FINALLY upgrading my rig...

[xBruce88x]

well its tax time and upgrade time lol

I picked up an Athlon II X4 2.8 and a Foxconn A7GM-S 2.0 mobo for about $200. I'll be re-using the rest of my current rig with these parts, except the older video cards i have in it and sound card (see meh specs). I also picked up a new case for $40 and it came with a somewhat standard 400watt power supply, which i'll probably use to turn my current rig into just a cruncher/folder.

now for my reason in posting here... I'm currently deciding between these 2 gpu's for later (couple weeks from now, state taxes )

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-316-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150439

which of the 2 cards is the better performer? and which would work best on my current power supply (in specs). I selected these 2 since they both blow air out the back, i'm thinking the ati card is more powerful, dx11, a better cooler, but i think my powersupply will just barely run it, while the other one has a louder fan but comes with a free game and requires slightly less power... which is the better choice? another thing, i'll be loading win7 x64 on it also.

thanks in advance, i'd better get to bed now lol

[DirectorC]

A 5750 performs about the same as a GTS250. I don't know if I would bother with the 5750, it supports DX11 but at the same time it will get slayed in DX11 games performance-wise so it's not worth it. Get the GTS250 to hold you over until both ATI and nVidia have wide-spread low-cost DX11 video cards out.

[Fourstaff]

Get at least 5770.

[headshot119]

Originally Posted by Fourstaff

Get at least 5770.

+1 I've just got a 5770, and I wouldn't get anything less than it!

[Goodman]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

A 5750 performs about the same as a GTS250. I don't know if I would bother with the 5750, it supports DX11 but at the same time it will get slayed in DX11 games performance-wise so it's not worth it. Get the GTS250 to hold you over until both ATI and nVidia have wide-spread low-cost DX11 video cards out.

In the beginning maybe?
But now with few updates drivers the card perform much better (i know i got one)

I've got about 10fp/s more from 9.10 to 10.2 now , really nice bump

In Far Cry 2 benchmarks i got ~43fp/s in DX10 @ 1600x1200 4xAA & all the rest at high & very high (Max out) that is with my card at stock speed & the card does overclock like madness

I play all my games @1600x1200 with 4AA without any problems but i don't have Dx11 games so can't tell how it performs in DX11 except for Unigine benchmarks

Anyhow i think for the price you can't get anything better IMO but if he can get more money then the 5770 or an 5850 would be better choice but more expensive too

[DirectorC]

My point about the 5700 series is that when people do go play DX11 games they will be left disappointed. 5700 series can't handle the workload of a true DX11 game. I can't recommend anything lesser than 5800 series or GTX400 series for true gamers.

[Fourstaff]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

My point about the 5700 series is that when people do go play DX11 games they will be left disappointed. 5700 series can't handle the workload of a true DX11 game. I can't recommend anything lesser than 5800 series or GTX400 series for true gamers.

Well, if you are gaming 1680X1050 or less, its more than adequate.

[erocker]

The 5770 uses 20 watts less at peak than a GTS250 and is more powerful. A 5770 is the perfect card for a mainstream gamer, will play DX11 games just fine and will work with your PSU.

[Necrofire]

a 400W would be acceptable, but expect a lot of heat coming out the back during full load. I can attest that a decent mobo, with my 4850, 95W cpu, and 3 hard drives never pulled more than 350W.

But with that gpu, the 12V line might hit it's peak amp rating if it's a cheap enough supply.

Try it out, worst comes to worst it gets too hot and shuts down.

[DirectorC]

Originally Posted by erocker

The 5770 uses 20 watts less at peak than a GTS250 and is more powerful. A 5770 is the perfect card for a mainstream gamer, will play DX11 games just fine and will work with your PSU.

If 20FPS average is 'just fine' to you, but seeing as how you have Crossfired 5800 series cards then I guess it is not. Use a 5770 on a good setup to play a DX11 game at even moderately high settings. Have fun with that.

[erocker]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

If 20FPS average is 'just fine' to you, but seeing as how you have Crossfired 5800 series cards then I guess it is not. Use a 5770 on a good setup to play a DX11 game at even moderately high settings. Have fun with that.

