BleepingComputer.com: Gaming Build

Alright, so Ive got a gaming build that I would like some second opinions on...

First up is the GPU. Now Ive been doing alot of pacing. By this I mean I just simply cant make up my mind between nvidia or ati, and when I decide on one, I think to myself "Maybe that nvidia card would be better". So I have chosen two cards, one ati and one nvidia, and want would like second opinions. Which one is better? Which one would run crysis? Because we all know that if your system can run crysis on high, then it can do anything...

So here are the cards. I know that nvidia does a better job of cooling, and Ive heard some say that the nvidia cards work better with the "cryengine".

ATI - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102830

NVIDIA - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130372




Now for the CPU. I know that with a good GPU you need an equally good CPU, so I decided to go with the AMD quad core. The only question I have is: WIll this CPU run crysis with the either of the GPU's above? I know it will but how well? High Settings?

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103650

Now be honest... I know this isnt the biggest baddest quad, but it should get the job done right? I would go with the black addition but those those are way too pricey for me.




And on to the board. Its a foxconn. Im not familiar with foxconn boards. I dont know if they are reliable or stable, so I would like opinions on that.

MoBo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813186168




And RAM, well, havent decided but it will be 4GB and ddr3.

PSU will be multi rail 650-700Watts



Also I have another question. Ive already ordered the case, and it came with two fans, one 120mm in front and one in back. Only problem is, the back one pulls air in and the front one blows it out. The back fan is at the top of the case while the front one is at the bottom. Should I turn them around? Im no rocket scientist but, heat rises doesnt it?


Thanks to all whom reply.
-Neil

According to,

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=rmp_vds

The ATI HD 4890 is the better video card.

The rest of it I can't comment on as I don't build AMD units.

Fairjoe is correct, the HD 4890 is a better card than the GTX 260, it is ATI's flagship single GPU card. Your CPU selection will work well too, though it is unfortunate that the Phenom II 940, which has a clock of 3.0GHz for $15 more, is AM2+ only. I generally stick to a few brands (Asus, Gigabyte, eVGA, XFX, and ASRock) when it comes to motherboards. If you're not planning to Crossfire/SLI two or more graphics cards, the GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard is a good choice from an excellent company. If you want to Crossfire the ATI cards, a GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard will be a good choice. As for memory, the G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory will do well.

This post has been edited by DJBPace07: 09 June 2009 - 11:03 PM

Yah, I did a little more research and learned that the GTX 260 was nothing compared to the 4890... however now I have found another card. This one, I will have to admit Im probably paying more for the cool design rather than performance.

How does this one compete with the 4890?

Also, Im really worried about cooling. The ATI cards run really hot due to their core clock speeds and lack of cooling technology. Also, Im putting one of these beasts in a mid tower with two 120mm fans and Im going to install a 80mm side mount on the window. Should I worry so much about cooling when it comes to the 4890?

This is the card I might get, but again I would like opinions:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130492

If you look at the specs... The shader clock is listed. On that radeon card no shader clock is listed... Either way Ive been told that the shader clock is what you need to look out for... the bigger the better, but Im not sure on that.

Thanks for the replies.

The GTX 280 is #4 on the list which beats the HD 4890.

When it comes to video cards many things matter.
The top 2 things to look for are the memory & VERY IMPORTANT "bit" speed.

The "bit" speed is how wide the bus to the memory is.
The wider the bus the faster the card reacts.

Of course the newer the memory technology the better.

[I'm sure glad I got over the need for the high end stuff]

High end stuff is expensive

Most ATI cards run hotter, but if you have decent cooling in your case, you'll be good to go. Remember, the ATI card allows for DirectX 10.1 but it is minor and few games use it so don't worry. Whenever possible, try to use real world gaming situations when evaluating which card to get as performance varies based on the application, meaning synthetic benchmarks can be a little skewed. From what I can tell in the reviews I've seen, the HD 4890 is typically within 5 frames per second of a GTX 280 in most games. There are some exceptions, such as with FarCry 2 where the difference is greater. Placing an HD 4890 in a Crossfire setup would be best in terms of performance, but certainly not cost. When selecting a card, you should determine if the performance gains are worth the increased cost. If you want one of the best performing cards, you can go for an HD 4870 X2 or a GTX 295.

