Best possible GPU for my setup?

[epphllps]

I am currently without a GPU for the listed setup in my sig. I am looking to get as much advice as I can on what the best purchase for this setup. I would like to go without having to upgrade for at least a year or so and play even the most demanding games at their max settings. I would say my max spending limit would be around $600. (note: I will be upgrading my monitor within the next 3-4 months to 22-24 inches, but that will be the max screen size I ever go for my pc). I look forward to the advice as I have been stuck looking and looking over threads. The more personalized set of opinions will solve this problem, I am quite sure. Thanks for all the help I'm sure you will provide.

 

[Aberforth]

Well, Radeon 4870X2 seems 50 to 80% faster than GTX280 and priced at $499 so I think it would be wise to get it or you can go for Radeon 4870 for $299 if you want to save some money.

 

[Magusigne]

The Best possible would be the GTX 280 if you have money to burn.

@299 you have your choice at the superior 4870 or if your an nvidia fan (some people just prefer) the GT 260's are priced @299 (I do like the brands better than eVGA/XFX>Sapphire, Visiontech).

The 4870 has faster vram but its 512mb the 280GTX has 1gb of ram, and the 260 has 868.

If you want the "best" now it would be the GTX 280. If you want to wait a month or two the 4870x2. If you wanted the best bang for the buck it would be the 4870.

 

[SneakyStuff]

If I were you and had the same system i'd buy a 4870. It's a powerful card for a reasonable price and has a lot of potential with future drivers me thinks.

$294 shipped Newegg.com

Anand Tech performance review

 

[DaveSimmons]

I have no budget constraints beyond my cheapskate-ness, and I chose the 4870 at $310 for 19x12 gaming since the benchmarks say it handles that resolution well.

If the GTX 280 had been priced below $400 (which it still is not) I'd have bought it instead.

I'm finishing up installing Windows this morning (just doing the image backup) so I haven't actually done any gaming yet. So far the only annoyance is needing to create a Catalyst profile to override the standard fan settings that run silent but a bit too hot for my liking.

 

[vgkarthik88]

for what its worth, i think the 4870 is the ideal card for you. if you get a GX280, getting another one is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. however, since your budget is $600, if you get a new 24" u can get another 4870 and that will last you a WHILE!

 

[epphllps]

Thanks for all of the advice. So far it seems that the 4870 is the card to go with for the time. What are your views on waiting a month to get the 4870X2? Since I plan on upgrading my monitor do you think the x2 is worth the wait?

 

[DaveSimmons]

A 24" will run at 19x12, which the 4870 is quite capable of supportingm but:

I would like to go without having to upgrade for at least a year or so and play even the most demanding games at their max settings.

There will be Crysis and a few other games that a 4870 will only run at 16x10. Is fixing that problem worth waiting a month any paying an extra $200? That's up to you.

 

[natty1]

gtx280 IMO

 

[s44]

GTX280

 

[nib95]

Do NOT get a GTX 280 yet. You'll be kicking yourself come 14th August.

Wait for the 4870 X2, which is said to demolish the GTX 280 and at roughly the same price point. But to be honest, with these types of cards, or even the 4870, I'd recommend at least a 22" monitor, preferably 24". I'd personally grab a 4870 and a bigger monitor (24").

 

[Mem]

GTX280 is overpriced ,go for the 4870 better value and you get your money's worth performance wise,if you really want to spend 600 then wait for the 4870 X2 and treat yourself to some new games with the change.

 

[epphllps]

What it looks like I will do after going over all of your input is buy a "filler" card until the 4870x2 comes out. At that time, I'll just compare all of the mentioned cards for my setup and go for the one that will offer the best performance for when I upgrade my monitor to 24" @ 19x12. I want to keep the new upgrade at least until there is a need for DirectX 11 cards. Once again, thanks and I will take advice as long as you keep it coming.