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Need assistance...

K

Kidpinkers

n00b
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
2
So before I begin let me just point out that I hardly know anything about hardware for computers. I decided to make my own pc after years of frustration with already built units combined with the fact that after trying to play SC2 on my current pc it was just a total crap shoot.

I'm having a difficult decision with the ATI 5850 HD and its Nvidia equivalent. I've read all over these forums that the drivers for the ATI cards are not dependable, I currently run Windows 7 64-bit for games, and that the Nvidia GTX285 is slow and gets substantially hot.

So far the items I have purchased for my build are the Asus Rampage III Extreme and the Intel i7 2.8GHz. I'm looking to spend 300 to 350 dollars for a video card that wont have any or little driver issues and one that won't generally get hot enough where I need to get a cooling system. I would also like to run SC2 on max settings if possible. How do I determine what the quality of a video card is? How do I know it will match up in performance with the rest of my hardware? I'm completely overwhelmed by all of this and I feel it's my lack of knowledge on the subject. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
You already have a high-end CPU, so no need to worry about that. If you want to play SCII, then take a look at SCII benchmarks:
http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page7.html

As far as drivers are concerned - IMO, complaints either way are overblown. Nvidia had a bad spot back in the 6000 series; ATI had some problems with the late 4000/early 5000 cards. Now it seems that there are still unresolved issues with the GTX470, but they'll probably be fixed in time. The main exception is crossfire/SLI - those will inevitably run into problems, and pay2play means that SLI is much more likely to be tested & fixed prior to launch than crossfire.

The best value right now in the $300~$350 range is the GTX470. If you're worried about heat, you can spend a little more for a 5870 or pick up a used one. If you're willing to overclock, the GTX460 is a cheaper option. In your price range, you are looking at the 5850/5870 from AMD and the 460/470 from Nvidia.

No card will require you to use a 3rd party cooling system unless you are working with a very small or poorly ventilated case.
 
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