HD 4770 vs. HD 4850

it would matter especially if you game with native resolution plus max settings.

if you use AA then go with 1gb, otherwise 512mb would do.

I'm just playing mainly RTS (World in Conflict, Supreme Commander) w/ medium to high settings.

So i should go for 4850?

What is your monitor resolution? If it is 1920 x 1080 and if you game with this resolution then it is underpowered.

Yeah...this is my first build so i don't exactly know how it will look.

So what exactly do you mean? I can up my settings? or get a better graphics card...i'm kinda in the $100 range

and yeah..its' 1920 x 1080

was looking on Newegg and saw two Gigabyte 4850...both with zalman fans

one's 512 mb and the other is the OC'd 1gb
512mb has a $30 rebate which makes it more attractive even though i know i'll be able to play w/ better settings w/ the OC'd 1gb.

which one is better in a cost/performance ratio? again this is to play world in conflict/supreme commander on medium high settings on 1920 x 1080 resolution

If you plan on playing with that resolution in high settings then the 4850 is not up to the task. It is only good up to 1680x1050. Try looking for some 4870/gtx260 but it would costs you more than $100. Or you could still stick with 4850 without maximizing the graphic details.

Check out the latest article for best GPUs for the money. Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July '09 Check your resolution and see what GPU is fit for your needs.

4850>4770 in performance.
And if you play on 1920X1080 then a good card will be GTX 260.
But if you want it to last a bit more then you can also consider a GTX 275.

World in Conflict definitely likes CPU power as well. I have noticed a huge improvement with my i7 over my C2Duo I previously used. A GTX 260 C216 is great for 1920x1200. I game at the resolution and it plays everything great at max except Crysis, of course.

IS GTA4 also running at that reso?

GTA4 likes multiple cores/processors rather than video cards.

I would recommend a 4870 playing at that resolution. Normally i would tell you to go with a 1gig card but since your budget isn't that high get the 4870 512mb if you can. Even a 4850 1gig will struggle more then a 4870 512mb.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

When I built this rig I used a 4870 512 to game on my 1920x1080 monitor. It has performed beyond satisfactory even before OC, and I was pleasantly suprised by how wrong the naysayers were about required vram for my resolution.

Perhaps it is the 4870 itself that made up for the theoretical lack of ram, but either way, the hardline approach of "512 only good to 1680x1050" that so many self proclaimed experts take is silly.

Try running crysis/farcry 2/gta 4 at max settings at 1920x1080 and let me no how it runs on a 512mb card.

@Jofamang
You may have run the game but on low settings.
I mean no AA and AF.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I strongly recommend a GTX 275 for that resolution.
Even if 4870 runs good at that reso but this will last longer.

Buy only if you have money.

thanks...i'm probably going for the 4870 512mb...
any recommendations on which brand i should get...or should i just find the cheapest one possible?

The cheapest one should be fine.

The one i recommend earlier is a good deal.

Cheaper brands perform the same and dont go boom as well.
So buy the cheapest one.

In fact I m also getting A brand new 9800GT from the nearby store tomorrow!

You are right, No AA no AF on crysis/Facry 2/GTA4 ... but the way you "gurus" talk about 512 cards may give the impression to newbs that a 512 card won't work at all... which is just not true. Those games you mentioned require more than just 1GB of video ram to perform well, and the card alone will not make the difference. GTA4 actually ran really well on my PII x3 @1920x1080 once I overclocked it past 3ghz. The 4870x2 made a very small difference on GTA4, TBH. But I am sure you gurus knew that it was so CPU dependent, thats why you mentioned it in response to a video card issue.

My point still stands, making absolute statements about these sort of things is inaccurate and misleading. That sort of advice could end up reducing the playable value to someone on a budget who is not as much of a hobbyist or a self-proclaimed expert.

Vram is totally dependent per game or mod.

Who said that a 512mb cards won't work? Come on jofamang. No one should bash those cards. I also use 4850 512mb because AA/AF is not my hype as it doesn't make a difference in my tiny lcd. Max settings include AA/AF at max and if you want to play in that setting, then you might need some more as AA/AF hugs more vram in some games. And the OP asks about 4850, not your 4870 512mb.

"Even a 4850 1gig will struggle more then a 4870 512mb. "

Maybe you've misunderstood this line eh that's why your so furious? It is simply 4850 1gb < 4870 512mb.  

Btw, I want a 4870 512 too but my tiny lcd won't allow me to do so. Someday, I'm gonna kick his butt out.  

The common quick response to these type of questions is: "512mb only good to 1680x1050, get a 1gb card if you want to run a higher resolution" which can be very misleading to the uninitiated. I mentioned my card as a reference point, that amount of Vram alone is not a dependable variable when chosing a card.

I apologize if I came off as "furious" to you, just trying to be clear about a trend that I have observed here regarding this issue. When I was a newb about these things, I was suckered into buying products that didn't suit my needs, because of my ignorance of the multitude of variables, that are dramatically altered based on a person's needs.

I am also debating this decision. Atm I have a 4670 that is beginning to struggle with my new monitor's 1680 res. Far Cry 2 causes lots of HDD access and Rivatuner reports that all 521 MB of vid memory is in use for much of the time.

Would the 4770's quad 128-bit bus coope better, or should I just go for a 1GB 4850? PSU will soon be a 500W Blue Storm.


Regards,

Mark.

The 4850 performs slightly better than the 4770, and is slightly cheaper. The 4770 can be OCed to 4850's performance.

Get whatever is cheaper.