Gaming @ 1920x1200 - GTX470 or 5870

RadioActiveLobster

RadioActiveLobster

Gawd
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Mar 20, 2010
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I plan to do an upgrade on my GPU in the up coming weeks (see current specs in sig) and then 6 or so months down the road (Probably in the fall) upgrade the CPU/Mobo/Ram/PSU and keeping my current case (unless the 700D goes down in price), optical drives, Hard Drives, Display


Right now though, my 8800GT just isn't cutting it gaming at 1920x1200.

Main gaming right now is Call of Pripyat, GTA IV (Main Game and Episodes from Liberty City), Metro 2033, Just Cause 2, Borderlands, Bad Company 2 and the ultimate computer killer, ArmA II


I don't mind playing with lower AA levels (2X, 4x, 8x or even off in need be), the jaggies never really bother me that much. I just prefer smooth gameplay and good looking textures/lighting/etc (for example, right now I have to play GTA IV with medium textures due to only having 512mb VRAM, so it's very ugly). Would the extra RAM on the GTX470 be beneficial here? I know that some games are hitting the 1gb limit at these higher resolutions. I don't plan at this time to ever use the Eyefinity or Surround features for multiple monitors, so that isn't a factor when choosing which card I get.


The 470 and 5870 are hovering in the $375-$430'ish range, which is where I want to be.


Also, this is my current PSU, it should be enough to run this card until I do a full upgrade down the road (I plan to go Crossfire/SLI in the future, hence the upgraded PSU in the wishlist)
 
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You mean the 5870? If you are willing to spend that amount of money you describe, definitely 5870.
 
I'd like to spend less than $400 and I have seen a few 5870's at $399 (and I can also use Bing Cash Back if it's available) but they usually sell out quick or don't stay there long


I'd love to find a 2GB 5870 that isn't an Eyefinity 6 edition (since I only plan to use 1 monitor) but that would be at a price point I don't want to get into, but it's not that big of a deal. I just want to know if the 1GB Ram will be an issue in the future. I recall reading some threads in the past that GTA IV can hit that 1GB limit pretty quickly when you start turning settings up
 
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. said:
I'd like to spend less than $400 and I have seen a few 5870's at $399 (and I can also use Bing Cash Back if it's available) but they usually sell out quick or don't stay there long


I'd love to find a 2GB 5870 that isn't an Eyefinity 6 edition (since I only plan to use 1 monitor) but that would be at a price point I don't want to get into, but it's not that big of a deal. I just want to know if the 1GB Ram will be an issue in the future. I recall reading some threads in the past that GTA IV can hit that 1GB limit pretty quickly when you start turning settings up
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You don't need 2GB dude. Go for the 1GB 5870. I recommend sticking with the reference design.
 
470 looks to be a decent card with overclocking.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3204/nvidia_geforce_gtx_470_video_card_overclocked/index13.html

Guru3d and Hardware Canucks got their cards to run much higher.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-470-480-review/34

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...s/30321-nvidia-geforce-gtx-470-review-31.html

There's a guy on the EVGA forums with one doing about 760 on the core.

I believe both the vanilla and overclocked versions are available on EVGA's site. They may have sold out though.

I am getting a 470 for my alt computer that has a GTX 260 in it. I've got enough ATi cards currently. Decided to try something different with that computer.
 
you really need to oc that cpu if you go with any high end card like that. if you are going to stick to 2.4 then dont even bother buying a $400+ gpu. yes I know you said you will upgrade cpu 6 months or so down the road but thats a long time to be throwing performance down the drain.
 
xp3nd4bl3 said:
You don't need 2GB dude. Go for the 1GB 5870. I recommend sticking with the reference design.
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I'm surprised.

I would think more memory would be "better" in just about every situation.

I'm thinking of GTAIV off the top of my head where you crank that first slider and it shows you right there how much GPU memory it's going to use.
 
cannondale06 said:
you really need to oc that cpu if you go with any high end card like that. if you are going to stick to 2.4 then dont even bother buying a $400+ gpu. yes I know you said you will upgrade cpu 6 months or so down the road but thats a long time to be throwing performance down the drain.
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I'm new to overclocking (aka have never done it before) so if it's easy I can do it. I have the same cooler as you (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134) so if that is acceptable then I should be able to do some overclocking on it
 
Q-BZ said:
I'm surprised.

I would think more memory would be "better" in just about every situation.

I'm thinking of GTAIV off the top of my head where you crank that first slider and it shows you right there how much GPU memory it's going to use.
Click to expand...
no its usually just a waste of money. besides GTA 4 there is NO game that would exceed 1gb of vram at 1920 for playable settings on a 5870. even GTA 4 can be pushed very far graphically with just 1gb especially with tweaks.
 
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. said:
I'm new to overclocking (aka have never done it before) so if it's easy I can do it. I have the same cooler as you (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134) so if that is acceptable then I should be able to do some overclocking on it
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your Q6600 is a very popular cpu and I am sure somebody in the cpu and overclocking sub-forums will help get you all dialed in. I know 3.0 should be effortless and getting a bit higher should be no prob. in fact once you oc that cpu to well over 3.0 you will really will not need to upgrade it for a while unless you want to.
 
5870 hands down between those two cards. 5850 vs. GTX 470 is a good battle (with [H] giving the nod to the 5850). But 5870 vs. GTX 470? 5870 is the clear winner no contest.

So have you considered the 5850? $300 and is neck and neck with the GTX 470. Easily enough grunt for 1920x1200.
 
Q-BZ said:
I'm surprised.

I would think more memory would be "better" in just about every situation.

I'm thinking of GTAIV off the top of my head where you crank that first slider and it shows you right there how much GPU memory it's going to use.
Click to expand...

naw 2GB is for highend resolutions aka eyefinity. I'd have to go back and check the reviews, but just having 2GB doesn't instantly do you any good it's a combination of drivers and the games support as I understand it.
 
I was just looking, you can get a Diamond 5870PE51G ATI Radeon HD5870 Video Card for $419.99 + $51.66 Bing CashBack for grand total of $368.33 + s/h

Or you can get a MSI R5870-PM2D1G Radeon HD 5870 Video Card for $409.99 + $50.43 Bing CashBack for a grand total of $359.56 + s/h


I might get one of those, but I have to think about it. If someone wants to post that in the [H]ot Deals forums go ahead, I don't have the required 50 posts yet
 
Seeing an MSRP raise on the Fermis just brought me a step closer to the ATI camp. I may get a 2GB card anyways just for laughs.
 
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