4670 1GB or 9800GT EE 512MB

[PA Jeeper]

Please help me choose a budget card... if possible. My old radeon x1950xt is dying, and I do not want to spend too much on a replacement card now. My budget is not enough for a high end or even decent card, also I do not want to upgrade my psu which is only 450+ watts (FSP Group AX500).

I did some quick looking on newegg and found these cards below out of the them which one and why would you choose it? I am leaning towards and would like to try out the nvidia as a friend has an 8800gt, and I knew they were a respectable card and these 9800s are supposed to be rebagged 8800s correct?

I mainly play fps games such as cod4 and plan getting cod mw2 when that is released, these cards should be able to handle that new game correct? If you can even think of another card around these price ranges, please post a link to it along with why you choose that card. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to help!


PNY XLR8 VCG98GTEE5XEB GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB
or
Gigabyte GV-R467ZL-1GI Radeon HD 4670 1GB


Rig
■WinXP Home SP3
■DirectX 9.0c
■Athlon 64 X2 4600+
■Sapphire X1950XT 256MB
■2 GB Crucial Ballistix PC2 6400
■FSP Group AX500

 

[FallenSniper]

The 9800GT is a little bit better. I would say it's worth the $10 more. As for other cards, the next big step up would be to the 4850. It's gonna be a little more expensive but it will also be better at the same time. If you can, I would wait until the Radeon 5 series comes out, it should drop the prices a bit.

Here's a 4850 with a mail in rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127414

 

[renz496]

in term of performance the 9800 win

i think both should be able MW2 but the game itself is not out yet so i can't say for sure. maybe medium setting at best, who knows. i'm not really sure about your psu since i'm not an expert in psu thing but it should be enough even to power up normal 9800GT. (nvidia states that 9800GT need 400w psu as minimum power requirement)

 

[FallenSniper]

Yeah your psu should survive. Hopefully. ^_^

 

[PA Jeeper]

Wow thank you both for the quick replies! So you believe that my psu can handle that MSI R4850 or even any 9800gt? I could not find a recommended psu power for that 4850, and I am worried about that as I have a less powerful psu! Lastly, when are the new 5xxx series cards do out?

 

[renz496]

4850 need 450w as minimum requirement. the 5000 series will be available very soon. they officially launch their card today.

 

[jyjjy]

That PSU should be able to handle an HD4850 and it's a lot better than the 9800gt.

 

[PA Jeeper]

Interesting that another person says my psu can take a 4850, this seems like good news... so I looked at another card on newegg along with that MSI that FallenSniper recommended. Is the Gigabyte still on par with the MSI?


GIGABYTE GV-R485ZL-512H Radeon HD 4850 512MB
or
MSI R4850-2D512-OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB (one FallenSniper mentioned)


My psu voltage rails and connectors are what truly concerns me with these 4850s... are you guys sure that my psu can handle either of the above cards. In addition, how reliable is this psu calculator, eXtreme PSU Calculator? I punched in my system, well extremely close to it, and its saying that I should be fine. I even did the system under a full 100% load and choose the oced version of the 4850 (pic below).

Thank you all for the help, I am really trying to avoid buying a card plus a new psu at all costs!

 

[djcoolmasterx]

FSP make moderatly good PSU's. Go with XFX if possible, they have a better warrenty and cooler.

 

[jyjjy]

The suggested power requirements for video cards are best entirely ignored. They are recommendations for the entire computer when, of course, they could have no idea how much power the rest of your computer uses. They are also always massively overstated to try to account for that most low end PSUs have power ratings that are entirely unreliable.
Your PSU is made by a decent brand so it's numbers are probably pretty close to reality. If you do some research you'll find that the HD4850 uses at peak about 150 watts. If you are concerned about the +12v rails being able to handle that Amperage = Power/Voltage. So 150watts/12volts = 12.5 amps. As for connectors the HD4850 uses a single 6-pin and your PSU has one.

 

[jitpublisher]

^Very good right there I think.
There are PSU's out there rated at 350 watts that will run a 4850 perfectly fine, and there are 500 watt units out there that will not. Total wattage needed to run everything in the PC is one thing, but even more important is how strong are the 12 volt rails, that is the real number you need to know.
+1 for the 4850.

 

[PA Jeeper]

The suggested power requirements for video cards are best entirely ignored. They are recommendations for the entire computer when, of course, they could have no idea how much power the rest of your computer uses. They are also always massively overstated to try to account for that most low end PSUs have power ratings that are entirely unreliable.
Your PSU is made by a decent brand so it's numbers are probably pretty close to reality. If you do some research you'll find that the HD4850 uses at peak about 150 watts. If you are concerned about the +12v rails being able to handle that Amperage = Power/Voltage. So 150watts/12volts = 12.5 amps. As for connectors the HD4850 uses a single 6-pin and your PSU has one.

^Very good right there I think.
There are PSU's out there rated at 350 watts that will run a 4850 perfectly fine, and there are 500 watt units out there that will not. Total wattage needed to run everything in the PC is one thing, but even more important is how strong are the 12 volt rails, that is the real number you need to know.
+1 for the 4850.

Thank you!


Can my psu handle this PowerColor AX4850 1GBD3-PH Radeon HD 4850 1GB card as with shipping and rebates and all I can get this at the same prices as the msi 4850?

 

[jyjjy]

I probably wouldn't bother with the 1gig version. The usefulness of the extra memory is marginal unless you are going to use a resolution of 1920 and in that case an HD4870 would be a better choice.
At that price you may want to consider an HD4770. The HD4850 is a tiny bit better but that can be made up easily(and then some) with a bit of overclocking. It runs cooler and is MUCH more energy efficient(uses about half the power.)