Which card to pick for a £160- budget

[nukeman8]

right first i post the spec on the pc im building

graphics card
processor Intel Quad Core Q6600 2.4GHz S775
motherboard MSI X38 diamond intel x38 crossfire ddr3
ram Corsair 2GB (2x1024MB) PC3 8500 Dual Channel DDR3 (TWIN3X2048-1066C7 G) XMS3-8500 C7 TwinX
processor cooling Arctic Cooling AC-FRZ-7P Freezer 7 Pro Socket 775 Processor Cooler
PSU Antec TruePower Quattro 850W Modular PSU
Harddrive Samsung 750GB HD753LJ Spinpoint F1 SATA II 7200 rpm 32MB Cache - OEM
case Coolermaster Centurion 590

i was going to buy 512MB GeForce 8800 GTS but after realising the motherboard im getting supports crossfire and not sli im after a crossfire graphics card now.
2 have caught my eye so far GIGABYTE ATI Radeon HD 3870 512MB and sapphire radeon hd 4850.
i want to buy 1 card now and at a later date add a second to take advantage of crossfire.
like i said in title my budget is £160- the 2 cards i have already mentioned cost around 110-120 sooooooooo
long story short is there any crossfire card thats better then the 2 i have listed and withing my budget?

also the sapphire radeon hd 4850 is better than the GIGABYTE ATI Radeon HD 3870 512MB right?
im not to good when it comes to graphic cards.

also feel free to comment on my setup as i havent brought it yet and always open to suggestions.
plus if i was running 2 sapphire radeon hd 4850 i would need two 6 pin connectors which i havent the foggiest if my motherboard im after has them?

I heard the size of your monitor also affects what graphic cards you can have?

thanks in advance

[AdamAnubis]

I would go for a HD4870/HD4850. Not sure if you can get a 4870 for around £160.

[C-Bag7]

A 4870 is just over £170 on ebuyer, plus its not your mobo that will be providing the two 6 pin connectors its your psu which im sure that psu you have chosen will have.

Edit---Yes that PSU does have two 6 pin connectors, it also has two 8 pins as well.

[wzix]

Surely it would be the PSU which would give the power to the cards, not the motherboard?

I've got a 4850 its very good, and as the charts show adding a second in Xfire does increase the performance but not by another 100% or anywhere near.

As the post above says the 4870 is just above your budget, but if your going to spend 160 prob worth paying £10 extra for the 70.

[nukeman8]

how do two 4850 compared to a single 4870?
saying that i suppose i could just get two 4870's

thanks alot for the replies about the pin connectors was a complete lost there.

[Zhaoman]

two HD4850s give roughly GTX280 performance, so about 20% more than a single HD4870.

[nukeman8]

decisions decisions suppose i could just buy the 4870 and buy a second when i have the cash

any truth in monitors limiting your graphic card?

[Zhaoman]

If you have a small monitor, 19" (1280x1024) or less, there's no point getting anything more expensive than a single HD4850. If you have anything bigger than a 24" (1900x1200) you will need an HD4870 or more.

[nukeman8]

thanks for the replies
why exactly is a smaller monitor no good? (last question i promise)

[maxwilson]

I really dont think monitors limit the performance, Setting your monitor with a higher resolution will slow down your card - less frames per second - as there are more pixels to process. Lower resolution will give you more frames per second.

But higher resolution gives a larger picture and looks better than lower res.

I personally own the 4850 and have to say i'm very pleased with and its an awesome card for its price, easily plays all the top games even crysis on high! I would add a second but my psu cannot take it!

[Zhaoman]

Max, your PSU can take it, I promise

[maxwilson]

Really? I was told on the AMD forums that it would'nt as they state that 550w is the minimum.

[Zhaoman]

That's the advice they give because they don't want to risk other customers with poor quality PSUs thinking they could do the same. Two HD4850s would draw 260W max, a mildly overclocked Q6600 would draw no more than 130W and the rest of your system (only 1 hard drive) would struggle to get past 100W. These are very conservative estimates as well just to be safe. 500W would be the maximum of what is required and your Corsair is capable of providing that. Poor quality PSUs often does not provide the full 500W they state.

edit: For example, Hexus' test system drew a maximum of 203W with an HD4850. Add another one and their system would draw 328W max. PCs really don't use as much power as some would have you believe

[maxwilson]

looks like i might be getting a second soon, would 8x bandwith have to much of an affect on prefomance?

sorry nukeman last question on your thread Nukeman get a 4870 you can roughly afford it and its awesome card

[Zhaoman]

8x would be plenty for the 4850

[PeterStoba]

16x/8x crossfire doesn't take a huge hit on performance, but there is one