video upgrade for 939 computer

[engo]

Hello guys!!

I have a socket 939 amd X2 4600+ (2.4ghz) on a Nforce4 ultra mobo (sli 32) with just one 8800gts 320, and 4gb.
The machine runs great for his age , I also use it for rendering.

But with so many upgrade options by now (and so few coins in my wallet to get a new PC) and late graphics price drops, and since I can't do anything to upgrade my cpu (without changing, mobo, ram, cpu) i have some kind of itch to upgrade my video to get better framerates for actual and coming games.

With 4870 and gtx260 at $300 (wich is what I payed for my GTS time ago) is it worth to upgrade? Is my system capable to take advantage of these cards from my gts?
Not really thinking in SLI right now, but if theres a better option usin it, Im open to opinions.
Don't know much about bottleneck or the limitations of my PC to run these cards, so thats why I need some help here.

Thank you for listening!!!!!

 

[hhahaahyea]

the 4870 is an amazing card.

or

4850 crossfire?
~$300

what motherboard do you have, exactly?

 

[Malovane]

Well, I'm running an AM2+ system, with a 4850e and a 4870. Figured I'd wait till AMD's nex-gen stuff to upgrade the cpu. The processor is similar to the 5000+ .. probably the same chip binned for certain properties. It's probably the next step up from your processor.

That said, some games are CPU limited for me, and others are not. GRID plays very well. So does Witcher. Flight Simulator X is fairly blah. It depends on how the game itself is optimized, mainly.

8800gts is a fine card though. I'd probably upgrade my platform before video card in your case. Perhaps you could wait for a 750 southbridge board, buy a cheap Phenom, and clock it to hell. Your rendering stuff could stand to benefit.

 

[engo]

My mobo is an Asus A8N32-SLI ( no crossfire )

 

[hhahaahyea]

oh alright.
well what i just bought a 4850 (they're about 155 now with rebates + free grid game on newegg) and it ran crysis on very high. i was really really impressed. as soon as i can upgrade my computer i'm going to get a crossfire motherboard and get another 4850.

i recommend waiting ~2 weeks for the 4870X2 to come out becuase it'll bring down a lot of prices and change the market. the 9800GX2 is another really good option, nvidias dropping all their prices after the sudden release of the 4800 series.


p.s. the 4850 does run hot but if that bothers you you can easily do the fanfix by changing values in the files.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Engo -

I'm in a similar situation (X2-4800+ s939) with a GTS-640. I've decided that I'm going to wait until I can afford a full upgrade (Intel Q9450/4Gig DDR2 ram) and then decide whether or not I need to upgrade my GPU.

Until that happens, I'll just need to lower my game settings. (I know, I know. That's blasphemy to some here)

-Wolf sends

 

[engo]

yea I know about lowering settings, but most games play great, grid is one of them at 1680.
My worries are Stalker:clear sky, excelent game for me, in the beginig was heavy to play, but with the framerate patch i was able to play it at max but in 1440.
And obiously WARHEAD (crysis) , I now its suposed to be better optimized, but i want to play it higher than 1024.

Just today a friend of mine is accepting to change his gts 320 ( he doesnt have SLI ) for a 8800GT 512 ( at 160 before rebate ).
I think for that money I'll get better performance (with two gts 320 SLI) than any other option, or I'm wrong?? what do you think about it?

 

[engo]

sorry about clear sky, is not even out yet, I ment the first one when talking about performance.

 

[Wolfshadw]

That depends on where you problem lies. If the issue is a lack of sufficient video memory, then getting a second 8800GTS-320 won't help at all (as you'll still only have 320Meg of V-memory).

I'd probably ask your friend to borrow his 8800GTS-320. Get some benchmarks from your system with just a single 8800GTS-320 and then add your friend's 8800GTS-320 in SLI. Compare benchmarks. Depending on the results should lead you in the right direction.

-Wolf sends

 

[maximiza]

I am in the same boat, s939 sli board currently have a 7800GTX and everytime I come close to buying something I just decide to wait because somehting new is happening. Tried ebaying a second 7800GTX so I could go SLI then I was like 60.00 bucks for what???? 4870G2 maybe or maybe sli 2 GTX 280 i still can't decide.

 

[coozie7]

Good advice from WOLFSHADW to ENGO.

Mine: Go for a HD4850, it plays well at 16x10 or lower, but a HD4870 (as hs been suggested) will bu CPU bound on some titles and may not be such a cost effective upgrade.
Both have known cooling issues, check the many posts here for soloutions before, or if, you purchase either.

 

[B-Unit]

I recently made the jump to SLied 8800GTs in my S939 system w/ Opteron165 clocked at 2.9Ghz. Allows me to play Crysis @16x10 high and hover arround 30-35fps, which is about the same frames I was getting at 1280x1024 with a single 8800GT at medium.

Two things I would consider, first being how long untill you plan on looking at a platform upgrade, and as a corollary, do you intend to bring this new vid card over? If your a year+ from upgrade, and think you may be replacing everything, 8800GT/GTS(512MB) in SLi will provide ample horsepower for now at a price tag of ~$300-$350. If you plan to carry your card over, then a single 4870 or GTX260 is probably the better choice.

Secondly, if you want to stretch the life of your system a bit farther, you could look at overclocking your processor. An extra 300-400Mhz might put a lil hop into the ol' gals step.