Radeon HD4850/4870 or GeForce 250?

GTS250 = 9800GTX/GTX+ ~ ATI4850

ATI4870 ~ GTX260

If hook up to TV nvidia all the way people seem to have less problems with that else i'd just go by game performance in certain and price.

The GTS250 is just a renamed 9800GTX, so it won't fit in your case either. The 4870s and 4850s are also rather long cards. The Gigabyte 4850s with the funky grey cooler have a custom PCB that's a little shorter and uses a little less power so that may fit into your case.

if your case is too small then heads up that the card has enough cooling for your case - small case = not for gaming (most of the time)

GTS 250 is a little more then 9800GTX ones made to stock are shorter and only use 1 pcie 6 pin which is 9 inches in length... This usually wont count those with custom coolers shoved on them or the ssc editions XFX super ultra black clock w.e

don't know why newegg has bad reviews on the ATI cards the 4870 is one of the best cards around

newegg has 73% giving the card 5 stars, wouldn't say that was bad

Just became it's newegg doesn't meant he computer builder has intelligence. About 1/4th of all of those comments should be removed and are wrongfully place esp in the ram section where ppl expected OC ram like 1066 to run native on their mobo's without setting the settings themselves. 90% of all computer problems are between the chair and the keyboard.

^^ +1

I bought that card for 134 AR from asus. It's great. The cooler does a good job. Picture quality is fantastic. Came from 3870.

q9550 oc 3.8ghz zalman 9700
abit p35 pro
6GB 2.0v pc6400 880mhz
asus hd4870 512mb
asus hd 2600xt
640gb main
1.2TB raid0 data
34gb system
Lg blu ray/hd dvd 16x dvd-rw
Lg 16x dvd-rw
lite-on 20x dvd-rw
cm 690
corsair 750watt

I appreciate the comments and info. Now I would def consider the ASUS 4870 except for the fact that it only gives me about 1/2 inch between the end of the board and the rack that holds the hard drive. I'm concerned about air flow.

Is 1/2 inch enough clearance or am I going to have overheating problems? I have one fan (other than the CPU fan) but there isn't any room for a larger one. I guess the main problem I'm having is case size.

"if your case is too small then heads up that the card has enough cooling for your case - small case = not for gaming (most of the time)"

I can change out a video card and PSU but I'm not ready to move from one case to another (install a mobo!) so I guess I need to find a card that fits my case.


Are there shorter cards of the same caliber as the 9800 GTX+ or 4870? Also does anyone have the dimensions for that card? I know it's 9.5 X 4.376 but how thick is it - as in how much space you need between the pci-e slots?

The 4870 should be fine, as it collects air and pushes it all out the back of your case. Case fans should handle any radiant heat from the card

sounds good! Now I just need to know if it will fit between the pci-e slots. I can't just buy it and try it because Newegg has a limited return on that particular card.

um, I guess I should mention that I went to ASUS site and the only dimensions they give is 9.5 X 4.376 which doesn't tell me how thick the card is.

Youll need 2 open slots in the back of your case, one aligns with the pci slot, another youll need below it, as its there where all the air is blown out from the card out the back of your case thru that slot

Whats your rigs name, or case?

It's a gateway GM5478 (aka lemon) but I do have 2 slots available. I just looked and realized that I have (what I think) is a TV card that I don't think I'm using that could be removed for more room.

The only specs I could find for thickness was 37mm but it wasn't the ASUS brand. If it's only 37mm it will just fit in the two slots.

In your opinion, am I okay with the ASUS 4870?

If you have the lower slot, it should be fine, as its almost always the length that is the problem when fitting a card in a case, tho they do make whats called low profile cards for such situations . Id guess a lil more than 1 1/2 inches for the thickness on the card. The motherboards are usually laid out in such a way as to accomodate things such as this, as there are standards for it

PS Its usually something from the case itself thats the obstruction

Thanks! I think I'll go for it.

if you ask me i would cut a hole in the side of the case for a fan, i have a friend with a medion with one fan with a nvidia 6600 and you cant touch the thing without burning your finger, dont know why the thing still runs