GTX 295 or 4870x2?

[dartgande]

Friend is building a new rig, and what will be his best bang for buck? Needs something fairly future-proof too, as he only upgrades video cards every 1.5-2 years.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Evolv]

I'd say go for the GTX 295 if you can afford it. It consumes a lot less power at load compared to a 4870x2. But, it would be pointless to have if you're not gaming on a resolution of 1920 x 1200 or above.

 

[dartgande]

Yeah, I told him I didn't think it'd matter much. I didn't see the GTX 295 giving him a world of difference in performance, but I always check my stuff here first. Thanks. He games on 1920 x 1200; so, I will recommend the 295 unless I see a sweet deal on a 4870x2 on the buy/sell/trade.

 

[HAVOC]

Bang for Buck
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100270SR Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Must have case that will fit this card: 11 Inches long.

Mine plays everything max out 1920x1200 over 30FPS (not crysis, lol)
"I'm also slightly CPU limited".

 

[nosbusch2005]

I agree with Havoc. I just got a 4850 x2 and it plays all my games great at 1920x1200. And your saving a quite a bit of money.

 

[Chad711]

4870x2 runs hot at least my friends did and that was even after new drivers.

I'd go with the 295 and that is coming from a ATI guy

 

[veedubfreak]

Personally i'd suggest either a 285 or 295 from xfx or evga just for ease of RMA should anything go wrong. Unless you can find an XFX 4870x2, but i dont think they make them just yet. ATI board partners arent exactly the greatest when it comes to customer service.

 

[dartgande]

Yeah, the 4850x2 looks nice, but he was specifically looking at the 4870x2 or GTX 295.

 

[Druid]

yeah, gtx 295 then.

To Veedub: Just curious, why did you go tri-sli instead of quad-sli? Is it easier to water cool the 85's or something?

 

[philbar71]

^ the tri sli'ed GTX 285's outperform 2 GTX 295's at the res he is at.