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Recomend me an ATI card
(62 posts, started )
Quote from RiGun :About a month ago a read an article that 3 cores performed exactly the same as 4 cores on recent games, now if you are working with heavy video or imaging soft then the 4th core will help a lot.

I also read that article before buying my computer.

I wont' activate the fourth core. Answering in your own words: Why buy a Porsche if I won't go faster than 50km/h?
4850 toxic
Quote from Whiskey :I also read that article before buying my computer.

I wont' activate the fourth core. Answering in your own words: Why buy a Porsche if I won't go faster than 50km/h?

it was a bad metaphor. cpu's don't have a national speed limit
Quote from Whiskey :
Processor........AMD Phenom II X3 720 @ 2,80GHz
Mother board...GIGABYTE MA790XT-UD4P AM3 790X
RAM.............. 4GB @ 1333MHz
Graphic card... ATI HD2600XT

I guess I'll need a new power suply aswell, but thats another matter hehe

Thx in advance

If i was you, i would buy a proper power supply first its essential for a stable system.
For your GPU, what games do you play? and what screen resolution do you play on?

For 120€ max, and for Ati, there aren't too many choices.
Take into account that in todays performance charts, a stock HD5670 is equal to the old HD2900XT (i have both) and therefore, you already know that a 5670 is already a good 15% faster then your 2600XT and, consumes a lot less, then in your upper limit, you could look for a pumped up HD5750 which is good enough up to 22" resolution (1680x1050) etc...

Also ,the new HD6000 series come out in 2 months time and the first models are probably in the price range you are looking for...

Try to answer the question about your games and screen i posted above and this should show what you are aiming for.
I play at 1440x900 in 19". I play mainly LFS, but I'm preparing my computer for F1 2010 (HD1900 as minimum) and MAFIA II (2600PRO). Also, I couldn't play the latest Call of Duty.

About the power suply, I'm aware, looking for consumptions to buy one if need. I have to check if I have the 4-pin connector and those things.

Obviosly I don't have any interest in buying a card with les or equal power to the 2600XT
How can I know what is the first 4000 and 500 with more power?
...with a 19" resolution, a 5750 is really the best you can get for your proposed 120€. Games like Mafia II will run just fine and Call of duty too.
even If you had a 22" with 1680x1050 res, it would still run fine but with a few less intensif feature like AA etc...

You should also consider older cards such as 4850 (like others kindly suggested) BUT only if its a real bargain AND remember that the 4800 series are hot and consume a lot more then the 5000 series. This also reflects on noise and heat in your pc case.

For your PSU, you don't need a beast, but don't go for a noname!, corsair makes proper psu's for relatively cheap prices and in your situation, a VX450/VX550 are a must if you want something good for a few years to come.

Finally don't under estimate the potential of unlocking your fourth core!
I own a 720BE myself and a similar gigabyte board, unlocking the fourth core gave me a 15-25% boost in many games, GTAIV, AVP, and many others, games get more and more multithreaded nowadays , so the more cores, the better

So, a good psu, a 5750 or alike and unlocking your fourth core, should give you a nice boost and good for a few years to come i guess.
As for LFS, well, a 5750 could even run it with 3x19" with decent settings , if your passion goes that far in the futur, never know, lol.

Hope this helped you out a bit.
Thanks for your advices.

It seems that it's not so easy as buy a 4850 straight away...it even seems that I will spend more than 120€ in the graphic card.

I think it's better to spend a bit more if I get something really more powerfull, but with this in mind I would end spending 400 euros
Sure it all depends on the budget, but its not that bad at all, consider the gpu (120) + psu (65) = 185 and you will have more then enough for your 19" space. Even consider a 5770 which is perfect for 22" and even very good in 24" and only around 30€ more.
All in all, in your situation a 200€ investment is an excellent deal and with your X3(still upgradeable for free) and 4GB of ram, you won't need more for a long time.

Edit: I forgot to precise, with a 4850, you'll definitely need a stable psu since it pumps twice as much as a 5750, so to think of before you buy.

Good luck with it
Quote from sfkilla :
Edit: I forgot to precise, with a 4850, you'll definitely need a stable psu since it pumps twice as much as a 5750, so to think of before you buy.

Interesting point, I don't want to pay in electricity bill the euros I'd save for buying an older card.


My actual power supply it's 450W, do you think it's enough? (I have 1 DVD and 2 HDD)
Could you type in the reference of your psu? (name, version), so that i can check the specs out. In Wattage, 450W is reasonable.
Quote from Whiskey :Interesting point, I don't want to pay in electricity bill the euros I'd save for buying an older card.


My actual power supply it's 450W, do you think it's enough? (I have 1 DVD and 2 HDD)

You shouldn't worry, I got 2 of them, and running on 520W.
I'm thinking of buying a 5750 (140€) or a 5770 (170€), as they need 450W and 1 75W connector, instead of 550W and 2 75W connectors. I'm looking at benchmarks to decide if that difference is worth it

I don't remember the brand of my PSU, but it's a good brand, thats for sure
Too bad you can give me your psu specs, would have been nice to know what your limits are but nevermind.
The 5770 is definitely a better choice and it also only need 1x6pin from the 12v rail. (Make sure you use the default PCI power connector from your psu) don't play around with adapters.

