My suggestion would be to get a single 5770 card. This will make your setup more future-proof, as 1) you can just buy another 5770 in the future to add more juice and 2) 5770 supports DirectX 11. If you opt for Crossfire now using 4850 (which is not the latest gen of gfx anymore), you’ll have to replace both cards if you want to upgrade in the future.

However, if you manage to mod your 300W PSU, then having CF setup with two 4850 is the more economical choice, albeit much less future-proof.

As for performance, two 4850s on CF and a single 5770 doesn’t differ much, so both of them have roughly equal support for future games, though as I’ve mentioned, 5770 has the advantage of DirectX 11 support. I would say that you’ll be able to play most games at full settings a year from now with any of the two models at 1360×768 res. Crysis is an exception, as most other games is unlikely to adopt the graphical prowess that Crysis has (COD Modern Warfare series are cases in point).

But seeing that you’re gonna have a fairly high-end pc, if I were you I would rather keep the upgrade options open and opt for the single 5770.

But then again, it’s your decision.

So should I get a single 5700 (spend about $170), or another 4850 (spend only $110!) and CFX? I did some research that 2 4850 outperforms 5770 (and cheaper) and equal or less than that of a single GTX 280, but I’m gonna have to get a new PSU in that case/ or mod my idle 300w and get it to work. My current 550w should be enough to juiced up the whole components but just for safety, you know what I mean.  I don’t think I’m going to use multiple monitor setups anytime sooner and I am still using XP but later might change to w7.

What is your opinion regarding 4850 CFX on handling future games, reasonably within one/and a half years from now, Crysis 2 perhaps? Or if you’re in my situation, which would you choose best, economic performance-wise.
I’m aware that CFX got some issues and the performance does not doubles.

Future specs includes:
Phenom II X4 965 BE (3.4 GHz) / 4GB DDR2 1066 / Samsung 943 SNX 18.5″ (1360 x 768)

Well, to begin with, Crysis is one power-hungry game. I am using HD5870 with 4GB of dual-channel DDR3 RAM and a quad-core Phenom II X4 955 (3.20GHz), and running Crysis Warhead with everything set to Enthusiast with 8x anti-aliasing at 1360 x 768, the game averages around 30 – 40 fps, especially when there’s more intense action on screen with lots of objects. I’m not sure about HD5770, but it should probably average out at 20 – 30 fps, which is still playable, actually.

But you can easily check this out. Crysis is such a popular game for benchmarking that any review on HD5770 is almost guaranteed to have it tested with Crysis. One such example is at Tom’s Hardware.

Also, take note that I run the game at full 8x antialiasing, using Supersampling AA mode (which requires a lot more processing power than Multisampling AA). Antialiasing in any game is a power-hog. It’s the first feature you should turn off to gain a significant amount of frame rate.

That being said, the HD5770 is a fairly powerful card for its price. You should be able to max out most games at 1360 x 768 and still play at comfortable frame rate.

Performance-wise, HD5770 is roughly similar to HD4870. It’s main advantage over the older HD4870 is that it supports DirectX 11 and ATi EyeFinity, a support for multi-monitor setup.

PhysX is a proprietary technology. It is owned by nVidia and thus will only work with nVidia cards, as obviously nVidia bought PhysX so that it can be their selling point over ATi. However, as PhysX’s main purpose is so that the computer can use the graphic card’s processing power to compute physics processing, in absence of PhysX the role is taken back by the CPU. So, in my opinion, as long as you have a powerful enough processor, lacking PhysX won’t be a problem. Most of the time physics processing is not the reason why game lags anyway. It’s usually the graphics rendering that cause lags.

Will be waiting for that coffee

I have a question to ask. What do you think about the combination of an 18.5′ wide screen LCD monitor (max res at 1360 x 768) with an ATI HD5750/5770? At this resolution, roughly, the card should be able to pawn (40-60 fps), particularly, Crysis set at ‘enthusiast’ with max res and AAs right? say I’m using a c2d e7500 2.93ghz and a 2gig ddr2 800, windows-7.

And what about the new 5000 series on handling games with physX technology? like batman arkham asylum, mirror’s edge or probably crysis itself, any thoughts or stories you would like to share? I’m still an ATI hd4800-series user and PhysX wouldn’t work with this card, the games are going to lag. That’s why I’m considering of getting the 5700 series.
Might buy you a coffee later, or one day later, haha.

Second, I knew you’d love Matthew Reilly! All his defense mechanism, deadly traps, funny call signs and such detailed action-packed punch that leaves you grappling for air. They all justify the exorbitant courier fee from Australia and favor that is so far unpaid to Ju Anne, thanks to your little trick of sneaking out to meet her.

I remember when papa took me to Novel Hut in Yik Foong Plaza to get some second-hand text books. He was naturally averse to any extra spending after the hefty toll on his wallet, but somehow he gave in to my sulking. “Muncung sekaki,” he said. I went home with a Christopher Pike that day, it was 7 ringgit. I remember a Malay lady taking out a 50 ringgit note to pay for a tower of books and I promised myself one day I will earn my own money and do exactly that.

And you know how the story goes after that with me and books. The sagging bookcases in my house tell it all. Dov has moved on to screen-reading but I have too much love for the feeling of paper between my fingers.

Some people read books exclusively for their escapism value, some for  career betterment and self-help, others to pass time. Some, bless them, do it for the sheer love of reading.

I love my fiction books as much as my non-fic, and one of the best books I have came across in my years of reading is a fiction. I think that you don’t have to stick to fiction to enjoy a good read. Non-fiction can be as enjoyable too.
Anyone venturing into the world of non-fiction should try Bill Bryson. Get used to raw, uninhibited laughter erupting from your belly. All he talks about is facts and his memoirs, yet you don’t want his book to stop.

In fact, I have a long list of books that warrants a yearly read, both fiction and non-fiction. They are not necessarily New York Times bestsellers, not even mainstream publications. But I find that their re-read value lies in the extensive subject matter. A few, reminds me of a more optimistic time and the importance of being grateful. A few of them:

• One Hundred Years of Solitude, Garcia Marquez
• The Cairo Trilogy, Mahfouz
• On Writing Well, Zinsser
• You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons, Mo Willems
• Science, Gribbin
• Everything is Illuminated, Safran Foer
• The World is Flat, Friedman
• The Lord of The Rings, Tolkien
• Russia, Dimbleby
• … and everything by Bryson

Give me a book, a cup of coffee and a room with a view. I can read all day long in bliss.

And this comes from a reader who has Mutiara Naga mangas lining up her desk in her youth and still look forward to a new Detektif Conan every month.