This system is going to be replacing an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Toledo 2.0GHz. It should be a pretty big bump in performance.
I am also strongly considering replacing my Geforce 8800 GT 512 with a Radeon 4870 1 GB for another 200 bucks. I run everything at 1920x1200 and I can’t use any AA with newer games at that rez.
Anything glaringly wrong with my list? Thoughts on the vid card upgrade?
I’d be surprised if the 4870 was a big enough jump over the GT to justify 200. I would guess (without having checked) that you’d really need something top end to feel much better than the GT, i.e. a GTX 2-something. See the other thread on new builds on this page.
Unless he’s going to mess with dual video card setups (I personally dislike them), the 1GB 4870 is a great single card solution, and it’ll spank an 8800GT 512. There’s nothing “higher end” (okay, there’s the 280, but I really don’t think the performance jump is worth the price). He can also look at something like a GTX 260, but which one performs better will depend on the game, and he’ll still be paying about the same price.
What OS you are planning to use probably would be useful to some degree. But in general it’s definately an improvement. And the 4870 will be a noticeable upgrade at those resolutions.
I am running XP. I will probably switch to windows 7 when it comes out.
It doesn’t seem like there is much difference in the benchmarks between the 8800 gt and the 4870 until you get into the higher resolutions and tack on AA. I am still undecided, I will probably just order the system and wait on the vid card a little bit.
Thanks for the recommendation on the power supply, I was pretty lost on what to get for that component.
Yeah, I know, I was going to see what kind of bump the new processor and MB would give me before I dump more money into the system. Of course I am also impulsive, so I will probably just end up getting the 4870 as well.
I’ve got the P5Q Pro - no complaints. I’ll second recommendations for a better power supply (and case): I usually go with Antec, but most of the major name brands are fine. If you plan to run a Crossfire setup someday, you’ll need a beefier PS, which you can either buy now or upgrade to later; but if you don’t think you will, then there’s no need. Having gone from an 8800 GTX to HD 4870 512MB myself, I think you will see a pretty respectable step up in performance. If you want to shave some money off the price, you can get a 512MB 4870 for about $50 less with only a 10% or less drop in performance at that resolution. You could save another $25 by dropping to an E8400 with only a small drop in CPU speed; or go with a Q8200 or Q8300 instead.
