New GRFX card advice:

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  1. Posts : 1,496
    7 Ultimate x64
       #41

    You've waited this long... hang on till March, then compare Fermi with the Radeons.'

    btw... hi bloke. :)
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  2. Posts : 2,588
    SEVEN x64
       #42

    bloke said:
    OK im bringing up this thread again, as i have decided to build a new system....this is what i have researched and chosen:
    this time i going for future proofing rather than the biggest and best at the time (like my other stupid decisions)

    i7 870 (you will see why due to the mobo)
    Asus P7P55D-E Deluxe (sata 3 6gb/s and usb 3.0 but not i7 9xx compatible due to the socket) ---couldn't find the x58 to support sata3 and usb 3.0
    Seagate XT 2TB sata 3 6gb/s hdd
    i will use my old 4x2gb g.skill ram as the Asus mobo uses dual channel, but still gets close speeds to tri channel x58 boards.

    and the last decision is the graphics card(s)

    x2 5870 or x1 5970
    downsides:
    5970 cops more heat
    5970 is underclocked to 5850 speeds (maybe to reduce heat?)
    x2 5870 require more power (slightly)
    x2 5870's uses more slots (not that it bothers me as there will be no other cards in this build)
    x2 5870's may have micro stutter due to x-fire?


    so what are some thoughts between the 2 cards?
    alot of other ppl seem to say go with the x2 5870's when i was researching.

    and of course i will prob BUY...yes buy win 7 pro full OEM.

    THNX FOR THE INPUT PPL!

    the 5970 was downclocked to 5850 speeds to keep it withing the 300w bracket (so that ppl with a PCIE 1.1 slot could use them)

    i dont think microstutter is really a problem with these cards, out of all the issues ive heard about with the 5 series cards, microstutter is not one of them...


    but as Fumz said, i'd hold off a little while for Nvidia's offerings, at the very least ATI prices will fall, & TBH the drivers for ATI 5 series cards are currently VERY unpredictable..(im currently suffering with a few issues only better drivers will solve)


    :)
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  3. Posts : 1,496
    7 Ultimate x64
       #43

    Currently?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,588
    SEVEN x64
       #44

    Fumz said:
    Currently?
    lol.....yeah ''microstutter'' is no doubt a feature they're looking to add to the 10.1 cat's
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  5. Posts : 458
    Windows 7 7600 x64 (16385) Ultimate,Windows Vista x64 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #45

    skunksmash said:
    Fumz said:
    Currently?
    lol.....yeah ''microstutter'' is no doubt a feature they're looking to add to the 10.1 cat's
    yeh i just had a quick read about that thread where you mention your issues with ur new 5970. if you had another choice, would you go back to nvidia, have you even had a chance to game on that ATI yet?

    Fermi...great another age in technology, oh well nvidia sure took their time, but they expect release around march? so i guess i will just wait on the grfx card side of things, no doubt the prices will be sky high being nvidia (they are alot like Asus with their prices, they know their good so they make ppl pay for them, and then some)



    what yall think of the rest of the build? i really want to see what sata 3 will be like, just a shame they dont have it on the x58 chips.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,588
    SEVEN x64
       #46

    bloke said:
    skunksmash said:
    Fumz said:
    Currently?
    lol.....yeah ''microstutter'' is no doubt a feature they're looking to add to the 10.1 cat's
    yeh i just had a quick read about that thread where you mention your issues with ur new 5970. if you had another choice, would you go back to nvidia, have you even had a chance to game on that ATI yet?

    Fermi...great another age in technology, oh well nvidia sure took their time, but they expect release around march? so i guess i will just wait on the grfx card side of things, no doubt the prices will be sky high being nvidia (they are alot like Asus with their prices, they know their good so they make ppl pay for them, and then some)



    what yall think of the rest of the build? i really want to see what sata 3 will be like, just a shame they dont have it on the x58 chips.
    right now....i'd swap back to Nvidia in a heartbeat......

    but i have to add, gaming is pretty good... & the synthetic benches are also good (20k vantage, which on my system is very good), but the issues i see while not gaming seriously stack up (2D application), couple this with the fact that upgrading or rolling back these drivers is probably the worst task on earth..., i see constant BSOD's, lock ups.... even system restores, just to change drivers..... its an UTTER FIASCO at the moment, im actually dreading the ''10.1 Cat'' changeover but at the same time im desperate for it.

    but that said, the H/W itself is EXCELLENT, & when the drivers are kind to me i see AMAZING performance @ icy cool temperatures.... so its not all bad.

    but a GPU is only as good as its drivers...
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 458
    Windows 7 7600 x64 (16385) Ultimate,Windows Vista x64 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #47

    skunksmash said:
    bloke said:
    skunksmash said:

    lol.....yeah ''microstutter'' is no doubt a feature they're looking to add to the 10.1 cat's
    yeh i just had a quick read about that thread where you mention your issues with ur new 5970. if you had another choice, would you go back to nvidia, have you even had a chance to game on that ATI yet?

