Please help a total retard pick a videocard for xmas!

[the tin tub]

BF Bad Company 2. is going to support DX11. Might be a bonus for him to get a card which support that.

Well, the bit of info on google is saying DX11 is causing pretty bad performance in Dirt 2, so can he really even run BFBC2 on DX11 with the 5770?

 

[Tamlin_WSGF]

Well, the bit of info on google is saying DX11 is causing pretty bad performance in Dirt 2, so can he really even run BFBC2 on DX11 with the 5770?

He could, but I would give him a 5850 for BFBC2 if your budget is $300. Why not futureproof it a bit, so the card lasts longer?
http://forums.vgrequirements.info/showthread.php?t=7690

DX11 is causing good performance if you consider the IQ settings that are used:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/12/07/dirt_2_demo_dx11_performance_iq_preview/3

 

[stateofjermaine]

Well, the bit of info on Google is saying DX11 is causing pretty bad performance in Dirt 2, so can he really even run BFBC2 on DX11 with the 5770?

Interesting. No DX11 issues with DiRT 2 here. It is a somewhat taxing game for a racer, but I have only seen between 40 and 70 fps.

 

[kllrnohj]

Spiffy. So, why would I get the 5770 except for Dx11 support? If I can OC the 5770 to the speed of the 4980, why not just get the 4980 and OC *that* to even faster?

The 5770 has the advantages of DX11 and *much* lower power usage. If those don't matter, then absolutely go for the 4890.

 

[the tin tub]

The 5770 has the advantages of DX11 and *much* lower power usage. If those don't matter, then absolutely go for the 4890.

He says he has a good 650watt PS, so power shouldnt be an issue. DX11 is the one sticking point. I cant decide if its worth it or not. Basically what I'm thinking is that any games that make good use of DX11 wont be runable with decent settings on the 5770 OR the 4890, so why not just take the faster DX10.1 card. Is my thinking flawed? I dont see the 5770 being able to pump out BFBC2 or any other next-season games at 1920x1200 with anything approaching decent settings.

I got my brother to link me all the stuff he has in his rig. These are the exact components. Will he be able to handle BFBC2 and the like at decent settings with the 5770 at 1920x1200? If not I'm just going to go for the power now and get him the 4890 as the 5850 is a bit pricey.

RAM + some extra compatible ram from his old rig. I think he said he totals ~7GB now.
CPU
Power Supply

You guys have been very helpful. Thank you all in advance.

 

[kllrnohj]

He says he has a good 650watt PS, so power shouldnt be an issue. DX11 is the one sticking point. I cant decide if its worth it or not. Basically what I'm thinking is that any games that make good use of DX11 wont be runable with decent settings on the 5770 OR the 4890, so why not just take the faster DX10.1 card. Is my thinking flawed? I dont see the 5770 being able to pump out BFBC2 or any other next-season games at 1920x1200 with anything approaching decent settings.

I would be extremely surprised if you can't run the next batch of games (DX11 included) at 1920x1200 with most settings maxed. Maybe not all, and definitely not with AA, but still. That said, I would probably go with the 4890 over the 5770, but I would take the 5770 over the 4870.

Bear in mind that the 5770 using less power will mean it will cost less to run. Depending on where you live and what power costs, the savings could be minor or they could add up. The 5770 uses ~40w less at idle and ~30w less at load than the 4870 (so figure maybe ~45-50w less than the 4890 at load)

 

[the tin tub]

I would be extremely surprised if you can't run the next batch of games (DX11 included) at 1920x1200 with most settings maxed. Maybe not all, and definitely not with AA, but still. That said, I would probably go with the 4890 over the 5770, but I would take the 5770 over the 4870.

