Vid card suggestions

[Zero_Hour]

I finally bought a game that would justify a video card upgrade.

Thing is I am not nearly the voracious consumer of shoot-outs, comparisons, and in-depth reviews that I used to be.

I'm running an 8800 series nvidia card (PCIx), that I bought about 2 years ago. I don't care if it's ATI or nvidia to replace what I have. Mainly I just want DX11 compatibility, and the best bang for the buck.
What's the hotness these days?

[Just KiLLeR]

I just did a little research last week on this topic. I have been considering an upgrade for the computer my kid uses. This looks like the only choices that make any sense. The 5830's go for about $239.

Link to the article:
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1228/

Here is a look at the 5830 @ Tom's Hardware.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5830,2564-6.html
I would say what ever price point you want to select, the four in the chart above are all DX11 compatible.

Been a while since I built a computer using an AMD processor. These video cards and the latest Phenon II x4 BE processors look like an interesting combo.

[{eZs}Woody]

I would agree with JK on the AMD parts.

Funny enough, NVidia graphics cards cost more today than the same card did six months ago. I purchased an overclocked MSI GTX275 last fall for about $220 (now over $250) which will beat the ATi 5830 at stock speeds and mine is pushed past even GTX285 specs. The problem is that it won't support DX11 and unlike the transition from DX9 to DX10, enabling DX11 in games can actually improve performance in many cases. The GTX 275 (if you can still find one) will beat the stock 5830 in DX9 and DX10 apps most of the time but I think getting DX11 capability these days makes the 5830 the better card in that price range. JMHO

I also think AMD is kicking ass in the low end quad cores. The problem is that they are still underperforming when compared to Intel Core CPUs so it's not worth buying any of the more expensive AMD CPUs unless you are simply upgrading existing components. Kind of like the Core 2 Quads, not worth buying unless you are upgrading an existing Core 2 based system to a quad core and even then it's not worth spending more than a couple hundred on the new chip because you can get a Core i5, new mobo, and 4GB DDR3 for about $400 total which will outperform pretty much any AMD x4 and Core 2 Quad. Although you can overclock a high end Core 2 Quad or AMD x4 CPU to match stock Core i5 performance but in that case you can overclock the Core i5 also so the Core i5 is still the better CPU for the money.

In other words, if you are buying a whole new setup (mobo, CPU, RAM), get the Core i5 or better. If you are upgrading an existing Core 2 Duo you can get a Core 2 Quad 9400 (or Q9550 if you can find one cheap on eBay like I did). If you are upgrading a dual core AMD AM2+ system get the Phenom II X4 940 for about $140. If you are upgrading an AM3 system get the Phenom II X4 945 ($151) or 955 ($160).

A lot of this is irrelevant if you are playing games that are GPU limited but BC2 has changed a lot of that since it is mostly CPU bound even with high end graphics cards. BC2 needs a quad core but very few other games will benefit. Still, it seems to me you can't go wrong with any low end quad core and a 5830 (or GTX285) or better system.

[Zero_Hour]

Well, I was a pretty early adopter of quad cores, since that's what I have in my now 2-year old rig (think it's a 9300) so I don't think I'll be changing out CPUs any time soon. The 5830 is definitely looking like a solid choice, but the 5850 has performance that seems in line with the cost increase over the 5830.

Thanks for the suggestions gents, always appreciated.

[Just KiLLeR]

Woody and I agree on a component question......



And yeah Z, if you are willing to do the extra for the 5850 it looks to me like the extra performance is appropriate to the amount of the difference.

[{eZs}Woody]

Yeah the 9300 is a little low on the mega hurts but has a solid 6MB L2 cache and will handle a 5850 nicely. You could probably push the 9300 up around 3.5GHz on air with a good P35 or P45 motherboard if you haven't tried already in which case it would hold it's own against a stock Core i5. No reason to upgrade there IMO.

The big thing lacking in the P35 motherboard (which I have) is the slower PCIe slot and I'm not sure but I think that's becoming an issue with the latest graphics cards.

[-ZS-Nemesis]

I recently upgraded to this card last month, trying to get my PC back in gaming order, but I was looking for something economical with decent performance and I was very impressed with this card.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... kwCjCECjCE

All I need now is about another gig of ram and I should be back in business.

[Just KiLLeR]

That one should work just fine for BFBC2 Nem. Mr. Hour was looking for a DX11 compatible card which is why we were looking at the 5800 series cards. BFBC2 runs just fine in DX9. In fact I have mine forced to that.

So get that shit working and get in here. We have been having a pretty good turn out for BFBC2. You would enjoy it I suspect.

[-ZS-Nemesis]

This one supports DX11 thats one reason I got this one, I wanted a card that would last me a month or two before I need to upgrade again
The PC is almost done, A minor ram upgrade is next, maybe by the first of April I will be back in full force.

And yes, I have been jonesing for that game , is that what most are playing these days?

Lifestyle: Performance

Chipset: ATI Radeon

GPU Series: ATI Radeon HD 5000

GPU/VPU: RADEON HD 5750

Additional Features: Game Physics Capable
ATI Avivo HD Technology
ATI Stream Technology

Video Memory: 1GB

Memory Type: DDR5

Memory Interface: 128-bit

Core Clock: 700 MHz

Memory Clock: 4600 MHz

Interface Speed: x16

Connector(s): Dual DVI
HDMI
Display Port

Multi-GPU Support: CrossFire-X

Overclocked: No

APIs: DirectX 11

1080p Support: Yes

Video Output: DVI
HDMI
Display Port

Low Profile: No

Cooling Type: Fan