512mb vs 1gb will depend on your screen res and amount of AA you like to run - personally I would say that 512 is fine as the 4850 really needs more horsepower to run say a 1920x1200 screen properly, though no doubt someone will disagree with me My 4850 ran pretty much anything at 1680x1050 with no problems (I didn't try Crysis though, must admit)

Temps will be fine - my single-slot 4850 (512mb - I forget the brand) ran a lot quieter than my current 4870 - any card that keeps to the reference cooler design will be fine - this is of course dependant on you putting it in a well-ventilated case.

All ATI video cards are made by the same OEM. The OEM's own brandname is Sapphire.

Look at the warranty and any extras that the brandnames offer (like a different heatsink).

That hasn't been true for a very long time. Sapphire still does manufacture some ATI cards, but so do XTX, HIS, MSI, and pretty much all the other usual suspects.

A friend of mine recently built a system with the HIS brand and it came with a spiffy screwdriver. No complaints with the card so far. I can't say I'd recommend it over others but it does seem to be a solid card.

Personally I don't pay much attention to brand on video cards. I just watch the newegg ratings. If it is rated particularly poorly, I avoid it.

(my) general opinion is that 1gb card provides smoother gameplay in newest titles, like far cry 2. i collected information in recent time, since i was dissapointed with my graphics performance.
I own asus radeon 4870 512mb, getting around 50 fps during first 2-3 minutes of play, then 15 - 40 fps. (jungle areas, aargh)
I play at 1680x1050, all very high, noAA.
Definitely go for 1 gb variant.
(maybe fc2 needs some driver optimization)

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/arti [...] VzaWFzdA==

Also the Sapphire I listed a couple posts up has been nominated by NewEgg for an award. Guess we won't find out until next month where is places on the nomination list or if it wins.

Just balance out your budget and needs. If you aren't concerned with budget get more than 512mb, if your budget is lower get the 512mb card. If your needs are higher than your budget, well...life sucks then. Lower your needs or save up more money..

I chose the Sapphire because I plan to overclock and I want to spend as little money as possible. I am not looking for extreme performance out of the box.

If cooling is still your biggest concern just make sure you have adequate airflow and fans for your case.

In my opinion ppl are too concerned with the temperature inside the case...
My 4850 was hitting over 80C with old drivers and nothing ever happened. I don't have any case fans and honestly couldn't care less about heat. All those fans/water coolers are just pointless gimmicks unless you're going to go for some serious overclocking.

Heh, well did you try turning on the power? I know if I built a computer and nothing ever happened I'd be pretty annoyed. I much prefer for something to happen. Preferably booting up and playing games smoothly, but if you wanted an expensive oversized paperweight... ;-)
/sarcasm

The issue is, that 80c GPU is heating air and pumping it back into the case where it will no doubt try to float up and heat your CPU. The more airflow you have, the more this hot air will be... I want to say dispersed, but that's not the word i want... dispersed/ displaced/ spread out.
And a 65nm quad slightly OC'd can potentially get quite warm, especially in a hot case. It's all a question of situation.
I personally like to have as much airflow as I can without the noise getting unbearable, however stop short of specific RAM or chipset cooling.