I currently own a 4850 512mb and plan to give my brother the graphic card and upgrade to the 4870. Is it pretty much the same or will there be a significant increase in performance? Thanks.
It's about 25% faster. Have you considered the HD5770 instead? It would give you DX11, support for 3 monitor, more current A/V features and much greater power efficiency, especially at idle.
I'm going to consider that, but am I basically paying for the extra features or will the 5770 be providing me with the same performance? Besides, all the 4870's i've seen (and the 4850 i have) are ugly cards and that bothers me lol
The HD 5770 is marginally slower (less than 5%) than the HD 4870.
Actually this was only true for the initial drivers, at this point their performance is basically equal.
If you are in the US this would be a good choice; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873
BTW if you are willing to spend more then you could also consider a GTX 460. It is another level up from the HD5770 and would be a more substantial upgrade(50% faster than your HD4850.) For me the 25% you would get from an HD5770/HD4870 is a bit borderline as to whether it is worth it honestly. The GTX 460 costs more of course but it is worth it if you can afford it and your resolution is at least 1680x1050 or above. This one comes with a free(and actually good) game which may help make the price difference a bit easier to take; http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.455034