New video card?

[Sven]

All right here's the deal, I want a new videocard. And I have got 200 euros.

Currently I have a HD5770 which is doing decent on medium detail, but with most land details turned off.

I want to experience this sim in the best possible way with the budget I have. Now I've thought of 3 possibilies:

1. Another HD5770 in SLI ( I think the cheapest option, but no idea how this will perform )

2. A new ATI Radeon card.

3. A new Nvidia card.

I've got good experiences with both brands, so I solely focus on performance on this one.

Has anyone got any suggestions? Would be greatly appreciated :grin:

My Rig btw:

AMD Phenom II x6 2.8 Ghz. proc
ASUS M4A786TD-V mobo
8 Gig DDR3 memory
HD5770

[NedLynch]

If I had to buy a new card right now I would focus on either a gtx570 with 2.5gb vram (evga brand) or a 6970, bang for buck ratio is what I am going for.

The 570 would probably be my preference from everything I have read so far.

There is a video review of the 570 reference card on overclock3d.net. Great site for all kinds of info. I do like the videos since they do go into much detail including testing of everything that is being reviewed.

[JG52Uther]

His budget is 200 euro, so those sort of cards are out of the question!

A 6950 2GB is around £220 so that could be within reach and looks pretty good.

[rok]

Yep, 6950 2GB is great card. Best bang for buck in €200 price range.
Especially with ability to unlock shaders:
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/159

[Nitrous]

Hi there.

I have just recently done a gfx upgrade myself.
I originally went for a nv 560ti with an after market cooler and overclocked as standard. That card was ok for 1 month then it died. So as I had a bench mark on the 560ti for fps I got a refund and went for the Vtx 6950 2gb as it was the cheapest 2gb card at £200. The 560ti was £180. For £20 difference there was enough fps increase to easily warrant it.

Check out my previous discussion about this.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=26160&page=2

As you can see from the above link there is a 7fps difference when fully maxed.

Also I have just done a full reinstall of Windows 7 ultimate 64bit and the fps on black death has gone up from 31 to 43.
All I can say is "glad the 560ti packed up".

[Nitrous]

Oh BTW. The 2gb one will perform just as good at higher resolutions, so when I get my new monitor I will be able to run the same frames at 1920x1600. And make sure you get one with a twin fan design. They are both cool and quiet.

Which are the best and cheapest component outlets in Holland?

[TonyD]

Sven, I have previously tested the 5770 in x-fire, and found a huge gain in frame rates in Metro 2033 (literally double), but did not have time to test anything else apart from 3DMark. Unfortunately you won’t currently experience this in CloD, although you may some time in the future, but I would recommend a single card over a multiple setup anyway – it’s just less hassle and will always work. If your budget stretches to a 6950 I would say don’t hesitate, it will be hugely faster in CloD, and match 2x5770 in games that support x-fire without the configuration hassle.

[Sven]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.:)

Yep, 6950 2GB is great card. Best bang for buck in €200 price range.
Especially with ability to unlock shaders:
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/159

So that way I have the 100 euro more expensive 6970? That would be very cool, a bit strange though that this is possible...

A HD6950 2Gig is about 240 euros here, well that's going to be 40 euro less beer in my student life haha.

Oh and will my Corsair 650 Watt PSU be able to run this card?

[Tvrdi]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.:)
Oh and will my Corsair 650 Watt PSU be able to run this card?

Yes. Thats a neat PSU. I have Crosair 550W and it runs OC-ed GTX470 which is more hungry (in general ATI cards are less hungry than nvidias, and cooler)

[Nitrous]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.:)



So that way I have the 100 euro more expensive 6970? That would be very cool, a bit strange though that this is possible...


I would not bank on this as most of the newer cards it won't work on or just bricks the card. Some still works though. Is it really worth it for 5% increase.

[TonyD]

I would not bank on this as most of the newer cards it won't work on or just bricks the card. Some still works though. Is it really worth it for 5% increase.

Nope, I'd agree - not worth the risk. Overclocking the 6950, if you really feel you need to, would result in a similar performance gain without the risk. But the difference in actual gaming performance is relatively minor, despite what a benchmark might suggest. The cost of a 6950 here is similar, and very good value for what you get.