should i but the 8800gt and oc it for $99 or buy the hd4850 179

[bobmarley]

future shop is having a sale on the 8800gt for $99 is this good deal or should i still buy the hd4850 and if i buy the 8800gt should i get a new psu my current one is 300w

p.s quick reply

 

[Ycon]

Get the 8800 GT and maybe even a second one while youre at it =)

 

[bobmarley]

but will it run on a 300watt psu

 

[dirtmountain]

You'll need a bigger power supply for either card. Any decent 450w will power either card. The 8800GT is an excellent card...the 4850 is better. At those prices i'd get the 8800GT unless i was a hardcore gamer.

 

[rockyjohn]

Not well if it will. Did you check minimum system requirements? Most 8800GT cards say 400w - and I would suggest picking up a little larger one as they don't cost much more and I have no idea what else you have on your system.

You might also go to this site to calculate power requirements. This is the free lite version that calculates only the total power requirement. They also have another one, for a nominal fee. that you can use to calculate requirements for power level.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[bobmarley]

thank you guys might go buy it today

 

[rockyjohn]

Go for it. I am tempted myself. I see it is BFG - my favorite label - and OC version.

 

[xxcoop42xx]

+1 for 8800gt. ive got sli 9800gt, it tears games apart

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Sounds like you have your answer, since you need a new PSU, take the 80 your saving, grab a great PSU, then pick up an additional 8800gt later for sli.

 

[rangers]

no ones asked what games he plays just blatantly gave bad advice without knowing the facts

 

[spathotan]

^ this

Are you looking to play the games of today and tomorrow at high-max settings? Or just looking to play a particular game/s at decent settings? If its the ladder then get the 8800GT, but if you want high end performance go for the 4850

 

[dagger]

no ones asked what games he plays just blatantly gave bad advice without knowing the facts

If you look at the price, what game he play really doesn't matter. He gets one 4850 at $179, which means it's merely $20 less than 2 8800gt at $99 each. 2 8800gt far outperform one 4850 across the board, on every game, without exceptions.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=14
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=16
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=17
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=18
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=19

 

[bobmarley]

but the thing is my motherboard doesn't support sli............................ and i don't want to bu a new mobo for a long time

 

[dagger]

but the thing is my motherboard doesn't support sli............................ and i don't want to bu a new mobo for a long time

Good point. But still, on average, 4850 performs 15-20% better than 8800gt, but cost much less than just $15-20%. It can still handle most games well enough. If value matters, it's the way to go.

 

[rangers]

^ this

Are you looking to play the games of today and tomorrow at high-max settings? Or just looking to play a particular game/s at decent settings? If its the ladder then get the 8800GT, but if you want high end performance go for the 4850

+1

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Though high end is a relative term, as the 4850 is marketed as a mid range card. Either card really is going to be a good choice, but the 4850 according to benchies should serve you well longer. However if you don't have much cash, sounds like the 8800gt is a way to go, especially considering you will probalby need a new power supply. So yeah, you have to upgrade the video sooner, but if you get a nice power supply this time, you shouldn't have to worry about the PSU next time and be able to get a much better card. It really depends how much you want to spend, and how long you want to keep it. But whatever you buy, a year from now, is likely not going to be the cutting edge tech.

 

[spathotan]

4850 is marketed as mid range yes, but it has the horsepower to handle modern games at high-max which is why its such a damn good buy. And in Crossfire (I know the OP cant do this, just refering to it) they are even a better value.

 

[dagger]

4850 is marketed as mid range yes, but it has the horsepower to handle modern games at high-max which is why its such a damn good buy. And in Crossfire (I know the OP cant do this, just refering to it) they are even a better value.

It's just mid range. There are a couple of existing games that it can't handle at playable fps.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=19
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=17
Usually, you'd need average fps of 40+ with minimal fps not dropping below 30 for a game to feel smooth. Heavier future titles may stress it more.

Also, while cf helps, framerates can very greatly, much more than single card. It's somewhat unpredictable.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=20
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=21

 

[jivdis1x]

Both the 8800GT and the HD 4850 use about 235-240watt under loads.
Even if your PSU is at 100% efficiency, it still cant take neither card.

CPU takes at least 65w for the low end model.
HD and optical drive takes appr 6w each

 

[dagger]

Both the 8800GT and the HD 4850 use about 235-240watt under loads.
Even if your PSU is at 100% efficiency, it still cant take neither card.

CPU takes at least 65w for the low end model.
HD and optical drive takes appr 6w each

4850 is pushing it, but it should be enough for 8800gt.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=22