GPU Reviews
[H]ardOCP - ASUS EAH4890 Video Card Evaluation <<<It compares the 4890 with the GTX 280.
Guru3D - Radeon HD 4890 review | test <<<This compares the card with a large number of games, but not a GTX 280.
Neoseeker - Sapphire HD 4890 Atomic Review <<I like this review since it compares the card using multiple setups and games.

Okay. Ive read through the reviews and have decided to go with this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102830

The ONLY problem I MIGHT have is cooling. Now I really need some advice on this, as Ive always heard Radeon's are hot. Especially this one... SO, Im going to list my cooling capabilities that I will have when my system is fully installed. From their I would like some advice on whether its good enough or not.

My case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...k=xion%20gaming (Man I got jipped on this... I bought this case about a month ago, and it has come down almost 40 bucks...)

Anyway, the case came with stock 120mm fans, in back and front. The back fan (which is at the top of the case) pull air in. The front fan (which is at the bottom of the case) blows air out. It is also possible to mount an 80mm fan on the side window (which I fully intend on doing).

Ive heard the the 4890 was designed to be more cooling efficient, but Im skeptical. That pretty much sums up my cooling capabilities (as of now). I typically keep the room temps between 72 and 75 degress Fahrenheit.

Please let me know if I need better cooling, and if so what do I need to improve. I know that the case is small, and yes I admit that Im an idiot for buying a mid tower, but that was before I learned the a full tower case is a must. However, Im going to make this one work since I shelled out over 70 bucks for it (like I said I really got jipped).

Thanks to all whom apply (again).

EDIT: I might be getting a different board as well. Im not quite sure yet but I might get an ASUS. I will definitely get an ASUS if that foxconn is still sold out, but as of now im sticking with the foxconn.

Another EDIT: I was looking up the bit speed of these two cards. the 4890 has a memory interface of 256bit, while the 280 has 512bit. However the 4890 is utilizing GDDR5 technology. Also the reviews that DJB posted all pretty much say the 4890 is better and the way to go, however if joe is correct the 280 is faster. Any thoughts?

This post has been edited by Neil B.: 10 June 2009 - 10:52 PM

That's not a good case, as you are already aware. First, it is a mid ATX which means it may lack the depth needed for a huge GPU like the one you want or the GTX 280. The HD 4890 is 12.5 x 24.6 X 4 cm (about 9.7 inches long) in terms of size so make sure you can fit the thing into your case. Because of size constraints, you will not be able to Crossfire these cards, at least not without cutting the case. Now, onto cooling. With stock cooling, the card can reach temps of about 80 degrees C, which is actually below the 4870 and slightly cooler than the GTX 280. Most reviewers are impressed with the cooling modifications made to the card, but remember, temperatures can vary widely depending on a number of conditions so your levels will be different. Only under certain conditions does the memory interface matter, but that is not to say it is unimportant. Focus on the results, what you will actually get, otherwise you could become bogged down in technical details. The memory interface determines the amount of information that can be pushed to and from the card. The speed the information travels to and from the card (memory clock) is important as well. From what I've read, the memory clocks on the HD 4890 reference models are set at 3.9GHz. Few games need more than a 256bit interface anyway. Although the GTX 280 has a larger memory interface, that doesn't always translate into actual performance. A larger interface does reduce the chances of a bottleneck slowing you down, but with that PC, chances of that happening are small. Memory interface is only important up to the point that it can feed data fast enough to the processor. Beyond that, the benefit of having large interface is small. You can stick with the Foxconn or the Gigabyte board I put in an earlier post, both are decent boards, though as of this posting the Foxconn is sold out.

Tom's Hardware - what is a vidcard's memory interface?

This post has been edited by DJBPace07: 11 June 2009 - 11:12 PM