Cant decide between an ATI 1gb 4850, or an ATI 1gb 5770

[Chromedbustop]

Im looking to purchase a new computer and have decided on either an HP or Dell.

I've narrowed it down to either an HPE-150t and a Studio XPS 8100 from dell.

I've customized both with similar builds but I'm having trouble figuring out which offers the better value on a graphics card.

The HP offers the 4850 and the Studio XPS the 5770. I'm sort of gathering that the 5770 is better, but I wonder if it's necessary. I do game often but it's not important that I have a gaming rig. I spend just as much time using Photoshop CS4 or just general web browsing.

Now the HP is about $100 cheaper with deals and such and im leaning towards that. But with the newer games coming out in the next year or so, would I have to replace the 4850 to enjoy them at a high quality, or would both last me long term?

 

[deadlockedworld]

3 Comments:

1. What resolution is the monitor? the 5770 will be better at higher resolutions.

2. How long do you plan to keep the computer? If its more than a 2-3 years the 5770 is a better choice because it supports newer DX 11 technology. (its only just now available in the newest games and wont be a mandatory requirement for a couple years)

3. Dell is a better quality brand than HP. (subjective)

However, all those things considered... the 4850 is probably enough performance for anyone thats not a serious gamer... so cheaper is always good. You can always upgrade later if you want to... and everything will be cheaper then.

 

[deadlockedworld]

I should have asked for your other system specs too. If its a budget computer you would want to go cheaper because the system wont age well anyhow...but if you are spending a lot it makes sense to balance the system with a better card.

 

[-Fran-]

Well, the 4850 is still a very capable card, but the 5770 is more capable NOW

If you can get a sweet deal WITH the 5770, go for it. If the difference in prices are too much, keep the 4850 for some time, cause it still can game with high details on 1680x1050.

Cheers!

 

[nrnx]

The 5770 would be your better choice. Slightly overclocked the 5770 outperforms the 4870, in crossfire they out perform the 5870. Its an overall good card, I run games on max settings @ 1920x1080.

 

[Chromedbustop]

First of all thanks for the replies, most appreciated in helping me get an idea of what I should be looking for.

The two specs for both systems are pretty similar
XPS 8100:
i5-750 processor(8MB Cache, 2.66GHz)
6GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs
21.5" Dell ST2210 Full HD Monitor with VGA cable
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024MB GDDR5
750GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive

The HP has:
HP 2159m 21.5" Diagonal Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor
500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850

Both come out to roughly $1100. And yes I'm looking for something thats going to last me a few years. I'm not a computer tech but I do know how to install easy things like RAM and Hard Drives, etc so something that can be upgraded is nice too. Im not sure wether Dell or HP is better concerning that.

 

[nrnx]

I'd say out of those the XPS is better then the HP. Especially with the graphics card. However you are being really over-charged. You can build a similar system to both of those configurations for 600-800$ Go for the XPS, its more future proof then the HP, and you can always upgrade to a different card later. with the HP you'd want to upgrade your card already as the 4850 doesn't support DX11 (I.E the new Win7 DirectX). If you wouldn't mind, I could price all the parts for you to get it way cheaper then $1100

 

[Chromedbustop]

I'd say out of those the XPS is better then the HP. Especially with the graphics card. However you are being really over-charged. You can build a similar system to both of those configurations for 600-800$ Go for the XPS, its more future proof then the HP, and you can always upgrade to a different card later. with the HP you'd want to upgrade your card already as the 4850 doesn't support DX11 (I.E the new Win7 DirectX). If you wouldn't mind, I could price all the parts for you to get it way cheaper then $1100

Where would one go for this. I know there are other computer companies that offer lower prices, but they some to have shady reputations. For example i've heard Cyberpower has good prices, but there computers have a tendency not to work.

 

[jaguarskx]

See benchies with both HD 4850 and HD 5770:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd5670_6.html#sect0

The extra $100 you are talking gives you 250GB of more storage space and a better card. The HD 5770 will allow you to postpone upgrading by a year or more, thus saving you a little money in the long term. By the time you want to upgrade with the HD 5770 you can get a better generation card than with the HD 4850.

 

[jyjjy]

He is talking about building the system yourself. It's a good idea and will save you $300+ and you will end up with a better computer. Putting one together is really not as hard as you might think. Basically if you can use a screw driver, plug in cables and follow instructions you can handle it. It's picking out the parts that can be tricky but that is what sites like this are for.
The first question would be if you would rather have a system similar to the ones you've been looking at but for a few hundred less or if you would prefer a better system for the $1100 you have to spend.

 

[deadlockedworld]

If the name brand/reliability is important to you then the Dell XPS is a good choice.

Also, i just scanned newegg and noticed this gateway system that is almost identical to your HP--except with better graphics/ram/larger hard drive. (HP owns gateway btw)

With a monitor added it would be the same price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113120

 

[Chromedbustop]

Thanks guys. This gives me a much clearer picture.

