5770+nice LCD or 5830+okay LCD?

O

oldpablo

Supreme [H]ardness
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May 31, 2003
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I'm building for a friend and I've got roughly $420 to work with for video card and LCD. Here are my options:

Buy a 5830 for around $250 and a 22" LCD (1920x1080) for around $170?

OR flip it and

Buy a 5770 for $170 and a 25" LCD, with the idea that he will probably add a second 5770 in the future when new games come out (a 5770 is good enough for what he plays now).

The question here is which is better in the long run? Yes this is purely opinion, both are good options in my book.
 
Just ordered the MSI Hawk HD 5770 for $175 at Newegg. Incredible card, read the review below. Actually read any review, can't find a bad one. Cool, quiet, Voltage adjustable using MSI Afterburner. Military class components, 7+1 phase design to supply better current throughout the card, 1 GHz OC potential or more. Etc, Etc. I couldn't afford a HD 5830, but I think I did pretty well. Only downside is the 128-bit memory interface. Luckliy the use of GDDR5 helps there. Google the card for more.

Here's one ....

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/msi_hd5770_hawk_1gb/17.htm

Conclusion:

The results of the MSI HD R5770 Hawk are outstanding and, even though this card is considered a mid-range product, it offers performance and quality that are well beyond its price range. Let's face it, the HD 57XX series performance is about as good as it gets when it comes to a sub $200 dollar graphics card at the moment. Being that ATI is the only graphics card company with DX 11 support, it makes sense that this series has become an extremely popular choice for many PC gamers. So, with performance and technology support not being the question here, let's have a look at what makes the MSI HD R5770 Hawk a real stand-out from the other cards based on the ATI Radeon HD 5770 GPU. The first feature that really makes it surpass the other models is the use of military class components. These parts are found throughout the card and are used in the highly-conductive capacitors that have a rare metal (tantalum) core that is extremely conductive, to the solid caps that are very durable and have a 10 year life span. These high class components also consist of Solid State Chokes that create no buzz noise and a 7+1 phase PWM design that will supply better current throughout the GPU. The use of all these high quality parts will not only add extra stability and value to the card, but will greatly raise the overclocking potential as well. Also, fitting in with the use of quality components is MSI's multiple heatpipe Twin Frozr II GPU cooler. This heatsink uses a Nickel-plated copper base with three heatpipes to transfer heat and has a large cooling area with dual 80mm PWM fans. The Twin Frozr II worked exceptionally well and was able to keep the core under 70c, even with the GPU voltage adjusted up to 1.3V. The best part of this cooler though, is how silent it operates. In both normal and demanding situations, the fan was hardly audible and it wasn't until the fan rotation was around 82% that the noise started to get loud. With all of these high quality parts, one thing about the HD R5770 Hawk didn't make sense to me and that was the use of only one DVI-I port. Most HD 5570 graphics cards utilize a dual port configuration that makes setting up ATI's Eyefinity a breeze, but with only one DVI-I port it could make set up more complicated.

Now, after talking up the overclocking potential of the military class components and great cooling capabilities of the MSI HD R5770 Hawk, did it live up to it's overclocking hype? The answer to that question is a resounding, yes! During overclocking the Hawk's GPU core maxed out at 1025Mhz, which is roughly a 17% overclock and the memory was extremely overclockable as well, reaching a final frequency of 1410MHz before running into any stability issues. These clocks will make this card an absolute value to the overclocking community, but the MSI Hawk isn't done yet. For the extreme enthusiasts of the world, MSI has also added a software
based voltage regulator that allows the voltage to be manually adjusted from a overclocking program such as MSI Afterburner and V-Check points that, when connected to a Multimeter, can get on-the-fly voltage readings for both the GPU and memory. Even though the memory clocked extremely well, it would have been a nice touch to see some sort of cooling solution for the GDDR5 chips on the HD R5770 Hawk, which could have raised the overclocking potential to an even higher level.

What you have with the MSI HD R5770 Hawk is a extremely powerful, high quality product that comes at a great price and adds all the little extras that make it stand out from the crowd. Even though the card has its eyes on the overclockers in the room, there is no need to worry if adjusting clock speeds is not your thing, as the Hawk comes clocked 25MHz faster than other HD 5770 graphics cards giving you a little extra boost of performance right out of the box. So, if you find yourself in the market for an HD 5770 graphics card, the HD R5770 Hawk is definitely a few steps up from the reference design and one that I highly recommend.
Click to expand...
 
I just passed the three year mark with my dell 2407wp where as I've powered it with an x1950pro, 8800gts640, 4850, 4850 Xfire, and 4870 all in the same time frame and it looks like I'll still have the 2407 for a while longer... Seriously, if he has a functional vid card (read as; can game with it) then grab a good quality 24' and save up for a better card later.
 
Yeah that's why I'm leaning on the 5770. I know for a fact he won't upgrade his screen later, but I know he'll appreciate it now. And dropping in another 5770 is pretty easy. Low price, and his PS can handle it.
 
Think about how many times you'll upgrade that monitor in the next 3 years [probably zero]. Versus how many times you'll upgrade the gpu [at least 1-2].
 
You should have your friend look at the monitors and decide which s/he wants. Maybe they would prefer to get the 5770 and two 22" monitors (I know I would). Or maybe they'd prefer the 5770, 1 22" monitor, and save some money.
 
Go with the 5770. The 5830 is a lot more expensive, and isn't THAT much faster performance. The idea of 2x5770 in the future if need be is a good call and will be plenty of power for a good while. A good LCD is a better investment as it won't be out of date and in need of upgrade anytime soon, especially compared to the GPUs that need upgrading consistently.
 
The LCD is going to be your friend's "Window" into the world. Go with the best monitor his money can buy every time. Video card technology changes so rapidly that your friend will likely change his card or get a second one way sooner than he'll want to change his monitor.
 
I agree with getting the better monitor. I spent $620 on a nice 22" Mitsubishi CRT in mid-2003, and was using it exclusively up until mid-2009. I pretty much upgrade my gfx card at least once a year. A monitor is not going to be obsolete in 3-6 months...
 
I personaly would go for the 5770 and bigger monitor, that would be better for the long run most people keep a monitor for a few years gpu's are lucky to be a year.
 
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