Best card for price range/ current hardware

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daft vader

n00b
Joined
Feb 13, 2008
Messages
13
Figured I'd ask the experts. ;)

Here is my current setup:

  • E8400 3.0 (not OC'd)
  • 8GB Corsair RAM
  • Gigabyte EP45-UD3P MB
  • 1TB HDD
  • 8800 GT 512MB
  • Rocket Fish 700W PSU

I'm looking to upgrade my vid card next week and right now I have my eye on: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37431&vpn=HD489AZDEC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1069

My price range is about $300-$400. I'm not really up to date on the best cards, so I figured perhaps some of you could point me in the right direction?

What about the nvidia GTX260? Is it still a good card? The price has seemed to come down a lot: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=38853&vpn=BFGEGTX260MC896OCDE&manufacture=BFG Technologies

Thanks guys!
 
what games do you play?
what resolution and monitor size do you have?
how old is that psu and how many amps is it rated for on the 12v rail?
 
hossdaddy said:
what games do you play?
what resolution and monitor size do you have?
how old is that psu and how many amps is it rated for on the 12v rail?
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I play games like Armed Assault, ArmA2, WoW, Aion, FO3, CoD4, L4D, The Witcher, DoW2, Dead Space (naming them off my task bar), pretty much all genres. I love PC gaming.

I run at 1920x1080, running an Acer H243H 24 inch monitor.

The PSU is about a year old, here is the link from the store I bought it from: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...angid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10109734&catid=10482

"Rocketfish 700-Watt ATX CPU Power Supply".

edite: found a link from the RF website: http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/pc-62-3-rocketfish-700-watt-atx-cpu-power-supply.aspx
 
the 4890 is a solid card and so is the GTX260, but since your board can do Crossfire I'd think the best way to go might be to look for a cheap 4870 and then get a 2nd one. You mentioned WoW; it's worth noting that WoW does work with Crossfire whereas it does not work with SLI (including cards like the GTX295).
 
After MIR, the Powercolor 4870 is only $149 on that website. So you could get two of them and crossfire them, assuming your mobo has crossfire support AND your PSU has 4 6 pin pcie plugs. Otherwise get the fastest single card, which is the 4890.

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35105&vpn=AX4870 1GBD5&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1069

Ok, I just read the review for the Rocketfish. Go with the single 4890, because your PSU only has 2 6 pin PCIE power leads.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/556/10
 
daft vader said:
Figured I'd ask the experts. ;)

Here is my current setup:

  • E8400 3.0 (not OC'd)
  • 8GB Corsair RAM
  • Gigabyte EP45-UD3P MB
  • 1TB HDD
  • 8800 GT 512MB
  • Rocket Fish 700W PSU

I'm looking to upgrade my vid card next week and right now I have my eye on: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37431&vpn=HD489AZDEC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1069

My price range is about $300-$400. I'm not really up to date on the best cards, so I figured perhaps some of you could point me in the right direction?

What about the nvidia GTX260? Is it still a good card? The price has seemed to come down a lot: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=38853&vpn=BFGEGTX260MC896OCDE&manufacture=BFG Technologies

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

given that you only have a 10 CAD dollar difference there is no question here. the 4890 hands down,

BTW you need to replace that PSU before even think about crossfire

its actually a rebranded 550 huntkey. not even a good 550 let alone a 700 watt PSU.
 
Valset said:
given that you only have a 10 CAD dollar difference there is no question here. the 4890 hands down,

BTW you need to replace that PSU before even think about crossfire

its actually a rebranded 550 huntkey. not even a good 550 let alone a 700 watt PSU.
Click to expand...

try this http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26415&vpn=CMPSU-750TX&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1069
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37431&vpn=HD489AZDEC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1069

with both your looking 350 CAD (with 11 dollar rebate is a few weeks) that puts you right in your budget rang with enough left over for you to get a good AM cooler for your CPU. you NEED to OC that puppy :D
 
In short the 700w Rocketfish performs more like a mediocre 550W power supply. If you don't intend to change power supplies, it's probably enough to support a single 4890, but it lacks the ability to support Crossfire or SLI configurations.
 
Thanks for the replies and information guys.

The RF PSU was an quick buy without any research. Basically when I bought my 8800GT and installed the PSU I had (came with the tower) wasn't strong enough and wouldn't boot. Having no patience, I ran up to Future Shop and bought the 700W Rocket Fish PSU, which at the time was only $100.

I think I'll go with the 4890 XT for now (single) and then buy a better PSU and look into crossfire down the road.

Thanks again, I appreciate it. :)

edit: scratch that. I'm still going to go with the single for now but also looking into the Corsair PSU.
 
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daft vader said:
Thanks for the replies and information guys.

The RF PSU was an quick buy without any research. Basically when I bought my 8800GT and installed the PSU I had (came with the tower) wasn't strong enough and wouldn't boot. Having no patience, I ran up to Future Shop and bought the 700W Rocket Fish PSU, which at the time was only $100.

I think I'll go with the 4890 XT for now (single) and then buy a better PSU and look into crossfire down the road.

Thanks again, I appreciate it. :)
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I would think about the PSU again. even if your not going to xfire, you have a pretty nice system why keep a PSU like that? it should work but I much prefer will to should
 
Valset said:
I would think about the PSU again. even if your not going to xfire, you have a pretty nice system why keep a PSU like that? it should work but I much prefer will to should
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You're right. I also just finished reading the review and I'm kind of shocked. I defiantly want to have a good PSU.

