Double checking final purchase and 4870/4890

[uncfan_2563]

Okay guys, for a while, as some of you know, i've been looking to upgrade my gaming rig.
Here is what it's got in it at the moment.

ECS Iris8 Mobo
AMD Athlon 64 x2 4800+
3gb -- DDR 2 800
GeForce 9400GT
250-Watt crap house psu
1280x1024 19" Monitor

Right now i'm getting ready to buy 2 things, a new psu and a graphics card.

This is the PSU i'm going to get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

My major dilemna is the graphics card. I can either get a 4870 or a 4890.
I realize for future proofing the 4890 is better but in the future it just might not matter with DX 11 coming and what not.

1. I'd like to hear what you guys recommend for the graphics
2. I get really nervous finalizing "big" purchases and i'd be very happy if you guys helped me come to the conclusion that everything will work together

Thanks.

 

[uncfan_2563]

that doesnt make sense. define massive game engine?

also any nvidia card beyond the gtx 260 is out of my budget, even the gtx 260 is pushing it

 

[uncfan_2563]

also stop friggin spamming the forums. every post you have says something totally incorrect about ATI, stop fanboying it up

 

[uncfan_2563]

lol no one can handle the cry engine but just cut it out. there is a reason ATI is around and thats price/performance. shutup about ur stupid fanboyism and please dont post in this thread, i'm looking for some actual help as i'm trying to get in the purchase before tomorrow

 

[chef7734]

First question is how soon after the new cards are released do you plan on upgrading again? The 4890 has some benefits over the 4870 as far as overclocking but if you are not planning on holding onto the card for that long a 4870 or gtx 260 would be fine. The 4890 can be a great overclock-er if you get a good board and can rival a stock gtx 280/285 if you get the clocks high enough. Of course you know it all depends on what games you play on if ati or nvidia will give the advantage so base your decision off that.

 

[RazberyBandit]

2 fellow North Carolinians?

Gotta ask, what resolution is your monitor? To be honest, a 4670 would be a nice improvement over that 9400GT, no matter the resolution. Good ones are very affordable (I have an HIS 4670 IceQ Turbo in one machine, and it's very solid at mid-level resolutions.) It's possible that spending $60 or so on something like that would hold you over until the next-gen batch of cards comes out.

Like chef said, it really does depend on when you intend to upgrade/replace the system, and also if you want this new purchase to migrate over into that machine. It also depends on the resolution of your monitor. Video cards in the 1GB memory range are pretty much wasted in most of today's games on 1440x900 and 1680x1050 monitors. (Some titles love frame buffers more than others.) If you have a 1920x1080/1200 or higher res monitor, a 1GB memory buffer would begin to really show it's glory. I say this because 4890's only come in 1GB models (other than Sapphire's 2GB Vapor-X) and GTX260's have 896MB and 1792MB flavors. Would an inexpensive, 512MB, mid-level card carry you over til it's system rebuild/replacement time? If so, a 4670 (or 4850) may suit your short-term needs.

Edit: Missed the resolution line in my reading... LOL. (Message to self: Stop reading forums when you should be sleeping.)

 

[gkay09]

If I were you I would not get anything above this...
HD 4850 512MB...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

Reason -
1. For your resolution, 1280x1024, the 4850 would max out the current games...
2. Newer cards are about to release by the End-od-year...So I would start saving for those...
3. Your CPU is weak and anything above 4850, might be bottlenecked...So mabye save for the newer CPU + Mobo...

 

[Jaysin]

Agreeing with gkay here. Don't upgrade that much when your system needs far more work overall. Just get something to tide you by like a 4850 or a 4770 if you can find one.

 

[uncfan_2563]

hmm okay the 4850 sounds good i guess. The thing is tho, i won't be upgrading GPU's anytime soon, maybe in 1 or 2 years. I think i should atleast get the 4870 because in the future a 4850 might not be enough.

 

[RazberyBandit]

At your resolution, I tend to think a 4850 would be enough to carry you through the next year or two. But, for ~$30 difference, a 4870 purchase makes sense for an extra longevity cushion.

