Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > Benefits of upgrading video card to Radeon 4870 from X1900 XTX

Benefits of upgrading video card to Radeon 4870 from X1900 XTX

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - Benefits of upgrading video card to Radeon 4870 from X1900 XTX

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SDvxx   07-07-2008 at 07:23:51 AM

Hi everyone,

I am currently allocated myself a small budget to do some computer upgrades (first to replace an aging mouse, plus a new monitor).

Now I have about $200 left. I am debating the viability of upgarding my X1900 XTX video card to the new Radeon 4870 (I will need to add about $150 on top of my budget for the new card).

My current CPU is an AMD 64 x2 4800 (same generation as the X1900 XTX). Is this CPU going to be a bottleneck regardless what GPU I use, or are today's games (playing Mass Effect at the moment) designed to shift all graphic burdens to the GPU instead of GUP + CPU?

If upgrading from X1900 XTX to Radeon 4870 isn't going to bring significant benefits, I plan to save up the money for the next PC overhaul upgrade.

Please let me know if GPU upgrades should usually go with CPU upgrades, or are GPU only upgrades worth the money if the CPU is one generation behind the GPU.

Thanks!

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th_username   07-07-2008 at 07:35:15 AM
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of course it is a lot of performace

if i am you i prefer to keep those 200 to build a new pc in the future

Reply to th_username
jaydeejohn   07-07-2008 at 07:52:30 AM
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The 4870 will kill a 1900. Maybe twice as strong. Your cpu may well slow your system down, but you wont notice that much, as your gpu upgrade will keep you busy. Comparing to other systems, yea, youll notice them doing better, but not as much as you think. Id do it now, then change your setup later if youre not completely satisfied.

------------------------------ I went drifting, thru the capitols of tin, where men cant walk and cant freely talk, and sons turn their fathers in
 Reply to jaydeejohn
yadge   07-07-2008 at 07:52:55 AM
- 0 +

I think it will be a very significant jump, but that may not mean that it is worth it to do it. If you can still play games at acceptable frame rates and settings, then it might be better to just wait and upgrade everything later when you can get an even bigger boost.

As for bottlenecking, if you overclock your processor, you might not get the full performance of the 4870, but it most likely wouldn't be noticeably slower than a more current cpu.

You also mentioned that you are getting a new monitor. If the resolution of your new monitor is higher, that might be something to consider as well.

Reply to yadge
Plyro109   07-07-2008 at 07:55:13 AM
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Well, I don't have the CPU issue you do, but I just recently (As in like, two days ago) upgraded from my x1900xt, to an HD 4850, and the 4850 is about twice as fast as my 1900 in most games that are GPU limited.

Hope that helps out!

------------------------------ Pentium Dual-Core @ 3.33Ghz (333mhz x10)
4GB All Componets DDR2 800
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
Visontek HD 4850 512MB GDDR3
Reply to Plyro109
nukemaster   07-07-2008 at 08:03:12 AM
- 0 +

The jump should be quite noticeable.


Message edited by nukemaster on 07-07-2008 at 08:05:16 AM
------------------------------ http://i33.tinypic.com/sw3a5y.png
http://tinyurl.com/26uxxb - C2/i7 Temp? http://tinyurl.com/cj3pw - VGA power?
http://tinyurl.com/5v55wk - C2 Mem performance? http://tinyurl.com/6pmbke - SLI/Xfire?
http://tinyurl.com/yfmxdc9 - Part Guide?
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ovaltineplease   07-07-2008 at 08:07:43 AM
- 0 +

Not only will it in general be noticeable, but with anti-aliasing and quality options enabled it should put more stress on your gpu, making cpu somewhat less the deciding factor in your performance - additional AA/IQ options that your 1900xtx might not have been capable of regardless of what kind of a processor you threw at it .


btw OP; i'm trying to remember the name of the game that is in your avatar - I recognized the plane thing right away actually lol; but that used to be one of my favorite games on my pentium 100 ^^

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by ovaltineplease on 07-07-2008 at 08:14:13 AM
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zipz0p   07-07-2008 at 08:19:27 AM
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Unless you have a really big monitor, rock a 4850 and save the rest. That will get you a very nice performance boost and give you a little jingle in your pocket for your next build.

That said, in your position, I wouldn't bother upgrading if everything seems fine now.

Reply to zipz0p
SDvxx   07-07-2008 at 08:23:30 AM
- 0 +

Thanks everyone!

Good to know I will get decent performance improvement out of getting a better card. I will get the card and start saving up for the next PC upgrade.

ovaltineplease wrote :

Not only will it in general be noticeable, but with anti-aliasing and quality options enabled it should put more stress on your gpu, making cpu somewhat less the deciding factor in your performance - additional AA/IQ options that your 1900xtx might not have been capable of regardless of what kind of a processor you threw at it .


btw OP; i'm trying to remember the name of the game that is in your avatar - I recognized the plane thing right away actually lol; but that used to be one of my favorite games on my pentium 100 ^^



The game is called Raptor - Call of the Shadows

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapto [...] he_Shadows

You can search youtube for quite a few clips of this game. I still play it with a DOS emulator (Dos Box). One thing I like about this game is its heart pumping midi music. Also, any of today's PCs can play it with maximum framerate! :wahoo:

Reply to SDvxx
ovaltineplease   07-07-2008 at 08:30:10 AM
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lol

yea dude I actually beat Raptor a few times back in the day - I just couldn't remember the name of it :P

Its awesome, I used to love all the upgrades and stuff you could get and ya know back then that game had great graphics for its time :P

Reply to ovaltineplease
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