5800 cards won't work with his power supply that he wants to continue to use. Yes you aren't going to play at maximum settings in some games with a 5770. He's asking between two cards and I answered the question.

[DirectorC]

Well I was just saying that it's pointless to get a DX11 card that won't hang with DX11 games and thus I would get a GTS250. I also prefer nVidia products in general but that doesn't mean anything, if the OP can't get a 5800 series card and has to settle for low end I would stick to something stable and capable. That's my reasoning behind not recommending a 5700 series card over a GTS250. I certainly hope that OP knows that if he wants to play anything at 1920x1440 with any less than a $250 card he will not be able to enable the bells and whistles, be it DX 11 or 9.

OP also needs to get a 550+ Watt PSU already. I don't know why that wasn't part of the upgrade plan.

[erocker]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

Well I was just saying that it's pointless to get a DX11 card that won't hang with DX11 games and thus I would get a GTS250. I also prefer nVidia products in general but that doesn't mean anything, if the OP can't get a 5800 series card and has to settle for low end I would stick to something stable and capable. That's my reasoning behind not recommending a 5700 series card over a GTS250.

But the GTS250 uses more power with no performance benefit. The 5770 will run everything and be very playable.

Originally Posted by DirectorC

I certainly hope that OP knows that if he wants to play anything at 1920x1440 with any less than a $250 card he will not be able to enable the bells and whistles.

That I agree with, it's not going to run everything maxed but it will still be a capable card. The 5770 does match up to the rest of the system well. If you want to run everything maxed out, the entire rig needs to be rethinked.

[zithe]

Originally Posted by xBruce88x

which of the 2 cards is the better performer? and which would work best on my current power supply (in specs). I selected these 2 since they both blow air out the back, i'm thinking the ati card is more powerful, dx11, a better cooler, but i think my powersupply will just barely run it, while the other one has a louder fan but comes with a free game and requires slightly less power... which is the better choice? another thing, i'll be loading win7 x64 on it also.

thanks in advance, i'd better get to bed now lol

5750 is better in every respect. I do believe it consumes less power, but I'd upgrade your PSU before doing anything else.

Originally Posted by DirectorC

If 20FPS average is 'just fine' to you, but seeing as how you have Crossfired 5800 series cards then I guess it is not. Use a 5770 on a good setup to play a DX11 game at even moderately high settings. Have fun with that.

The only thing that will cause a major hit with DX11 is tesselation. If you ignore that, you can actually get a teeny performance boost with DX11. Kinda defeats the purpose, though.

http://www.elitebastards.com/index.p...7&limitstart=7

Only DX11 review I can find with them. I'd say that's more than playable.

[DirectorC]

But tessellation is what brings brick walls to life

[zithe]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

But tessellation is what brings brick walls to life

Dunno about you, but I don't usually build my computer aiming for brick walls. I hardly see them in games.

[brandonwh64]

i have noticed that the OP hassnt responded to the thread. OP what would you prefer? GTS 250 or some ATI card?

[Goodman]

Originally Posted by DirectorC

Well I was just saying that it's pointless to get a DX11 card that won't hang with DX11 games and thus I would get a GTS250. I also prefer nVidia products in general but that doesn't mean anything, if the OP can't get a 5800 series card and has to settle for low end I would stick to something stable and capable. That's my reasoning behind not recommending a 5700 series card over a GTS250. I certainly hope that OP knows that if he wants to play anything at 1920x1440 with any less than a $250 card he will not be able to enable the bells and whistles, be it DX 11 or 9.

OP also needs to get a 550+ Watt PSU already. I don't know why that wasn't part of the upgrade plan.

Don't forget that the 57xx series are mid-range cards what is pointless are the low end DX11 card like 54xx , 55xx & 56xx series... sh*t!

[zithe]

Originally Posted by Goodman

Don't forget that the 57xx series are mid-range cards what is pointless are the low end DX11 card like 54xx , 55xx & 56xx series... sh*t!

I think their mainstream.

