Best graphics solution in $300-$400 range?

[rockyrococo]

I am really having a hard time deciding what graphics solution I am going with for my new rig. At this time I am leaning toward running two XFX GX260NADBF GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition Core 216 in SLI, which will run me about $380 at this time. Please share your ideas for a solution in the $300-$400 range! A bit over $400 will work too.

 

[TC91]

Those cards look like a great choice. You might also want to possibly consider dual GTX275s if you can find them in that price range.

 

[rockyrococo]

I have had a great deal of trouble finding comparable benchmark results for the 260-216s and the 275s, let alone a benchmark that tests both solutions in the same rig! I will post when/if I find something

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

dual 4890's

 

[rockyrococo]

I have considered two 4890s also but I cannot find benchmarks comparing two 4890s against two 260-216s!

 

[Sylvanas]

4890 Crossfire.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

4890=gtx275

 

[faxon]

4890s are a lot cheaper than GTX275s tho, so 2 4890s would be my recommendation as well. what motherboard are you using though? unless you're running an X58 SLI/CF board it would help to know so we dont recommend something completely retarded that just plain wont work

 

[Creig]

Originally posted by: rockyrococo
I have considered two 4890s also but I cannot find benchmarks comparing two 4890s against two 260-216s!

That's because 4890's are much faster than 260's. There's not much point in performing benches between the two. The GTX 275 is the direct competitor to the HD 4890 in performance, not the 260.

 

[ZimZum]

Originally posted by: Sylvanas
4890 Crossfire.

This

 

[Elfear]

Originally posted by: ZimZum

Originally posted by: Sylvanas
4890 Crossfire.

This

+1

For the current prices the 4890s can't be beat. If the GTX 275s dropped down to the same price level then either solution would be good.

 

[rockyrococo]

what motherboard are you using though?

my decision is going to be influenced by my choice of graphics solution, but I hope I can get away with ASRock X58 Extreme.

 

[Jacen]

Crossfire 4890s hands down. Faster than the 260 and they eek past the 275 at stock speeds as well + have better OC'ing headroom.

 

[FalseChristian]

I'd go with 2 GTX 260 Core 216's. This is what I'm saving up for. SLI scales better than XFire and nVidia has much better compatibility with older games like GLQuake.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: FalseChristian
I'd go with 2 GTX 260 Core 216's. This is what I'm saving up for. SLI scales better than XFire and nVidia has much better compatibility with older games like GLQuake.

You'll find they scale about the same and at 1920x1200 it's 92% scaling with 2 4890 GPUs. Compatibility for is largely a non issue for modern games.

4890 Crossfire is screaming fast and can be had for way cheap these days.

 

[faxon]

Originally posted by: rockyrococo

what motherboard are you using though?

my decision is going to be influenced by my choice of graphics solution, but I hope I can get away with ASRock X58 Extreme.

any x58 board should have way more than enough bandwidth for crossfire or SLI, so long as it has 2 PCI-E 16x slots on it. i would go with the 4890s since you plan on going with that board, and im not sure if it supports SLI or not

ed: that board does x16 x16 x4 so you should be fine. Newegg features list says it supports SLI as well. still, 2x4890s can be had for a lot cheaper than 2x275s

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150359 for the XFX model with the sick warranty

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102841 for the Vapor-X version with the absurd cooler for only $20 more

 

[Jumpem]

Two 4890's.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: rockyrococo
I have had a great deal of trouble finding comparable benchmark results for the 260-216s and the 275s, let alone a benchmark that tests both solutions in the same rig! I will post when/if I find something

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...tx285sli-hd4890cf.html

 

[happy medium]

I'd go for a X2 4850 2gb and a single 4850 1gb in trifire for 340.00$ (330.00$ AR). That should beat 2 4890's right? and cheaper too.


4850 1gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102837

4850x2 2gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102809

 

[jandlecack]

Wow, CF, now CFX, not everyone has a 1.2kW power supply you know.

I recommend a single GTX 285, although I'm not entirely certain what the prices are in the US for that card. Get a single 285 and if you need more power in the future, you can buy another one then. It will boost your performance incredibly even in 2 years time when you run SLI'd 285's.

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: jandlecack
Wow, CF, now CFX, not everyone has a 1.2kW power supply you know.

I recommend a single GTX 285, although I'm not entirely certain what the prices are in the US for that card. Get a single 285 and if you need more power in the future, you can buy another one then. It will boost your performance incredibly even in 2 years time when you run SLI'd 285's.

power draw for 3 4850's = 2 gtx 285's and the gtx 285 cost 320.00$. Not a smart move.

 

[Shmee]

I would recomend the 275 sli/4890 xfire, though the 4890 xfire should be cheaper. If you need more, you could spend more and get 3 GTX 260's or 3 GTX 275's. May not be worth it to get 3 cards though, plus would take lots of power. Again, I would stick with the 2 way GTX 275/HD 4890 solution.

 

[PM650]

Originally posted by: Shmee
I would recomend the 275 sli/4890 xfire, though the 4890 xfire should be cheaper. If you need more, you could spend more and get 3 GTX 260's or 3 GTX 275's. May not be worth it to get 3 cards though, plus would take lots of power. Again, I would stick with the 2 way GTX 275/HD 4890 solution.

X58 boards almost universally allocate x4 to the third PCIe slot....through the SB & the Asrock is no exception. Toms did a comparison on this; conclusion: triple sli = fail (value-wise) for X58.

 

[lopri]

Single GTX 285 for cheap. If bang-for-the-buck is important, then a single HD 4890. I used to think HD 4890 and GTX 280 to be equal but recent ForceWare changed my opinion. Luckily for AMD, their cards are cheaper to manufacture so when prices come into equation things are even again. But if money is no object, GT200 is superior to RV790 in almost all aspect now. One thing AMD does better is 2D color accuracy (this might be subjective) but obviously one doesn't need a $200 video card for that.

 

[Jumpem]

Originally posted by: lopri
Single GTX 285 for cheap. If bang-for-the-buck is important, then a single HD 4890. I used to think HD 4890 and GTX 280 to be equal but recent ForceWare changed my opinion. Luckily for AMD, their cards are cheaper to manufacture so when prices come into equation things are even again. But if money is no object, GT200 is superior to RV790 in almost all aspect now. One thing AMD does better is 2D color accuracy (this might be subjective) but obviously one doesn't need a $200 video card for that.

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