Help me upgrade.

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Kil4Thril

2[H]4U
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Sep 21, 2003
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Due to some circumstances now beyond my control, I'll not be building new until likely NEXT fall. So, what card(s) should I go with to get me some gaming in my signature rig. I'll be at 4GB and Vista 64 by weekend. I can go with a 4870x2 with no problems, OR, I can SLI a couple of cards (260's, maybe?). I'm thinking x2. Will I need to upgrade my PSU, or just get an 8 pin cable?


Add:
I'm currently running 19x12 on a Dell 2408, and adding a Samsung T240HD along with this upgrade for my second (main) monitor, if that makes any decisive differences.

I also see that there is mention of a 4850x2. I would seriously consider that if true, since my Opty will hamstring any of these setups, at least it wouldn't be AS much money dropped.
 
Video cards work is generally evolving (except G80 era) very quickly and basing buying decisions months in advance may not be a good strategy.

Will I need to upgrade my PSU
Click to expand...
Well, what is your actual PSU?

SLIed videocards imply SLI motherboards and I am not a big fan of NVIDIA chipset (expensive and compatibility/stability issues).
For 19*12 gaming, I recommend the following video cards: 4870, GTX 280 or 4870X2.
The GTX 290 may be available next fall and it should be on your list as well.
 
Your current PSU is fine, a 4870X2 is a good choice, the 4850X2 is still an unknown but would also probably be a good choice. A single 4870 might also do the trick, if you're running the rig in your sig you need to upgrade.. you will be CPU bound.
 
Where your coming from, 2 x 7800GTs in SLI, 1 x HD4870 will give you a real big boost in performance over your existing setup. Personally, if i had your current rig, I wouldn't want to bother putting that $500+ HD 4870X2 video card. Maybe if you had a faster Intel build I would go for the HD 4870X2.
 
OK. You guys think you can "build" me a better setup on say, 5-600 total? I have case, PSU, HDDs. I guess I'd need board, video, and RAM. Keep in mind the dual 24" screens. I',m open to suggestions, and MAY be able to squeeze out more $$$. The baby comes first, hence me killing my original $3000 build.
 
Are you overclocking? If so, that will bring down the price.
For $500-600 I would get:

E7200 - $108 - http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=E7200
Gigabyte EP45-DS3L - $105 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128345 (someone might have a better suggestion, I haven't looked at motherboards in over a year)
G.Skill DDR21000 - $80 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145 (I own these sticks, excellent overclockers and give plenty of headroom)

That puts you just under $300, so you have another $300 to spend on a video card. I just got a 4870 for $240 and am very impressed with it, but a GTX 260 is also a good buy I hear. Also, check out the hot deals section, there might be some good combo deals over there; I just quickly assimilated this list to give you a ballpark. Anyway, this system will do 3.5GHz+ easily, and should definitely bring you up to speed in gaming :).
 
Does this lineup look decent?

Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186148
XFire capable lets me upgrade later if I need to.

Memory is just 8 GB of what was listed above
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

Q6700 self explanatory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
A bit more fututre proof, and should be helpful while doing video encoding (also the reason for more RAM). Retail simply because I have no Intel compatible heatsinks. I'll move my Apogee over to it after I get mounting parts.

Graphics 4870HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131117
The PowerColor already has what appears to be an improved cooler on it, and I've received excellent service from them in the past.

I can place all of this in an original Stacker, so airflow is NO problem. Or, I can use my Masstige- a bit more cramped, but definitely usable.
 
Mods, can you move this to General Hardware? It has evolved beyond simply graphics at this point.
 
At 1920x1200 I don't think the opty is too much of a problem, especially with AA cranked. If you play stuff like FSX and SupCom then yeah definitely get a C2D or C2Q, but otherwise I'd just get a 4870 x2 and be done with it.

You can get SLI 260's to save a few bucks but then you're getting a bit too close to the power supply's limit.
 
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