What's the best VIDEO CARD?

[kdub wB]

So, need opinions on a video card. I want one that will give me a decent fps number on CSS and TF2 on a pack server. Some people here say that they get an average of 120 and above so that would be great if you can give me your specs. Don't think I need to go to crazy on price so my budget is 250 max. I kind of have an eye on one already but its better to get advice from others that know whats going on.


Thanks

 

[Toasteddude]

I recommend taking a look at the Nvidia GTX 260/275.

 

[Cryptex]

I have a XFX 4890, works like a charm. I get decent to amazing FPS in basically all my games. This is also running on 3gb of ram and an AMDX2 5600+.

 

[malalla]

yea 4890 would be my choice

 

[Death]

mostly would depend on your mobo, if it can support nvidia or radeon cards, if its a newer one it could support both

 

[Cut Chem!st]

Well, TF2/CSS is really heavy on your CPU. You can have a really good video card but not get as amazing FPS as you thought. If you want a FPS upgrade for Tf2/CSS, new processor/overclock would be the way to go, unless your video card atm is terrible.

 

[PeterGriffin]

I have a XFX 4890, works like a charm. I get decent to amazing FPS in basically all my games. This is also running on 3gb of ram and an AMDX2 5600+.

i have the same card. GET IT

 

[PewPewBangBang]

mostly would depend on your mobo, if it can support nvidia or radeon cards, if its a newer one it could support both

That is only relevant if he is going to be running two video cards, SLI or CF. By new you must also mean an X58 board which is used for the Core i7 processors and only some of those mobos support both SLI and CF, not all of them.

As for the video card, if you want a single card solution here are my choices:
1) Get an ATI 4890 for $180 cheapest including rebate on newegg.com Then use the remaining cash you have and buy yourself an aftermarket cooler and go overclock the crack out of your new 4890. You will probably get around or more 1000mhz on ur core and im not sure about memory but maybe 1200 and up?

2) A GTX 275 but this doesnt perform as well as the 4890 when the 4890 is overclocked. Plus this cant overclock as well as the ATI card. But this card still wins in games like Far Cry 2 and Crysis where Nvidia cards are dominant over ATI cards.

Dual card solution:

1) Go and get yourself an ATI 4850x2 These cards are monsters and will dominate all the other cards in the games you want to play. Dual card solutions work very well in Source engine games and Call of Duty games. They scale very well and the 4850x2 will beat a GTX 285 in all source games pretty much and the call of duty games.
Sadly i think these cards are not being sold anymore by newegg.com
THIS MAY BE A SIGN OF MAKING ROOM FOR THE NEW 5 SERIES CARDS!!!! OMGGG :drool:


Conclusion:
I would actually wait for the new cards that are coming out very soon but if you must have a card. I would go with the 4890 and get an aftermarket cooler with the extra money and overclock the hell out of it.

 

[Coolhand]

It really is between the GTX 275 and the 4890. They are the best at that price point.

And even though you would expect better performance from the 4890 based on the components, most of the benchmarks I have seen give the 275 a better score.

Either way you are looking at great performance from both cards. So price might decide it.

So...I was working on this post before the above. Listen to him, he knows what he is talking about

 

[Maj.Emish]

just throwing in my 2 cents, i just got a XFX 4850 1 gig and it is rockin'. but i wanted to stay at a lower price if you have the cash go for the 4890.

 

[Anonymous.User(s)]

The AMD 4890 is a great card like everyone is saying. But there could be other bottlenecks in your system (Such as the CPU or RAM) so make sure all your other components arent going to be holding you back before you spend $200 on a new video card.

And like PewPewBangBang said, it would seem AMD is planning on releasing the next generation of video cards soon, so you might want to wait a month or so and see how things go.

 

[Dmanbiker]

just throwing in my 2 cents, i just got a XFX 4850 1 gig and it is rockin'. but i wanted to stay at a lower price if you have the cash go for the 4890.

I think I have the exact same card as you. It works great. If you're going to be playing TF2 and CSS as your main games a super hardcore graphics card is unnecessary except for the "geek cred" value.

