yosemite

hello there, im currently in the process of buying parts for a build so here's the question i have, what's the absolute best video card i can get, im willing to pay up to $2000 on it so fire away. if you have specific questions try checking here for more in depth thoughts http://forums.pcapex.com/case_moddin..._computer.html if that doesnt help you then feel free to ask here or PM me, thanx for any help

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Ator

Well, for gaming applications, you really only have two choices. ATI's Radeon X1900XTX + XT Crossfire, and nVidia's GeForce 7900GTX SLI. Both cards offer incredible performance, put out lots of heat and noise, and are very expensive.

With the ATI cards, you'll need an ATI CrossFire chipset-based motherboard. Here is what I recommend you look at:

Motherboard: DFI Lanparty CFX3200DR. Looks sweet, overclocks like a mofo, and has full 32-line PCI-Express for both the video cards.

Video Cards:PowerColor X1900XTX 512MB + PowerColor X1900 CrossFire Edition 512MB.

For nVidia:

Motherboard: Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe. Lots of features, supports nVidias SLI, and also has 32-lanes of PCI express dedicated to video.

Video Cards: 2 x XFX GeForce 7900GTX 512MB Extreme. They come pre-overclocked to 675Mhz on the core.

Now, either setup will set you back around $1300 for just the video cards and mobo. Did you say you have up to $2000 for just the video, or the whole system? If it's the former, then let me know so I can adjust it for you.

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The Amish Kid

In the other thread he says he has a budget of $5000 for the whole computer so I would think he ment $2000 just for the graphics portion.

What Ator mentioned is just about the best you can get right now. The only thing I would get is some aftermarket coolers for these cards. Like Ator said these cards put out a lot of heat and noise. I would suggest the Zalman VF-900 Link

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Ator

Quote: Originally Posted by The Amish Kid In the other thread he says he has a budget of $5000 for the whole computer so I would think he ment $2000 just for the graphics portion. What Ator mentioned is just about the best you can get right now. The only thing I would get is some aftermarket coolers for these cards. Like Ator said these cards put out a lot of heat and noise. I would suggest the Zalman VF-900.

I would actually recommend not getting a VF900 on the 1900XTX. For some reason, that thing overloads even Zalman's best air-cooling offering. This is based off of the experiences of other users from Xtremesystems.

Cyno01

Quote: Originally Posted by Ator I would actually recommend not getting a VF900 on the 1900XTX. For some reason, that thing overloads even Zalman's best air-cooling offering. This is based off of the experiences of other users from Xtremesystems.

Plus if he's going comletley top of the line, there wouldn't be room for the ageis card with aftermarket cooling installed i dont think.

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Ator

Quote: Originally Posted by Cyno01 Plus if he's going comletley top of the line, there wouldn't be room for the ageis card with aftermarket cooling installed i dont think.

There would be room still...they use PCI slots. The DFI CF3200 has 3 PCI slots, so even with the video cards hanging over one of them, you can still put two cards in there (PhysX and Soundcard, for example).

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$SOLID$ Necro

Quote: Originally Posted by yosemite hello there, im currently in the process of buying parts for a build so here's the question i have, what's the absolute best video card i can get

Well, there is one other "Best video card" option, but it's not very practical... Quad SLI

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...900_gx2/1.html

They are almost impossible to find in retail, and only show real benefits at ultra high resolutions. The drivers are a bit buggy too.

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Cyno01

Quote: Originally Posted by Ator There would be room still...they use PCI slots. The DFI CF3200 has 3 PCI slots, so even with the video cards hanging over one of them, you can still put two cards in there (PhysX and Soundcard, for example).

Ok, i was confused by the review of it on CAD yesterday, he said something about going between the cards, so i thought it went in one of those little slots. What are those for anyway, not to sound like a n00b, but my rigs only socket A and i've only built 3 939/PCIE systems...

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Ator

Quote: Originally Posted by Cyno01 Ok, i was confused by the review of it on CAD yesterday, he said something about going between the cards, so i thought it went in one of those little slots. What are those for anyway, not to sound like a n00b, but my rigs only socket A and i've only built 3 939/PCIE systems...

The little slots are the x1 lane PCI-Express slots...very few cards are available that use them. There are slightly larger slots as well which I see on DFI Lanparty boards, and those are x4 lane slots. Of course, video goes in the x16 lane slots.

*EDIT* I personally wouldn't recommend Quad SLI because it requires so much CPU power that games run WORSE on it unless you really crank the resolutions and AA+AF. I'm talking 2560x1600 resolutions, BTW...1600x1200 runs better on dual video SLI, which is what I would much rather have in this case. X1900XT Crossfire beats Quad SLI in some cases...I think it's pathetic to be honest.

LINKS:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/QuadSLI/1
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/vid...-quad-sli.html

The Amish Kid

Quote: Originally Posted by Ator I would actually recommend not getting a VF900 on the 1900XTX. For some reason, that thing overloads even Zalman's best air-cooling offering. This is based off of the experiences of other users from Xtremesystems.

Oh I didn't know that.

Ator, you're one away from 2K

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yosemite

i am super glad to see all the posts, i basically thought that may be the case, so i guess the gsu i have is the best im going to get, i'll prob. go with the ATI card, and yes i did mean on just the graphics card, just look at the link i have, it should have most info in general of the build im thinking of, just review it for anything you think im missing or have wrong, then let me know. and i do intend on using it for gaming purposes. as far as im aware my mobo i have listed should be fine, but let me know if otherwise. any other questions also can anyone recommend a really good static band, thanx.

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Ator

Quote: Originally Posted by yosemite i am super glad to see all the posts, i basically thought that may be the case, so i guess the gsu i have is the best im going to get, i'll prob. go with the ATI card, and yes i did mean on just the graphics card, just look at the link i have, it should have most info in general of the build im thinking of, just review it for anything you think im missing or have wrong, then let me know. and i do intend on using it for gaming purposes. as far as im aware my mobo i have listed should be fine, but let me know if otherwise. any other questions also can anyone recommend a really good static band, thanx.

I would go with the CF3200 instead of the RDX200...the 200 has a buggy, underpowered southbridge which hinders performance and overclocking. It messed up DFI's reputation a bit.

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Cyno01

Quote: Originally Posted by Ator I would go with the CF3200 instead of the RDX200...the 200 has a buggy, underpowered southbridge which hinders performance and overclocking. It messed up DFI's reputation a bit.

Plus the 3200 is a complete implementation of crossfire, with 16 pathways avaliable for EACH card, as well as not needing the external crossfire cable. The 200 seemed to be a stopgap to get crossfire out there ASAP.

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yosemite

thanx for all the info, i really appreciate it, i'll seriously look into it, its a good thing i didnt get that yet, but i have bought a few parts, but im trying to wait just a bit longer. but i dont plan on overclocking, and i may not even go with the crossfire option, but im still not set, i just dont think it's too much worth it but if otherwise let me know. im going to assume you mean the new cfx3200 by dfi, if so could you give a link to a review or something with details, like an online retailer as tigerdirect.com doesnt have it.

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