Equivilent card

[lifeblood]

I have a 4830 which at 1440x900 runs everything I play at or near max settings. However, I am beginning to consider an upgrade to a new vid card with a 1680x1050 monitor. When I look at the performance graphs in the recent 5830 review (for example), I don't see a 4830 listed. Which card(s) is closest in performance to the 4830 so I can get an idea of how it will perform? For some reason I remember it was close to a 9600 GT. Is that true? I wish to know the performance of what I have now compared to what I might get, I.e., how much more "bang" I will get.

 

[dguy6789]

4830 is a lot faster than a 9600GT. Your best bet for 1680x1050 would be a Radeon HD 5770.

 

[v8envy]

A 4850 is a very, very close match for a GTS250 so offhand I'd say a non-overclocked 4830 should be somewhere around the 8800GT 512 (aka 9800GT) and slower than the 8800GTS (aka 9800GTX aka GTS250). It should be around 10% faster than a 9600GT and GT240.

I don't think a 5770 will be that much of an improvement in any game giving a 4830 heartburn. And even the 10% faster 5830 isn't going going to "wow" you for the cash outlay. Either get another 4830, or consider a 5850.

 

[lifeblood]

I don't think a 5770 will be that much of an improvement in any game giving a 4830 heartburn. And even the 10% faster 5830 isn't going to wow you for the cash outlay. Either get another 4830, or consider a 5850.

Hmm, I must somewhat disagree with you on this point. Using the 5830 review as an example again, at 1680x1050 on both Battleforge and Far Cry 2 the 4770/8800 GT are below 30fps while the 5770 is above. However, in all the other games except Crysis both the 5770 and my 4830 proxy cards are above 30fps. I would love to get a 5850, but at 2.5 times the cost of a 5770 it has to much buck and not enough bang at 1680x1050.

I would consider getting another 4830 for xfire but I'm a hesitant to do the multi-GPU thing. ATI's weak spot have always been it's drivers and they are still iffy (from what I've read) in crossfire mode.

 

[v8envy]

I'm with you on the multi-GPU, which is why I'm still suffering with a single 8800GT. Same boat as you, really. But I'm resolved to sit on my butt and wait until the current video card drought ends. It's simply a terrible time to want a video card right now, with NV being a no show. You get less bang for your buck today than a year and a half ago, which is absolutely nuts. My demand is very much pent up and staying that way in the foreseeable future.

I'm fine with turning off whatever eyecandy torpedoes performance or not buying new games for the next six months rather than fork over $240 for the marginal increase in performance the 5830 offers over my prehistoric, crusty and 15% overclocked 8800GT. I think ZZF still has a 4890 for $153, but meh. Doesn't feel right to pay top dollar for obsolete hardware.

 

[jtisgeek]

I say overclock your 4830 and try to ride it out right now . This is just not a good time to upgrade. Give it a couple of months for the prices to come down then maybe go for a 5850.

 

[crisium]

4830 = 9800GT (aka 8800GT). It's almost as equal as you can get, with the winning card based on of it likes Nvidia or ATi.

4830 Crossfire equals 4890 performance, more or less. That's the comparison I usually use for upgrading - my new card should be at least as fast as two of my old. Either try to find a 4890 for the cheap, or wait for 5850 to drop.

 

[lifeblood]

I'm resolved to sit on my butt and wait until the current video card drought ends. It's simply a terrible time to want a video card right now, with NV being a no show.

I absolutely agree. I have no intent on getting any card until the prices become reasonable again. I am simply beginning to "window shop" for my next card. And the best way to do that is to clearly identify what I have now for comparative purposes.

So, for comparison sake, a 9800 GT/8800GT is roughly equivalent to the 4830? That will work then. I believe most tech sites use a 8800GT in their performance graphs.

 

[edplayer]

I'm with you on the multi-GPU, which is why I'm still suffering with a single 8800GT. Same boat as you, really. But I'm resolved to sit on my butt and wait until the current video card drought ends. It's simply a terrible time to want a video card right now, with NV being a no show. You get less bang for your buck today than a year and a half ago, which is absolutely nuts. My demand is very much pent up and staying that way in the foreseeable future.

I'm fine with turning off whatever eyecandy torpedoes performance or not buying new games for the next six months rather than fork over $240 for the marginal increase in performance the 5830 offers over my prehistoric, crusty and 15% overclocked 8800GT. I think ZZF still has a 4890 for $153, but meh. Doesn't feel right to pay top dollar for obsolete hardware.

I'm with you 100%

I am even considering waiting for "next gen" gpus since rumor sites claim they should be announced around Q4. Even if they come out Q1 2011, that isn't too far away.

and I have already set my limits on hot deals for current cards. $100 for the 5770 and $200 for the 5850. Of course, the closer it gets towards the end of the year, the lower those will drop. I may never buy one at those prices but I don't care. This industry runs in cycles and I am patient enough to wait for the next bust so I can pick up the latest and greatest at blowout pricing.

 

[blanketyblank]

I'd say a 4830 is roughly on par with a 4770 or 4850 probably within 2-4 fps of each other. Whatever the differences between them are within easy overclocking range. You'll want a 5770/GTX 260 or faster to see a significant performance boost.
That jump won't be huge, but you'd probably be getting something like 25% more fps which makes games much smoother. The big difference though is in the 1 GB of memory vs 512MB and the extra features of going with the new card (assuming you go with a 5xxx series) including lower power usage.
If it's in your budget a 5850 would be about twice your performance.