Video card help

[sue]

So at the end of this month i have my video card money coming in but i just cant seem to make up my mind on a few issues.

Keep in mind i have no plans on running SLI/Crossfire. I'm looking for a single card solution. I'm also on a 350USD budget because of card limitations (internet shopping card)

Also keep in mind that the game I'm intending all of this for is SC2. I highly doubt another game will get me hyped for the next couple of years.

I might be interested in some video editing (if I ever stop being lazy all the time).

The Nvidia Fermi cards haven't impressed me because of the heat they produce and the power consumption of them.

I narrowed down my choices to a couple. They are listed below.

1, XFX ATI Radeon 4890

Amazon.com: XFX RadeonHD 4890 1 GB DDR5 Graphic Card HD489XZSFC: Electronics

Amazon.com: XFX RadeonHD 4890 1 GB DDR5 Graphic Card HD489XZSFC: Electronics
Amazon.com: XFX RadeonHD 4890 1 GB DDR5 Graphic Card HD489XZSFC: Electronics

The price on this baby is exceptional. approx 200USD is a superb price for a quality card which this is. I'm also going with Para and Scar's experience in the 4800 cards. They claim that it performs like a beast. This card is not DX11 though. That's my major concern with it and that's why the price is so low on it.

If i do get this card i will also have money to upgrade my RAM to 8GB (currently 4GB) as well as be able to afford the Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler (for my i5).


2, XFX Black Edition HD 5850

Amazon.com: XFX Black Edition HD 5850 1 GB DDR5 Graphics Card HD585AZNBC: Electronics

Amazon.com: XFX Black Edition HD 5850 1 GB DDR5 Graphics Card HD585AZNBC: Electronics
Amazon.com: XFX Black Edition HD 5850 1 GB DDR5 Graphics Card HD585AZNBC: Electronics

At first i had my eye on the 5770 and then realised that i MIGHT be willing to spend some more money on a better card. The 5850 was the next step up (ignoring the 5830) and upon my research the black edition is a stock overclocked card from XFX. Also, i'm going with XFX because of their "double lifetime" warranty. This warranty allows USA citizens to have the card replaced as long as they live. Since i live outside of the USA i get a 10 year warranty.


CURRENT SYSTEM SPECS:

Intel Core i5 Processor 2.66 GHz 8 MB LGA1156 CPU I5-750BOX
ASUS LGA1156 Intel P55 DDR3 - 2133 ATX Motherboard P755D
Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 XMS3 4 GB PC3-12800 Core i5 Memory Kit
Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified
Western Digital 500 GB Caviar Black SATA 7200 RPM 32 MB Cache

*Please feel free to make suggestions if you have any other options that meet my criteria. All feedback is appreciated

[sue]

Made a typo in the poll question...admin fix plz

[Paradoxxx]

My choice, the 4890. It runs SC2 well on max settings with 4 "150pop" armies on the screen at the same time. Overall better value for money.

the Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler (for my i5).

lemme get some reviews on this for you.

[HCCA v2]

I bought a Corsair H50 recently to replace a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus HSF.

Was overclocking my Xeon E3110 at 4.2ghz and running Intel Burn test for stability testing with the CM hsf and the temps went well above 100 degrees celsius. This was with a Thermaltake 80CFM 120mm fan installed in an open case.

With the Corsair H50 using one fan (the corsair 120mm it came with), temps peaked at 72 degrees celsius load

I'd recommend it for overclocking or high heat stock cpus.

[phoenix31tt]

Originally Posted by HCCA v2

I bought a Corsair H50 recently to replace a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus HSF.

Was overclocking my Xeon E3110 at 4.2ghz and running Intel Burn test for stability testing with the CM hsf and the temps went well above 100 degrees celsius. This was with a Thermaltake 80CFM 120mm fan installed in an open case.

With the Corsair H50 using one fan (the corsair 120mm it came with), temps peaked at 72 degrees celsius load

I'd recommend it for overclocking or high heat stock cpus.

