[farbods0]

Okay this is my final time posting this. My school is over and my parents will now allow me to build my computer. This is what I got so far. I was wondering if I should change my video card or processor to something else.
Goals are to be able to run crysis full setting or any other game on full settings
http://img19.imageshack.us/i/64820254.png/

[Bob-sama]

Looks alright. I'd say use something other than the Antec 900. Could save money and go with a Phenom II X3 720 or similar (and overclock) and use the saved money on buying a pair of Radeon HD 4770s or HD 4870s. I'd also suggest dual-monitor... single-monitor is fine and all, but having a second monitor can be a major asset. I've been running dual monitors for a month or so now and my own observation is that it's faster, easier, and much more useful than a single large monitor. A pair of 1680x1050 monitors (3.52mpx) would be a bit more than the asking price for that single 1920x1200 (2.3mpx) or 1920x1080 (2.07mpx), about $50 more. To me, it'd be well worth the price.

I'm going to persuade you against buying fans with LEDs. It's "cool" sometimes, but unless you have the lights themselves on a switch or don't have the PC on much, I've found LEDs to be much more hassle than they're worth. If you have it in your bedroom, remember that red is the "dullest" color that your eyes will pick up at night, while blue and green are a lot more "sharp" (distracting, to say the least). Most people I know who bought compute cases with blue LEDs everywhere severely regret it.

[farbods0]

I was wondering if there was anything in Nvidia for graphics card that would be equal to the 4890 and 4870 excluding the gtx 295 just because that is like $500. I had dual monitors and i rarely used the second monitor so i would go with just a single monitor. Ill go with the cooler master scout instead of the antec 900 just because of the reviews of it. The processor ill stick with the one i already chose as for the blue LED fan I will remove those as well as I can understand how it would burn my eyes in the middle of the night.
So basically i was thinking of a new video card.

[Bob-sama]

The GTX275/285 are the "equivalents" to the HD4890. The GTX260-216 is alright and competes about with an HD4870 or a bit above. Crossfired HD4870s will kill it though. Anyways, with you dropping the LEDs, I'd suggest you grab these fans from PTS. They're quite good especially for $4/ea. The best $4 fans available.

Graphics cards (use 2): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814131140

I'd suggest you use the Phenom II X4 920 then... it's less expensive and overclocks pretty well: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103472

A pair of these monitors would be inexpensive and pretty cool overall. The only issue I've noticed is there is a bit of a flicker when there are fine stripes on a web page, but that's hardly a problem IMO. Otherwise they're fine monitors.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...824009127

This post has been edited by Bob-sama: Jun 22 2009, 11:14 AM

[farbods0]

Your saying that 2 Hd 4870's would be best deal than a single 4890 i mean the total would be like 250 while the 4890 is 200

[Bob-sama]

Yes it'd be a good deal faster on most games actually.

1920x1200...








1680x1050...





Pay attention to HD 4890 v. HD 4870 X2. While what I linked to was a pair of 512MB HD4870s, the performance will be /most/ of the way to the HD4870X2. You're looking at 35-45% better performance in Crysis. Similarly...

This post has been edited by Bob-sama: Jun 22 2009, 03:16 PM

[farbods0]

Well on newegg they wont allow me to order more than 1 of that video card

[Bob-sama]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814161269
Two of those then, and you'd have to change to a different/better motherboard. The link above (graphics cards) are actually better than the one before and will be a difference of probably $20 at the end (due to free shipping).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131381

This post has been edited by Bob-sama: Jun 22 2009, 06:44 PM

[farbods0]

As for monitors i can not decide between these 2 which is better in your opinion http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824236052
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824009163
I only want 1 big monitor I dont want 2 because I tried dual monitors and there was no point of using 2 in my opinion


Also the video cards dont come with a cross fire bridge so hwo do i make them work together

This post has been edited by farbods0: Jun 23 2009, 10:18 AM

[Caboose]

For the monitors i'd say the cheaper one. Basically it's got better specs, and on the other you'd just be paying for a glossy frame.

[farbods0]

Does it matter what kind of 4870 video cards i get like can i make one of them this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150394 because it comes with the crossfire bridge connector and i like the design so i would have the same video card but from different manufactureres

[Bob-sama]

You'll only need 1 bridge, and it's definitely a shame that so many manufacturers don't include one. Any HD4870 1GB's will work. Another (less expensive) option is a Radeon HD 4850 X2.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102809
They can be overclocked a bit and are of course (much) less expensive than a pair of HD 4870 1GBs. The HD4850X2 is a massive card though: you'll need a long chassis to accommodate the long card. That's actually quite a good price for one too.

Four high-resolution high-performance choices:
Two Radeon HD 4850-512's (512MB usable memory), $200
One Radeon HD 4850 X2 (1024MB usable memory), $210 AR
Two Radeon HD 4870-1024's (1024MB usable memory), $300
One Radeon HD 4870 X2 (1024MB usable memory), $350 AR
A pair of Radeon HD 4850's would be the least expensive route but as newer games come out, 512MB memory will lose out to 1024MB memory. So it's more futureproof to use a pair of 1GB cards than a pair of 512MB cards. Two cards has one distinct disadvantage: they require two PCI Express x16-length slots, and having a pair of them usually means that you need a total of 4 expansion slots. The HD 4850 X2 has two distinct disadvantages: it is a VERY long card (11.5") and heated air stays trapped inside the chassis. However, I'd say the price is definitely right. And the last choice, the HD 4870 X2, is simply the most expensive. If I was buying one of those four, I'd be limited to HD 4850 X2 and HD 4870 X2 (due to having only one PCI Express x16 slot) and I'd probably choose the HD 4850 X2. I'm actually going to suggest that for you, and you can actually step back down to a micro-ATX motherboard (and I'd also suggest a micro-ATX chassis. There are some nice ones that can definitely fit a super-long card. If you want to use a pair of HD 4870s or a HD 4870 X2, I'd suggest you also look at stepping up to a Corsair TX 750 power supply. 100W more won't make THAT much of a difference, but it's always nice to have headroom and the larger (14cm) fan.

Cooler Master Elite 341, $40
Foxconn TW-080, $46
Antec Mini P180, $80
Antec NSK3480, $92
SIlverstone TJ08-B, $100
Any of those should fit a HD 4850 X2 in there just fine.



On one last note--a HD4850 X2 would last about as long as a pair of HD 4870s or actually any other cards from this generation. For gaming, that'd be about 2-3 years before you'd have to use Low settings at your native resolution. For the price, I'd say it's worthwhile.

This post has been edited by Bob-sama: Jun 23 2009, 02:56 PM

[farbods0]

I really wouldnt want to change my case so ill go with the 2 4870's for $300 okay here is so far everything im getting http://img341.imageshack.us/i/63616794.png/

My cousin told me that i would need an adapter for my battery because its only has 2x6 pci e connectors because the video cards use 2 or something like that

This post has been edited by farbods0: Jun 24 2009, 12:20 AM

[Bob-sama]

The XFX cards have a pair of PEG adapters as it is, so it's just a matter of using them. Other than that, a Corsair TX750 would fix the problem just the same. The other options will only require a total of two PEG plugs. HD4850s use one PEG each, a HD4850X2 has two PEG plugs as it is, and a HD4870X2 has two as well.