I'd ignore both of them and go another step up to 5770 or beyond. After the GTS 250, nvidia isn't worth looking at currently due to price and consumption vs. performance. 5770 trades blows with the GTX 260 / 4870.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...0,2446-15.html
Power consumption chart there should sway you to the ATI card if you had to decide between these two. Either of the cards would be an enjoyable improvement, though the ATI consumes significantly less. (65W load difference, 6w idle) Even the 5770 consumes much less.

[xBruce88x]

been out of town all day...

I was just at best buy looking around and i found a 5770 for $170, a 5750 for $160, and the gts 250 for as low as $155. I'd like to stay at or below $175 and still be able to use the same power supply (since buying a new one could be yet another $60-75 for a decent one). If anything, I think I could rig up the other 400watt supply that came with the cheapo case i got (plan on modding it so i wasn't too worried about looks) as dedicated power for the card. i think the 12v on it was at least 26A.

I did look up a benchmark comparison of th 5750 and gts250 and they were neck in neck pretty much on fps, with the 5770 a little faster obviously. I also noticed my current card will do OK as is at about 25-30fps with the newer games (not dx 11 of course) at about 1280x1024 with decent filtering. I think i saw someone say the 5770 uses close or less power than the gts250? if so then i may get that card... however i'd like to get one with a good (non-reference) blower design to funnel the heat out the back. a $175 card is definately well acceptable for my price range. I have more money, but i'm also rebulding the engine in my truck so most is going for that.

so, would the 5770 be the best bet? or could i get a 5850 for 175 (i doubt it) and somehow force a 2nd powersupply to run it by itself? I have 2 o 3 power supplies lol, all in the 300-400watt range. the best of the few is the current one i have (since it actually has a pci-e connecter, i'll use it as the dedicated power for gfx if i can/have to). I'll put a higher CFM rating 80mm fan on the back of the power supply if i need to, noise isn't too much of a problem for gaming, i use headphones. I'm more worried about idle noise since i stream a lot of video/audio to my xbox to my tv at night for movies. i think a fan control unit will fix that problem though.

[zithe]

Originally Posted by xBruce88x

been out of town all day...

I was just at best buy looking around and i found a 5770 for $170, a 5750 for $160, and the gts 250 for as low as $155. I'd like to stay at or below $175 and still be able to use the same power supply (since buying a new one could be yet another $60-75 for a decent one). If anything, I think I could rig up the other 400watt supply that came with the cheapo case i got (plan on modding it so i wasn't too worried about looks) as dedicated power for the card. i think the 12v on it was at least 26A.

I did look up a benchmark comparison of th 5750 and gts250 and they were neck in neck pretty much on fps, with the 5770 a little faster obviously. I also noticed my current card will do OK as is at about 25-30fps with the newer games (not dx 11 of course) at about 1280x1024 with decent filtering. I think i saw someone say the 5770 uses close or less power than the gts250? if so then i may get that card... however i'd like to get one with a good (non-reference) blower design to funnel the heat out the back. a $175 card is definately well acceptable for my price range. I have more money, but i'm also rebulding the engine in my truck so most is going for that.

so, would the 5770 be the best bet? or could i get a 5850 for 175 (i doubt it) and somehow force a 2nd powersupply to run it by itself? I have 2 o 3 power supplies lol, all in the 300-400watt range. the best of the few is the current one i have (since it actually has a pci-e connecter, i'll use it as the dedicated power for gfx if i can/have to)

Can you only buy the card locally or can you use something like newegg?

Your best bet with most cards is to get reference cooling, as many non reference can be poorly made, though the sapphire I listed below looks very nice.

Powercolor cheapest 5770: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-328-_-Product
Sapphire Nonreference blower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-873-_-Product
Diamond Reference: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-086-_-Product

[xBruce88x]

nah i just listed the best buy prices since they were surprisingly close to newegg's prices for once lol, nah it doesn't have to be local, i just happened to be there today so i figured i'd look anyway

I'll be getting the new card with my "state" tax return. which i should get in 10days or so, so maybe there will be a price drop by then which is why i dont mind looking at the $175 range now. just wanting to make sure i can get the best card and still use it with my current power supplies since i will also still be doing stuff with my truck with that return also (things like alternator rebuild, weather stripping, etc)