 

[kdub wB]

Ok, sweet. Thanks for everyone who posted. I do plan on running intel core 2 quad but not sure for the motherboard. pewpewbangbang, are you running dual cards? Just curious what fps do you get on a full server? I'm leaning towards into a beastly gaming rig rather then just building a nice new computer.

Thanks

 

[ElTimba]

If you want a beastly computer, the absolute best single slot videocard is the GTX 295, no doubt about it, especially the MARS edition by ASUS.

http://gizmodo.com/5277116/asus-mars-gtx-295-smoothly-running-far-cry-at-3840-x-2160-pixels

 

[s14sh3r]

If you want a beastly computer, the absolute best single slot videocard is the GTX 295, no doubt about it, especially the MARS edition by ASUS.

http://gizmodo.com/5277116/asus-mars-gtx-295-smoothly-running-far-cry-at-3840-x-2160-pixels

Agreed. The MARS edition is a pair of 285's on one card, so you can have Quad GTX 285's.

The MARS isn't a mainstream card though, and only about a thousand are going to be made.

The 300 series cards are due out at by the end of the year, and ATI is also debuting newer faster cards later this year.

Prices should go down for the GTX 295, so maybe I can pick up a second one


If I were OP, I'd look into getting a pair of GTX 285's. You could go TRI-SLI, but I personally don't like how close together the cards are in that configuration. It tends to make the middle card run hot from lack of proper airflow. Of course if you're watercooling, the point is moot...

 

[Saeten]

my combo is a q6600/9800gt and i run 40-70 fps on tf2 on highest possible and 70-120 on css.

if you want 120+ go for gtx 260/275 or 4870/4890.

 

[Ratfire]

I guess the bigger question is what else are you looking to do?

With a budget of $250 you're well above what you need to reach the 120fps mark in any Source Game. As good as all the mods for HL:2 are, quite frankly at this point the engine is becoming dated and any of the new cards will have no problem running TF2/CSS with ease.

A good rule of thumb is, 30 fps is the lowest playable framerate, anything above 60 fps and you won't be able to tell the difference anyway.

So a couple different options.

If you want to save money and get a setup with 100+ framerates, grab an ATI Radeon 4870 1gig or an nVidia GTX 260 (216). I think recently the 4870 has been retailing for less so that may be a better option right now, though both are excellent cards. This will run you about $140-160, will give you excellent framerates for HL:2 and gives you the option to buy an additional card down the road for less and setup SLI/Crossfire.

If you want a better Single Card solution, the ATI Radeon 4890, 4850x2 that have been mentioned, as well as the nVidia GTX 275 are all strong cards that will run you around $190-240. This is well more than you need for 120 fps in TF2/CSS but it will be better suited to run more intensive games like Crisis.

If you're just trying to flex against the other players on the server, you could look at setting up a crossfire/SLI solution with dual ATI Radeon 4850's, 4870's or an SLI configuration with nVidia GTX 250's or 260's. This would be stretching your budget a bit on the high end or right around $220+ on the low end, but would probably give you the most performance right now.


Also, if you're looking for a beastly gaming rig, I'd split for a new Core i7 board a proc. The prices have actually come down decently to where a mobo will run you about $200-300 and the Core i7 920 will run you about $280. But the 920 will outpace pretty much everything other than higher end C2 Quads and leave you open for current gen upgrades.

 

[TBone01]

or with that DX11 article above yours, you may want to wait

 

[EyelessHunter]

MSI Nividia GTS 250

only 145 bucks
Performs really really well
Super cool and small!!!

1GB of ram

 

[Cut Chem!st]

Ok, sweet. Thanks for everyone who posted. I do plan on running intel core 2 quad but not sure for the motherboard. pewpewbangbang, are you running dual cards? Just curious what fps do you get on a full server? I'm leaning towards into a beastly gaming rig rather then just building a nice new computer.

Thanks

Make sure the quad-core is a higher clock or you can bring it up higher. A higher clock dual core will out preform a lower quad/source engine appreciates a higher clock rate.. tf2's multicore support isnt that great and dosen't use the quad to the full potential or a lot more people would have much better fps. Probably just better to OC it for the extra clock.