need help choosing between ATI 4850 (1024mb), 4870 (512mb) and Nvidia 9800GTX+(512mb)

Discussion in 'Graphics Cards & Displays' started by hackmagic, Aug 16, 2008.

  1. hackmagic

    hackmagic Newbie

    Hi all,

    was looking to get a new PC. intending

    Core 2 Quad 6600
    4gb OCZ Reaper 8500

    but cant decide between the aforementioned cards. i've decided not to go the crossfire/sli route as these cards deliver better performance for the same price and will eliminate the scaling issues i've read about with some games and allow be to xfire/sli these cards in the future. will the extra 512mb of the 4850 make any difference?

    also the cpu and mem shouldn't bottleneck? i'm running 2ghz athlon 32bit 1.5gb ddr3200 and 7600gt agp at mo :( and mem is definately bottleneck

    i have been using
    mmm.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=0
    for gfx card speed reference

    thanks for your advice


    Peter
     
  2. generalRage1982hrv

    generalRage1982hrv ARP Reviewer

    well 4870 (512mb and it use ddr5) is fastest card
    so i dont think you will get any problems with her LOL
     
  3. Unixlord

    Unixlord Newbie

    Well out of those options the 4870 is the best choice. The effect of 512MB extra memory on the 4850 is negligible compared to the awesome memory bandwidth of the 4870's GDDR5 memory which helps in bandwidth intensive situations (Anisotropic filtering and higher resolutions).

    You haven't stated what motherboard, monitor or power supply you are using nevertheless the 4870 is the best choice and with that cpu/ram, you won't face a bottleneck (Assuming like everyone else you OC the cpu to at least 3GHz).

    As far as scaling of CF/SLI is concerned, it's an issue that's being worked on all the time. But since Intel chipsets are overall far superior and more reliable than nvidia's chipsets, that should be your deciding factor (if you've yet to pick a motherboard).
     
  4. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

  5. Max_87

    Max_87 huehuehue

    4870 FTW! :thumb:
     
  6. Lacus

    Lacus Newbie

    4870 FTW!!!!! A happy 4850 user here :D
     
  7. hackmagic

    hackmagic Newbie

    Hey thanks everyone!

    Guess thats my mind made up then :) the board, psu and case were going to be
    -GigaByte EP45-DS3R LGA775
    -JeanTech JN120F 600w
    -Antec Three Hundred Gamers Case

    hope the card fits in the case, but i can do some sawing/bending. i really like the plain black styling and grill at the front. need some nice quiet fans too. lovely fans! :)

    thanks for all the posts dudes,


    Peter
     
  8. Mac Daddy

    Mac Daddy Pickin' Da Gitfiddle

    What is your Antec Case worth Bro?
     
  9. hackmagic

    hackmagic Newbie

    only £36.72 :) why do you ask?

    Pete
     
  10. hackmagic

    hackmagic Newbie

    the Antec 900 does look a lot better though!
     
  11. Mac Daddy

    Mac Daddy Pickin' Da Gitfiddle

  12. Unixlord

    Unixlord Newbie

    The tempest outperforms a fully equipped Antec 900 in terms of temperatures. The CM690 is seriously good value for the price too.
     
  13. hackmagic

    hackmagic Newbie

    thanks guys,

    the tempest is a little bright for me i think, the coolermaster 690 looks pretty sweet might give that a shot!


    Pete
     
  14. Lacus

    Lacus Newbie

    hehe, it's up to you :D..even the CM (cooler master) 690 is not bad and has tons of room for stuff XD...<--prefers fully alluminium casing :p
     
  15. goldfries

    goldfries www.goldfries.com

    i bought the CM 590 instead of CM 690.

    costs much less. :) around RM 50 cheaper.
     
  16. Lacus

    Lacus Newbie

    better air flow ar sifu?
     
  17. Yukirin

    Yukirin Newbie

    I thought CM 590 is already obsolete. I was looking for this casing all around KCH like a madman previously until I give up and get the alternative.
     
  18. Lacus

    Lacus Newbie

    woot!! Yukirin Malaysian :O...Well, sorta prefer fully alluminium casings..IMO :p
     
  19. Unixlord

    Unixlord Newbie

    I generally prefer aluminum myself. However aluminum isn't without it's issues:

    1)It's more expensive than steel and this pushes its price out of the bang-for-buck sector.
    2)More vulnerable to Resonance. Self explanatory really. This is annoying as heck if it happens but with a bit of creativity it's resolvable.
    3)More vulnerable to warping. Keep in mind most aluminum cases use 1.0mm aluminum to keep the price and weight down.

    Points 3 and 2 are due to the structural properties of aluminum notably the much lower density (Which is a double edged blade, greatly reduced weight has its cost). While resonance and price can be countered, you can't really do much about the durability of full aluminum cases.

    Weight is a big issue with fully loaded full towers, unless you have a forklift or are built like a ox. For mid towers I'm not so picky.
     
  20. goldfries

    goldfries www.goldfries.com

    Ehh, similar to CM690 la. I like it! no regrets getting the CM590.

    I just finished installing my new stuff.

    Unfortunately I still have to use IDE because I'd like to retain my old HDD before moving it to some other machine.

    haha. i never knew it existed until like last Saturday when my machine brokedown and i hunt for used casing.

    :)

    Now the CM Centurion 2 is my work / AMD rig. CM 590 is my gaming / benchies rig. love the space! At least putting in GTX280 doesn't feel like over-stuffed luggage.
     

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