Graphics card: XFX 5830, 5850 or 5870?

[Spider95]

Trying to decide which graphics card to go for in a new PC system and looking for advice from all you helpful people!

The main use of the PC is for gaming so a do want a pretty decent graphics card that will last me a good few years (3-4 at least) and allow me to play the latest games but don't want to pay over the odds and also don't want a card that's going to be too noisy. The 5830 seems to be a pretty decent card that does a lot of what I want, but is it worth paying the extra to get one of the higher specs? I'd be interested to know what people's experiences of any of these cards have been.

I've really only been looking at the ATI cards at the moment as I don't think the equivalent nvidia ones are quite up to task yet - however I'm prepared to be converted if there is evidence to the contrary!

At the moment there seems to be a lack of the XFX 5850 and 5870 cards in stock on scan with no ETA, what's that all about?

[Phage]

The 5830 is not a contender. Not a good price / performance ratio.
Many people rave about the 5850 which can be clocked to near 5870 levels and is substantially cheaper. Personally I have the 5870, but either can vy CF later as an upgrade path.
Depends on how much cash you have to spare really. To quote Mad Max, it's not how fast does it go - it's how fast can you afford to go ?

[jjgreenwood]

depends how you want to game, nvidia has 3d vision and physx both of which make games like batman, metro and bc2 look great. GTX 470 is pretty affordable and easy to sli in future. GTX 480 is quite expensive but a great performer for 3d etc.

ATI 5850 or 5870 is better for crysis and high resolution for the money you spend. Crossfire works well according to reviews, I imagine future dx11 games will prob work better on nvidia if you compare card to card but ATI's crossfire will cost a lot less so potentially allow you to get much better performance for less money.

I don't think there's a clear winner, it just depends on what you want to do with it. Best value without 3d for future proof is prob a 5870. If you want to use 3d or physx you need a gtx card.

[Phage]

Rollo - is that you ?

[Spider95]

Thanks all for the info. I've still got a bit of pondering to do but I think it's been enough to definitely rule out the 5830 as a contender.

How far along is all the 3d & physx stuff? Would I really be missing out that much at the moment if I got ATI rather than nvidea? I suppose I could always go nvidea for my next graphics card a few years down the line...or maybe I should just futureproof myself now. However, the 480 is really too expensive for me so it would have to be the 470.

If I went the nvidia route in order to future proof myself then I guess I'd also have to make sure I got a monitor that is capable of supporting the 3D stuff as well?

[jjgreenwood]

yup 3d is wicked but you will need a 120hz monitor like the samsung 2233rz and some 3d glasses all of which will cost £350. So its not a cheap option, the 3d ready games are absolutely brilliant though.

For a similar cost you could get the more powerful ATI 5870 and a bigger screen with better resolution though which will be better for non-gaming activities. 2D stuff like crysis will also look better.

Depending where you are if you gonna spend the money it may be worth travelling somewhere you can try 3d first. Without seeing it you can't appreciate it. Also bear in mind 3d will hit frame rates by 40-60% but you can reduce the AA to compensate for this as 3d stuff doesn't really need it.

[Phage]

yup 3d is wicked but you will need a 120hz monitor like the samsung 2233rz and some 3d glasses all of which will cost £350. So its not a cheap option, the 3d ready games are absolutely brilliant though.

For a similar cost you could get the more powerful ATI 5870 and a bigger screen with better resolution though which will be better for non-gaming activities. 2D stuff like crysis will also look better.

Depending where you are if you gonna spend the money it may be worth travelling somewhere you can try 3d first. Without seeing it you can't appreciate it. Also bear in mind 3d will hit frame rates by 40-60% but you can reduce the AA to compensate for this as 3d stuff doesn't really need it.

To summarise.
Unless you have a near unlimited budget the ATi series is a clear winner. There are very few games that make use of 3D and Physx. NB the 5xxx is cooler and quieter and uses less power.