GTX 260 vs Radeon HD 4870

[Son_ganon]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161248

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

Which is better. Which can Fit in a dell inspiron 530. Is 500 watts all I need for both and here is my set up.
"I am going to upgrade the psu, the ram to 6gb and the cpu too a q9300."

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa28/Vinnyhellzyeah/11-30-20089-17-18AM.png

 

[jlannon]

personally i would go with the 4870, but the cards are virtually equal

the rest of your upgrades are unecessary, u will never use all the power given to you by a q9300, u'ld do better to stick with something like the e8400

u'll never use more than 4 gb ram

i'ld suggest at least a 600 watt power supply

really, if you're planning on upgrading a dell inspiron 550 to that extent you're insane, the chipset is going to seriously affect your performance, u might as well build a new computer or at least replace the mobo w/ something like the asus p5e deluxe

 

[Son_ganon]

I am actaully gonna build a computer. But I am gonna get it by parts. SO I out this stuff on my dell then later on get a new mother board and casing. But if not the q9300 how bout the q6600. Is that a better deal.
p.s Its a dell 530 its not the slim if anyone is gonna ask.
So If the cards are equal I am gonna go with the 4870. But then again the gtx does have a nice deal and is a bit cheaper. But I am worried about the size. Will it ever fit inside of my computer.

 

[Son_ganon]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703016

Thats the psu I am going to get.

P.s when you say my chipset will effect my performance how so? But anyway I am gonna get a new mobo and stuff later on. This will only last for like 3 months top.

"resolution @ 1680 x 1050"

 

[kelfen]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810
189.99 after rebate 4870
go with 4870 and save the extra money for christmas gift ect.

 

[ejay]

I am reasonably sure the 260 will not fit...the interior of the Dell 530 case is just too short, front to back. This is unfortunate because it would run cooler in your case if it did fit. The 4870 may fit, but you would need to measure the distance from the interior rear of the case to the front hard drive cage. If it will fit, expect the interior case temperatures to increase, even though the card uses an exterior exhaust. I know the following 4850s will fit and work off most name brand power supplies in the 500 watt range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261027

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

Roughly between the 4850 and the 4870, depending on the resolution, there is one nvidia card that may fit (auxilary PCIe plug is on top of card rather than at the rear), isn't all that power hungry and runs cool.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130416

Good luck and let us know what you decide on.

 

[Son_ganon]

well its between this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161248
or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

Also reviews say this card is long. But The dell has a lot of room. "in my opinion. I mean atleast 12 inches. around there. So Ill be able to fit it. Well PLease tell me what you guys think. Which is the better buy. I am going with what is better in performance not price. But these are the two cards.

P.s: Thank you guys and everyone on toms hardware. This site has helped me out a lot. I would be lost in choosing a card if it wasn't for you guys and everyone else. If I had a cookie I would give you guys one.

 

[curryj02]

I don't think the extra boost in performance is worth spending the extra $40 on the HIS card. Just stick with the sapphire card for $189. The only downside to the sapphire is the fan, which blows air both out, and back into the case. but if you have an exhaust fan somewhere near the card, then it shouldn't make too much of a difference. If you don't, then just make sure when u get your new case/mobo make sure you have a couple 120mm exhaust/intake fans.

Good luck!

 

[jlannon]

sapphire is the better company

a better chipset means better bus speeds, if ur gonna upgrade the whole computer then go for whatever processor u think u'll need

when u do get a mobo, go for something w/ an intel x48 chipset

 

[Granite3]

I am fairly sure the dell mobo will not allow the Q9300 upgrade unless it already has a Q 9 series on board.

That Dell specific bios does not allow the changes you need to upgrade the cpu. Graphics card, yes, as long as it has a 500 watt psu. The dell psu's are generally very conservantly rated.

I have 2 260's SLI'd and like them very much.

Careful with a non rear exhaust gpu, as the 530 has very little way to remove heat from inside the case, as the cpu and nb have a ducted air flow on the 2 running at the office.

 

[Son_ganon]

ok Ill go with the cheaper card. But for my cpu. Should I stick with mine for now and when I get a new mobo, get the q9300 or should I get the q6600 and just use that for my new pc.
Will my cpu be good enough for a while.

 

[jlannon]

for the time being i think it'll be fine, up to u really, but w/ the new i7 cpus the core 2 will go down in price soon

 

[Son_ganon]

Well I am not sure of that. They already dropped the price on them. The prices will not change this time around. But Ill just get the core 2 quad 9300 when I get my mobo.

 

[Son_ganon]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4352193&Sku=I69-2180%20P

I am loving this mother board

 

[jlannon]

that doesnt support the core 2 series, only the i7 series, different pin structure

also its ddr3, way more expensive

as i said before, the x48 chipset is ur best bet unless ur gonna go w/ nvidia

 

[Son_ganon]

I know I am gonna get the intel i7

 

[daskrabbe]

The system is going to max out somewhere below 300 watts. Suggesting that 500 watts is not enough is insane.

 

[Son_ganon]

yeah I am gonna get a higher psu. Looking at a few. not sure how much is 650 good enough.

 

[daskrabbe]

Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

 

[Son_ganon]

lol. What were you expecting. Also I found a real nice case. You guys like
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3911521&Sku=A406-1101

and I found a other one too.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4259693&Sku=TC3J-2383

 

[jlannon]

nzxt does make some really nice cases, i recently bought a raidmax smilodon

 

[Son_ganon]

lol cool. I decided that I am not gonna bother to but my card in my dell. Ill buy it now and wait. I waited this long, and I can wait for a extra month. Im gonna add some ddr3 mem 4gb. But it is a lot of money. lol.

 

[jlannon]

yeah it is, if i upgrade within the next month im going for an amd phenom 9950 and a radeon hd 4870 w/ 4 gb ddr2, i dont have the cash for the new intels

 

[Son_ganon]

lol. Well the ram is the last thing I am getting. hopefully the price drops a bit. Its just with the new mobo and i7 ddr3 is needed lol

 

[daskrabbe]

lol. What were you expecting.

Well, I said that 500 watts was more than enough and you reply by asking if 650 watts is enough.