Graphics card help

[redfish]

Hey guys, it's been a while, and I've been thinking the graphics question over. My drivers seem to have become relatively stable, as I have not had any issues in a long time. The release of the HD 6850 on Newegg recently brought my attention back to the issue. I was surprised by its low cost, as it is designed to replace the more expensive 5830 and 5850 (correct me if I'm wrong). If I can wait a month, I may be able to afford the new cards. However, this would be extreme overkill as I don't game, I don't watch blu-ray movies, and I don't do any excessive video editing. All that I would need it for is photo editing, f@h, online videos, etc. However, I must respect my ego and get something nice. I think that you answered my question already, but I just don't understand your answer, so ima rephrase my question.
The cards that I'm considering are the ATI HD4850, 4870, 5570, and 5670 (The 5750 I took off the list because it's too expensive for a piece of hardware that I don't need) as well as the Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT, 450 GTS, 430 GT, and possibly some 200 series cards. I've heard that the CUDA core Nvidia cards are better at F@H, so I've decided to consider them. How important are DirectX 11, PhysX, CUDA, etc. when it comes to folding, video playback, photo editing, and everyday home use? Is SLI or CrossFireX with two cheaper cards a better option? Should I go with a cheaper model and OC it? Should I get a cheap 5000 series card for main use and a $20 Nvidia card for f@h (if that's even possible)? I'm sorry for making you guys try to explain to me over and over again, but I'm just not understanding. Thanks for helping me.

 

[Trotter]

Folding on Nvidia requires at least an 8xxx series card. And, yes, Nvidia card romp ATI/AMD cards for Folding.

The GTS 450 looks to be a great Folding card for the price. The only one I can find that has a lifetime warranty on it is Sparkle:
Newegg.com - SPARKLE SXS4501024D5SNM GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

About SLI/Crossfire... the cost of two cards is usually equal to the cost of a single card that can perform as good or better then the two together. The only time I see it as practical is when someone buys another card on down the road to pair with the one they already have. I hope that makes sense.

 

[BurningSkyline]

If you are going to fold, Look at this:
9600GSO
or
Galaxy GT 430
or
GTS 450 Reference / GTS 450 Non-Reference

 

[redfish]

Thanks again, guys. I really like the GTS 450, and that Sparkle card is just barely in my budget range. It seems like a great card, and is now #1 on my list. The GT 430 and the 9000 series are kinda my backup plan, in case the GTS is out of stock or something. I think i'll get the card sometime this week.

 

[redfish]

I guess that I have a little more money than I planned on to spend on a video card. I think I will come to a decision later today, but right now I'm torn between the Nvidia 450/460 and the Radeon 5770. I think that I may end up going with the Radeon, because that was what I was aiming for all along but I didn't have the money. There are also some practical advantages- my mobo supports crossfire but not SLI for future upgrades, I have all sorts of ATI software that came with the mobo, it'd be easier to set up, etc. While it may not be as good for folding as a GTS 450, it should be fine. I think I'm nixing the GTX 460 because that's too expensive for my comfort.

 

[redfish]

I got the card in the mail today. I put it in no problems, it's working fine, and all is dandy. However, I'm having issues with folding. All of the GPU clients that I tried kept telling me that either the GPU wasn't supported, or the drivers weren't up to date. I know the drivers are up to date, I just downloaded them a couple hours ago (v. 10.10). I haven't seen anything about HD 5770 not being supported either. Any help?