Video Card Upgrade

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Rjmig88

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May 12, 2008
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My current system is a Q6700 quad core processor and a GeForce 8800 512mb GTS g92 graphics card. My motherboard only has one pci express 2.0 16x slot, so SLI is currently out of the question. My monitor is a 26'' 1920x1200 screen. I am a heavy gamer and programmer. The games I play the most is CoD4/5, Counter Strike, EVE Online, L4D2, Shattered Horizon, BF2, and many more rpgs, fpses, and some RTS games. The newer games that are coming out I can't no longer max everything out. Shattered Horizon I have to run on low settings to be smooth. I am starting to look for a solution that will let me keep enjoying most of the eye candy for the next couple of years.

I have been looking at getting one or two more monitors for the increase of productivity I would have. Since ATI's Eyefinity made multi-monitor gaming realistic, I am really liking the idea of having three monitors to use my peripheral vision.

I have a budget of $450 for a graphics card after I purchase two more monitors ($600). I maybe could stretch that out a bit... I don't feel it is really necessary or worth it to upgrade to a i7 at this point or get a new motherboard that supports crossfire or SLI. What is the performance and graphics quality(emphasizing a smooth 45-60 FPS first most) like for the games I have listed in a triple monitor setup? How much would SLI/Crossfire improve it?

I am wondering if I should wait for Nvidia's Fermi to make its debut or if I should get an ATI HD 5870. Will Fermi have a single graphics card with 3 display outputs? If they don't, would it be worth it to upgrade to a SLI solution for triple monitor support?

I've been a huge NVIDIA fan since the geforce 3 days. My concerns for ATI are the typical driver issues, although NVIDIA has been sloppy for me the past 6 months (I couldn't use any new 19x.xx driver at 1920x1200 resolution until very recently.)

The two concerns I have specifically with ATI is driver issues on running eyefinity with crossfire. I don't plan on running crossfire(unless if you guys think it would be worth it) but it still points to sloppiness. The second concern is the bezel issue on eyefinity. I heard ATI was fixing this but I haven't heard anything more yet. What I am referring to is things running across multiple monitors are disconnected, as the shotgun in this image -
http://www.hardocp.com/images/news/1255485125eqnOkQFq0f_1_4_l.jpg
Stuff like that will drive me crazy. Matrox was able to solve the issue fine so ATI should be able to also. How long would it take ATI to solve that issue?

Thanks for reading this long post. :D

tl;dr
HD 5870 now or wait for Fermi? Will Fermi have a single card triple monitor solution? Does ATI have the bezel issue solved yet on eyefinity setups?
 
just wit for fermi, just about a few more weeks :D then decided if you want to go 5870 if fermi tanks
 
A GF100 card will probably come out that supports 3 monitors. The bulk of the 400 series is supposedly coming out in may.
 
I am tempted to just go with the 5870 after nvidia's announcement of an announcement today. Although they there isn't more info out there, their website still suggests that you will need SLI for triple monitors and it doesn't seem like there will be a single pci express x16 slot dual gpu card with 3 monitor outputs anytime soon. I can either chose 3 monitors gaming and a 5870(maybe a 5970) or a single monitor + SLI rig. Everything I've read seems like the 5870 is more than capable of running the games I enjoy at 5670x1200 and sticking with the Q6700 will be fine for the next couple of years.

You can always wait for the next best thing but I've been waiting for a while already and I feel like I will keep waiting forever instead of enjoying something now, lol. I feel that 3 monitors will last a lot longer for games then a new graphics card, although with my luck OLED screens will be on the market soon... lol
 
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