Need recommendation for a decent upgrade

[dang3r0us]

I currently have a 7300GT 512MB DDR2 128-Bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150242

I'm looking for a good upgrade from this at a limited budget.

I play World of Warcraft, Counter strike, COD4 and would be trying any new good game coming out (though not that extreme of a gamer except for Warcraft etc.)

I'm considering the following options but they are stacked more or less around the same price group which makes it harder to decide so I'd want some experienced users to suggest what the best option is for my needs.

4850 512MB DDR3 256-Bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337&ref=dynamitedata.com

4770 512MB DDR5 128-Bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369&Tpk=4770%20xfx

4870 1GB DDR5 256-Bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814150394

5750 1GB DDR5 128-Bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448

I don't intend to CFX/SLI anytime soon as I don't really have the need to. The confusion is the fact about DX10/11 issue, PSU requirement, and comparison price/performance. The one issue I might have is the PSU because I cannot replace it yet and need a card that would run easily on it, plus a support for multiple displays easily without issues or getting hot. I'm looking for a best solution without compromising performance.

My specs are:
Intel C2D E6750 @ 2.66Ghz
2GBDDR3-1333 memory
Intel DP45SG motherboard
460W CoolerMaster Extreme PSU-> http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?category_id=30&product_id=3686
CoolerMaster CM690 casing
Acer 19" LCD @ 1440 x 900 (Which I'd be using for games)
Sony HDTV 32" @ 1360 x 768 (Movies etc or if games can run on it nicely?)

Will appreciate any recommendations, advise, and any other card suggestion that falls in the category I've mentioned. Thanks.

 

[jaguarskx]

The HD 5750 is your best option due to performance / power consumption.

The HD 4870 is more powerful, but also require around 60w - 65w more power and lacks DX11.

The HD 4850 is about the same as the HD 5750, but requires about 50w more power and lacks DX11.

The HD 4770 is less powerful, consumes less power, less expensive and lacks DX11 and you will likely upgrade sooner rather than later if you were to buy any of the other cards.

 

[jyjjy]

Any of those cards will perform very well at your resolutions and your PSU should also be ok for all of them although the HD4870 may be pushing it a little if it is old.
Of those I would recommend the HD5750 as it is extremely power efficient/cool and DX11. However the HD5770 really isn't much more and is a better buy;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161317
It's overkill for your current resolutions really but it will still make a notable difference in the most intensive games(Crysis, Stalker, ect) and serve you well for a long time and/or if you upgrade your monitor/tv to a higher resolution.

 

[dang3r0us]

The HD 5750 is your best option due to performance / power consumption.

The HD 4870 is more powerful, but also require around 60w - 65w more power and lacks DX11.

The HD 4850 is about the same as the HD 5750, but requires about 50w more power and lacks DX11.

The HD 4770 is less powerful, consumes less power, less expensive and lacks DX11 and you will likely upgrade sooner rather than later if you were to buy any of the other cards.

Is a lesser powerful DX11 supporting 5750 still better than a powerful 4870 if PSU wasn't a variable in this equation?
Like, is the performance compromise from selecting 5750 over 4870 too much?
What about the 4850 which is quite lesser in price than 5750, does it outperform 5750 in terms of performance/quality?
Lastly, is it time to get a dx11 card cause most places bashed these lesser powerful dx11 cards to not perform too good by the time dx11 was actually the norm? I'm confused that is dx11 the way to go nowadays?
And any suggestion whether if opting for 4850/4870 the PSU I have would support it?

 

[jyjjy]

Here is a chart with the relative performance of the various cards you are considering at a resolution very slightly higher than the ones you use;

DX11 is definitely a wise idea if you are looking for a card to last you a while.

 

[jeffredo]

DX11 is a non-issue at the moment (unless you see some game on the horizon you want) and the HD 4870 would wipe the floor with the HD 5750. Its more along the lines of an HD 5770 in power.

At your resolution(s) and considering your power supply, CPU and games played I'd get that more reasonably priced HD 4770. Its not that far behind an HD 4850 or HD 5750 at lower resolution. Going to be massively better than your current card.

 

[dang3r0us]

Any of those cards will perform very well at your resolutions and your PSU should also be ok for all of them although the HD4870 may be pushing it a little if it is old.
Of those I would recommend the HD5750 as it is extremely power efficient/cool and DX11. However the HD5770 really isn't much more and is a better buy;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161317
It's overkill for your current resolutions really but it will still make a notable difference in the most intensive games(Crysis, Stalker, ect) and serve you well for a long time and/or if you upgrade your monitor/tv to a higher resolution.

