4850 or GTS250?

[cpals]

Looking for a value gaming card for my older computer that I'll probably upgrade in a year or so. Looking at $100 (or close) and under... Found a couple good deals on NewEgg for both these cards where they're around the $100 A/R.

I've never been a fan of ATI cards, but that may be past prejeduce. Have they gotten better? I guess I'm a Nvidia fanboy, but if the ATI card is a better deal and their drivers are fine then I wouldn't mind trying them out.

Two cards I'm looking at:

ATI - GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4850 GV-R485OC-1GH
Nvidia - MSI GeForce GTS 250 N250GTS Twin Frozr 1G Video Card

Edit:
Also, just to let you know, I'd be going from a 7600 GS (256MB) so I think this will be a pretty big jump (I hope).

My computer specs are fairly lame and definitely need to be upgraded, but will be doing as the wife approves.

P4 3.2
3GB Memory

Edit 2:
After all the comments about upgrading mobo/cpu vs the video card. The main reason I was looking at doing this was due to playing the Starcraft II demo recently and it put all of my settings on Low. I'd like to try and play with the resolution/settings a little higher so was looking at a small ($100/$150) upgrade. I would like to make sure that whatever I DO buy isn't a waste of money and would be a good move for upgrading the other parts later. Whatever I go with mobo/cpu or video card will probably stay in my system for at least another 3-4 years.

 

[jvroig]

If I remember right, the GTS 250 is the die-shrunk 9800GTX+? (Or was it just rebadged? I forgot).

Comparably, I think the 9800GTX+ (therefore the GTS 250) is the same class as a 4770, which outclassed the 4830, and gave the 4850 a run for its money.

If that's true, GTS 250 and 4850 are practically in the same league as each other. I have no idea which one is cooler, quieter, etc (maybe the GTS 250 as it is newer tech than the 4850). But since you mentioned you are an nVidia guy, then the best course that I can see is to go for a GTS 250.

I might be wrong, especially since I based my conclusion on the premise that I remembered correctly that the GTS 250 == 9800GTX+, but that's my 0.02c

 

[Tsavo]

I've got a mix of Nvidia cards and ATI cards and find them more or less equal in terms of software stability. Hardware quality is dependent upon the vendor, but I've only ever sent one card back due to hardware issue and that was a Gigabyte 7600 GS. I've never had a show stopper issue with either ATI or Nvidia's drivers.

As Jvroig said, the 4850 and the 250 are equivalent in terms of performance. Pick the one with the best warranty from the most reputable vendor and you can't go wrong with either card.

Just don't get anything with 512MB of ram.

 

[Gillbot]

If I remember right, the GTS 250 is the die-shrunk 9800GTX+? (Or was it just rebadged? I forgot).

Comparably, I think the 9800GTX+ (therefore the GTS 250) is the same class as a 4770, which outclassed the 4830, and gave the 4850 a run for its money.

If that's true, GTS 250 and 4850 are practically in the same league as each other. I have no idea which one is cooler, quieter, etc (maybe the GTS 250 as it is newer tech than the 4850). But since you mentioned you are an nVidia guy, then the best course that I can see is to go for a GTS 250.

I might be wrong, especially since I based my conclusion on the premise that I remembered correctly that the GTS 250 == 9800GTX+, but that's my 0.02c

I've got a mix of Nvidia cards and ATI cards and find them more or less equal in terms of software stability. Hardware quality is dependent upon the vendor, but I've only ever sent one card back due to hardware issue and that was a Gigabyte 7600 GS. I've never had a show stopper issue with either ATI or Nvidia's drivers.

As Jvroig said, the 4850 and the 250 are equivalent in terms of performance. Pick the one with the best warranty from the most reputable vendor and you can't go wrong with either card.

Just don't get anything with 512MB of ram.

excellent advice, no need to add anything to it.

 

[cpals]

Also, just to let you know, I'd be going from a 7600 GS (256MB) so I think this will be a pretty big jump (I hope).

My computer specs are fairly lame and definitely need to be upgraded, but will be doing as the wife approves.

P4 3.2
3GB Memory

 

[cusideabelincoln]

As a quick check you need to have a PCI-Express slot. The 7600GS came in both AGP and PCI-E, and your motherboard will have one slot or the other.

You really need to get a dual core to play the latest games, but yes it will be a huge jump especially if you're using 1080p resolution. And when you upgrade the processor you'll see another huge jump in performance.

As for a GTS 250 vs. HD4850, get whatever is cheapest. They perform the same.

 

[cpals]

As a quick check you need to have a PCI-Express slot. The 7600GS came in both AGP and PCI-E, and your motherboard will have one slot or the other.

You really need to get a dual core to play the latest games, but yes it will be a huge jump especially if you're using 1080p resolution. And when you upgrade the processor you'll see another huge jump in performance.

As for a GTS 250 vs. HD4850, get whatever is cheapest. They perform the same.

Yep, I know I have a PCI-E at least - probably the original slow version.

Do I need to worry about power at all? I'm going to check what it is when I get home, but wasn't sure if I needed at least a XXX watt power supply.

