New video card HD 4870

[cattig]

I have a 3 year old system:

AMD 3700+ single core CPU
2 gigs of DDR 400 ram
Asus mother board
7900 gt video card (sorry no link)

I have a 24" monitor set at 1920x1200

Well the video card is on its way out and I want to replace it. I was just going to replace it with something that was close in performance but then I thought that maybe I can do better.

I was wondering if it makes sense to buy a good card now that I can use for a short time, till I can get enough money to rebuild the whole computer in 3-6 months.

I was thinking about getting a HD 4870 to use with my current system. In 6 months or so when I get the money to rebuild the whole system then I can get a second card to go along with it if I need to.

Does this make any sense or should I just do a rebuild now and get it over with?

Chip Attig

 

[cjl]

That would work, but you would be HEAVILY cpu bottlenecked. It would in every case perform at least as well as your old card, but don't expect numbers anywhere near what people with current CPUs are getting.

Realistically, in your situation, I'd say you'd be better off getting something like a 4670, 4830, or similar card (Nvidia 8800/9800 GT is another choice), and then in 6 months replacing everything, as in that much time, the prices on the high performance cards will drop a LOT, and you'll be able to get something that is at least as good as a 4870 for quite a bit cheaper in all likelihood.