What won't bottleneck?

[AgentSquishy]

I'm building a new computer and am going to use the i5 2500k. Now I plan to SLI/Crossfire in about two months from when I build my computer which is in about a week. Is there a GPU that won't be a bottleneck with that CPU? It also needs to have a low enough watt usage so that when I SLI/Crossfire the wattage can stay under 650w. My PSU is an XFX XXX edition 650w. Also I want the GPU to be able to max out 1920x1080, possibly 1930x1200.

 

[g8orboy11]

That cpu will not bottleneck anything. If you want a suggestion for video cards I would suggest a gtx 460 1gb if you want to sli later with psu. In sli they will max out anything at 1920x1080 but I am not sure about the single card. A single card will come pretty close though.

 

[asantesoul]

I would recommend a single video card to be quite honest...at your resolution, if you get a single gtx 580..that will actually last you months! What games do you play? What a lot of people don't realize is that depending on the games you play...you may never have to sli..or you may not need to for a very long time...so what I would suggest if you really want to sli are the following solutions with that power supply

Gtx 460 1gb sli
Gtx 560ti (You should be able to get away with this provided that you don't have a crazy overclock)

But to be honest, if you have the money...go for a 6990, or a Gtx 580.. the 6990 gives you the crossfire solution on a single pcb, and you won't have to upgrade for a very long time..but, the single gtx 580 is probably the best route...but, if cash is a concern..2 gtx 460's or two 560's should suffice

 

[AgentSquishy]

That's the card I was thinking about. More specifically the MSI GTX 460 Cyclone 1gb. But I'm clueless as to which of the GTX 460s is best. So many brands, so many types within brands, and so many different prices.

 

[asantesoul]

As far as brands are concerned..look for the cheapest one..one's with good warranties..good customer service..evga is a good one...and there are times you may be able to snag very good deals on them...look on newegg.ca tuesdays and some thursdays..thats when they have the open box cards that are usually insanely cheap.

 

[purple stain]

I would suggest the MSI or Asus versions.They are really good brands and they have really nice coolers if you intend to O.C.

I agree with asantesoul a single card would be better.An SLI GTX460 can become quite power hungry.And not to mention the added problems from a multi GPU setup.Always go with a single card if you can.

What games are you trying to play?
Whats your budget for the GPU?

 

[AgentSquishy]

Well mostly RPG, RTS, and MMORPG. Like rift, swtor, sc2, and drgon age. Well won't those more powerful single cards destroy my PSU?

 

[asantesoul]

No, they won't...the gtx 580 requires about 500watts (not by itself, overall)..so you'll be fine..and the games you listed are more cpu dependent..so, it makes sense to pick up a single gtx 570, or 580..this way you'll use less power, have less headaches with sli and xfire setups (not all games support it properly ie crysis2), and have better airflow because there's a single powerful card being used.

 

[purple stain]

You should haven o problem at all running a high end single card and some O.C.ing
Your PSU is of very good qaulity so it can handle it.

Here's some power conumption reports if your still not convincend.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-580-review/7

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/11/09/nvidia-geforce-gtx-580-review/8

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4008/nvidias-geforce-gtx-580/17
^best one^

With their test setup the total system power draw WITH the GTX580 is around 450watts,that includes everything the PSU has to power.So you have plenty to spare.

 

[AgentSquishy]

What about an XFX radeon 5870? Seems to me that a 6990 or a gtx 580 would be overkill.

 

[asantesoul]

5870 is outdated...go for a 6970 if thats the case..thats the equivalent..and it may be overkill for now with a gtx 580...but, 2 years from now you will be glad you had it

 

[purple stain]

5870 is still a very powerful card but it is very outdated.Go with a 6970 and you won't regret it.In a couple years you feel like you need more power you can buy another for crossfire.

 

[internetlad]

The nice thing about SLI/CrossFire is that you can get one card, and then later as long as the board is equipped, grab another one if you get the cash for it/notice your current card isn't doing the job.

That being said it all depends on how much you want to spend, and if money's not an issue, what you're playing and how much eye candy you need.

The final word is that nobody can choose a video card for you, only make reccomendations. This is especially if they don't know your brand preference, needs, equiptment and budget (both what you want to spend and are willing to spend).

