ATI 4xxx

[roguerower]

I know there is a dedicated thread and I found a couple of postings of this...but does anyone ahve any idea when these will be coming out?

This is the only component of my proposed build that isn't solidified and I don't want to buy a vid card now and update it when the new ones come out.



If you know there?s a dedicated thread on this that explicitly states duplicates will be locked, why did you post this one?

Video Mod BFG10K.

 

[Andrew1990]

End of this month I believe.

 

[Extelleron]

Latest date is June 25th. HD 4850 is definitely launching then, HD 4870 is a maybe (probably will launch but with little/no availability).

 

[roguerower]

In that case...would it be beter to go with a 3870 or a 4850?

I'm looking for about $200 max

 

[allies]

4850 should offer a decent to hefty gain over the 3870, and should be ~$200.

 

[bryanW1995]

definitely 4850 over 3870.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

what features does the 4850 have as a video card for a HTPC? is there any better alternative?

 

[ther00kie16]

4850 will be closer to $250 at launch. Why not a 8800gts for <$200 now?

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
what features does the 4850 have as a video card for a HTPC? is there any better alternative?

Really the main considerations for a HTPC graphics card are heat, noise, size, and video acceleration performance. Many people use simple low end cards like the X1300 because they run so cool and do not even require a fan in many cases.

I use an 8800GTS in my HTPC and it's great, but I also enjoy gaming on my HDTV (not everyone is interested in this).

The 4850 and 4870 both look like they will be great HTPC GPUs. The problem is, we don't know how quiet their fans will be or how big they are. You will definately want a card that exhausts heat outside the case if you're going to go with a beefy GPU.

 

[chewietobbacca]

Wait the 3 weeks for a 4850. Supposedly the 4xxx series support 7.1 through HDMI as well as use less power at idle (i've seen quotes of even 15W at idle) than the 38xx equivalents. Recent performance places the 4850 at close to 9800GTX in a single slot so it should be a very capable card, and easily better than the 3870. Besides, its 3 weeks from now, so you can check reviews then decide rather than regret it.