Also, it's not necessary to upgrade the PSU that much presently, either. There are plenty of high-quality ~400-450W PSU's in the $30-$50 range that would provide sufficient power for your setup, even with the addition of a 4850. That is, unless you also have a bunch of LED fans and CCFL tubes and stuff galore... If you go 4870, you'll have to venture into the ~500W range to get two 6-pin PCIe connectors.

 

[uncfan_2563]

well the reason im getting that is that in the fall, i might be getting a crossfire mobo. And that would be able to carry a second card of the same model as what i'm getting now.

plus that psu is 700w, good brand for 52 bucks after MIR. pretty good deal i think

 

[RazberyBandit]

So you're not exactly just upgrading your current setup, but upgrading a setup that's possibly going to change again in a couple months?

You may want to take a deep breath and rethink your overall strategy.

 

[uncfan_2563]

uhh no. number 1 upgrade is videocard / psu. as an added bonus, i might just swap out my mobo in the fall later on. I'm going to be switching to a motherboard that just lets me transfer all my parts for now but later add things like an AM3 processor.

no need to worry about my future upgrades, i just need this gfx card now.

 

[uncfan_2563]

oh also, do you guys think getting a IceQ4+ 4870 is worth the extra 10-15 dollars?

 

[RazberyBandit]

I'll let you know... I've got an IceQ4 Turbo 4850 arriving tomorrow

It was on sale over the weekend for $110 and has an additional $20 MiR.

My IceQ Turbo 4670 is now in the spare media/web machine. It's quiet, cool, and just plain perfect at low resolutions. It can game, but not well beyond 1440x900 in truly intensive games with my much desired eye-candy.

 

[uncfan_2563]

okay, im ordering the HIS IceQ4+ Turbo Radeon HD 4870... thanks for your input guys, u stopped me from wasting my money on a 4890 =D

 

[RazberyBandit]

Without my actual HIS 4850 IceQ4 Turbo 512 review?

I was skeptical of HIS as first because I've never owned one nor known anyone who had one I could see first-hand. But, I figured what the heck, this 4670 is on sale and pretty cheap. Since then, it's really impressed me. It's so quiet and cool, even under load. It played Fallout3 at 1440x900 using Ultra settings almost flawlessly. At 1680x1050, it took a performance hit, but remained playable. At 1920x1080, gameplay became rather unpleasant. It even locked up, once.

Now, I know the 4600 series is not the space heater the 4800 series can be, but it's performance, quietness, and it's cooling really impressed me for something considered a "mainstream" card. I'm hopeful this also rings true for the 4850 I have coming to use in the household "gamer" machine.

Something else to consider is you've only gotten 3 other people's opinions, here... You may want to hold on a day or two and see if you can drum up a few more.

 

[uncfan_2563]

nah i already made the purchase. my dad is getting it for me and he doesn't really mind the extra $20 over a 4850, plus i've been shopping around for a new card for like... 3 months.

 

[RazberyBandit]

LOL. My Dad won't even pay for his own computer needs, let alone mine... But I'm all growed up and can handle my PC needs.

It's a good thing for you that prices on the 4800 series dropped recently.

 

[uncfan_2563]

well what i'm planning on doing is... in the fall, i get the money for a new mobo, and transfer the exact same parts to that. After that i'm going to add a Phenom II x4 when i get the money.

 

[RazberyBandit]

AM2/AM2+ CPUs won't transfer to AM3 socket motherboards, and neither will DDR2. Be wary of those facts in your motherboard choice.

 

[uncfan_2563]

but on newegg there are mobos that support AM2/AM2+/AM3.
atleast thats what it says.

 

[RazberyBandit]

They are AM2+ socket boards. AM3 CPUs can run in AM2+ sockets. The reverse is not true. AM2 and AM2+ CPUs do not have a DDR3 memory controller, which would be required to run in an AM3/DDR3 motherboard.

 

[uncfan_2563]

okay so i'll not use ddr3. big deal? i dont think so. DDR2 1066 should be fair enough

 

[RazberyBandit]

I was just pointing out the differences.

Also, that is exactly why I'm using an AM2+ motherboard with an AM3 CPU. I see no need to buy an AM3 board just for DDR3. Everything else about them is identical. Maybe once Socket-AM3 gets an AM3-specific northbridge/southbridge configuration, I'll think about it. Til then, some overclocked DDR2-1066 is enough for me.