Bear in mind that the 5770 using less power will mean it will cost less to run. Depending on where you live and what power costs, the savings could be minor or they could add up. The 5770 uses ~40w less at idle and ~30w less at load than the 4870 (so figure maybe ~45-50w less than the 4890 at load)

Neither me nor him pay for power. Its included in rent. If you think he can run DX11 well, then why go for the 4890? Conflicting opinions make my head hurt

 

[vjcsmoke]

Neither me nor him pay for power. Its included in rent. If you think he can run DX11 well, then why go for the 4890? Conflicting opinions make my head hurt

It depends on how high he wants to crank settings. 1920x1200 resolution definitely benefits from a powerful video card. A 4890 dx10 card is more powerful than a 5770 in terms of FPS performance. The 5770 has bonus benefits in dx11 and eyefinity, but if those are not needed or wanted a 4890 is the right choice.

The Antec 650W Earthwatts is a very solid PSU and should be able to handle a single overclocked 4890 handily. And if you are not paying for power and its included in the rent, then the additional power consumption of the 4890 won't matter.

Of course the best card mentioned in this discussion so far is the 5850 but I understand that people have budgets. And since Fermi video cards from Nvidia won't arrive for months, the price of the 5850 likely won't be going down anytime soon either. Whichever video card you pick, I think your brother will enjoy a performance upgrade over his 8800GT. The choice is really up to you. Best of luck and keep an eye out for things like bing cash back and mail in rebates or electronic coupons to bring your purchase costs down.

 

[kllrnohj]

Neither me nor him pay for power. Its included in rent. If you think he can run DX11 well, then why go for the 4890? Conflicting opinions make my head hurt

Because the 4890 will let you use/turn up the AA. Jaggies annoy the crap out of me, so 4xAA is a must (at least). Then again, I'm rocking a 5870, so...

Just to be clear, this is what I think:

At 1920x1200 and higher:
4890 > 5770 > 4870

At 1680x1050 and lower (I think DX11 will be more important than raw power at this res and lower):
5770 > 4890 > 4870

But really, a 5850 is better suited to that res going forward.

 

[needmorecarnitine]

have you considered any other gifts?

Right now is not a good time to buy a videocard. Supply is limited (on the new or high-end cards), choices are limited and prices are inflated. If you were to get a card that you wanted to last for a while, I would suggest the 5850 which you already said is too much. It will be less than $200 in six months and it will be a $100~120 card by next Christmas.

His old card is still pretty good...

 

[the tin tub]

Well, he has said he will be getting a crossfire mobo when he upgrades next. I'm thinking I'll get him the 5770 so that he has DX11 support, and once the card starts slowing down he can upgrade his mobo to something PCIE 2.0 with crossfire, and just grab another 5770, since it will be on the cheap by then.

 

[Silentbob343]

I'm in the same boat, I currently have a low res monitor and the 5770 would be fine, but I will be getting a 1920x1200 in the near future and don't want to end up shooting myself in the foot on GPU power.

From what I've seen the 5770s are decent overclockers and approach 4890 performance when OC'd. How well they can handle future DX11 titles is anybody's guess.

 

[Rauelius]

The 5670 is going to be as fast as the 8800GT/9800GT. The 5770 is about as fast as a GTX260/4780 and the 5750 is faster than the 4850 and the GTS250. I personally think two 5750's in crossfire would be best, as it would out do a single 5850 and not be too outrageously overpriced....though I still love my 5850!

 

[kllrnohj]

The 5670 is going to be as fast as the 8800GT/9800GT. The 5770 is about as fast as a GTX260/4780 and the 5750 is faster than the 4850 and the GTS250. I personally think two 5750's in crossfire would be best, as it would out do a single 5850 and not be too outrageously overpriced....though I still love my 5850!

Two 5770s in CF barely keep up with a 5850, two 5750s in CF are going to get smoked.

 

[the tin tub]

Two 5770s in CF barely keep up with a 5850, two 5750s in CF are going to get smoked.

Yeah, as I posted before my plan is go to the 5770 route, as that lets him get one for like $80-100 in 12 months time when it will be time to upgrade his mobo anyway

 

[soulbro]

That is a solid plan. I'm planning on going with either a 5750 or a 5770 for an upgrade for my dad for Father's Day. Low power reqs mean I don't need to buy him a new PSU, and DX11 and CrossfireX support mean future-....well, not future-PROOFING, but future-taking-into-account, at least. Seems like a win to me!

-Will