$800 Complete Gaming System, Feedback wanted

[engiNURD]

In the past, lower end cards in a dual card config (both SLI and Crossfire) weren't cost effective enough to warrant consideration. However, the HD4670 has TRIED to change all that with its low price/power consumption and high performance.

You can get an HD4670 for $80 ($65AR), and two of them will cost you $160 pre-rebate ($130 if you qualify for two rebates). Two HD4670's in Crossfire perform on par with a single HD4850. A single HD4850 costs around $160 ($140AR). Those price differences are negligible, IMO, so the real question is whether or not Crossfire is the better option... IMO, its not.

2 HD4670's in Crossfire...
IIRC, not all games benefit from Crossfire, and some games don't even support it. You'll also require a Crossfire board (cheapest recommended P45 board is $110AR), which typically costs more than a non-Crossfire board (cheapest recommended P43 board is $75AR). Typically, you'd need a beefier PSU, but the HD4670 is a low power consumer. A typical gaming system would use around 300W at full load with a 4850, while it would only use around 250W with a single 4670 and around 320W with dual 4670s -- A 500W Earthwatts would cover both systems, but the EA650 is cheaper right now, so power is a non-issue. There's also added complexity (no, Crossfire isn't plug and play) and another point of failure added to the system, along with more noise from the 2nd card's fan. The good news? You'll get the same performance as a single HD4850 for $10 less, yet it costs you $35 more for a Crossfireboard and the configuration is a bit more complex.

I'll leave the flipside of my argument to the devil's advocate.

This is an issue of personal preference. I bought an 8800GT last year for $260. I just slipped in another used 8800GT recently for $70. Now, I'm getting 4870-class performance for only $70. ...

The MSI P6N SLI-FI was around $110 a year ago, but the IP35-E was only $65AR... a price difference of $45.

I don't mean to come off as argumentative.

Thats what this forum is here for... to voice every and all opinions.

...There's a reason for that: reason, primarily.

fixed.

 

[ordovician]

The stance is so popular not because we're all sheeple or lemmings, or because we trample the non-believers, but because we've each weighed the pros and cons and worked through the logic on our own and come to roughly the same conclusion. This was a fairly common argument on these forums roughly a year ago, but now? Not so much. There's a reason for that; reason, primarily.

LOL @ "sheeple." That's classic. Maybe I'm one of the few who actually had a good experience with multi-GPU. I totally understand wanting to have just 1 video card, but I still think a lot of people have notions about multi-GPU that are pretty biased.

@enginurd:

You make a point about platform costs. Yes, dual GPU boards tend to be more expensive, however, most ENTHUSIAST boards (the boards we'd be interested in anyway) do support multi-GPU. Also, you used an example from the Intel camp. AMD's chipsets do not have as large of a price gap. You can pick up a 790GX for $100 easily.

The MSI P6N SLI-FI was around $110 a year ago, but the IP35-E was only $65AR... a price difference of $45.

I got my P6N SLI on newegg for $65 with no rebate in August of '07. No joke.

 

[tiraides]

ordovician, I'm going to make one last point and then I'll stop talking about the subject. But there's something that we both overlooked during our argument yesterday:

To each his own I guess. I just feel like the 9/8800GT is overpriced right now. If I were building a new computer, I'd want a cheap 3850 ($50), 4670 ($65), or 3870 ($69).. at 1440x900 their performance will be indistinguishable from a $115 9800GT. A 4850 allows you to run higher settings than the 9800GT, which may be worth it to some people.

As I said before, the reason why I chose the 9800GT was because of its bundle deal with the EA500. Add the fact that, right now, the 9800GT also comes with a mail-in rebate and it suddenly becomes just as good of a deal (after rebate, mind you) as one of the aforementioned cards.

It doesn't change the fact that Intel-based boards lack many features compared to similarly priced AMD-based boards, or that CrossFire/SLI is a useful option (that silent-circuit and I, among others, just don't see as a necessity for resolutions below 1920x1200). But -- and this was the original point of my first post -- an Intel-based build still offers some decent options compared to an AMD-based build.

But I digress. Why don't we wait and see what the OP decides on his own?

 

[engiNURD]

Intel gives gamers the best bang for buck right now, especially if OC'ing, so I didn't bother with AMD CPUs.

...
I got my P6N SLI on newegg for $65 with no rebate in August of '07. No joke.

Hm... must have been open box or one helluva sale -- good catch. I returned my open-box SLI-FI since it just wouldn't OC as good as any of my intel boards.

 

[ordovician]

@ tiraides: 'nuff said

@enginurd: If you can find a Phenom 9850 or 9950 for cheap (less than $130.. it's possible to get them for ~100 on ebay with cashback) then they actually are worth it when paired with an SB750 mobo for an OC to 3Ghz.

And yeah, I got a good deal on the P6N... but I agree it does not overclock that well. The northbridge cooling is utter crap, for one.