Which GPU is a better choice?

Hello, I have been doing a lot of research over the past few days as to which graphics card will give me the best performance in a particular price range. Here is my current setup:

- D975XBX2 motherboard with 975X chipset

- Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz w/ a Zalman CNPS9500 CPU Fan

- 2GB DDR2-533MHz

- Sapphire Radeon X1900xtx

- Windows XP Pro SP2

I first cameacross the HD2900 pro 512-mbfor around $160-170, though they have been out of stock the last few days, but seemed like it would give me a good bang for my buck because i am planning on putting two cards in crossfire.

Later, I discovered the HD3870 which, with the 55nm processor, GDDR4 512-mb and fast clock and memory speeds, seemed to be the next best choice at about $240. Even though this is more expensive, the reduced power consumption, heat output and apparent increase in performance made it appear to be the better choice.

Though as I did more and more reseach, I ended up looking at either Crossfiring two HD3870's or going for an 8800GTX I found for around $450.

Basically, my question is what would be the best choice between going for the 8800GTX I found, or crossfiring the Hd3870's. And also, are crossfire HD3870's evenpossible on my motherboard and how would the 8800GTX perform on it aswell? Both solutions seem to run at about the same price.

I know my post is long-winded, but any assistance that could be provided would be highly appreciated; thanks in advance!

Yeah, thats what I was originally leaning towards aswell. The games I play include Crysis,Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, Oblivion, Black and White 2, The Orange Box, and several others. I have heard that some games (Crysis, for example) don't support crossfire, and that you will only get the benefit of a single card. For games such as Crysis, which are obviously highly demanding, is going with the Crossfire HD3870's still the best choice?

Thanks.

crysis does support crossfire

but i wont recommend getting crossfire cuz in january they are supposedly releasing the 3870x2 which is a single card with the performance of 2 3870s so if you have 3870x2's in crossfire its like have 4 cards in crossfire and with the new mobos that support 4 cards via crossfire it would be like having 8 cards in crossfire (wow!)

so for now get one 3870 then in january replace it with the 3870x2

crysis does support crossfire

but i wont recommend getting crossfire cuz in january they are supposedly releasing the 3870x2 which is a single card with the performance of 2 3870s so if you have 3870x2's in crossfire its like have 4 cards in crossfire and with the new mobos that support 4 cards via crossfire it would be like having 8 cards in crossfire (wow!)

so for now get one 3870 then in january replace it with the 3870x2

sabbath2gamer

Well, I got my X1900xtx a little over a year ago, and for a good bit of time it was working wonderfully. Within the past ferw months though, I noticed I was getting a lot of artifacting, particularly in mroe demanding games such as Crysis. At first, I wasn't sure what was causing it, but I came to the conclusion that it was a cooling problem. I downloaded ATI Tool and setup a profile with increased fan speeds. This had a positive effect on GPU temps and reduced artifacting a great deal. Unfortuantely, I have noticed the problem beginning to resurface. Currently, I run the fan speed between 70 and 100 percent when playing games, and after 30 minutes to an hour I STILL get artifacting, especially in crysis, Oblivion, and Black & White 2 aswell. With this increased fanspeed, My 1900xtx still runs at about 75C with 90% fan speed! Before I got ATI Tool, it would run up around 95C. I fear the worst, that perhaps my card has been damaged by this overheating. Either way, in an effort to increase graphical performanceandreduce or eliminate artifacting (and run at cooler temperatures and have lower power consuption in the case of the HD3870's), I figured an upgrade would be my best bet.I ended up looking at the higher end cards because whenever I upgrade my computer, I want the new parts to give me the most performance for the longest period of time. I am on a bit of a budget restriction, around $450, and these higher end cards are what I ended up looking at.

With this in mind, what would be my best solution? I really want to get rid of the artifacting and hopefully get an increase in performance with whatever I do. Would waiting for the next generation of cards really be worth it, and would their release pricesbe practical in relation to what I am considering here?

Anyway, thanks for the help so far; I guess part of my problem is that I am just really anxious to upgrade, which I suppose could end up being my downfall.

I would be grateful for any further advice.

By the way, I run my games on a 20 inch widescreen Viewsonic at a native resolution of 1680 x 1050.

I'm not so sure how well that would work out; they say thatyou would have needed to register your product within 30 days of pruchase, and that the warranties AMD offers only apply to products purchased after october 25, 2006, which is when they merged with ATI, which, unfortunately, I am fairly certain is after I purchased this card.

Aside from this, I don't know if I still have the recipt (stupid of me if I don't).

So it would not appear that this would be a practical approach, considering my situation and the age of my card. It was a good idea though, so thanks for the effort.

What would be your next recommendation?

Was the card actually made by ATI, or a board partner like HIS, Sapphire, Diamond, or anyone? You could check with them as well.

Next recommendation is a bit touchy - you could consider an aftermarket GPU cooler (your warranty is screwed anyway), but given how long you've already had the card and that you probably won't have it for another year, that might not be the best option. If you do keep a backup machine in the house, it could be worth the effort and money, since you'll at least have a fairly powerful and quiet backup card.

Well, it is a Saphhire card, but when I went to their site they directed me to ATI customer support. :/

At this point, I suppose I will probablyjust geta better cooler for my X1900xtx either way; my brother or my dad will probably eventually end up using it in one of their computers.

I guess waiting for the next generation may be the most economical choice, but if I were to choose out of the current generation of cards based solely on raw overall performance, what would be your top pick? Would the HD3870's in crossfire or the 8800GTX be up there, and if so, which would be better?

Thanks for you help.

Oh, I just found your post in that other thread RayvinAzn, sorry for the repetition.

Ok, in that case, I think I may just go fora single8800GTS just because of the better performance for the price; I've been with ATI for five different cards now, but I suppose at the time being nvidia may be a better option. Also, this way I will have some money left over.

Thanks for sticking up with my stubborn nature, I appreciate it; I'll let you know how everything goes.

Of these two, which is a better choice?

8800GTS 512- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150261

8800GT 512 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143117

I am currently leaning toward the 8800GT; does that seem like a good decision?

Of these two, which is a better choice?

8800GTS 512- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150261

8800GT 512 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143117

I am currently leaning toward the 8800GT; does that seem like a good decision?

Tzarro

The 8800GT offers better performance for the price - but it's hotter, louder, and the particular model you picked out really isn't better for the price. Get that 8800GTS instead, it's a much better deal.