72 degrees is extremely high eh.. just btw...

my temps dont cross 55 with a OCZ Vendetta 2 (with stock fan) and that was with a 3.6ghz OC on a q6600 (which is much harder to achieve and requires more voltage than a 4.2 on a xeon)... and still my HSF pales in comparison to the noctua nh-u12p

all in one water solutions suck (and this is from experience not just talk)


on your card selection... i would go with teh 5850... for the following reasons:

1. DX11 which scII will be taking advantage of (eventually).. you will be out of luck with the 4890 cuz it dont support it

2. where you might say is just for sc2... you may want to try other games etc eventually.. so you want something solid that you can move forward with

3. future proofing, size, power requirements and cooling... they all trump the 4890.. the 58xx cards are very efficient. for example... i have 2 x 5770 cards in my pc right now... they are using the same power as a 4870!! and produces less heat (and i get better performance than a 4870x2)

[scaR]

I would go with the 4890. 2 x 5770 isn't a bad idea either.

By the time DX11 becomes prevalent you could take the $150 you saved and put it towards a 5890.

[phoenix31tt]

btw.. why go for the 350 card when you can get them for 300...

that makes the 5850 more attractive to... and rumors are they price dropping soon to (just rumors)

[sue]

the XFX stock 5850 is about 320 or so and the overclocked edition is 20 dollars more ....but i guess valid point....i could go with the stock and OC it for myself.

[HCCA v2]

Originally Posted by phoenix31tt

72 degrees is extremely high eh.. just btw...

my temps dont cross 55 with a OCZ Vendetta 2 (with stock fan) and that was with a 3.6ghz OC on a q6600 (which is much harder to achieve and requires more voltage than a 4.2 on a xeon)... and still my HSF pales in comparison to the noctua nh-u12p

all in one water solutions suck (and this is from experience not just talk)


on your card selection... i would go with teh 5850... for the following reasons:

1. DX11 which scII will be taking advantage of (eventually).. you will be out of luck with the 4890 cuz it dont support it

2. where you might say is just for sc2... you may want to try other games etc eventually.. so you want something solid that you can move forward with

3. future proofing, size, power requirements and cooling... they all trump the 4890.. the 58xx cards are very efficient. for example... i have 2 x 5770 cards in my pc right now... they are using the same power as a 4870!! and produces less heat (and i get better performance than a 4870x2)

Well once you have a low enough ambient atmosphere then an air cooler would suffice. I know of guys boasting how their air coolers better than water coolers and they run a/c hard in their rooms.

And although my temps were high at 72 degrees i don't really mind because it was just an o/c for benchmarking purposes as well as the radiator was dusty. Still it's a good consideration over air cooling if your room hot or your case doesn't have it's own super cooling.

Unfortunately for Sue i can't be helpful in recommending a video card because i use an outdated ATI radeon 4870x2.

[phoenix31tt]

lol oh please @ outdated... that card still rocks

and @ the air cooling in low ambients... i've run in both a/c and non a/c...

and basically.. high end air coolers trump all in one water coolers... for a cheaper price most of the time..

what should also be seriously considered of course is the case airflow

[kriminal]

yeah nevaaaaaarrrrr buy OC cards when you can do it yourself.. well.. if you have no issues voiding warranty...
edit: all in one liquid coolers suck in most instances, though the corsiar gets really good reviews...

[Paradoxxx]

Keeping all the on topic stuff to the top of the reply.

Regarding buying OC cards, I see nothing wrong with doing so if you get a superior cooler with the card, like Vapor X from Sapphire.

Air cooling Vs AIO Liquid Cooling

I think no one is surprised at this point that a compact and inexpensive liquid-cooling system loses to the best air super-cooler, but the today’s difference turned out fairly small – only 4-5 °C, and simply negligible during maximum overclocking tests (60 MHz)

Source PG 9

That's a general statement, I do take HCCA's point about ambient temperatures affecting the results. In high ambient temperatures I believe the H50 will perform better than high performance air cooling.

my temps dont cross 55 with a OCZ Vendetta 2 (with stock fan) and that was with a 3.6ghz OC on a q6600 (which is much harder to achieve and requires more voltage than a 4.2 on a xeon)... and still my HSF pales in comparison to the noctua nh-u12p

The i7's nuh easy with the temps either, on load I'm at 85! and near 90 with the burn tests. That's the only reason I even considered LC. Bring those temps down to 55C on load.

[sue]

ended up choosing the 4890....will arrive next week approx

[satanspy]

i would say go for dx11 once youve seen dirt 2 and bad company 2 in dx11 you'll understand lol

[sloth-noob]

I just got the Radeon HD 5770 for 159.00 on new egg
IT runs my bbc2 full graph full res smooth nuff said

ty arch i think u sexy
zomg i just realise i in perma hd :O