Vid card suggestions - again...

[entity]

Hi,

I've previously asked for suggestions for a vid card and I was suggested to get the Sapphire 4850 as my budget was in the low $100 range. I've just sold some stuff and now have upped my budget to $200. ("Mo money, mo problems")
Reading online, I notice I have a bunch more options now such as 4850 in Crossfire or a single 4870 or 4890.
If I were able to get 2 4850's for $200(used), versus one 4890 at $200 (MSI or Powercolor from CanadaComputers or Newegg respectively), which would you suggest and why?
My board is a Gigabyte MA790XT-UD4P.. reading online, I see that if I run CF, the PCI-E speed will drop to 8x/8x for both cards. Is there a real world performance drop with this?
How do the Nvidia cards compare with this also, in the same price range.
My priorities are: Cost > Performance > Noise level/Temps > Overclockability
Also, will I have power or space issues as I read that some of these cards take up a lot of room/power? My rig is posted below.


Thanks for the help (again).

The "HTPC/Gaming" rig:
AMD X3 720
4 GB OCZ DDR3
Gigabyte MA790XT
Antec 300
OCZ StealthXStream 700W
3x HDDs, 1x DVD

[SomeGuyGG]

MSI 4890 is the best for around $200.

I always prefer a single card over Crossfire as it will result in consistent performance over all games versus shaky performance depending on drivers for crossfire, especially in newer games.

It is $189 at canada computers with a rebate. That is fantastic.

You could always check other threads such as this which pit the two options against each other: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262990-33-crossfire-4850-beats-4890-decision-time

[entity]

MSI 4890 is the best for around $200.

I always prefer a single card over Crossfire as it will result in consistent performance over all games versus shaky performance depending on drivers for crossfire, especially in newer games.

It is $189 at canada computers with a rebate. That is fantastic.

You could always check other threads such as this which pit the two options against each other: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262990-33-crossfire-4850-beats-4890-decision-time

i was concerned about the MSI 4890 because of the many reviews about extremely loud / defective fans.. would u have any experience w/ the MSI 4890?
i also see a powercolor 4980 for just $10 more but can't find any reviews for it :(

[tietherope]

I have had the MSI model for just under a week now. The fan works with no problems at all and the unit overclocks pretty well. I would suggest you pick it up while the price is that low, I do not regret it.

[terrybear]

2 4850's will scale close to the 4890 more so if there 1 giger's but IF your looking for best right now a single 4890 is the way to go + factor in the fact when the new AMD/Ati DX11 " Evergreen " parts hit the market those 4890's will get dropped in price ... THEN imagine 2 4890's in crossfire mode !! :cheesygri

[tietherope]

This weekend July 10-12 Canada Computers has the Sapphire for $199 without having to deal with a MIR.
I would have waited if I had known and picked up the better brand.

[entity]

nice think i will pick up the sapphire card then..
if its between MSI/Sapphire/Powercolor, what would you all recommend as the more reliable brand, in terms of warranty / customer service?

[tietherope]

I myself would pick Sapphire>MSI>Powercolor
These things are personal preference though really.

[PennyArcade]

I have almost the exact same setup as yours and I went with a 4870 1GB card. What I worry about with your setup is that the CPU may bottleneck the system if you put in a 4890. If you can spend the extra $50 somewhere else, then I suggest doing so.

Regarding the Crossfire issue, I read an article that compares the two (16x/16x vs 8x/8x) and the difference is mixed. Here is the link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-meets-pci-express,1761-4.html Note that it is over a year old though.

[SivaNevets]

do some research on the fans, i usually find higher ATI card to be too lound, which MSI seem to have big nice fans similar to zalman ones. their quality r all the same, better deal is more important.

[mulambo187]

im loving the 8800gtx i picked up used for 100 bucks

[Oversized Rooster]

Go with the Sapphire 4890! I am running two of them in Crossfire and the fans work properly. At idle it's nice and quiet and at load understandably the ramp up.

[terrybear]

If your planning to mod them with better cooling going with the cheapest or a XFX model would be best then.

Otherwise go with the cheapest with the best cooling/preformance of them. Its a given that you'll probly not be hitting 1 ghz on the cheaper models but I firmly believe these cards that can do a 900+ mhz gpu clock will be more then enough for most users.

[teleguitar]

If you try an Nvidia card in one of the newer AMD/ATI boards (for e.g., 780G chipset or 790), what happens? How would it compare to an ATI card?

I think the GeForce 260/275 series might be better than the ATI 4870/4890 cards. Maybe? Depending on the game? I have read that ATI has issues in Windows and is full of issues/problems if using Linux.

The one thing I like about ATI cards is that the reference cards are usually shorter than Nvidia cards so you're not limited by whatever case you have.

I want to upgrade my card to an ATI 4870/4890 or Nvidia GTX 260 or 275 but what I've read has me really leaning towards an Nvidia card. But, I'd like to know whether the mobo makes a difference (i.e. if it's Intel-based, P35 or P45 or X58 etc or one from AMD/ATI).

[terrybear]

If you try an Nvidia card in one of the newer AMD/ATI boards (for e.g., 780G chipset or 790), what happens? How would it compare to an ATI card?

I think the GeForce 260/275 series might be better than the ATI 4870/4890 cards. Maybe? Depending on the game? I have read that ATI has issues in Windows and is full of issues/problems if using Linux.

The one thing I like about ATI cards is that the reference cards are usually shorter than Nvidia cards so you're not limited by whatever case you have.

I want to upgrade my card to an ATI 4870/4890 or Nvidia GTX 260 or 275 but what I've read has me really leaning towards an Nvidia card. But, I'd like to know whether the mobo makes a difference (i.e. if it's Intel-based, P35 or P45 or X58 etc or one from AMD/ATI).

might be best to ask this in a new thread. But i'll awnser otherwise :)

Right now ati offers the best value/preformance senario between the 2 companies thought others will argue otherwise. Same as the drivers in windows & linux, I can't fully coment on linux drivers but everything I have heard ati wise the latest drivers they have been putting out for linux are 10x more better then there previous ones.

Both nvidia & ati have there overall advantages & disadvantages but the 2 that get talked about most is for nvidia: faster framerates vs equal competitive ati cards vs ati: superior image quality & less framerates in some instances vs nvidia's equal competitor.

Chipset & cpu choice DOES matter in some cards preformance. You just have to find the right combinations. :)