But your prices are quite high there...!
I'm in belgium, and a 5750 Ice is around 125€ and a 5770 Vapor-X is only at 153€, so try to find better prices if you can.
Don't buy a cheaper xfx model or other cheap models (that only use 512 of ram with gddr3 instead of 5 etc, try to get a Vapor-x or simply get a default generic model from sapphire instead).

EDIT:
there are plenty of good reviews out there that show what a 5750 series can do...
i don't like guru3d too much but have a look here http://www.guru3d.com/article/ ... eon-hd-5750-iceq-review/1
the card is tested with an i7 so your score might differ slightly but its also on 24" 1920x1200 so this lets you imagine what a 5750 can do with your 1440x900 res
also remember this review was with older drivers ...
ps: don't take guru3d psu requirements into account, he asks 40A on the 12v rail of your psu but 30A is more then enough , even with a 5770. I think he discussed this in his forums but never edited the review.
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(dadge) DELETED by dadge : wrong thread lol.
After reading some reviews and comparing prices I think it is not worth paying 25€ for get about 10 FPS more with a 5770. So I started looking all the available HD5750 I found and my candidate is:

Sapphire HD5750, with the Vapor-X cooler and a bit overclocked (10MHz).

I saw it can be overclocked with no problem up to 850Mhz (the same as the 5770), but I won't do it until I need it in a few years.

Now, I'm looking prices and it cost 150€ in the cuipiest site I found.


Do I need to know anything about this card/brand?
To me it seems to be the best card, but if there is anything I must have checked and I didn't, let me know
Quote from Whiskey :
Do I need to know anything about this card/brand?

Yes, you should know that Sapphire is the most sold brand for AMD graphics and that VaporX is one of the best overal coolers, so in other words, you can't go wrong.
150€ is a bit high though, i can get a 5770 vaporX for 153€ so you shouldn't pay more then 130€ + shipping for a 5750 vaporX.
Nice to hear that

The cheapiest I found is 140+10€ for delivery. I'll search a bit more
Thats not bad considering its delivered to your door
One quetion about PSU...

This is enough to run that card? (you said 30A, but for that I would need 700W PSU or more :shrug

Yes, you should be fine. It seems you have 20A+22A for the 12V rails and this will probably be around 30A in total accumulated.
Don't need more
Quote from sfkilla :Yes, you should be fine. It seems you have 20A+22A for the 12V rails and this will probably be around 30A in total accumulated.
Don't need more

I was looking a bit for PSU, I found the bad ones are 20€ and the good ones about 75€. Is nice to hear/read that mine should work
If you had to buy one today for your system, A Corsair CX400 is at 45€ and probably the best you can get at that price, although i would advise a VX550 to give you some room for futur upgrades.

To be honest, i never look at the wattage of a psu, i always look at the specs for the different rails (3v 12v etc) but mainly the efficiency (80+) and try to keep some room for futur upgrades.
I bought an Enermax Liberty 620W, 3 years ago and its been a joy using it and probably many more years to go.

People tend to under estimate the need of a good psu, it is often the first thing i buy for a system and i never hesitate even it it costs a bit more.
I havent ready anything except the title of the thread, so Im sorry if it doesnt fit. Anyway: I recommend ATi 5870 HD. That is what I have, and I am extremely happy with it. It supports DX11 and triple-screen. It can play any game at the highest graphics, so it is good. It is also quite cheap, considering what u get.
The PSU is indeed important. And I think, like CPU clock frequency, and amount of RAM, the actual amount of amperage is overlooked on a PSU, and wattage is found instead. Just like HP on a car, I think wattage is what sells the PSU, the amount of RAM sells the OEM PC. I'd look for a good quality PSU, and I'd make sure that it has the juice to keep pumping my rig. Overkill? I'm running a TX750 even though I am running just ONE HD5770. I wouldn't recommend getting something like that, but make sure you have ample juice coming out of your 12V rail to power that video card, motherboard, and CPU.

I'd recommend something like a 4890, or a 5770. The 4890, though old tech, has the head room for overclocking, and if found cheap, is just a great bang-for-the-buck (performing up to 5830-like performance, if not better in older games). In the odd case, is where you cannot get 1 GHz core, if the 850 isn't enough for you. The 5770 is a small yet versatile card. It runs cool, has the same amount of theoretical processing power as the 4890, yet runs that much cooler, uses that much less power, and though lacking in memory bandwidth in some aspects, still has sufficient power to power in most cases, that 1080p monitor, and all cases, with a few exceptions that smaller 20" 1680x1050 monitor.
*agrees*

I have a 4890 myself, love it, but i wish it consumed less.

I built a system for a friend last year and i chose a TX650, even though he started with a single 5770. Today he has 2 in CFire and it runs great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13KmeunwLWA

I have a question for you GenesisX

Do you run LFS on 3 screens with your 5770? if so, how does it run and what settings have you got it on (screen res and graphic options)
I run LFS maxed out on my 4890 and never go below 400FPS while hot lapping, and between 150-200fps online. and this on 1920x1080.
I'm wondering what frame count you're getting with 3 screen on a 5770 (if you do)
Thank you very much guys.

I had 2 PSU and both had power problems, but it was this week the fisrt time amperage was the thing I looked in a PSU.

I'll buy the HD5750 as I said, is the better I found in my budget (150€). A bit slower than the 48xx but consuming a lot less, which is very important for me (mainly 'cause I must buy a new PSU for that card).

I only have 1 monitor, but I also dream with playong on 2

Recomend me an ATI card
(62 posts, started )
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