play will be crysis warhead, far cry 2, gears of war, assasins creed, starcraft 2, bioshock, cod5. mostly fps's anyway.

 

[drumr1829]

im not too up on ATI cards but I have a 22" monitor and like my 8800 GTS 512 alot. Keep in mind you'll want a card with more memory for higher end games to play at native resolutions. all your other specs are very nice...make sure to install SP1 right away with Vista 64. for some stupid reason it wont install for me....I have all my apps/games/ other stuff exactly how i like it and really dont wanna have to reformat. it seems it likes to crash alot of programs right before i hit save.

 

[invisik]

for crysis i would recommend nvidia cards.
i would go with a gtx260. u can find them as low as 215$ at newegg.

 

[pauldh]

I like getting the most for my money, so If it were me, I'd go for two HD4850's on a system like that. Or just start with one and see if it keeps you happy. A 9800GX2 is also excellent performance for the current prices ($280 at Newegg). If your prices are different, or money is no object, then a single HD4870 is a good option. I won't go into NV options beyond the 9800GX2, because with an X48, why not stick to excellent ATI options currently available and keep crossfire an option.

 

[invisik]

my apologize didnt notice the board u had. i agree with pauldh. (thanks for pointing it out almost give him bad advice by mistake)
its better to go with ati 4870 and later on when u need more firepower add another one.
=]

 

[pauldh]

for crysis i would recommend nvidia cards.
i would go with a gtx260. u can find them as low as 215$ at newegg.

I was thinking that too, but don't like not having the option to add a second if Farcry 2 or whatever puts a hurting on it.

 

[pauldh]

lol, crossing posts. I was on the phone and delayed hitting submit.

Anyway, yeah I like to keep options open, but I wouldn't say a $215 GTX260 is bad advice. It's a good price, and he could always sell it and buy a better card when needed.

Main reason I want an X58 is not having such limits. Would have loved that on a DDR2 X38 though.

 

[invisik]

lol, crossing posts. I was on the phone and delayed hitting submit.

Anyway, yeah I like to keep options open, but I wouldn't say a $215 GTX260 is bad advice. It's a good price, and he could always sell it and buy a better card when needed.

Main reason I want an X58 is not having such limits. Would have loved that on a DDR2 X38 though.

oh lol. u cant go wrong with either cards there both very good for there price. i luv healthy competition between companies cheaper for us.
=]
yo pauldh i noticed u have a very similar mobo like mine! any luck getting ur q6600 over 3.2ghz?? i cant pull it off with my msi p6n diamond grrrr


strangestranger 24in and x2!!!
i wish i had a tree that grew money like u do.
xD

 

[stoner133]

Crysis Warhead looks beautiful and plays well on 24" at 1920x1200 with two 4870's in Crossfire and I don't have one of those fancy quad cores. But maybe some day soon!

 

[San Pedro]

I recently got a 4870 and it's great for 1680x1050. I'm playing most my games on max settings with 4x or 8x AA. I bought mine from best buy for $250 and it came with a $10 gift card. I don't know if the sale is still going on. If you don't plan on adding a second card the GTX 260 at $215 would be a really good option though.

 

[xdemon123]

thanks for replying within 12hrs lolz. but newayz, i will be gettin a second card since i reckon far cry 2 will be hard to run, and also to make sure i can run games in the future too. the 4870 is really tempting right now, and i may consider adding another 1. the 9800gx2 is a really good buy i reckon, and plus when they released the drivers the framerates of games doubled. so the 9800gx2 is tempting as well!
the gtx 260 sounds ok, but since 4850x2 is coming out soon, and apparently it beats gtx 280 for only $399, im convinced. so definately not gtx 280 or 4870x2 for a 22"?

 

[pauldh]

oh lol. u cant go wrong with either cards there both very good for there price. i luv healthy competition between companies cheaper for us.
=]
yo pauldh i noticed u have a very similar mobo like mine! any luck getting ur q6600 over 3.2ghz?? i cant pull it off with my msi p6n diamond grrrr


strangestranger 24in and x2!!!
i wish i had a tree that grew money like u do.
xD

3.2GHz is right about the highest mine has been. But that was with the stock Intel cooler and temps were too high for my liking so I didn't prime95 test it or anything. It ran 3dmark and some gaming without crashes. I have not bothered seeing what it can do but should get around to trying that now that I have a freezer 7 pro in it. I run it daily at 3.0GHz without any voltage bump. My issue is it's a quiet small Sonata II case and paired with two 8800GT, so I only intended it for mild overlocking like 3.0GHz. I have an Antec 900 I could throw it in, but really want to save that for my next machine and not spend the time swapping things now.

Are you running that earthwatts 500w still with your current specs?

 

[pauldh]

...so definately not gtx 280 or 4870x2 for a 22"?

It's a good plan IMO to have more GPU than you need right now. Crysis in DX10 very high with 4xaa would kill a single GTX280, so it's far from overkill. WHo knows when the next game comes along that is just as GPU demanding. My issue with the GTX280 is the price though compared to a 9800GX2 or two HD4850's (or even the GTX 260 and 260 216's) $400 AR isn't too bad a price, just not the best you can do for the money. Personally, if money is really no object and you like FSAA cranked, I see nothing wrong with going for the 4870x2. It's easily worth the 25% ($100) more IMO.