 

[Avalon]

As long as you have a 6pin PCI-e power connector and a decent power supply, I wouldn't worry about the wattage. These cards don't take a lot. I used to run them on basic 400W Enermax PSUs, but now I've got 4850s running on 500W Enhance units.

 

[happy medium]

Also, just to let you know, I'd be going from a 7600 GS (256MB) so I think this will be a pretty big jump (I hope).

My computer specs are fairly lame and definitely need to be upgraded, but will be doing as the wife approves.

P4 3.2
3GB Memory

I'm sorry to say but you will see a 10 percent improvement at best. Your cpu is a huge bottleneck.

 

[Leyawiin]

That particular GTS 250 is the 675 Mhz rebranded 9800 GTX instead of the 738 Mhz 9800 GTX+ (as they were when the GTS 250 first came out).

Gotta love Nvidia naming schemes. I'd take the HD 4850 just for that reason.

Oh, and what happy medium said.

 

[bryanW1995]

you are wasting money doing this.

sell your current cpu/mobo/ram. you should be able to get $20-30 for it. take the $120-$130 and get a a new mobo/ram/cpu. maybe something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...eId=1&name=AMD - an excellent selection of ~ $50 cpus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...E&PageSize=100 - $40-$50 for a mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148352 - cheapest 2gb stick is $40. you can get 2x1 gb for $46 if you must have dual channel.

$140 or so would put you $10-$20 over your gpu budget but would set you up to take advantage of one of the numerous deals that regularly come out for gpus. gt 240 was $29.99 AR a couple weeks ago for example. 4850 and gts 250/8800gts 512/9800 gtx/etc can typically be had for $50-$75 if you wait around for deals, too.

this is just something I put together in 5 minutes, frys and microcenter come out with fantastic combo mobo/cpu deals all the time as well. shop around for a week or two and you should be able to put together a complete system overhaul on the cheap. trust me, you'll be glad you did, especially because you'll actually then have something that can use your new gpu.

 

[Termie]

Honestly, with your system specs, the cards you're looking at are WAY too expensive. You will see an absolutely huge jump from your 7600gs with a card half this price, and still not be able to tap into all the GPU power on offer.

All you need is an EVGA GT240 ($50FS/AR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130533

Simple as that. Huge upgrade for cheap.

Edit: Bryan has another good approach, but if you don't have the money for a full upgrade, just get that GT240 I linked to.

 

[happy medium]

you are wasting money doing this.

sell your current cpu/mobo/ram. you should be able to get $20-30 for it. take the $120-$130 and get a a new mobo/ram/cpu. maybe something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...eId=1&name=AMD - an excellent selection of ~ $50 cpus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...E&PageSize=100 - $40-$50 for a mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148352 - cheapest 2gb stick is $40. you can get 2x1 gb for $46 if you must have dual channel.

$140 or so would put you $10-$20 over your gpu budget but would set you up to take advantage of one of the numerous deals that regularly come out for gpus. gt 240 was $29.99 AR a couple weeks ago for example. 4850 and gts 250/8800gts 512/9800 gtx/etc can typically be had for $50-$75 if you wait around for deals, too.

this is just something I put together in 5 minutes, frys and microcenter come out with fantastic combo mobo/cpu deals all the time as well. shop around for a week or two and you should be able to put together a complete system overhaul on the cheap. trust me, you'll be glad you did, especially because you'll actually then have something that can use your new gpu.

Problem is, his wife will kick his ass. but yes I agree. I built a similar combo for my kid and it is 4x faster then the old pent 4 she had.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

My computer specs are fairly lame and definitely need to be upgraded, but will be doing as the wife approves.

Sounds like he will upgrade the rest when he can, but his wording is unclear. GTS 250 and 4850 are not that expensive anyway. If he's not going to upgrade the system at all, then get something as cheap as possible.

 

[happy medium]

Honestly, with your system specs, the cards you're looking at are WAY too expensive. You will see an absolutely huge jump from your 7600gs with a card half this price, and still not be able to tap into all the GPU power on offer.

All you need is an EVGA GT240 ($50FS/AR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130533

Simple as that. Huge upgrade for cheap.

Edit: Bryan has another good approach, but if you don't have the money for a full upgrade, just get that GT240 I linked to.

I would usually agree, but the pent 4 @ 3.2 will start to bottleneck with a 7600gt.
I had a pent 4 @ 3.2 and a 7800gs (=7600gt), and I ran out of cpu.

Even a gt240 would be a waste.

 

[happy medium]

Sounds like he will upgrade the rest when he can, but his wording is unclear. GTS 250 and 4850 are not that expensive anyway. If he's not going to upgrade the system at all, then get something as cheap as possible.

But to waste money now isn't smart. FAct is he will see NO improvement.
He should upgrade his cpu, motherboard, ram, first.

After that the gts 250 might be 50$. and more usefull.

 

[cpals]

Would I see any gains in games by updating the mobo/cpu/memory and staying with my 7600GS or would I still be bottle-necked at my GPU?

