WIll a HD6870 last me at 1280x1024?

I want something that will last me a good few years running very high settingsbut I onlyuse a 19" monitor at 1280x1024. Will this do the trick for a good while taking the low res into account?

Short answer: yes.

Short question: why?

Add: I'm assuming your other components are relatively decent as well?

Well I've just ordered a new comp and only do a bit of gaming (when I get the time really). I'm happy with that size monitor tbh. Just wanted to make sure it'll last me running on high settings on my small screen (by today's standards). :P The comp is mainly for Music Production but I want The Witcher 2, the new Bioshock, Duke Nukem Forever and a few other games so couldn't resist shoving a gaming GPU in there. ;) Full specs are:

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN R3 - BLACK PEARL CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8P67 (NEW REV 3.0): USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6870 - 2 DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
2nd Graphics Card
NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD) (£9)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NONE
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£72)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
Echo Mia Midi

I understand that the Processor and Ram over power the 6870 but the main purpose of the machine is not gaming. I would go higher but I'm on the limits of my budget and if this will do we for a few years I can just upgrade when the better cards come down in price. I'm not sure if this PSU will handle a second 6870? Be right around the limit I think.

Great, thank you! Could be an option when things get slow then. Would the two cards have to be the same brand or can you crossfire any 2 as long as they are both HD6870's? I've never run two cards so have no idea how it works.

I've gone with a locked i7 because the unlocked costs more and I have no intention of overclocking the system. I need the most stable long lasting system I can for the music production side of things. With my silent case and minimal fans in there (I very much need this in a system) things could get a bit nasty if I start overclocking etc. I want to play games bit I have to comprimise unfortunately. Can't afford two machines!

OK, thank you. :) Yeah I know there isn't much difference in price. It just doesn't seem worth it as I know I wont bother to overclock it at any point. It will last me nicely with the DAW I useand by the time I need to overclock it will be time for a new machine. ;)

To be honest you wont need to crossfire 2 6870s to play any current games at that resolution. Imo save your cash and buy then the next generation cards come outGamerSyrim

Nice one. Yeah I'll just have one 6870 to start with and then either replace it or get another depending on what will give me the best performance for the money at the time. Cheers for your help guys. Just neededreassurance as I don't keep up to speed with Graphics card tech these days. Thankfully I'm used to a 19" monitor so don't crave anything bigger. Just have to make sure I don't use anyone elses set up and get jealous. ;)

Widescreen monitors are no good for me really. In Cubase the vertical real estate is more valuable to me. I'm running a two screen set upso I have plenty horizontal space already. It is a shame and I'd like to get a dedicated gaming monitor tbh but I can only fit two monitors on my desk anyway and am rather poor after getting a new machine and a new£756 pair of speakers. :P

No doubt I'll have to change screensat some point though as mine are getting on a bit. They were a freebie from my work when they joined the modern world and got some new screens haha. They do me nicely though!

Cheers but hyperthreading is very much worth the extra money in music production. The latest DAW technology makes very good use of the i7s hyperthreading capability and it will far out perform the i5 in what I'm primarily using the computer for. The raid setup is also for music production, I need an instant backup for everything I do. Even losing a days work could be a nightmare.I undestand it isn't the best gaming machine but that is just its secondary function.

I don't know if I should really up the psu as I may just upgrade the card rather than get another 6870. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a bit more power though; I'll see what the extra cost is. Cheers. :)

Look at it like this: I game at 1920x1080 and I'm not worried about my 6870's performance. :PSoraX64

Ah nice one man, that's reassuring haha. :D

That GPU is more than enough for that res.