Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

Would my mobo bottleneck an HD 5850

Last response: in Graphics & Displays
Share

Hi all

Im just new here today, so Hello to everyone on Toms :) . Ive been around PCs for quite a few years, and I can hold my own in discussion, but i still consider myself a student compared to some and always happy to learn more :) 

Just a quick question to start.....

Specs

C2D E6400 o/c @ 3Ghz/ Asus P5N-E SLi w/ 650i SLi Chipset-1401 BIOS / 4GHz Corsair PC6400 @ 860Mhz / Antec 550W PSU w 2x22a & 1x25a 12v rails/ Auzen Prelude 7.1/Win7x64/ EVGA 9800GTX+ 512 / IIyama 24" running @ 1920x1080 native.


Im upgrading from a 9800GTX+ to an XFX HD 4890 XXX costing £180 (Its in the post now). However, I was also considering an HD 5850 but that would cost me an exra £60, but its on my Credit card, so who cares right.. hehe. I have a few questions though..

- Would my current set up bottleneck an HD5850, making it a waste of money. I dont intend upgrading my system yet.
- Will the HD 4890 be ok on a nVidia 650i chipset.
- Im wanting it for gaming and using my PC as a 1080p media centre on a 40" Samsung LCD 550 through the DVI HDMI on the TV. Would that work well.

I recently RMA'd a Palit GTX 260 1792MB due to a failed mem module, plus I fancy a change from nVidia, so im looking to give ATi a go. I like the idea of the on-chip Audio For HDMI and the 4890 beats a 260 in many benchmarks for the same price, although the 4890 uses more power.

Will the HD 4890 be ok, or should I go full out HD 5850.

Thanks
Night

More about : mobo bottleneck 5850

Register or log in to remove
Graphics card Expert

if you can afford it I'd be tempted to go for the 5850 + then get support for newer DX11 features in new and upcoming games :) 

Cheapest deal I know of currently is:

Asus 5850 @ tekheads £225 with free delivery.

Is a good card to get as comes with great OCing software and allows you to alter the GPU vcore to help with really good OC's ^^

is the card I just got - will be fitting tomorrow :D 
Graphics card Expert

quite a few people manage to OC these to 950 - 1000MHz and up to about 4800Mem

is 725 / 4000 @ stock

which puts it firmly in the performance realm of the 5870

oh - Hi too and welcome ~_^
Graphics card Expert

Almost forgot your bottlenecking question:

to some extent in some games - your CPU at 3GHz will hold you back some, but is well worth it as the 5850 will allow you to use 4 or 8xAA etc which will limit the CPU bottleneck and balance things out more.

Have a look at:

5870 CPU Scaling Benchmarks

will give you an idea of how things are ;) 
Related ressources
Ask the community

Due to that extra price increase though, thats still £45 more. How would a 5770 Vapor-X or Toxic fit. I know the 4890 kills the 5770 in almost every benchmark, so if i were to look at a 5770 would i be better off staying with the 4890, although I know the 4890 is only DX10.1, but from what ive read DX11 wont start mainstream in games for at leats 2 - 3 years..

Also, how would the 4890 fit into a media centre setup above, and would it be ok on an nforce mobo.

Night
Graphics card Master

Rather, you should go and gap the price and grab an HD5830. It's around 210 I think, and will tide you over for quite some time.

An HD5770 would be a good upgrade as well. TOXIC would help with cooling.
Graphics card Expert

ok, try this.

not sure about you, but I run my PC nearly 24/7 so power matters to me.

The 5850 officially idles at 25watts

according to figures on various sites it i scloser to 18 - 19, so we will call it 20 for this.

Idle

4890 - 60w
5850 - 20w

difference is 40w

So will save you in 1 year 24/7 running = £56.
going by my energy costs in Devon, UK.

now:

FarCry2 1920x1200 8xAA

4890 - 35
5850 - 51
5870 - 59

Crysis Warhead DX10 1920x1200 2xAA

4890 - 30
5850 - 38
5870 - 45

Fallout 3 1920x1200 8xAA Ultra Detail

4890 - 61
5850 - 66
5870 - 77


+ we all know the 5850's OC really well too which will gain a decent few extra fps too. With a little luck you will be hitting 5870 speeds ;) 
Graphics card Expert

oh and:

Cheapest:

5830 - £199.69
5850 - £225

The choice really is a no brainer between those 2... The 5830 is very underpowered for the price difference!!!

