Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > 4850 or 4870
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Anonymous   08-31-2008 at 02:22:33 PM

Ok so i have an EVGA 8800 GTS 640mb i bought back in july last year.

I play most of my games in 1680x1050 res, and I was thinking of replacing it with either
an ATI 4850 HD or a 4870 HD.

Granted 4870's are around $120 more, I'm not sure if the performance increase on a 4850 is worth it, or I should
just get a 4870.

Thanks

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invisik   08-31-2008 at 02:43:24 PM
- 0 +

u would notice a difference with a 4850 but a whole lot more with the 4870. i personally would go with the 4870.

------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik
Zenthar   08-31-2008 at 02:59:34 PM
- 0 +

It depends on the rest of your system and the games you play. If, for example, you are mostly a WoW player, then no, the 4870 won't be worth it over the 4850; it would if you mostly play FPS like Crysis.

------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/600609.png
 Reply to Zenthar
col-p-todd   08-31-2008 at 03:18:18 PM
- 0 +

what are other pc specs? The 4850 has a lot better price/perf. you could always go for a 4850 now and in a year or so get another and crossfire it. because it doesn,t cost that much more than a 4870. and has better perf. .

So i second zenthar it depends on the rest of your system and the games that you play.

Reply to col-p-todd
Anonymous   08-31-2008 at 03:36:43 PM
- 0 +

The cpu would be either an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 or a Intel core 2 Duo E8400.

4GB gskill 8500
Asus P5Q Pro
Windows vista 64

And im usually on wow,Team fortress 2, AoC, along with Warhammer when it comes out.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Anonymous
col-p-todd   08-31-2008 at 04:02:27 PM
- 0 +

though call on the cpu's i,m not sure what I would go for a dual or quad:s but what gpu are you thinking about? the 4870 and the 4850 are both great cards the 4850 is just a little better bang for the buck but the 4870 is a better card. I went with 2X 4850 in my better system and a 4870 in my second system. from what i remember when really looking into these cards is that the following cards gave the following perf. in cod4 (high res & settings)

4850-40fps $170/4.25dollar per frame
4870-60fps $280/ 4.67
4850 crossfire-90fps $340/ 3.78

Reply to col-p-todd
Nik_I   08-31-2008 at 04:18:39 PM
- 0 +

Anonymous wrote :

The cpu would be either an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 or a Intel core 2 Duo E8400.

4GB gskill 8500
Asus P5Q Pro
Windows vista 64

And im usually on wow,Team fortress 2, AoC, along with Warhammer when it comes out.



none of those games are particularly demanding on the video card. a 4850 sounds like a better buy for you. and i would suggest going dual core over quad unless you plan on playing flight simulator or doing large amounts of video encoding.

------------------------------ ECS A780GM-A, Phenom II x3 710, 4GB Corsair @800Mhz, HIS Radeon 4850, Seagate 7200.11 500GB, Auzentech X-Plosion 7.1 Cinema, LiteOn DL-DVD w/Lightscribe, ASUS TA-863, OCZ StealthXStream 500W, Samsung Syncmaster T240, Windows 7 Ultimate x64
 Reply to Nik_I
Zenthar   08-31-2008 at 04:24:49 PM
- 0 +

Since you mostly play MMORPG, I would say to stick with the 4850.

Worst case scenario:
1- Buy a 4850 (save 120$: -120$)
2- Upgrade to another 200$ card in 1 year or more that will probably better than today's 4870 (200$: +80$)
3- Sell your old 4850 for 30$ (-30$: +50$)

IMO, for someone who doesn't mind upgrading his PC once in a while, keeping a mid-range computer at mid-range level gives a much better return on investment than paying more up-front (wishfully thinking the system will be more than a paperweight in 3 years).

------------------------------ The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. - Rebec of Ginaz
http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/600609.png
 Reply to Zenthar
Anonymous   08-31-2008 at 04:37:25 PM
- 0 +

Alright so a 4850 sounds better.

And a dual core is better in my situation than a quad core?

I guess I dont know much about CPU's, guess logic tells me 4 is better then two.

Reply to Anonymous
jaysins   08-31-2008 at 04:55:35 PM
- 0 +

I play AOC and it definitely maxes out the 4870. With it I can play on high and maintain low 30's FPS except in the cities, where everyone seems to have an issue. The other games you have listed it shouldn't matter though.

Reply to jaysins
dagger   08-31-2008 at 05:05:25 PM
- 0 +

Consider 9800gx2 instead of 4870. At $275 (or $245 after mir), it's cheaper than a $280 4870.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133217
But blows it away in performance, across the board.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=14
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=16
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=17
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=18
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=19

It outperforms gtx280 for far less money. You won't have to worry if 4850 or even 4870 can handle different games. 9800gx2 handles everything, even Crysis, for less than 4870. Even for ATI optimized games like Bioshock, where 4870 can outperform a gtx280, 9800gx2 still outperforms it on top. The gap is big enough for it to win across the board.

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
jaydeejohn   08-31-2008 at 06:46:50 PM
- 0 +

cut n paste ? heheh

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ 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
dagger   08-31-2008 at 06:50:46 PM
- 0 +

jaydeejohn wrote :

cut n paste ? heheh



Yep. I like going against the hype. :p

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
jaydeejohn   08-31-2008 at 07:16:14 PM
- 0 +

Good for you. I like your thinking. nVidia needs to clear out product, so their 55nm can take play. Good choice too . Great bang for the buck

------------------------------ 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
eklipz330   08-31-2008 at 08:26:38 PM
- 1 +

lol dagger, i know you started with the 9800gx2 over the 4870 back when concrum posted up the links

I KNOW!! SHAME SHAME!

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to eklipz330
dagger   08-31-2008 at 08:36:06 PM
- 0 +

eklipz330 wrote :

lol dagger, i know you started with the 9800gx2 over the 4870 back when concrum posted up the links

I KNOW!! SHAME SHAME!



+1

Lol, ah yes, those are good links, a must-steal. Where did that fanboy go anyway? I love him. He's funny. :D

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
Yuka   08-31-2008 at 11:52:38 PM
- 0 +

On my own experience, the 4850 is enough for that res and ALL games till date for smooth play (Crysis won't suffer with either of those processors imo).

The 9800GX2 is a sweet deal on that light indeed, but the PSU has to be a lil' bigger, right? For a single PCIe it's the best u can get me thinks (the 4870X2 is a lot more expensive, right?)

Anywhoo, a 4850, 9800GTX or something in the price range should be enough for that. Now, the 4850 chews up AA and scales better, keep that in mind and if u have a CF system, it would sound better. If u have SLI, the 9800GTX is the one for you.

If u plan on getting a bigger monitor, then consider the 9800GX2 or the 4870 (or even the X2).

Esop!

Reply to Yuka
dagger   09-01-2008 at 12:31:21 AM
- 0 +

Power consumption:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/har [...] view.ars/7

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
Yuka   09-01-2008 at 12:48:30 AM
- 0 +

dagger wrote :

Power consumption:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/har [...] view.ars/7



100W more is a lot imo... Now, if the PSU can handle it, go for it :P

Esop!

------------------------------ - Athlon64 X2 4400+ @2.4Ghz
- DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-D
- 2Gb (512Mbx4) Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-7 @440Mhz
- Sapphire HD4850 @650Mhz 512MB GDDR3 @993Mhz (wasn't stable @680Mhz :( )
 Reply to Yuka
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