 

[Chromedbustop]

He is talking about building the system yourself. It's a good idea and will save you $300+ and you will end up with a better computer. Putting one together is really not as hard as you might think. Basically if you can use a screw driver, plug in cables and follow instructions you can handle it. It's picking out the parts that can be tricky but that is what sites like this are for.
The first question would be if you would rather have a system similar to the ones you've been looking at but for a few hundred less or if you would prefer a better system for the $1100 you have to spend.

I've heard that building your own computer is better cost wise. But knowing me i'd make some stupid mistake and break the whole thing. One day if i've got a bit of extra cash to play with im going to learn to do it though.

 

[jyjjy]

It should be not having the extra cash that encourages it, not the opposite. Don't worry about messing up. Just that you manage to communicate coherently and in full sentences shows you are smarter than a lot of people on this site who have managed to build their own

 

[nrnx]

It actually is like putting together a set of legos. In the morning I will create for you a computer that costs $800 that would likely outperform the computers you are looking at. Tired now though!

 

[Chromedbustop]

It actually is like putting together a set of legos. In the morning I will create for you a computer that costs $800 that would likely outperform the computers you are looking at. Tired now though!

I've actually been browsing around to see what's out there. There are just too many variations of too many parts. It's maddening. But I did play around with an old computer I have and I do kind of wonder why I thought they were so difficult to put together. Doesnt seem terribly hard.

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, if you are new to the idea picking out the parts yourself will be overwhelming. Like I said earlier that is the tricky part while putting it together is pretty easy. Working with the prices of the other systems if I had $1100ish to spend I would probably get something like this;

Intel Core i5-750 & HIS Radeon HD 5850 Combo - $490
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.339416

ASRock P55 Extreme LGA 1156 ATX Motherboard - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157172

G.SKILL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 - $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W & Antec 200 S Black Mid Tower Case - $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.335352

Sony Optiarc Black x8 DVD Burner - $24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Hanns·G Black 24.6" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - $200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254040

It's $1150 but those are all very nice components including a very large 1080p gaming(2ms) monitor and a high end video card to go with it(HD5850.) There's also a good crossfire motherboard and a PSU that can handle two of those cards if/when you want to get another. You could also go with an HD5830 which will(hopefully) be out in a few days. It should also be very nice for that resolution and would get you back down to $1100 if necessary.

 

[Chromedbustop]

Yeah, if you are new to the idea picking out the parts yourself will be overwhelming. Like I said earlier that is the tricky part while putting it together is pretty easy. Working with the prices of the other systems if I had $1100ish to spend I would probably get something like this;

Thanks for linking those! I had been looking around newegg and actually replaced a number of items I had selected with ones you linked there. I went with a few different selections though.

Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009179]
- I don't have the largest desk space so I think I'll have to go with a smaller monitor

I'm also thinking of a different case and liked the look of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025]
I may go for something simpler though since a better looking case wont do me much good if I dont know where everything connects to.

Im now torn between the i5/radeon 5850 combo you showed me and perhaps going with something cheaper in the 5770 still. Browsing the combo's is a little annoying because it doesnt seem like you can fine tune the search very much.

With a network card and I assume a sound card I should be complete, and i think the price will still be within the limit i was looking for.

On a side note, since my original question was answered is there a way to move this topic to the proper forum. Im not looking to break any rules here =)

 

[deadlockedworld]

Your motherboard will handle network and sound-- there is no need for cards to do that.

Otherwise im pretty impressed with the development of this thread

 

[Chromedbustop]

You're telling me. I just came in for a simple question and have learned more in the last day or so than in the last few years.

One last thing I realized I was curious about was cooling. I notice that most cases come with built in fans, and graphics cards have them as well. Plus of course the processor has it's own cooler. So what is this I hear about cpu coolers? Is that just people replacing the stock cooler that comes with the processor?

 

[Truhls]

You're telling me. I just came in for a simple question and have learned more in the last day or so than in the last few years.

One last thing I realized I was curious about was cooling. I notice that most cases come with built in fans, and graphics cards have them as well. Plus of course the processor has it's own cooler. So what is this I hear about cpu coolers? Is that just people replacing the stock cooler that comes with the processor?

Generally you will only need to replace the CPU Stock cooler when you are planning on Overclocking. Otherwise the stock cooler should work just fine.

 

[jyjjy]

Yes, CPUs come with a fan/heatsink that is usually ok but not great. They can handle a decent overclock but if you want to push things as far as they can go you can get a better one separately. A good one should be $25-30ish I think.
I don't think the size difference will be that much difference spacewise between a 23" and 24.6" monitor. The one I linked has a 2ms response time which is generally considered better for gaming. It's a subtle thing though and some people can't tell the difference at all(but others are really bothered by it.)
Yeah, feel free to change the case. The case is mostly about aesthetics so just pick one you like. Picked that one based on the combo really although Antec makes nice cases. I like this one better actually;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
As for the thread you can just make a new one in the home build section listing your current idea for the build.