# My future PC is in your hands TSF!



## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

Hello :wave:

I'm raising money to buy a new PC for my gaming habbit.

My goal: *To run mostly any game at maximum graphical settings/details with the resolution of 1280 X 1024.* Mostly meaning that at least to run all games at 1024 X 768

What mobo, graphic card, CPU, Ram, OS and PSU would you buy?

Note: I have never OCed anything before.

My budget: Well for example it's been 2 weeks and i currently have to buy a EVGA e-GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB DDR3 256-bit or Asus GeForce 8800GTS 640MB DDR3 320-bit . That's about how much i make

The more expensive, the more i have to work =( , but it would obviously be worth it!


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

I am currently researching GPUs over newegg's comments.

I found at SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail This comment:



> Cons: 9800Gx2 is half the price and can beat this card in every game with AA off at any resolution,and can beat this card in half the games with AA on,untill u get to 2550 x 1680 which most people dont use anyways.
> Gtx280 is overpriced and so is this card.
> All you need to do is avg. over 24fps and youll enjoy every game out there. This card, just like the 9800gx2, gives you 100s of fps in games but you dont need them so why pay twice as much for this card. You cant see a difference from 24 to a 1000 fps.
> 
> Other Thoughts: Up to 2 weeks ago this was the fastest card by far, but the new 180~nvidia bigbang drivers makes the 9800Gx2 the Nvidia king and can beat the 4870x2 in all games but crysis(only with AA on) and Ati based games.Look at the article at toms hardware(4/4870x2 cards reviewed) It does a showdown versus the 9800gx2. Remember that 9800gx2 is ddr3 512x2mb vs ddr5 1024x2mb. That means half the hardware with slower specs at half the price ,but can win in half the games.ATI is doing something wrong. If nvidia had ddr5 2gig cards they would run crysis at 100fps on ultra. Dont buy this card unless you play at 2550x1680, youll get more than enough power from the 9800gx2 at $250. I have at least 20 power hungry pc games(all recent) , and only cryisis on 8x ultra i cant play at 24fps or higher. Before the 180 driver though, I did love this card. My fps specs are all games at 1680x1050 on ultra or max settings at 4xAA. Farcry2(FPS40+) cryisis(24.9) fallout3(50-60) cod4(180) cod5(140) Stalker2(35).


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

That review is right on about resolution and screen sizes a 9800GTX+ or a HD4850 will play any game out at very good frame rates, AA is something you alomst can't notice if it's off or on.
XP still has better frame rates and smoother play then Vista.
E8500 C2D
GA EP45 UD3R 
Corsair or Crucial DDR2 800 with 4-4-4-12 timings
Gorsair 750tx or a CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 750w to go with the GTX+ or the GTS card
I still like the 9800GTX+ and the lifetime warranty from Evga or XFX


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

That's it? The only recommendation?

So if i get a computer with:

CPU: E8500 C2D
Mobo: GA EP45 UD3R
RAM: Corsair or Crucial DDR2 800 with 4-4-4-12 timings
PSU: Gorsair 750tx or a CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 750w
GPU: 9800GTX+

I would be able to play all games at 1024X768 at maximum details without a single problem? No delay, no low fps, no conflicts between hardware, etc?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes you could spend more if wish but the performance won't get much better.


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

Here is what others said: 

The CPU should be E8400 instead of E8500, the exact same CPU, only that 3GHZ instead of 3.16, and obviously the E8500 isn't worth the extra bucks

Another guy said: That prices will drop when Intel socket 1066 will be launched next year, and advised me to keep my money until then as it will be worth the save.

Somebody else suggested i'd get:
E8400+MSI Neo 2/3 FR +4GB RAM Corsair/Muskin CL4 +HD4850/9800GTX+ or if i have some more cash HD4870/GTX260

*LATER EDIT*
Somebody else suggested this configuration\

*Later later edit*

I currently have amd 5000+ 2 gb ram 650 W corsair 7600 GT. Others suggested i only do an upgrade as my CPU is still capable of doing it's job, the only problem would be the RAM and the video card.

One more person suggested that i should get HD4870 and compared to 9800+ i found this review:

http://www.goldfries.com/hardware-r...512mb-ddr5-golden-sample-graphic-card-review/
http://www.pcgarage.ro/vizualizare-wishlist/91418/


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For 1280x1024 a 4870 is a waste of money it won't come into it's prime until you get to screen sizes over 28", the E8500 is about $15 more than the E8400 and will oc higher. 
If you have a x2 5000+ you could go to a x2 6000 and add a 9800GT to your current set up and play at that resolution no problem but you didn't ask about upgrading your current or tell us what your running.
What MB and ram do you have?


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack	Service Pack 3
Internet Explorer	7.0.5730.13 (IE 7.0)
DirectX	4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)

Motherboard	
CPU Type	DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2600 MHz (13 x 200) 5000+
Motherboard Name	Asus M2N-Plus SLI (2 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard Chipset	nVIDIA nForce 500 SLI, AMD Hammer
System Memory	2048 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)
DIMM1: Kingston	1 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)
DIMM2: Kingston	1 GB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM (5-5-5-15 @ 333 MHz) (4-4-4-12 @ 266 MHz) (3-3-3-9 @ 200 MHz)

BIOS Type	Award (01/02/07)

Video Adapter	NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT (256 MB)

Disk Drive	SAMSUNG SP0842N (80 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/133)


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

I'm seeing alot of details on graphic cards can someone tell me what is relevant to what:

What is the difference if it's smaller/lower or bigger/more of each of the following items:

In what situations would i consider to get a bigger/stronger ... ?