Being Canadian, I've built most of my computer buying parts online from Direct Canada. Here is a list of power supplies: http://www.directcanada.com/search/?kw=Power Supply

What I've been doing is building my PC over time, basically with each pay check (which is every two weeks) I order new parts. So this upcoming pay (15th) I'm going to get a PSU and then wait for the video card until next pay. Unless I can bundle the video card and the PSU for under $400.

Valset said:
try this http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26415&vpn=CMPSU-750TX&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1069
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37431&vpn=HD489AZDEC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1069

with both your looking 350 CAD (with 11 dollar rebate is a few weeks) that puts you right in your budget rang with enough left over for you to get a good AM cooler for your CPU. you NEED to OC that puppy :D
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Ah, perfect! Looks like it will be in my budget, awesome.

Using DC instead of NCIX the total for both, which shipping (free ground, w00t!) = Total $361.01 :D
 
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Good choice on upgrading the PSU. It will keep your system more stable, allow your to OC your video card and possibly go crossfire down the road with a second video card.
 
You bang will be a 4890.you can get them for under 200 and they hang with the best.Then later,if you like.Crossfire them bad boys.
 
daft vader said:
You're right. I also just finished reading the review and I'm kind of shocked. I defiantly want to have a good PSU.
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whats shocking is that they can get away with it. I can't believe that no one has sued them yet.
 
The op is in Canada guys, all components are more expensive here due to greater taxes, but hey we get free healthcare ?? That xfx 4890 for $210 is the cheapest in Canada right now.
 
Thanks again guys for all the help/information.

I just ordered the following:


I was going to go with the XFX 4890 XT however on all three of the major Canadian sites I use (NCIX, Newegg and Direct Canada) they're sold out, as of yesterday. So I did some more research which ultimately came down to the ASUS 4890 vs the Sapphire Vapor 4890 and in the end I went with the Sapphire. According to reviews (and performance charts) the Vapor performs better (and is more quiet and stays cooler) than the XFX 4890 XT so hopefully I made a wise choice. I also plan to get a second card for cross fire in the next couple weeks.

Thanks again!
 
i have use huntkey Titan 650 more than 2 years,it works well,and i would like to choose this brand.also cause its cheaper price:D
 
its called buyer beware. when getting a computer build together........its often a quality psu is over looked.most think all psu's are the same and well they are not. and like samantha just posted there is always someone who has a low end psu and never has a problem. me i would rather get a better quality psu then gamble with some low end psu.
 
The Corsair 750TX is a good choice. My roommate has the 650TX on a quad core Crossfire setup and it works swimmingly, so you should be set.
 
daft vader said:
Thanks again guys for all the help/information.

I just ordered the following:


I was going to go with the XFX 4890 XT however on all three of the major Canadian sites I use (NCIX, Newegg and Direct Canada) they're sold out, as of yesterday. So I did some more research which ultimately came down to the ASUS 4890 vs the Sapphire Vapor 4890 and in the end I went with the Sapphire. According to reviews (and performance charts) the Vapor performs better (and is more quiet and stays cooler) than the XFX 4890 XT so hopefully I made a wise choice. I also plan to get a second card for cross fire in the next couple weeks.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

good choices. both will serve you well
 
samantha3h said:
i have use huntkey Titan 650 more than 2 years,it works well,and i would like to choose this brand.also cause its cheaper price:D
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your kidding right? I hate to say this but that is a low class PSU, I think they are rated at 25C for one and have all round poor performance. I think that the same one that worst buy tried to rebrand as their 700w rocket fish
 
I'm happy with my Corsair HX620 but as far a video cards why don't you wait for the new ATI Evergreen due out in a few days. If the numbering is correct looks like the 5870 and 5850 fit your bill. If nothing more prices on older cards should be lower upon the release of Evergreen.
 
Valset said:
good choices. both will serve you well
Click to expand...

Thanks. Actually, after I posted that I didn't feel right about the Sapphire card I had just ordered, so I called DC and canceled. I can't explain it, you know that feeling you just get when you buy something but it doesn't feel right? I think it may have been because through all my research, I had my heart set on the XFX Radeon 4890.

NCIX and Direct Canada are still out of stock on these items. It's been almost a month now.

Anyway, I didn't give up and on the same day I found the Corsair 750 PSU and XFX Radeon 4890 XT on Tiger Direct (CA). I ordered the parts and I've been running them for a few weeks now! It's been awesome!

Now however, is the time to order the second card. A couple questions for you guys before I do that.

1: With current my hardware, is this going to be an issue:

  • E8400 3.0 (not OC'd)
  • 8GB Corsair RAM
  • Gigabyte EP45-UD3P MB
  • 1TB HDD
  • XFX Radeon 4890
  • Corsair 750TX PSU

2: I'm assuming it would be best to get the same card right, the XFX Radeon 4890 XT, because I've noticed the XFX Radeon XXX isn't really that much more expensive ( http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180BD3303&vpn=HD489AZDDC&manufacture=XFX ). The differences between the XT and XXX is the manufacture OC no doubt, but could an XT Crossfire with a XXX or would it be best to just Crossfire two XTs?

Thanks again for your help and support guys. Your advice has helped me finally build a decent gaming system.
 
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