Silent mid-range graphics

[Moebius078]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a new graphics card to replace my X1900XT 256MB. I'm planning to run Empire: TW, GTA 4 and possibly Far Cry 2. The card should not use too much energy (given my PSU constraint) and should be quiet (but passive or liquid cooling is too expensive ^^). I was thinking of the Sapphire 4850 or 4870 (roughly 50-70€ price difference) or the 9800GT. I don't have a strict budget, but would like to get the best value. Assuming this is found in the 150-250€ range? Also, can you recommend any online shops for Belgium?

Cheers,
Moebius

PS: My system current is as follows: E6600@3Ghz, 2 GB RAM, Asus P5B and Modstream 520 Watt.

 

[stridervm]

If your PSU have at least 30Amps total on the 12V amps you can put a Radeon 4850 on there. It's a huge improvement even in comparison on your X1900XT.

 

[meodowla]

HD4850 would be a giant leap.

 

[doormatderek]

the 4870's were supposed to drop $50 today/yesterday. If you find a deal i'd say go for one of those. I love my 4850, but i'd love one of those even more, for less

 

[Moebius078]

Sorry for the late reply, but this sounds great! Given that the 4870 1GB is only 30€ more expensive than a 4850 512MB, do you think it is worth it? Also, won't the CPU or RAM bottleneck the graphics card?

Tnx!

 

[Moebius078]

Say, I just found a "Pixmania" HD4870 for a very reasonable price. I have never heard of this (in-house?) brand. Any comments?

http://www.pixmania.be/be/fr/2428934/art/pixmania/radeon-hd-4870-1-go-gddr5.html