Issue is 5770 touching the budget of a 4890 for me, then that would be another question that is it better than the 4890?
The only issue I have is the PSU, else I think the 4890 is far better than the 5770? That is the same confusion I have, that I'd pay for a 5750 whereas a 4870 would be a far powerful card, this then tempts me alot to upgrade the PSU if I'd be losing performance due to the PSU?
Unless the 5750/5770 are actually the better ones to get if there is any convincing reason to go for them rather than the 4850/4870/4890? Actually my comparison is
either 4850/4770 (same price)
or 5750/4870 (again same price)
or 5770/4890
So, I really want to know that I'm spending the money right and not making a bad decision as I don't think I'd be upgrading anytime sooner (atleast 1 year or more till I would upgrade) so really want the best for the buck. Thanks for your input, I'm still confused though :s

 

[jyjjy]

Well if you aren't going to get a DX11 card just the HD4850. Like I said any of the cards will be very good for your resolution and even the HD5770 is overkill. I only recommended it because in the US the price difference from the HD5750 is rather small. The HD4890 shouldn't even be considered as it is entirely pointless for your resolution and will definitely require a new PSU.

 

[dang3r0us]

Well if you aren't going to get a DX11 card just the HD4850. Like I said any of the cards will be very good for your resolution and even the HD5770 is overkill. I only recommended it because in the US the price difference from the HD5750 is rather small. The HD4890 shouldn't even be considered as it is entirely pointless for your resolution and will definitely require a new PSU.

What's your opinion about the fact that by the time DX11 actually penetrates properly the 5750/5770 would be really less appealing as well as powerful, and replaced by better alternatives by then? I don't really know by when the dx11 would actually kick in and that would be the time dx11 cards would be at a better price level but question is that would the 5750 be even a good enough card at that time? Cause that would justify whether getting it right now is significant or waiting to get a dx11 card by the time dx11 is prominent?
I dont want to end up using a dx11 card thats not so good performance wise especially when dx11 is not expected anytime sooner to kick in where I can get a much powerful dx10 card that would outperform the dx11 ones until dx11 actually is a key factor?

 

[jyjjy]

What do you mean by "kick in" exactly? There are already DX11 games and some are rather notable(Dirt 2, Aliens vs Predator, Battle Field:BC2, the new Stalker game)
As for the cards being able to handle DX11 I've seen comparative benchmarks on 4 of the titles and only one showed a performance hit, another one stayed the same and two actually have performance increases in DX11 mode.

 

[dang3r0us]

What do you mean by "kick in" exactly? There are already DX11 games and some are rather notable(Dirt 2, Aliens vs Predator, Battle Field:BC2, the new Stalker game)
As for the cards being able to handle DX11 I've seen comparative benchmarks on 4 of the titles and only one showed a performance hit, another one stayed the same and two actually have performance increases in DX11 mode.

I meant the time for dx11 to overshadow dx10.
Does a 5750/5770 perform better on a dx11 game than say 4870?
I'm looking at 5750/4870 or if it actually is worth getting dx11 should I really go for the 5770?
and my PSU can handle 5770 right?
Also can you tellme if the result is good on a 1360 x 768 hdtv or is it not adequate for gaming experience?

 

[jyjjy]

All of the HD5000 cards are 40nm and very low power. Your PSU could even handle an HD5850. The HD4870 and HD5770 general perform the same. On a DX11 game the HD4870 will not be able to use certain settings that allow the game to look better/more detailed or in some cases perform better.
Like I said earlier all of these cards will be pretty great for your resolutions. The HD4850 will be a great choice for the least money. If you want power efficiency and DX11 get the HD5750. It's also slightly more powerful.

 

[dang3r0us]

Best answer selected by dang3r0us.

 

[dang3r0us]

All of the HD5000 cards are 40nm and very low power. Your PSU could even handle an HD5850. The HD4870 and HD5770 general perform the same. On a DX11 game the HD4870 will not be able to use certain settings that allow the game to look better/more detailed or in some cases perform better.
Like I said earlier all of these cards will be pretty great for your resolutions. The HD4850 will be a great choice for the least money. If you want power efficiency and DX11 get the HD5750. It's also slightly more powerful.

Thanks, that cleared pretty much everything!

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey