1GB 4850 now available

[Creig]

Looks like Newegg has a 1GB Sapphire 4850 available for $239. Speeds are the same as the 512MB version, but it has a different cooling shroud. Not sure if the cooler itself is any different however.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102759


A bit pricey considering it's reaching into 4870 territory. Hopefully the price will fall as other manufacturers start releasing their own versions.

 

[octopus41092]

Are there any benchmarks out for that card yet?

 

[SSChevy2001]

Wow I just seen it yesterday on the sapphire page, but newegg didn't have it then. Still way to much for the extra memory. I was expecting no more than $200. It's going to be hard to sell at $240 with the 4870 selling for $15 more.

 

[MichaelD]

This is good news; it means that the 1GB HD4870 is not far behind. Sure, Newegg's gouging on a brand new, hot product. What else is new? Wait two weeks and it'll be $200.

I fully expect the 1GB 4870 to be $375-$400 when it hits the street. Two weeks later, it'l be $300 and I'll snap one up.

 

[SSChevy2001]

If the 1GB 4870 is priced right I might get it instead of the 4870x2. Also soon the 2GB 4850x2 should be coming out. I hate waiting.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
If the 1GB 4870 is priced right I might get it instead of the 4870x2. Also soon the 2GB 4850x2 should be coming out. I hate waiting.

I am right there with you! :beer: CPU horsepower is fantastic...for those applications specifically multi-threaded for it, but for gaming, nothing beats a beefy GPU. The 8800GT is a great card, but at 19x12 with eye candy, it can get strained.

Luckily, prices on the 4870 haven't dropped this week. I really hope they don't drop too much before the 1GB cards come out. It would be too tempting for me to resist. Especially b/c I don't need a new PS to run a 4870.

 

[error8]

The cooler looks exactly like the one of a 8800 GT reference model. I don't think we'll see an important performance improvement with the extra ram. It's just marketing nonsense really.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
If the 1GB 4870 is priced right I might get it instead of the 4870x2. Also soon the 2GB 4850x2 should be coming out. I hate waiting.

Great, so the more ram a card has, the faster it is, no?

 

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
If the 1GB 4870 is priced right I might get it instead of the 4870x2. Also soon the 2GB 4850x2 should be coming out. I hate waiting.

Great, so the more ram a card has, the faster it is, no?

Only if the game goes over 512mb, which there aren't many now. Within 2 years I'll bet will start seeing more games using over 512mb. If you replace your card often 512mb should be fine right now.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
If the 1GB 4870 is priced right I might get it instead of the 4870x2. Also soon the 2GB 4850x2 should be coming out. I hate waiting.

Great, so the more ram a card has, the faster it is, no?

Only if the game goes over 512mb, which there aren't many now. Within 2 years I'll bet will start seeing more games using over 512mb. If you replace your card often 512mb should be fine right now.

That was what I thought too, but you seemed so thrilled about the "lots of Vram" part.

The thing is that even if you get yourself a 1 GB or a 2 GB card now, it won't help you on the long term, since the GPU will start to lag in more intensive games so having more ram doesn't matter at all.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Yeah I'm a little thrilled, because more and more cards are coming stock with 1GB ( 2GB CF or SLI = 1GB ). Hopefully developers will see this and add new texture packs to support these cards. I keep my cards for at least 2 years and even then I keep my older PCs until they die. So if +$30-40 will prolong the life it's worth it.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
Yeah I'm a little thrilled, because more and more cards are coming stock with 1GB ( 2GB CF or SLI = 1GB ). Hopefully developers will see this and add new texture packs to support these cards. I keep my cards for at least 2 years and even then I keep my older PCs until they die. So if +$30-40 will prolong the life it's worth it.

I like the thought of a 1GB card, but for Crossfire, 2GB of VRAM will cause my 32bit XP Pro install to only have 1GB of system memory available (I have 2GB of system memory available now with 2x512MB cards). I'm not quite ready to make a switch to Vista 64bit exclusively for all productivity and gaming needs, so I suppose I hope they make a 1GB single GPU card that's faster than Crossfired 4870s eventually.