Nvidia card recommendation

[Zippoh]

my budget is 400-500 bucks. need something that can max out current games. sli can be an option too. I was thinking two 9800GTX+ in sli, what sort of preformance would I expect in a game like Crysis at 1680x1050 res? how mush watts would would I need to run that? I'm going for the whole black look so I don't want some bright card that wouldn't fit well with the case. below are my specs if it helps.

E8400
750i FTW
Corsair Dominator 2x2GB
Antec 1200
Silverstone Olympia 1000W or something lower if 1000W isn't neccasary

[rjbarker]

Personally, I would stay away from "previous" generation Cards and go with a GTX2xx Series. I had a GTX260 FTW (192 Core) and it was amazing...solid Card and great replacement for my 8800GTX.
That would be my recommendation to you playing on Native resolution 22"
GTX260 Core 216 awesome. If you decide to go with a larger monitor in the future, as in 24" or greater, you can get another and SLI them. PSU - I would go with a minimum solid 750W single rail 60 Amps, this would be adequate for your SLI.

[Zippoh]

Originally Posted by rjbarker

Personally, I would stay away from "previous" generation Cards and go with a GTX2xx Series. I had a GTX260 FTW (192 Core) and it was amazing...solid Card and great replacement for my 8800GTX.
That would be my recommendation to you playing on Native resolution 22"
GTX260 Core 216 awesome. If you decide to go with a larger monitor in the future, as in 24" or greater, you can get another and SLI them. PSU - I would go with a minimum solid 750W single rail 60 Amps, this would be adequate for your SLI.

so a Corsair 750W would be enough for 9800GTX sli? as for core 216, is it a lot more powerful than a XFX GTX 260?

[burebista]

For your system and resolution GTX 260 is enough.
If you can squeeze $34 you have an GTX 280.
As for PSU a good 500-600W is enough.

[Zippoh]

Originally Posted by burebista

For your system and resolution GTX 260 is enough.
If you can squeeze $34 you have an GTX 280.
As for PSU a good 500-600W is enough.

I see. what about OEM cars such as this one.

NCIX.com - Buy GeForce GTX 280 OEM 602MHZ 1024MB GDDR3 2.214GHZ PCI-E DVI-I *Systems Only - 1YR NCIX Warranty* - NV-GTX280-1GB-OEM In Canada.

reason why i chose this one was because it doesn't have a vendor label on the front of it.

[burebista]

Man, all reference cards are manufactured on Flextronics or Foxconn facilities. The only difference between brands are stickers, warranty and box accesories.
Of course custom variants (OC-ed or/and custom cooling) are another story. :)

[rjbarker]

As for PSU a good 500-600W is enough.

Don't cheap out on your PSU when going with either a GTX 260 or a GTX 280 Card...trust me on this one. Why scrimp and save $40 only to be plagued with PSU issues in the future!!
If your going to purchase a 260, go the extra mile and get the 216 Core edition, a few more bucks...and get the 750W PSU..a few more bucks, you're then all set for SLI if you go that route!
If you go the single Card solution GTX 280, the 750W will be perfect!!
Seen so many Posts on the Evga Forum with guys going on the cheap with thier PSU - generally moving from 8800 / 9800 Series to GTX2xx Series and being plagued with problems...avoid this!

[burebista]

Neah, only 750W for an GTX? Get a kW one. Better safe than sorry.
I don't say cheap, I said good 500-600W PSU. Good as Corsair, Antec, Silverstone, PC P&C, Seventeam, TT (CWT build) and so on.

[rjbarker]

Neah, only 750W for an GTX? Get a kW one

The only set-up right now that would justify a Corsair 1kW would be 2 x GTX 280 SLI, I ran 2 x GTX 260 FTW +, along with my E8400 OC @ 4.05 Ghz on my PC P&C 750 Quad Silencer with no issues.

Thinking of adding a 2nd GTX280, anyone interested in a PC P&C 750W ;)

[Retro]

Originally Posted by Zippoh

my budget is 400-500 bucks. need something that can max out current games. sli can be an option too. I was thinking two 9800GTX+ in sli, what sort of preformance would I expect in a game like Crysis at 1680x1050 res? how mush watts would would I need to run that? I'm going for the whole black look so I don't want some bright card that wouldn't fit well with the case. below are my specs if it helps.

E8400
750i FTW
Corsair Dominator 2x2GB
Antec 1200
Silverstone Olympia 1000W or something lower if 1000W isn't neccasary

I agree that it would be wise to go with a 260/280 series card, there are some good deals on NCIX's latest sale for these cards. Personally, I have been doing well with one vanilla GTX280 and a PCP&C 750 power supply, which is also reasonably priced at NCIX.
The GTX260 Core 216's are great cards too, probably the best bang for the buck. I would also suggest just getting one card, with the PCP&C 750 power supply, as that combo would fit into your budget.