Ad...Klepto..
gentlemen, I think your forgetting something.....
My budget is around the $400 to $500 range. I'd also like to go ATI Crossfire because of my current card
there has been no mention of what resolutions that Tehoste games at, so there is a fighting chance that unless he has(or going to) run out and purchase a 30' monitor,
2x 4870's are going to be overkill anyway. And his budget he gave was in fact $400-$500. So I submit this GPU solution. a 0-60 in 2.5, 3200 SPU's, mach five with his hair on fire, 4 teraflop, 4 alarm, have to put sand bags in the trunk to get traction,1024 bit, quad CrossfireX on two PCB's graphic solution:
This X2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809
....im kidding (kind of) would need a 1k PSU.. fun to think about though ...eh?
seriously, if he is gaming on a 22" monitor, I think the 4850's make more sense. if he's on a 24" or above then the 4870's do.Keep in mind that the higher amount of ram and the speed of it are the differences between the 4850 and the 4870 and doesn't show its usefulness until you get to 1920 x 1080 and above. and if he is gaming on a 22" then the additional 4850 is more useful and certainly much more economical. unless he is just going for bragging rights....then forget all of this.
here check out some benches in games with the CF 4850's up against CF 4870's. (and the frame rates have gotten significantly higher since the time this was done ,due to ATI Driver development) so there are even more superfluous frames now, worth the extra $200? you be the judge.