 

[cusideabelincoln]

But to waste money now isn't smart. FAct is he will see NO improvement.
He should upgrade his cpu, motherboard, ram, first.

After that the gts 250 might be 50$. and more usefull.

LOL, no improvement is dependent on the games he's playing. He's using a 7600 GS FFS. That card will not cut it at 1080p or hell even 1650 for any game released in the last half of this decade. At the same time his processor won't cut it for any game released in the last few years.

$40 difference, big whoop-ee-doo in the grand scheme of things. I hardly doubt the GTS 250 will reach $50 anyway, and if it does it won't stay there for long (high demand, EOL, and product replacement I bet). Video card prices have been pretty stable for the last year for these last generation cards. And if he does wait that long that's just more time he has to deal with a crappy video card that won't cut it, the same with a slow processor.

Either way he's either wasting money or living with substandard performance. The OP did fail to mention what resolution and what games he will be playing, which quite frankly are just as important factors as what hardware he has now and his budget is.

If his timeline for his next upgrade is within the next few months, my initial response is that he should upgrade the video card first. But he needs to chime in as to what resolution he uses and what games he's currently playing.

Would I see any gains in games by updating the mobo/cpu/memory and staying with my 7600GS or would I still be bottle-necked at my GPU?

What games are you playing at what resolution? And do you plan to upgrade the rest of the system anytime soon?

Also what is your current motherboard? You might be able to drop a Pentium D or Core 2 (unlikely) into it, which would effectively double your performance for new games with a new video card over a P4.

PDs are cheap on ebay. A PD + $50 card would be better than a 4850 or 250.

 

[happy medium]

Looking for a value gaming card for my older computer that I'll probably upgrade in a year or two

A year or 2? I missed that. Do not upgrade your video card.

 

[Termie]

OP has a Pent3.2, and doesn't want to do a full system upgrade for 1 or 2 years. It sounds like he's budget-limited. Obviously not a hard-core gamer, just someone looking for a little buff on his system. Can he get what he wants in a $50 card like the GT240? YES! Would even a $50 card be bottlenecked? YES! Does that matter to OP? NO!

I went from a 9800pro on my Pent3.0 to an x800xt, and it was a HUGE difference. His 7600gs is in between a 9800pro and an x800xt, so I know from personal experience that he has room for improvement. In fact, when my x800xt broke and I bought a 7600GT, I lost performance, so again, I know his Pent3.2 can handle more card than a 7600GT (and by extension, his 7600gs).

 

[cpals]

The main reason I'm looking at upgrading is I'm looking at buying StarCraft II. I played the 7-day trial and it put all my settings on Low so I was looking for a way to bump up the specs a little.

Whatever would be the most logical way to go sounds good... if upgrading the mobo/cpu now would be more beneficial and then upgrade the vid card next year sometime that sounds good.

 

[jvroig]

I believe StarCraft II is a CPU-cruncher, so you might be better off with the mobo+cpu suggestions they've had earlier.

Either way, you won't be getting excellent performance, but the mobo+cpu route might improve your SC2 performance better.

 

[happy medium]

The main reason I'm looking at upgrading is I'm looking at buying StarCraft II. I played the 7-day trial and it put all my settings on Low so I was looking for a way to bump up the specs a little.

Whatever would be the most logical way to go sounds good... if upgrading the mobo/cpu now would be more beneficial and then upgrade the vid card next year sometime that sounds good.

Starcraft 2? You are better off getting a new cpu,board, ram.

Try to buy used, This guy has a super deal on a e8400 (81$), ram 75$, and a 8800gts for 52$.

Ask him to ship it all to ya for $190. Then all you need is a 50$ motherboard.
That should easily be 3x faster then your current system.


http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2097987

 

[cusideabelincoln]

The main reason I'm looking at upgrading is I'm looking at buying StarCraft II. I played the 7-day trial and it put all my settings on Low so I was looking for a way to bump up the specs a little.

Whatever would be the most logical way to go sounds good... if upgrading the mobo/cpu now would be more beneficial and then upgrade the vid card next year sometime that sounds good.

Your system just meets, barely exceeds, the minimum requirements. If you only upgrade the CPU or video card at one time, you'll still be playing at low settings either way.

Now why don't you post your motherboard specifications like I asked? If you can drop a Pentium D into it and buy a cheap video card (it doesn't take much to get something much faster than a 7600GS), only then will you be able to bump up the settings for SC2.

If you can't upgrade both you might as well save up money to upgrade everything at once. If you are just looking for SC2 performance improvements.

 

[happy medium]

Your system just meets, barely exceeds, the minimum requirements. If you only upgrade the CPU or video card at one time, you'll still be playing at low settings either way.

Now why don't you post your motherboard specifications like I asked? If you can drop a Pentium D into it and buy a cheap video card (it doesn't take much to get something much faster than a 7600GS), only then will you be able to bump up the settings for SC2.

If you can't upgrade both you might as well save up money to upgrade everything at once. If you are just looking for SC2 performance improvements.

+1 this^^^^^^ Except pentium D's suck.