4850 died :(

[Genx87]

My 4850 died in my secondary gaming computer that my GF's son uses. I have possible cheap access to a 5870. But is that cards power consumption significantly more than the 4850? I believe the computer has a 430 watt PS in it. I do have a 500 watt in the closet but would like to not have to do the replacement. Or would one of the cards like a 6850 work better? It doesnt have to be top of the line. I am trying to keep this under 150 bucks as this is an older machine(E8400, 8GB ram, 500GB 7200 RPM drive). Or would a 6770 also work? The performance doesnt have to be that much better than the 4850.

 

[railven]

My 4850 died in my secondary gaming computer that my GF's son uses. I have possible cheap access to a 5870. But is that cards power consumption significantly more than the 4850? I believe the computer has a 430 watt PS in it. I do have a 500 watt in the closet but would like to not have to do the replacement. Or would one of the cards like a 6850 work better? It doesnt have to be top of the line. I am trying to keep this under 150 bucks as this is an older machine(E8400, 8GB ram, 500GB 7200 RPM drive). Or would a 6770 also work? The performance doesnt have to be that much better than the 4850.

If heat/power are a question, I'd go for the 6850. About ~10-15% slower than the HD 5870, better tess (like that matters much), and overall lower thermals and noise. Plus with the current AR frenzy, it's a steal.

EDIT: Also if he uses AA, HD 5870 has the shimmers OUT THE ASS. I believe this was fixed with the six series. I'd hope at least.

 

[bononos]

..... Or would one of the cards like a 6850 work better? It doesnt have to be top of the line. I am trying to keep this under 150 bucks as this is an older machine(E8400, 8GB ram, 500GB 7200 RPM drive). Or would a 6770 also work? The performance doesnt have to be that much better than the 4850.

The 6770 which you are thinking as a replacement is actually better than the 4850 so it will be an upgrade. It also consumes the same amount of juice so you won't have to worry about the psu.

 

[railven]

The 6770 which you are thinking as a replacement is actually better than the 4850 so it will be an upgrade. It also consumes the same amount of juice so you won't have to worry about the psu.

For the cost, I'd personally go for the 6850/6870 if his power supply can cover the spread.

The HD 6770 is just a rebadged HD 5770 which was only, what ~5% faster than the HD 4890.

I'm just saying, if you're going to spend the cash and a better card is feesible, always go with the better card.

 

[RussianSensation]

If it's a good quality brand, 430W is more than sufficient for an E8400 + HD5870.

I have run Q6600 @ 3.4ghz and i7 860 @ 3.9ghz with heavily overclocked GTX470 and HD6950 ~ 6970. I often load the CPU to 99% on Seti@home and GPU @ 99% in Milkyway at the same time. My 520W power supply easily handled that and both the 6950 @ 6970 and GTX470 @ 760mhz + heavily overlcocked quads suck way more power than a stock HD5870 and E8400 would.

If you can get HD5870 for cheap, I'd get that over HD6850/6870. Otherwise, HD6850/6870 seem like the best card for the $ at the moment.

The HD 6770 is just a rebadged HD 5770 which was only, what ~5% faster than the HD 4890.

HD6770 = HD5770, both slower than HD4890 by 15%. However, HD4890 will be faster in just about all situations since it can run the games in DX10 mode. DX11 mode severely cripples slow cards such as HD5770/6770. To play games in DX11 at the same frames as an HD4850 would in DX9/10, you'd need HD6870 because DX11 on average produces a ~ "1 level-up" performance hit.

 

[Genx87]

Gigabyte Eyfinity x6 5870 2GB for 50 bucks. I may just take it and switch out the PSU with a 500 watt I have in a file cabinet.

 

[railven]

Gigabyte Eyfinity x6 5870 2GB for 50 bucks. I may just take it and switch out the PSU with a 500 watt I have in a file cabinet.

$50!? Done deal. hell if I can score that, I'd take it and CFX my card (exact same model.)

Card runs great, only issue I've had is recent - the stock cooler is either going or is just bad design, started making a weird noise, that little research shows it is very common.

It goes away after a while of running, only negative I have for this card. Make sure you get all the mini-DP plugs, it has zero standard connectors.

 

[RussianSensation]

Gigabyte Eyfinity x6 5870 2GB for 50 bucks. I may just take it and switch out the PSU with a 500 watt I have in a file cabinet.

That's an incredible deal. :thumbsup:

We probably won't have that level of GPU performance for $50 for another 3 years at the rate the GPU industry is moving.

 

[jacktesterson]

Gigabyte Eyfinity x6 5870 2GB for 50 bucks. I may just take it and switch out the PSU with a 500 watt I have in a file cabinet.

You would be crazy not to buy that, even if it was just to ebay it

 

[Genx87]

I put the 500 watt in there. It is a 500 watt Thermaltake branded PSU with 29 amps on the 12 volt rail. That should be enough to power this thing right? The machine will power on but no video. Anything I could be missing? Or am I going out to buy an updated PSU?

 

[RussianSensation]

Before you go out and buy a new PSU, try the 430W that came with the computer. 430W is more than enough for a single HD5870 and E8400. BTW, Thermaltake branded PSU are not very good, especially their budget series. 29 amp on 12V rail for a 500W tells you that it's not very good. A good 500-520W PSU should have 40-41A on 12V rail.

