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minimum eyefinity card?

I

IDversusEGO

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
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I am a casual gamer that is getting back into the PC gaming world and I need a new video card soon. The eyefinity abilites are very interesting to me so I am leaning in that direction. My current card is an 8500gt and doesn't do so well anymore. So what is the minimum card that will perfrom at meduim settings on todays games?

anything cheapre than this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448
 
IDversusEGO said:
I am a casual gamer that is getting back into the PC gaming world and I need a new video card soon. The eyefinity abilites are very interesting to me so I am leaning in that direction. My current card is an 8500gt and doesn't do so well anymore. So what is the minimum card that will perfrom at meduim settings on todays games?

anything cheapre than this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448
Click to expand...

Even that 5750 will be hard pressed to handle eyefinity resolutions at medium settings in most games. If you are going to get 3 monitors for eyefinity you need to be prepared to keep up closer to the cutting edge for video card. If you cheap out on the vid card now then 6 months from now there may be the next great game that you can't even run in eyefinity resolution on a 5750 which would leave you with two monitors collecting dust.

I would personally recommend a 5850 for running medium settings in eyefinity resolution for current and coming soon games.
 
Depends on your budget. I'd spend the 20 bucks extra and go with a 5770 if I were you.
If you can double the amount you spend than the 5850 is faster. But a pair of 5770s is even faster than a single 5850. Just something to think about.
 
There isn't anything "medium" or "minimal" about running Eyefinity resolutions. You're tripling your resolutions, so you'll need triple the video card power.
 
It really depends on your resolution, but the absolute minimum I'd go with is the 5770 if you're running 3x 1680x1050 and below. Anything above that and I'd spring for a 5850.
 
vjcsmoke said:
Depends on your budget. I'd spend the 20 bucks extra and go with a 5770 if I were you.
If you can double the amount you spend than the 5850 is faster. But a pair of 5770s is even faster than a single 5850. Just something to think about.
Click to expand...

$20 wont break me and having the ability to add another when I overhaul my cpu/mobo in 6 months would be nice.

evilsofa said:
There isn't anything "medium" or "minimal" about running Eyefinity resolutions. You're tripling your resolutions, so you'll need triple the video card power.
Click to expand...

very valid point.

seiferoth10 said:
It really depends on your resolution, but the absolute minimum I'd go with is the 5770 if you're running 3x 1680x1050 and below. Anything above that and I'd spring for a 5850.
Click to expand...

it would be 1680x1050 to play at native res with my monitors.


noquarter said:
I play BFBC2 at medium setting on a 5770 Eyefinity, no AA, and get 45-48 fps.
Click to expand...

that would be fine with me since I am playing L4D2 at those settings and not getting near that FPS with my current card on one monitor.
 
For what it's worth while I'm still quite happy with the performance I am able to squeeze from the 5770, and performs pretty damn good imo for what I'm making it deal with, I would like to up it to a 5850 or CF 5770 at some point, maybe after summer.

I believe there is a 5830 for $200 on newegg right now that may be perfect if you can afford the extra $40. If you go the 5770 you'll probably have to OC it, they OC really well. But if the 5770 is all you can afford I think you'll still be pleased with what it can do. BFBC2 is more demanding than L4D2 so I'm sure you'll be able to run at high in that game.
 
IDversusEGO said:
new targeted card...unless I can find a used one. even if I decide to scale down to a single monitor this will be a substantial upgrade for me from an 8500. I may be a bit disappointed with eyefinity performance at this price point, but I wont be unhappy with a single monitor setup.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864
Click to expand...

I think the 5770 is a good entry level choice. One that has the reference shroud and cooler would be preferable though imo, because the shroud forces more air to be vented outside the case. But a non-reference cooler is probably not a dealbreaker as long as the cooling solution is not too noisy or hot. Check out the reviews on the various 5770s out there first then decide which model and brand to buy.
 
I agree with a lot of people saying the 5770 is a good entry level choice but I just want to reiterate that running eyefinity requires that you keep your video card fairly up to date to handle new titles and if you aren't willing to go that route just run on one nice monitor and your video card budget will last you a lot longer. It really sounds like you aren't ready to commit the resources to the demands of eyefinity, I don't blame you as I'm not either. Just think carefully before jumping into it.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
What in the world. 2 5850's should destroy 1600x1200.
Click to expand...

I agree. With my same system below but just using an 8800GT I was playing at 1920x1200 on medium.

Going to a 5870 with same system I'm now running max settings at 1920x1200 with 4xAA.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
What in the world. 2 5850's should destroy 1600x1200.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's not right...

To the OP, if you can manage a 5850 now it will give you some good life and a great experience at 5040x1050 with all the eye candy turned down just a little bit.

If you can't fork out for a 5850 then a 5770 will still give you better gaming performance across three screens than you're currently getting from your 8500gt on one screen.

And three screens is awesome :)
 
depends on resolution...

3x 1440x900 or lower 5770 on low
3x 1680x1050 or 1600x900 5850
3x 1080p or 1920x1200 5850 on low or 5870
 
drew726 said:
depends on resolution...

3x 1440x900 or lower 5770 on low
3x 1680x1050 or 1600x900 5850
3x 1080p or 1920x1200 5850 on low or 5870
Click to expand...

Most of the reviews including HARDOCP's seem to indicate even the 5850 is barely scraping by at 3x 1900x1200.
 
RevMen said:
With what processor? What resolution?

I play at medium settings with 2 5850s at 1600 x 1200.
Click to expand...

Phenom II X4 955 BE, 5040x1050. It drops to about 35 in heavy combat I think, but fraps avg was about 45 I think over 10 minutes of online play. I dunno why 2x 5850 would need medium settings at 1600x1200. I'll rebench it at 5760x1080 though and something near 3x 1600x1200 I suppose.
 
Last edited:
Never, in terms of Eyefinity (because of the insane resolutions possible), go for the "minimum" card possible.

It's a power hog, in terms of GPU power, and needs to be adequately fed.
 
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