i am building a pc....

[fuegonian]

Soleron said:

Performance:

Number in brackets is normalised to 9800GTX+, so relative performance can be compared with less skewing by large numbers.

 

Card	Price	Call of Duty 4	Crysis	Bioshock	Oblivion	Average Normalised Perf	Normalised Perf per Dollar (Price/Perf.) *200
Resolution		1920x1200 4xAA	1680x1050 No AA	1920x1200 No AA	1920x1200 4xAA 16xAF
9800GTX+	$200	61.4 (1)	31.6 (1)	69.2 (1)	40.2 (1)	1	1.00
GTX260	$255	74.3 (1.21)	33.3 (1.05)	69 (1.00)	43 (1.07)	1.08	0.85
HD4850	$170	66.4 (1.08)	29.8 (0.94)	86.8 (1.25)	34.8 (0.87)	1.04	1.22
HD4870	$260	82.4 (1.34)	35.6 (1.13)	107.7 (1.56)	41.5 (1.03)	1.27	0.97

 

All prices are the current cheapest on Newegg

So, the best performance in the $150 - $300 range belongs to the HD4870, and the best price/performance is the HD4850. Neither the GTX260 nor the 9800GTX+ are good choices. If you go above this price range, I can assure you that the HD4870 X2 beats the GTX280 in value and performance too, but there are diminishing returns after the $200 or so mark. AMD currently offer the best value solution at all price points.

I agree with all the above, It sounds like a 4850 will be the best value for you, and will do the job comfortably!