Thanks for the great responses guys, really appreciate the support. Thanks for the benchmarks and figurse Palin, that electricity/heat saving alone made me realise. Ive decided to Return the 4890 without breaking the seal, guaranteeing me a refund. I now realise that £180 is a bit high for this card, but who hasnt impulse bought eh :) .

Whether ill go Full HD 5850, i have to see (The bank manager will love me). I might sleep on it and wait for some stores to re-stock, making better competition and my budget was originally £170.

Thanks alot though
Night
Graphics card Expert

You are welcome bro =)

Could be a smart move.

The new refresh ATi cards (higher clocks and custom cooling solutions etc) should all be starting to appear around the end of this month from various brands.

Fermi is due on the 26th .

Between the two I am sure the reference ATi model cards will see some price drops ~_^

Cheers Palin :) , ill hang on till then

Just one last thing..

Im running at 1920x1080 native on my 24" iiyama and ll be running at this res on my 40" Samsung 550LCD Media centre as well. Will i still notice a increased performance difference between a 5850 and a 5770 Vapor-X at that resolution.

Night
Graphics card Expert

The VaporX has a somewhat modest 10MHz factory OC over standard LOL

But its cooling is good.
You won't be able to be running 4xAA with Ultra High in modern games at that res and will be maybe compromising from the start and wanting to add a 2nd one. It will be nice, just not what it could be.

Anyway I have added a default 5770 figures to the set - 10MHz will make almost no difference I think ;) 

FarCry2 1920x1200 8xAA

4890 - 35
5770 - 32
5850 - 51
5870 - 59

Crysis Warhead DX10 1920x1200 2xAA

4890 - 30
5770 - 26
5850 - 38
5870 - 45

Fallout 3 1920x1200 8xAA Ultra Detail

4890 - 61
5770 - 50
5850 - 66
5870 - 77

Wow thats quite a difference. Thanks for the heads up, looks like if i was going for a 5770 ide be better off with the 4890 power aside.

Well ive just emailed the store, so ill send the 4890 back tomorrow and ill wait for the price change in a few weeks. Ill keep you posted and let you know.

Thanks again
Night :) 

Getting back to the original question about bottlenecking. I haven't personally seen a motherboard bottleneck a video card since the EISA days. If the card fits in the slot, then odds are that slot can handle the card. More often than not, 98% of the systems are bottlenecked in games by the capability of the card rather than the CPU or backplain of the mobo.

Yep, ive made a choice..

Over the last few days Ive been reading reviews, looking up techspecs and charts, to the point where my eyes bled and i my brain melted, i know how the web can driver you nuts :) ..

Anyway Ive decided on an XFX HD5830. Here it is:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX...

-Ive gone for this because its falls bang in the middle of my choices

-its at the top end of my budget £200, my 9800GTX is slow and there arent any 5850s available and they'll be in short supply for a while, so the sellers are really pushing the prices up on the ones that are left.

-Im a liitle concerned that the 5850 may slow and bottleneck my system, plus the 5830 is still future proof and is a good card.

-Its as fast as a GTX275 and a HD4890.

-Even though its a standard XFX card (not XXX or Black Edition), it has a Vapor-X style custom cooler on it, which will be good for overclocking and temps.

- You get an extra DVI-HDMI adaptor for multiple displays, Not really a choice maker.. but you get full AvP free in the box..

Oh and i know its bad but...

-It looks very cool as well.. hehe.

So thats my choice, trust me, ive been just about crazy with so many reviews and benchmards between the 5770 and the 5850 that i thought Ide get the best of both worlds.. speed and budget.

Thanks all
Night
Graphics card Expert

The prices have been dropping on the 5850's and more supply has recently been about!

Asus 5850 @ Aria on Special for £211.49 and in stock.

The 5830 can fall a long way behind the 5850 in some tests. For the £21.50 difference I think you'd be crazy to get the 5830...

FarCry2 1920x1200 8xAA

4870 - 32
4890 - 35
5770 - 32
5830 - 34
5850 - 51
5870 - 59


Crysis Warhead DX10 1920x1200 2xAA

4870 - 26
4890 - 30
5770 - 26
5830 - 31
5850 - 38
5870 - 45


Fallout 3 1920x1200 8xAA Ultra Detail

4870 - 54
4890 - 61
5770 - 50
5830 - 54
5850 - 66
5870 - 77

So far my Asus 5850 OC's on 1.2v to 906 / 4600 and have not finished trying to find max.

But ultimately is your choice ;) 
Register or log in to remove
 
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Graphics & Displays categories
!