Video Card

[iuhoosiersfan03]

I am waiting on my new computer to arrive and was just curious about the video card. The computer:

Intel Core i7-920 processor
12 GB Tri-channel DDR3 @1066 MHz RAM
1 TB Hard Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB Video Card
Blue Ray Burner
24" Full 1080P HD Monitor

My question is:
Should I have gone with more RAM on the video card or is 512MB enough. Is the ATI RADEON HD 4850 a good card? I haven't bought a computer in 7 years so alot of things of changed.

PS.. The 12 GB's of RAM is not a typo. With Windows Vista I don't want any "RAM PROBLEMS".

Thanks for the help!

 

[theAnimal]

Vista runs fine with 4GB. Should have gone with 6GB RAM and a 4870.

The video RAM is fine unless you like to use lots of AA and AF.

 

[Mundus33]

if I remember right the 4850 is only a little weaker than the 4870 and it is one of the more powerful cards. It might actually be a bit overkill unless you are playing crysis. Especially considering that most of the halfway decent games that have been coming out for the pc lately are either ports from the 360 or made for multiple consoles.

to answer your question though I believe 512 Mb is fine I have a 640 8800 gts and I can run any game but crysis at high at 1920x1200 and I can run crysis on mostly high some medium on dx9 mode.

The ram question well as I have said I can run crysis pretty well and I have 4g of ram and I have vista 64. On desktop idle I use around 50% of my ram. Just be sure to install vista 64 because 32 can on ly recognize about 3-3.5g of ram.(can't remember which.)

 

[iuhoosiersfan03]

Yea it will be Vista 64. I noticed that the 32 version will only recognize to like 3 GB ram. Microsoft is amazing/stupid. I have never really been a hardcore gamer....lack of computer hardware..... so now I just want a computer that I know can do it and last me a few years.

As for the 12 GB of system ram....probably a little bit of overkill.....at least I won't have to add any later.

if I remember right the 4850 is only a little weaker than the 4870 and it is one of the more powerful cards. It might actually be a bit overkill unless you are playing crysis. Especially considering that most of the halfway decent games that have been coming out for the pc lately are either ports from the 360 or made for multiple consoles.

to answer your question though I believe 512 Mb is fine I have a 640 8800 gts and I can run any game but crysis at high at 1920x1200 and I can run crysis on mostly high some medium on dx9 mode.

The ram question well as I have said I can run crysis pretty well and I have 4g of ram and I have vista 64. On desktop idle I use around 50% of my ram. Just be sure to install vista 64 because 32 can on ly recognize about 3-3.5g of ram.(can't remember which.)

 

[iuhoosiersfan03]

Unfortunately the 4870 wasn't available. I think this is where Dell gets ya. I really only had two choices. Won't stop me from ripping it out of the computer when it gets here for something better if the 4850 isn't a good card.

Vista runs fine with 4GB. Should have gone with 6GB RAM and a 4870.

The video RAM is fine unless you like to use lots of AA and AF.

 

[Mundus33]

unless your money is burning a hole in your pocket and then melting your leg off it would probably be a waste to buy a 4870 also since the 4850 will probably hold you over for a bit.

 

[iuhoosiersfan03]

I wouldn't just step from a 4850 to 4870. I would go bigger. That would be a waste of money for so little.

The only reason I ask is because I seen a guy walk out of Best Buy with an nVidia GeForce 9800 GT 1 GB.

unless your money is burning a hole in your pocket and then melting your leg off it would probably be a waste to buy a 4870 also since the 4850 will probably hold you over for a bit.

 

[gamerk316]

...So you brought an i7, then put a GPU in that even a C2D can drive? You could plop a C2D with a 4850, and not see any drop in FPS.

GPU > CPU for gaming. Period.