Upgrading from a HD 4850 512mb

[LoganX]

Hey all,

So I have been wanting to upgrade my card and I am at a stand still between a 5770 and a GTS 450

My system is nothing great but it does the job for now:

e4500 Core 2 @2.2ghz
3gb ram
Antec earthwatts 500

Antec 300 case

I like my current card but its annoyingly loud and I am trying to slowly upgrade everything (CPU and ram will be this x-mass)

So the question is which card will suit me? I play at 1680x1050.

I'm looking for :
Price (I am in the US)
Performance
cooling and sound level.

Thanks in advance!

Logan

 

[wa1]

Well, you can get HD6870 and move that card when you build a new gaming machine in next 2 months...
Or if you want a not too expensive card then go with HD5850, that's much faster than HD4850 and i'm pretty sure you can maxed out everything with HD5850 at 1680x1050.

 

[LoganX]

Would love to but the 5850 is sadly out of my price range =(

So I am back to my dilemma ...lol

 

[jryan388]

GTX 460 1gb would be a nice alternative. 450 and 5770 wouldn't be worth upgrading to because the performance increase is so small.

 

[LoganX]

I see the 1gb version requires 2 6 PIN connectors. Does the 768GB version as well? I am worried my PSU may not be able to handle such a card.

 

[hell_storm2004]

We would be able to advise you better if we can get a proper budget from you to start off with.

 

[LoganX]

I was hoping to stay under $225 US

 

[hell_storm2004]

HD6870 is $240. I would say stretch it a little and get it. It would be better than the GTX460. Cooler and Faster, also for me now its the king of best VFM!

 

[LoganX]

Seems like a no brainer, but since I'm only running at 1680x1050 would that not be overkill (not that thats bad..lol) My monitor is new so i wont be upgrading aytime soon there. Also wouldn't i require a new PSU?

 

[jyjjy]

An HD6850 is $180 and a better deal for the money than the HD6870, especially if you give it an overclock, and should be excellent for 1680x1050. It also only has one power connector not that it matters much as a 500w Earthwatts can handle any of the cards discussed in this thread.

 

[hell_storm2004]

You wont need a new PSU. If in future you do upgrade then it may come in handy. At your resolution the GTX460 768MB/HD6850 would be fine also. You can save the cash as well.

Check out this review at your resolution.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/10/22/ati-radeon-hd-6850-review/1

 

[jyjjy]

Here is a chart of the general performance of all these cards at your resolution;

 

[LoganX]

Well guys ty for the advice! I ended up grabbing a GTX 460 as it was a steal with a gift card i got =D

Only thing i have noticed so far is it plays Force Unleashed 2 awesome except during cutscenes the audio cuts out a bit.

I also ran the Uningine demo and at 1650x1080 with no AA but 4 AF i got a 772 score which i have no idea if thats good or not..lol

 

[Onus]

The GTX460 and HD6850 are too close to matter in that graph, BUT if any of your games use it, you will be happy that the GTX460 supports PhysX.