4gb ram + E8500 + 4850 or 4870?

Hello,

I've just bought a new config;
- 4 gb ram 5-4-4-12 mushkin pc2-6400 800mhz
- intel core 2 duo E8500
- PC power and cooling Silencer 610W

the problem is I still have my evga 7900 gs ko

I know it's my system's bottleneck and I was wondering which graphic card to choose budget around 150$;
I was hesitating between the 8800gt (less expensive) or the 4850 (more efficient). I think I'll go for the 4850, I'm planning on keeping this config for 2 years so 40$ more is not such a big deal.

In your opinion which 4850 should I choose;
Asus, gigabyte, visiontek,etc..?

For the price difference , should I just go for the 4870 or is it too much for my system?

If your interested in waiting a couple of weeks the overclocked and non referance designs will be out.
Gecube will be releasing a sonic variant that is oced already and has an enhanced power system to help it oc even more. The price is said to be the same as a standard card (I think a little more though). Others will of course be released but i dont know any details of those yet.
Other than that the Visiontec with its lifetime warranty would stand out to me.

Mactronix

That is the worst advice I've heard in a long time. The 8800GT 1GB version doesn't perform any better than the 512mb version. Of course, from you it is not very surprising.

As far as the original poster's question is concerned. what resolution are you going to be playing at? If you are going to play at a relatively high resolution with AA, I'd go with the 4870, otherwise go for the 4850. If you are playing at something like 1280x1024 or lower, go for a 8800GT.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^Damn good advice!

OP; As for manufacturer choice; I think all these cards are made by AMD themselves (correct me if incorrect), all the others do is apply their stickers and plonk goodies into the retail box, so you`ll get the same card, made by the same factory whatever box it is in.
As you will be keeping this rig, go for a good warranty ahead of price, paying a few dollars more now could save a lot of grief-and money-later.
Oh and remember, these cards run hot under the current drivers, you might want to check out the `My 4870 is hot` and `4870 fan fix` type threads here so you know what to expect, and how to overcome it before you make a decision, and purchase.

I just built a nearly identical system... and I went with the 4850. I figure I'll just slap another 4850 in there later for about $50 more than a 4870 would cost, but I'll have much better performance than the single 4870.

I have:
E8500
4850
DFI lan party x48 (crossfire mobo)

I think you've just convinced me

My mobo is a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R, I think it could handle the 4870 (with PCI 2.0 if I'm not mistaken).

I'll wait mid september to get it, hopefully the price might drop a bit then.

for overheating issue, I have an antec 900, is the aircooling enough? (1 top 200mm fan, 1 rear 120mm, 2 front 80mm)

I found out that the gtx 260 is the same price as the 4870, benchmarks show it's better, maybe I'll get that one if the price is the same

Hey all,



Similiar situation as the OP, getting a new box.

E8500, 4GB, 2 x 1TB [raid 0], 2 x 4850 in crossfire, 750W Corsair, crappy ODD etc etc


Anybody see any issues with that, or have any advice/comments?

Also, what's the best monitor around for gaming but mainly media (movies, tv), minimum of 720p?

Don't think.... just go for it man..