[Sylfer]

hellow everyone, i'm new to the forums here...
i'm assembeling a new desktop and i can't decide what card i should put in it...

i've been told 2x6870 is realy nice(they scale beter in CF then the 59xx)

but actualy how does this scale vs a 5870 2gig matrix(and it's cheaper, and maybe in a few months i can but another one and run em in CF)

or maybe a nvidia GTX 480 or 580(althou a 580 will be out of my legaue)

send me some help

thx

[k88]

you´ll be good with the two 6870, how many monitors and what resolution are you playing to add?

[RADIO_ACTIVE]

What is your budget?

[Sylfer]

i would play on a single monitor and i have a monitor that can play 1920x1080 (Full HD 1080p) 120Hz

my budget lies around euros 450 - 500

[Sylfer]

i would also love to have to option for 3D vision gaming open, not sure if radeon already supports this...

[RADIO_ACTIVE]

Two GTX 470s would be right at your budget, but you may want to wait until the release fo the Radeon 6970, 6950 and GeForce 570, 560 as this will expand your options and prices.

[Just a nickname]

From what I know 3D vision is "just" the superposition of two images. It has more to do with the refresh rate than the video card. With a 120 MHz you should be fine, but you'll need the glasses (both side block a different frequency specter if not mistaken so you can only see 60 images per sec per eye).

[ratbuddy]

Originally Posted by Just a nickname

From what I know 3D vision is "just" the superposition of two images. It has more to do with the refresh rate than the video card. With a 120 MHz you should be fine, but you'll need the glasses (both side block a different frequency specter if not mistaken so you can only see 60 images per sec per eye).

3D takes roughly double the horsepower to run. Definitely not just about the refresh rate.

[Just a nickname]

Originally Posted by ratbuddy

3D takes roughly double the horsepower to run. Definitely not just about the refresh rate.

I think you're wrong sir. FPS and refresh rate are both independent.
Your screen will still refresh at a 120MHz rate, no matter how good is your graphic card. Now, if you want good gaming performance it is sure that better is your card, higher your FPS will be. Thus, the 3D will looks better as the FPS can go up to the refresh rate.

[ratbuddy]

Originally Posted by Just a nickname

I think you're wrong sir. FPS and refresh rate are both independent.
Your screen will still refresh at a 120MHz rate, no matter how good is your graphic card. Now, if you want good gaming performance it is sure that better is your card, higher your FPS will be. Thus, the 3D will looks better as the FPS can go up to the refresh rate.

I'm not really sure what you are trying to say. My statement that 3D takes about double the GPU power is not incorrect. I've run it and know firsthand.

[doz]

He said it himself in a way though rat. Kind of contradicted himself as well. FPS is refresh rate dependent BUT with a lower end video card you wont hit your refresh rate in FPS. 3d mode is BRUTAL on FPS. Like RatBuddy said, youll need about double the GPU to keep the same FPS you have without 3d.

Yes, FPS is refresh rate limited, but you must get to that limitation first

[Sylfer]

euhm
well about the 3D vidion atm i only know for sure nvidea supports this(you need drivers on your card for it)
but waiting is not an option, you get into a circle then, when they are released you can wait again for the next serie etc...
so my question is what card sould i buy that is avaiable atm
gtx 480
5870 matrix
2x6870 in CF
or something else

i'm a total nub case in stuff like this so help is welcome

[ratbuddy]

Originally Posted by Sylfer

euhm
well about the 3D vidion atm i only know for sure nvidea supports this(you need drivers on your card for it)
but waiting is not an option, you get into a circle then, when they are released you can wait again for the next serie etc...
so my question is what card sould i buy that is avaiable atm
gtx 480
5870 matrix
2x6870 in CF
or something else

i'm a total nub case in stuff like this so help is welcome

Might want to start a new thread for that, but off the top of my head, skip the matrix, you can get a normal 5870 for about $250 and it'll perform the same. Skip the 480, 580 is much better. Skip 6870 CF, a pair of OC'd 460 1GB cards will perform the same and cost much less.

Definitely wait a couple weeks for the 69XX cards, launch is too close to buy now in the price range you seem to be considering.

[BigAndrew]

Originally Posted by ratbuddy

Definitely wait a couple weeks for the 69XX cards, launch is too close to buy now in the price range you seem to be considering.

I agree... The wait will be worth it
and chances are the prices of the older ones might drop right away

[CanUK]

Originally Posted by ratbuddy

Might want to start a new thread for that, but off the top of my head, skip the matrix, you can get a normal 5870 for about $250 and it'll perform the same. Skip the 480, 580 is much better. Skip 6870 CF, a pair of OC'd 460 1GB cards will perform the same and cost much less.

Definitely wait a couple weeks for the 69XX cards, launch is too close to buy now in the price range you seem to be considering.

Are you really sure about that? The 6870's in Crossfire scale better than any other card out there right now. Also add to the fact that a 6870 will out perform the 470.

I am not trying to be fanboish here, because the 460s are great, but everything I have read shows the new ATI cards are very good. Also, the 6870's do overclock fairly well, not as high as the 460s, but still they are no slouches.

[ratbuddy]

Originally Posted by CanUK

Are you really sure about that? The 6870's in Crossfire scale better than any other card out there right now. Also add to the fact that a 6870 will out perform the 470.

I am not trying to be fanboish here, because the 460s are great, but everything I have read shows the new ATI cards are very good. Also, the 6870's do overclock fairly well, not as high as the 460s, but still they are no slouches.

6870 is lucky to hit 10%, while the 460 hits 25% on almost every card, and 30% on most. Checking newegg, the highest factory clocked 6870 is at a 4.5% OC or so. That's pretty telling. ATI wanted maximum performance, so they clocked the card accordingly. Nvidia wanted a decent card that would not steal sales from the 470, so they seriously underclocked the 460.

Scaling on the 460 is about the same as 6870. You can see on Anand's 6870 launch review that the 460 1GB FTW card (850 mhz core clock, roughly 26% OC) was just about a match for the 470 and 6870. Sure, the 6870 when overclocked might pull ahead again by ~10% on a good day, but is that worth paying over 60% more?

I don't think so.

[CanUK]

Originally Posted by ratbuddy

6870 is lucky to hit 10%, while the 460 hits 25% on almost every card, and 30% on most. Checking newegg, the highest factory clocked 6870 is at a 4.5% OC or so. That's pretty telling. ATI wanted maximum performance, so they clocked the card accordingly. Nvidia wanted a decent card that would not steal sales from the 470, so they seriously underclocked the 460.

Scaling on the 460 is about the same as 6870. You can see on Anand's 6870 launch review that the 460 1GB FTW card (850 mhz core clock, roughly 26% OC) was just about a match for the 470 and 6870. Sure, the 6870 when overclocked might pull ahead again by ~10% on a good day, but is that worth paying over 60% more?

I don't think so.

I think you should check the review done on this very site, 15% overclock has been achieved without my trouble on the 6870. There is also a review done on a seperate site showing the Crossfire scaling of the 6870 that was 90%+ and clearly out performing an 5970 in every category.

[doz]

Then get a 6870 and x-fire it :/ Id personally wait a few weeks for the 6970 rather than mess around with a dual gpu situation.