Graphics card choice...

[jordansege]

plan on getting my computer soon but dunno which to choose... (btw i use ibuypower.com)


the main question is should i go with 2x NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT 512MB - running SLI mode OR x1 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB

also, is 680 watts enough?

Case ( Raidmax Enzo Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Yellow )

Power Supply ( 680 Watt -- Power Supply SLI Ready )

Processor ( [=== Quad Core ===] Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (4x 2.4GHz/8MB L2 Cache/1066FSB) )

Motherboard ( [SLI] Asus P5N-D Nvidia nForce 750i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB EPU Technology )

Memory ( 4 GB [1 GB X4] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory

Video Card UNDECIDED

Hard Drive ( 320 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive - or if i have xtra cash go str8for 1tb ;\

Operation System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home 64-Bit )

 

[MrLoLeR]

Yea 680 is enough wattage. I personally would go with the GTX 260, since i'm more a fan of powerful single card solutions. I'm not 100% sure, but i'm thinking a 260 is better than 2 9800's in SLI anyway, although i could be way off base.

What make and model PSU are you going with?

Actually i think a 260 and the 9800GT SLI trade blows from what i can find on the net. Someone with a more personal approach could explain a little better maybe.

 

[BongWizard]

680 is plenty for 9800s in SLI... but an OCed core 216 will perform about equal to the 9800GT in synthetic tests, but as always, the single card solution performs better in games not only because of the multi GPU support issues in most games (ie non-native support), but also because the monolithic structure makes the single card solution transfer data faster, which can become a limiting factor at high details/resolutions

also, what brand is that memory and what timings has it got??

 

[Poizen22]

1 gtx 260 your lowest fps will be higher with the single card your max fps may not be as high tho, but your lowest fps will be higher with a gtx 260. if i was you i would try and fidn a set of used 9800gtx or 8800gts 512mb for sale in a pair and use them for sli.

 

[zmatt]

get one 260. That way you have a viable upgrade path. If you get 2 9800s the only place to go from there would involve selling both cards.

 

[jordansege]

Maybe ill just build my own computer from scratch and have my cousin help me since he knows a tad bit more on building em(hes just not up to date haha)

what i posted above with a 20.1inch flatscreen is about 1500$, there also smaller odds n ends that i didnt show


ill go look for some guides on building em

thanks for the answers, i got everything i was looking for

 

[zmatt]

These should help:
http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/c...ncluding-photos-building-your-own-rig-102716/

http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/recommended-pc-components-159027/

 

[jordansege]

another question, neone think i could build a fast gameing computer for about 1500$ with a 280 in it ?


also, is 4gigs of ram overkill? not like im gonna be playing multiple games at once but.. :|

 

[Evolv]

Uh yea, you can build a killer machine for that much. 4Gb of ram is pretty much the standard now if you're running Vista 64 bit.

 

[zmatt]

4 gigs is really unnecessary right now, but if you find a good deal then go for it.

You should be able to cram one gtx280 into a $1500 budget. I don't have the time to check prices but I think you can get away with that.