    Fermi...great another age in technology, oh well nvidia sure took their time, but they expect release around march? so i guess i will just wait on the grfx card side of things, no doubt the prices will be sky high being nvidia (they are alot like Asus with their prices, they know their good so they make ppl pay for them, and then some)



    what yall think of the rest of the build? i really want to see what sata 3 will be like, just a shame they dont have it on the x58 chips.
    right now....i'd swap back to Nvidia in a heartbeat......

    but i have to add, gaming is pretty good... & the synthetic benches are also good (20k vantage, which on my system is very good), but the issues i see while not gaming seriously stack up (2D application), couple this with the fact that upgrading or rolling back these drivers is probably the worst task on earth..., i see constant BSOD's, lock ups.... even system restores, just to change drivers..... its an UTTER FIASCO at the moment, im actually dreading the ''10.1 Cat'' changeover but at the same time im desperate for it.

    but that said, the H/W itself is EXCELLENT, & when the drivers are kind to me i see AMAZING performance @ icy cool temperatures.... so its not all bad.

    but a GPU is only as good as its drivers...
    20k in vantage is pretty easy, i was getting around that when my quad 98gx2's were running and at 3.9ghz

    but vantage is alot like mark06, it mainly depends on your cpu and FSB speeds rather than gpu power.

    so with 2 5970's on ur system i would expect around 24k+ in vantage. (but i think if ur cpu was at 3.9 you would already hit the 24k mark)

    i am still finding this hard to decide what grfx card to put on the list tho, even if i forget about nvidia for the moment (lets say that their prices are stupid crazy xpensive and they dont out-power ATI--hhmmm), i wonder if the 5870 has the same problems as the 5970? is it the entire 5 series driver architecture that has the issue? does ATI do the same as nvidia, they release one driver (pretty much) for all cards? for example, the driver i would d/l for my gx2 will also work with my 8400gs, all i do is transfer it over my network to the HTPC and install it, its good in a way as the d/l is around 130mb.

    also i can get the 5970 cheaper than i can get 2 5870's. ebay the 5970 is almost $900, and each 5870 is $650 here at a local. (the 5970 at the same local is $1200+, but the 5870 is about the same price on ebay as the local so its not worth the bid on bay)

    i was also considering a intel ssd x25-E 64gb but $1000 for 64gb of storage??!! that would be plain stupid. so i would just stick with the sata3 2tb for $610
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1,496
    7 Ultimate x64
       #48

    skunksmash said:
    ... but a GPU is only as good as its drivers...
    Truth.

    bloke said:
    what yall think of the rest of the build? i really want to see what sata 3 will be like, just a shame they dont have it on the x58 chips.
    Just read this this am... good stuff. I'd say the chip you picked is definitely a winner; good starting point.
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...l#xtor=RSS-182
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 2,588
    SEVEN x64
       #49

    bloke said:
    skunksmash said:
    bloke said:

    yeh i just had a quick read about that thread where you mention your issues with ur new 5970. if you had another choice, would you go back to nvidia, have you even had a chance to game on that ATI yet?

    Fermi...great another age in technology, oh well nvidia sure took their time, but they expect release around march? so i guess i will just wait on the grfx card side of things, no doubt the prices will be sky high being nvidia (they are alot like Asus with their prices, they know their good so they make ppl pay for them, and then some)



    what yall think of the rest of the build? i really want to see what sata 3 will be like, just a shame they dont have it on the x58 chips.
    right now....i'd swap back to Nvidia in a heartbeat......

    but i have to add, gaming is pretty good... & the synthetic benches are also good (20k vantage, which on my system is very good), but the issues i see while not gaming seriously stack up (2D application), couple this with the fact that upgrading or rolling back these drivers is probably the worst task on earth..., i see constant BSOD's, lock ups.... even system restores, just to change drivers..... its an UTTER FIASCO at the moment, im actually dreading the ''10.1 Cat'' changeover but at the same time im desperate for it.

    but that said, the H/W itself is EXCELLENT, & when the drivers are kind to me i see AMAZING performance @ icy cool temperatures.... so its not all bad.

    but a GPU is only as good as its drivers...
    20k in vantage is pretty easy, i was getting around that when my quad 98gx2's were running and at 3.9ghz

    but vantage is alot like mark06, it mainly depends on your cpu and FSB speeds rather than gpu power.

    so with 2 5970's i would expect around 24k+ in vantage.

    i am still finding this hard to decide what grfx card to put on the list tho, even if i forget about nvidia for the moment (lets say that their prices are stupid crazy xpensive and they dont out-power ATI--hhmmm), i wonder if the 5870 has the same problems as the 5970? is it the entire 5 series driver architecture that has the issue? does ATI do the same as nvidia, they release one driver (pretty much) for all cards? for example, the driver i would d/l for my gx2 will also work with my 8400gs, all i do is transfer it over my network to the HTPC and install it, its good in a way as the d/l is around 130mb.

    also i can get the 5970 cheaper than i can get 2 5870's. ebay the 5970 is almost $900, and each 5870 is $650 here at a local. (the 5970 at the same local is $1200+, but the 5870 is about the same price on ebay as the local so its not worth the bid on bay)

    i was also considering a intel ssd x25-E 64gb but $1000 for 64gb of storage??!! that would be plain stupid. so i would just stick with the sata3 2tb for $610
    with ''i7'' & 2x 5970's running as they should in ''Quadfire'' you'll be looking @ 40k+

    they're absolute MONSTERS!!!
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 458
    Windows 7 7600 x64 (16385) Ultimate,Windows Vista x64 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #50

    well looking at nvidia's "white paper" (no racism) they made graphs of performance where they are expecting the new 'Fermi' chips to perform more than twice (about triple) the performance of the gtx series chips, which will be insane. but then so will the price tag, i will expect the top model to be over $1400 opposed to my local price of the 5970 @ $1200.

    this is the colourful white paper:
    http://www.nvidia.com/content/PDF/fe...Whitepaper.pdf
      My Computer


 
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