RADEON HD4850 vsGeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512mb

ladic

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Ok, first thing, I game at 1680x1050(max monitor reso), and currently have 8800gts 320mb.

I just boughit the Ati at Best Buy for $160 but haven't opened it yet:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8894057&st=hd4850&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1212192380309

This is the Nvidia I was checking out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134037


Now the 2 questions:

1 - Which of the 2 will give me a better performance for gaming???

2- Will I see much for perfmance improvement from my previous card?


Rest of my system spec:

CPU: C2D E4400
Mobo: Gigabyte 965P-DS3
Ram: 4GB (4x1GB) DDR2 800
Video: EVGA 8800GTS 320mb
 

pogsnet

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3dm-overall.gif

source: techreport

The ATI 4850 nailed down the 9800GTX which is faster than 8800GTS.

4850 is priced only at $199 introductory perhaps lower in few weeks.

Other benches:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-ati-radeon-hd-4850-review-force-3d--powercolor/17
 

terror112

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The 4850 Bests the 9800GTX, and the 8800GTS512 is just an underclocked 9800GTX. I have the 8800GTS 320 as well and plan to get the 4850 or 4870. I just wish evga built the ATI cards so I can use step up to the 4870 when it comes out. I am still making my decision on either getting the 4850 or 4870, but right now I am leaning towards the 4870 because with the GDDR5 memory, it will be a beast at AA and I Love my AA.
 

dagger

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They perform about the same at stock, g92 8800gts run cooler and can overclock more, 4850 scales better on higher resolutions, and does not require crappy nvidia motherboard to run dual.

Benchmark results for 4850, compared to existing cards:
UT3
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/17.html
Supreme Commander
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/16.html
Far Cry
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/10.html
Crysis
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/8.html
STALKER
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/15.html

Overclocking and temperature for 4850 is poor, at 8% and 92C full load, compared to g92 8800gts which oc at least 20% and typically does not exceed 60C full load.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/24.html

Noise is lowest of all performance cards at idle. Even at load, it's only still slightly louder than 8800gts, which considering single slot cooler, is quite an achievement.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/22.html

Peak power consumption is reasonably low for the performance level. Most gaming psu can easily handle 2 in crossfire.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/21.html

Both should be a significant step up from g80 8800gts.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/02/g80-vs-g92-hi-end-geforce-gfx-cards-round-up/?page=8
 
Theres absolutely no proof that these cards wont oc better in time, and I mean in a couple days. Currently they are limited in oc to the CCC thats all. That doesnt mean they oc is ati tool like fiends, so until rina tuner and ati tool recognize thes ebrand new cards, with all previews being done on beta drivers, which are held back by a mild oc in CCC, we will see
 

dagger

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That may never happen. If they oc like hd3000s or hd2000s, then it's as far as they will go. Track record is pretty bad. It's better to err on the side of caution instead of hoping for a break this time.
 
This may be true, but with its big brother at 20% faster stock, Im sure there certain cards that will oc quite well. People who have oceed these have shown its not the heat thats held them back, but the CCC. Even the CCC allows for 12% oc, so thats mild but not bad
 

homerdog

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Going from 625MHz to 700MHz isn't that bad. Other than the obvious lack of software that will take it over 700MHz, I think the 4850 is limited by its tiny cooler. If the AIB partners approach this card like they did the 3850 we should see some pretty effective custom solutions in not too long.

To the OP, the 4850 spanks the 512MB 8800GTS handily, even with these early drivers. I think it would be a mistake to buy a G92 based card at this point unless you can find a REALLY good deal.

Oh yeah, I also read somewhere that re-seating the HSF on the 4850 can drop the temps a lot (like 20C). I can't for the life of me find the article now, but it's worth a shot. Before you try it though make sure you won't be voiding the warranty.
 
While its possable that these cards may have been tested to a very tight spec as far as the differance in the max stable core clocks is concerned. I have to agree with JDJ that there almost has to be some headroom there.
Remember these cards are the bog standard referance release cards. I dont think the partners who like to put out an OC or turbo version will be happy if it turns out they have no room left in them.
Of course these partners could be given a differant chip i guess.
mactronix
 

ladic

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I have Vista 32bit, should I install the drivers that came with the card or download this one from the website?

Radeon™ HD 4800 Series Hotfix



The information in this article applies to the following configuration(s):
Radeon™ HD 4870 series
Radeon™ HD 4850 series
This Hotfix improves overall performance and stability. The Hotfix includes the Display Driver and Catalyst Control Center.

To download the Hotfix Driver, please click on the links below:

Radeon™ HD 4800 Series Hotfix for Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit included)
Radeon™ HD 4800 Series Hotfix for Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit included)


Note: This driver is provided as is and is not supported by AMD. It has not completed full AMD testing, and is only recommended for users experiencing the particular issue described above.
 

NarwhaleAu

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4850 administers a spanking to any g92 based card at 19x16.

At the resolutions you are playing at it is a tie most of the time. I think with driver optimization in the coming months, the 4850 is the best bet.

You made the right decision.
 
Whhas killed me from the beginning is so9me people said, a crad this cheap cant be that good. To follow the money etc. Now when I look I see the GTX falling in price, the GTS falling in price, yep follow the money heheh Wont play a game with no AA, besides been shown with AA the 4 series beats the g9 and 8 worse than with no AA
 

dagger

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GTX fell in price, but not GTS, it's still the same $159.99 after rebates. :p
 

dagger

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They were thinking, "Hey, let's take a g92 8800gts, relabel it as 9800gtx, bump up the price and watch the money coming in." :na:
 

dagger

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There were some rumors that the current g92 8800gts was actually meant to be 9800gts. But nvidia's marketing decided at the last moment they didn't want the 9000s generation to be officially launched.
 

ladic

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ok, installed it and seems to be working fine, tested several games and all look faster. Counterstrike jumped from 60fps to 90fps.

Ok, now, my temp at idle is 56C and when running CS its 58C is that normal? IU thought the temp would go higher when playing?
All I am doing is pressing Alt+Tab while in the game to check the temp under Catalyst Control center, is this the right way to do it?
 

dagger

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CS is old. It doesn't stress your gpu. It's like running a web browser and expect it to stress cpu. And when you go out to desktop, load drops, since it's only rendering the desktop, and temperature also drops.

Use this to test stability and temperature:
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/
 

ladic

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ok I installed the program and ran the stability test, the max temp it seemed to rech was around 86C and it stayed there for a while, does the test eventually stop? I just pressed escape.
 

dagger

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I believe the "stability test" is continuous, while "benchmark" is finite. Keep the stability test running for at least 30 minutes or so. You want to stress it throughly. If it's going to break down, might as well do it now instead of a month from now, when you can no longer rma it.