Realistically, the 6970 doesn't blow the 5870 completely out of the water, Sure it's an upgrade but it depends if you're willing to pay for it.

 

[asantesoul]

in many cases you can get the 6970 cheaper than a 5870 after mir and discounts..and 6950's unlock as well

 

[purple stain]

5870's are going for as low as $220.I'd say it's a good deal but the 69xx series are meant to replace them so i don't see why not get a 6970.

 

[asantesoul]

precisely..if you get a 5870 at a good price, by all means..go that route..but, you'll have a better time picking up what's current..considering the added features and support

 

[AgentSquishy]

I can spend any amount however I was looking more in the $200 range. The XFX 5870 is $210 on newegg while the 6970s are like $350. The XFX 6950 is only like $40 more but that's the 1 gb. If the 69xx are better enough to justify paying $40 to $150 more, then I would do it. I do prefer XFX or MSI and my board is a ASRock P67 Extreme4 B3 so it has 8x8.

 

[internetlad]

I'd check benchmarks on both those cards you were looking at, from what i saw you'd be getting about a 15% in FPS increase with the 6970. They're both built on the same general architecture if i understand correctly, so you can't expect one or the other to be that much different.

 

[purple stain]

If thats the case go for the GTX560.The GTX560's run a lot cooler than the 6950's and are better at O.C.ing.When you need SLI you will get really good results better than a GTX580.
Also something to think about is the 5870's use A LOT of power.Your PSU cannot handle a 5870 crossfire.The GTX560's on the other hand use less and you can SLI GTX560's with your current PSU.

 

[internetlad]

If thats the case go for the GTX560.The GTX560's run a lot cooler than the 6950's and are better at O.C.ing.When you need SLI you will get really good results better than a GTX580.
Also something to think about is the 5870's use A LOT of power.Your PSU cannot handle a 5870 crossfire.The GTX560's on the other hand use less and you can SLI GTX560's with your current PSU.

I think you're mistaken about that, It's edging it but you only need a 600W PSU to run a 5870 CrossFire. To add, You're right that the 560's draw significantly less (about 50%) wattage at idle, but under load they're very close, and depending on the card some 5870s are lower than 560s

 

[AgentSquishy]

Okay so how would you rate the XFX 5870 against the MSI twin frozr gtx 560? If a crossfire 5870 consumes 600w, then will I still have enough to oc my CPU?

 

[internetlad]

to be honest, i'm pretty paranoid about power supplies. you SHOULD be okay, but i've got a 800W antec in my 4890 non-crossfire setup. From what i've read, and basic logic the 560s in SLI should draw as much, if not more, than what the 3870s would under load.

If you only get one card there's no reason you can plop down for a better power supply later as well.

With that said, both cards appear to be viable options, I'm an ATI guy myself but i don't see any reason why a 560 wouldn't fit your needs. Just compare prices/power draws/ benchmarks and decide which one would fit better for you, however with that said if you're going to be messing around with overclocking, you probably want more than a 50 watt overhead if you're cautious.

 

[purple stain]

A GTX560 SLI uses about 300 watts total for the 2 cards.With a total system draw you get about 450-500 watts.

GTX560 review
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-560-ti-sli-review/14

5870 Crossfire uses about 375watts total for the 2 cards.Total system draw with a 5870 crossfire is around 475-500 watts.

5870 crossfire review
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5870-crossfirex-test-review/3


I think it's safe to say the 5870 consume more power than a GTX560.Roughly the 5870 conumes about 30-50watts more than the GTX560.
So you can actually use a 5870 crossfire with your current PSU.Although i still reccomend the GTX560 over the 5870.The techonolgy in the 5870's is aging fast and with the GTX560's it can only get better.With games that aren't even out yet that will utlize it's full potentional.And since the card is so new more and more drivers will be relased making it even faster.

 

[AgentSquishy]

What about the 6950 1gb? The gtx 560 and the 6950 1gb are practically the same price. The 6950 has the ability to be turned into a 6970 and has amazing performance in crossfire.

 

[asantesoul]

the 6950 1gb doesn't have the ability to be flashed unfortunately..but, it is a great card!