What video card should I get -minimum- with an i7/x58/6gig ddr3?

taw

Solid State Member
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I feel that with i7 core, x58 mobo, and DDR3 being cutting edge, and yet to be standard, that I should be getting a video card directly on par with them.

I don't want to bottleneck all this new technology!! I would be wasting $$!! :(

What should the minimum be as to not bottleneck the rest?

I'm not looking to be a big gamer, I'm making a rig mostly for recording and mixing audio, editing video, with some gameplay on the side, but that doesn't mean I won't be willing to shell out some good $ for a video card if it means the computer will last me a year or few longer.

I'd kinda like to play Crysis at very high settings, 1920x1080, full AA, and at least 40 consistant frame rate etc.... I figure if I can do this, I've built a computer that'll last REAL long.

In that case, I'm willing to shell out for a 280 or a 4870x2, if it means having to build a new computer in less time later.

my budget's $2.5k. again, i'll mostly be doing audio and video (video production might become a more serious endeavor, i used to go to school for it but lost interest, i may go again), and some tasty games to go on the side, but not that many, i don't really have time for them, at least at the moment.


I'm torn between:

4870
4850x2
4870x2
260
260 core 216
280

I don't feel I have the expertise to weigh these two factors: A) most cost effective B) best longevity
 
i woul dhave to say minimum of two 4850's, i wouldnt go nvidia atm, there a bit pricy and lesser quality compared to amd's ATI cards. the 4850 x2 blows the crap out of any nvidia card imo.
 
At that resolution, the HD 4870 X2 is a bit faster than the GTX 280. But, the GTX 280 is cheaper and would be the most cost effective as the performance difference is minimal.
 
The 4870x2 is basically two graphic cards in one. The performance is a bit faster than the GTX280 at high resolutions. Depending on how much you've spent so far. You MIGHT find that card for around $450-$475. If that is the case, I would buy 2 of them. They will last you for a very, very long time.
 
Depends how much the HD 4850 X2 is... too much.

Crysis gets a nice boost with some extra VRAM, so I'd go with a HD 4870 1GB

GTX 280 is another option.
 
you have to keep in mind that that is the 512MB version. i think that the 1GB 4870 with its ddr5 might actually surpase the 260 gtx core 216
 
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