Did you try this used videocard in your own computer to make sure it works?

 

[Genx87]

It worked in a dell back in the summer. The 430 watt is also a thermaltake and only has like 18 amps on the 12v rail. I bought these years ago. It wouldnt be the worst thing for me to spend the money on a new PSU. I saved about 100 bucks on the 5870. I guess it would be considered a wash. A solid 500-550 watt Antec should work right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

Good enough?

 

[Termie]

Can I ask the obvious? How do you know it was your 4850 that was the problem, and not another component? If the 5870 isn't working either, that's the first thing I'd look into, especially if the problem is at all similar.

 

[Genx87]

The error code from the MB indicated a video card issue. Taking out the 4850 and replacing it with another PCIE card the machine fired up just fine.

 

[Termie]

The error code from the MB indicated a video card issue. Taking out the 4850 and replacing it with another PCIE card the machine fired up just fine.

But what card was that? I think we need to figure out why that card worked and the 5870 doesn't. It might be a power issue, but that's not certain yet.

 

[Concillian]

The 6770 which you are thinking as a replacement is actually better than the 4850 so it will be an upgrade. It also consumes the same amount of juice so you won't have to worry about the psu.

My 5770 consumed WAY less power than my 4850. TDP may be similar, but actual power usage is significantly lower on the 5770 /6770 under gaming loads. 6850 is probably similar in power consumption to a 4850, but obviously much faster than a 5770 / 6770.

 

[Genx87]

But what card was that? I think we need to figure out why that card worked and the 5870 doesn't. It might be a power issue, but that's not certain yet.

Some low end Nvidia fanless card I bought for one of my servers. I honestly dont even know the model. Maybe an FX5200?

 

[railven]

Some low end Nvidia fanless card I bought for one of my servers. I honestly dont even know the model. Maybe an FX5200?

So it didn't draw power from the PCIE power connectors? Could be a hint.

Have you tried the 5870 in another board?

 

[Genx87]

So it didn't draw power from the PCIE power connectors? Could be a hint.

Have you tried the 5870 in another board?

I used a different PSU with the fanless Nvidia card and 4850. The 5870 was working in a Dell for several months last year. Unless it went bad in a box on the shelf in the past 4 months. It should work. I will put it in my main gaming rig to verify it works. My current game rig has a 470GTX and 750 watt Antec PSU.

 

[railven]

I used a different PSU with the fanless Nvidia card and 4850. The 5870 was working in a Dell for several months last year. Unless it went bad in a box on the shelf in the past 4 months. It should work. I will put it in my main gaming rig to verify it works. My current game rig has a 470GTX and 750 watt Antec PSU.

Ah, so you changed the PSU along with the card. That adds another variable.

Best thing is to test the card itself - hopefully it does work. That be a sweet card (well, probably not as sweet anymore) to have gone bad.

Hopefully it works and you aren't out $50.

 

[Genx87]

Ah, so you changed the PSU along with the card. That adds another variable.

Best thing is to test the card itself - hopefully it does work. That be a sweet card (well, probably not as sweet anymore) to have gone bad.

Hopefully it works and you aren't out $50.

I think the card works, but my PSU is weak. So I will test it in my main rig tonight. If the card is dead I will give it back. If it is fine, I will go buy a better PSU. Thanks for the help. I was just hoping to not have to open up my rig to put the card in.

The funny thing is I put this in an Antec case and it is the longest card I have ever used. I had to use a hammer to bend the drive cage back so the air inlets had more room lol

 

[railven]

I think the card works, but my PSU is weak. So I will test it in my main rig tonight. If the card is dead I will give it back. If it is fine, I will go buy a better PSU. Thanks for the help. I was just hoping to not have to open up my rig to put the card in.

The funny thing is I put this in an Antec case and it is the longest card I have ever used. I had to use a hammer to bend the drive cage back so the air inlets had more room lol

Tell me about it, not sure what AMD is smoking but their cards are freaking LONG. I actually had to mod my case to get the card into it too. I think the 7series is half an inch longer Glad I got a new case with more room though.

GL on the swap! Report your findings

 

[jacktesterson]

Tell me about it, not sure what AMD is smoking but their cards are freaking LONG. I actually had to mod my case to get the card into it too. I think the 7series is half an inch longer Glad I got a new case with more room though.

GL on the swap! Report your findings

all high end cards are long, for the most part (for example, Palit is exception)

 

[Genx87]

Put it in my main gaming rig and fired right up. So it is the PSU.

 

[Termie]

Put it in my main gaming rig and fired right up. So it is the PSU.

This still begs the question of whether the video card error you experienced with the 4850 was caused by the card at all, or if it was the PSU all along. The 5870 uses more power, but not so much more at low loads that it should trip up a PSU that was properly powering a 4850.

That being said, there are lots of good options in the mid-range PSU market if you're pretty convinced that the 4850 is busted (might try it in your gaming rig, to make sure). The Antec you linked is good, but I'll throw out another, slightly more expensive option - this Seasonic bronze-rated 520w unit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094.

It's probably slightly more efficient, and Seasonic is generally very high quality.