8800 gts 640mb vs ati 4850

[OrderChaos]

Which would give me better performance, sli 8800 gts 640mb or one 4850? I already have one 8800 so the prices are similar for these cards. I do have an sli mobo, so wouldn't be using two 4850s and don't want to lay down the cash for a gtx 260 or 4870. Please no fanboy flaming, keep it civil and please give reasons for your opinions as well as links if you have them. Thanks!!!

 

[Maziar]

2x8800GTS 640 beat every single card out there(including GTX 280,HD 4870) in almost every game,so i say SLI it, btw what resolution do u play at? also do u have any problems with games?

 

[sarwar_r87]

8800GTS 640 has roughly the same or lil bit less performce compared to 3870....if my memory serves me right.so IF u have sli scalable game, it will probabli play ok.

i suggest u go with 4850 as its newer and will require less power and heat (provided u speed up ur fan) then two gts 640.
plus sum games don support sli or has poor scaling. 4850 will not hav that problem and u can be sure u can play every title out there

 

[Phrexianghoul]

the 4850 will yield better performance. But i suggest going with the 8800 GTS since you already have everything for it.

 

[sarwar_r87]

the 4850 will yield better performance. But i suggest going with the 8800 GTS since you already have everything for it.

m not sure what he mean by he "already has everything for it" but u could sell his 8800gts and add that money to get 4850 after rebate

 

[Phrexianghoul]

m not sure what he mean by he "already has everything for it" but u could sell his 8800gts and add that money to get 4850 after rebate

what i'm saying is that he already has one 8800 and an SLi mobo. He only needs the second card and possibly a new psu. And if i recall right those 4850s draw more power than those 8800's.

 

[sarwar_r87]

what i'm saying is that he already has one 8800 and an SLi mobo. He only needs the second card and possibly a new psu. And if i recall right those 4850s draw more power than those 8800's.

9800GTX draws more power than 4850. G80 series draws more power than G92 at 65nm........i could be wrong.

but if u use one 4850, it will definately draw less power than 2 8800gts 640 sli. hence no psu upgrade required.

 

[mrmez]

Ive got a gts320 and i decided to go with a 4850.
Sli can be problematic in certain situations. It also creates more heat, uses more power and takes up more space, plus i could 'donate' my old card to another system.

Selling a 4850 x months from now wont be that hard. Selling 2 gts640s will be. U will probably end up selling one only, then putting the other in the used parts bin, never to be touched again.

 

[Guest]

I'm waiting to find out about the rumors of the die shrinks of both the 4870 and gtx 280... I'm waiting for those and possible performance increases and price drops before I do anything...

I also have a 8800 gts 640... at 1920 by 1200... and its just beginning to show its age... its not as stable as it once was either... I used to be able to have it completely stable at 650/1700/1000.... but now if its above 550/1400/850 it artifacts like mad... so disappointing cause with my original OC it could do anything I threw at it

 

[coozie7]

Thogrom, had the same situation as you, but without an sli motherboard and no wish to instal one, I opted for a HD4870.

OP, one HD4850 will not come close to two 8800 gts 640 in games that fully support and scale well with sli. BUT bear in mind, sli does not work with all games and scales poorly in some others. Either way, I see no performance advantage from one HD4850, even if you`re playing games that are not sli friendly.
Bear in mind these are quite power-hungry cards too, you`ll need a beefy PSU to keep them fed!

 

[Maziar]

I agree with u ^^
If he tells us what resolution he plays @,we can help him more.

 

[OrderChaos]

I play at 1680 x 1050 and yes I already have an sli mobo. My PSU is a cooler master 850w real power pro, so I'm not worried about needing a new one any time soon. Thanks for all the advice guys and also thanks for not making this a fanboy flaming thread

 

[coozie7]

At your rez there are two options: If you have no problems, stick with what you have, it`s a damn fine card. I`d still be using my 16 month old 8800 gts were it not for the Christmas 24" monitor upgrade . Or, do the upgrade to two in sli and really crank up the AA/AF in those games that work well with sli to enjoy the eye candy and Teflon slick gameplay.
Your choice, either way, enjoy your gaming

 

[The_Abyss]

I play in 1920 x 1200 and had a 8800 GTS 640 OC.

I bit the bullet, and rather than buy another one and SLI, bought a 4870 and sold the GTS. The net result was a cost of £90 and, on the games I play, not having to consider graphics settings for a while.

Damn ATI for their cooling solutions though, the 4850 basically doesn't have a cooling solution other than to try and make some of your other system components fail first, and the 4870 is loud over 28% fan.

 

[SonDa5]

I play in 1920 x 1200 and had a 8800 GTS 640 OC.

I bit the bullet, and rather than buy another one and SLI, bought a 4870 and sold the GTS. The net result was a cost of £90 and, on the games I play, not having to consider graphics settings for a while.

Damn ATI for their cooling solutions though, the 4850 basically doesn't have a cooling solution other than to try and make some of your other system components fail first, and the 4870 is loud over 28% fan.

First things first.

1. Have the latest ATI 8.7 drivers +CCC downloaded and ready to boot the HD4800 series card.
2. Learn how to edit fan control settings in profile settings. That works decent for lowering GPU temps.

1 HD4870 should be plenty of power to game.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

According to extreme outervisions psu calculator, theres only 7 watts difference between the 4850 and the g80GTS