Graphics cards advice please

[bigduke6]

Hi All

I have had a scan system for 3 years now and no problems with. It has been superb infact. I am looking at the new amd dragon 3 system, but really do not want a ati graphics as i have had 2 fail on me in the past and since have used nvidia with no problem. I am using a xfx 8800 GT card which came with the system which still lets me play all the game available. So what i am asking is can i take the ati card option out and put a nvidia card in? I am thinking of a 275 or 285 card - depending on best price. However i will listen to advice saying ati is ok but how does the 4890 compare with the 2 nvidia cards?
I went to a local computer superstore - you know the one and an amd rep was there, he was saying as now amd have taken over ati, there systems work best togther, is this true or just a sales lie?

many thanks for your replies

[Ph4ZeD]

Utter bollocks. Whether your cpu and graphics card are manufactured by the same corporation makes no difference whatsoever.

[Mossy]

bigduke

Thank you for a valid question but to put you mind at ease it will not make a difference whether you have ATI or NVIDIA if you want this option then upon ordering just let me know.

Regards

[bigduke6]

thanks Paul

But how does the nvidia 275 compare with the ati 4890?

[Mossy]

If you are going for the Dragon system the Obvious option would be the ATI 4890 cards as you will be able to crossfire at a later date. If you are not interested in Crossfire personally I prefer the NVIDIA cards.

Regards

[Phage]

thanks Paul

But how does the nvidia 275 compare with the ati 4890?

There's a head to head test, and the performmance is about the same depending on games played. BUT this 4890 is cooler and cheaper.
http://www.pureoverclock.com/article756.html

(Disclaimer - I bought one)

[sammorris]

The GTX275 is mildly faster (but not by as much that it would be noticeable in anything outside Cryostasis) but the HD4890 uses a lot less power under load, is much cheaper and as said, will support crossfire.

[bigduke6]

Thanks Guys. I was just put of by the low price of the 4890 as I thought there must be something wrong with it for the price!!

I am thinking of now getting 2 in crossfire mode - as it affordable for me - what do you guys think?

[sammorris]

A nice choice, two 4890s is a seriously powerful combination.

[bigduke6]

Thanks for all the advice - just one more for you all - what do you think of the 4870x2, as i am not sure about the 4890 in crossfire as i am not sure how to upgrade the system if i want to get newer cards later on? Would a single 4890 be powerfull enough or is the 4870 x2 better, or again a single nvidia card?
Thanks

[sammorris]

If you have a crossfire supported motherboard (any Intel or AMD chipset board with two PCI express 16x slots) then you can use two radeons in crossfire, the cards come with the relevant crossfire bridge required. A 4870X2 is about the most powerful thing you can put in a single 16x slot. There is a geforce rival to it, the GTX295, but it's £100 more expensive, and not really any better overall. No single GPU can rival the HD4870X2, not even a GTX285.

[Phage]

Thanks for all the advice - just one more for you all - what do you think of the 4870x2, as i am not sure about the 4890 in crossfire as i am not sure how to upgrade the system if i want to get newer cards later on? Would a single 4890 be powerfull enough or is the 4870 x2 better, or again a single nvidia card?
Thanks

The 4870x2 is second only to the GTX295 or 4890 CF in terms of performance, it's a great card. But it's worth noting that the power (and therefore heat and possibly noise) of the 4870x2 is proportionally greater than the 4890.
In the end, either would be a fine choice, it depends on where your personal preferences are. If you were going to rank them it is covered in better detail here.
http://forums.hexus.net/graphics-car...-x-thread.html

[sammorris]

The noise of the 4870X2 is slightly greater than the 4890, but the power consumption is substantially lower than two 4890s.

[Phage]

The noise of the 4870X2 is slightly greater than the 4890,

If you get the Vapor X 4890 it's a lot quieter than the reference cooler.

[sammorris]

and more expensive too isn't it?

[Phage]

I'm afraid so.
But he didn't seem worried by the few extra quid for the x2...