Upgrade Question - Advice Appreciated

[bagman]

Hi there
Just upgraded my PC and am about to purchase a new video card.
Would prefer to stick with nVidia.

Currently running a 7950GX2 with E8500, 2gb DDR2 PC6400 ram, Silverstone 1200w psu. Native screen resolution 1600 x 1200.

My reason for the 1200w psu was to run 2 x 9800GTX in SLI, but am now considering a GTX260.

I guess the advice I am after is; if I have no immediate plans to upgrade the 20" LCD then what is the best combination graphic card/CPU that will avoid bottlenecking.
Are any of the above cards overkill for 1600 x 1200 ? Obviously I am after the best performance gaming wise for the appropriate graphic card that will run with my E8500.

I originally thought 2 x 8800GTS would work, but with the latest GTX series I'm wondering if a single card might be the way to go.


Appreciate your advice

cheers

 

[broona]

I'll suggest it before everyone else does, 4870.

 

[bagman]

I'll suggest it before everyone else does, 4870.

Reading some reviews I notice that there is some comparison between the GTX260 and the 4870.
Some games one will perform better than the other.
Price wise I can see the attraction of the 4870, but as I said I would rather stick with a product that I am familiar with i.e. nVidia.

Would still appreciate comments on which nVidia card, coupled with my E8500 will give me little bottlenecking and good gaming experience.

cheers and thank you for replying

 

[reflux]

SLi is a bit overkill at your res. In fact, most cards will be a bit overpowered. The GTX 260 sounds like a good option, but bear in mind there is nothing wrong with the radeon 4870 and it is a fair bit cheaper.

Even an 8800GT would probably be enough if you didn't want to spend too much.

 

[Greebo]

Two 9800GTX's fro £260 in a couple of weeks time is still a valid option too.

They will outperform a GTX260.

Oh and if you can wait 6 weeks, the 4870x2 for £300 will be a great buy. Total overkill for your res, however nothing wrong with running everything at 1600 x 1200 with 8xaa/16xaf and 60+ fps

 

[amkan13]

Two 9800GTX's fro £260 in a couple of weeks time is still a valid option too.

They will outperform a GTX260.

Oh and if you can wait 6 weeks, the 4870x2 for £300 will be a great buy. Total overkill for your res, however nothing wrong with running everything at 1600 x 1200 with 8xaa/16xaf and 60+ fps

id certainly be good for future-proofing!

 

[ten80p]

Personally I'd go 4870 £199 and bag yourself another 2Gb of RAM and still all less than a GTX260