Single goal for the card is for very high gaming performance.

1. Core clock
2. Stream Processors
3. Memory Clock
4. Interface (PCI express 2.0 etc)
5. Memory Interface
6. Memory type
7. D-SUB
8. DVI
9. memory size
10. pixel pipelines


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

1. Core clock How fast the GPU runs 

2. Stream Processors -How processes the GPU can handle at once
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPGPU
3. Memory Clock How fast the memory runs
4. Interface (PCI express 2.0 etc) The spec of the slot 2.0 being the newest
5. Memory Interface ????
6. Memory type Type of memory
7. D-SUB --VGA Monitor connection
8. DVI --Newer Digital monitor connection
9 Memory size How big the memory is


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

1. 800 Stream Processing Units vs 320 Stream Processing Unit

2. Core clock: 775MHz vs Core clock: 600MHz

3. Memory Clock: 2400MHz vs Memory Clock: 1986MH

4. Memory size: 512 mb vs 1gb (i think it's for screen resolution. Also saw in GTA IV that as i've increased the graphical details it ate more size)

5. Pixel Pipelines 1 vs 4 Vs 12 - ***?

6. Memory interface 256 bit Vs 128 bit vs 512 bit

*Is it a big deal? When?*

7 Memory type: I see there are a lot of GDDR3 . Is GDDR4 and/or GDDR5 better?


And i'm sorry if i'm being rather annoying or picky  I'm also asking so I can advise my friends when they'll buy GPUs too


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Generally larger is better, memory size over 512 only really matters on screen sizes over 26-28"

512 bit memory is the best the larger the bit rate the faster the card passes data back and forth to the cpu.

GDDR3,4,5 is Graphical Double Data Rate version 3,4,5 and the speeds get faster as the numbers go up

Pixel pipe lines you see on older video cards and seem to been replaced in the specs by stream processors


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

Ok i've decided to buy this card 

Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5

Should i get GIGABYTE or ASUS ? (I'm can't buy from newegg as i'm from Romania, Europe)

Also can i mount it on my mobo?


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

I would still myself vote for the 4850 (the 70 really is overkill at such a small resolution) but if you can find a deal on the 70 go for it.


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

Yes you're right.

Last question before i make my mind:

Which one should i get between:

Asus ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB DDR5 EAH4870-DK-HTDI-1GD5 @ 1285.43 lei
VS
Asus ATI RADEON HD 4850 1GB DDR3 EAH4850-HTDI-1G @ 751.88 lei ( x2 = ~1500 lei)

HIS Ati Radeon HD 4870 1GB GDDR5 H487F1GP @ 1136.10 lei
vs
HIS Ati Radeon HD 4850 1GB GDDR3 H485QS1GP @ 828.33 lei ( x2 ~1650 lei )

Placa video SAPPHIRE ATI Radeon HD 4850 1GB DDR3 256bit ( SPH-EHD4850G1024B256HDM ) @ 742, 27 lei

Placa video Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 4850, 1GB 256 bit GDDR3 @ 718,15 RON

Placa video Gainward ATI Radeon HD 4870 1 GB GDDR5 256 bit @ 1117,76 RON

Placa video Palit Daytona ATI Radeon HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition PCI-EX2.0 1024MB GDDR5 256 bit @ 1091,59 RON

Added later: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 4850 1GB GDDR3 R485MC-1GH @ 674.52 lei

Added later: Placa video Gainward ATI Radeon HD4870 Golden Sample 1GB DDR5 256-bit @ 1.117,90 RON

1 $ USD = 3.0 RON

Should i get 2 4850 cards or should i get the 4870 and get a second 4870 next year (~summer)?


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

I hate to bump, but..


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

2 4850's are only mediocrly faster than a single 4870. two 4870's, might as well get an x2. Even then, unless ou're osing a display more than 2000 pixels wide, the second GPU doesn't do a whole lot and actually underperforms a single card..

You said youre only ay 1280x1024, so the 4850 is plenty. the 70 doesnt start shining till 1600x1200, and the x2's/CF doesnt become effective till 1920x1080i and on.


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

I see. Then what differences should i look for between cards if I want to use the same 1280X1024 resolution, but play current and future games at maximum details, what do they eat off of?

I thought there would be a visible difference between a card that has:
Core clock 750MHz, Memory Clock 3.6GHz (900MHz DDR5), GDDR5

Compared to:
Core clock 625 mhz, 1.9 ghz, GDDR3


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## z3rongod (Oct 15, 2008)

4850 1 GB it is then!

Will i have problems, performance loss, incompatibility mounting it on my 

Motherboard	
CPU Type	DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2600 MHz (13 x 200) 5000+
Motherboard Name	Asus M2N-Plus SLI (2 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard Chipset	nVIDIA nForce 500 SLI, AMD Hammer
System Memory	2048 MB (DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM)

?


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