It's been a while since I've read up....

[Kwestyuns]

... on video cards. I used to read every article, every post and every review on all hardware, software... eh, you get the point. But not having a job where I sit and do nothing all day has changed that.

Long story short, my knowledge of PC parts is about a year behind, haven't had much of a chance to read everything I'd like to, and now that I have a few free, fleeting moments I feel a bit over-whelmed delving into everything I've missed over the past year.

Basically I'm looking for a new video card, I think. I'm pretty sure that would give me the biggest upgrade. My PC is getting on the old side, I try to build a new one every 2 years but haven't had the chance, so I'm just trying to find the biggest bang / upgrade for my buck.
My setup is:
Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe
4 Gigs, 2 modules of G.Skill PC6400 (400 MHz @ 5-5-5-15)
2 Run-of-the-mill WD SATA drives
Radeon X1900 - R580

So you see why I'm assuming the biggest upgrade would be the video card. I feel it really weighs me down in games and destroys my framerates. From what I've read the Radeon (assumingly the Sapphire version) 4890 is the best bang for the buck right now, is this true? Is this a good idea to spend 200 bucks on? Any others I should look at? Any opinions?

I'm also leaning towards buying a new, bigger, hard drive for a fresh Windows 7 install (I always buy a new hard drive when I put a new OS on, cuts down on hassle). Any opinions on where I should go with that? I'm not looking for anything super high-performance and not incredibly huge either. I'm thinking 750 gigs up to a terabyte should be plenty.

Also... if I did decide on the 4890 or any that you guys may recommend, what would be the optimum power supply for it along with my current hardware? I believe (didn't feel like taking it out) that its a 550 Watt antec power supply that came with my thermal take armor case (well, it may not have come with it, can't remember). Would 550 be sufficient, or would I need to get something a bit bigger?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but it's been a while and I got bit by the bug to upgrade earlier today. So now, naturally, I have to get it done as soon as possible with the best bang for my buck. Thanks in advance, and I'm sure I'll be passing around more thanks tomorrow when I check back.

Oh ya, in case no one else noticed I just went to amazon.com and they have like.. 30% off or more of all computer parts.

 

[IlllI]

what resolution is your monitor

 

[Kwestyuns]

Horrible X sad.

1280 X 1024. Now that you mentioned that thats something I didn't even think about. Looks like I'm either gonna be replacing it after I get a new video card, or hooking my old CRT that could do like 2560 X 2048 back up (I know thats not a correct resolution, but it's something along those lines). How drastically will my shitty monitor affect my framerates? I.e. in a 25 man WoW raid I get like 1 fps with graphics at like 70% for half the time, I always assumed it was my video card, could my monitor be to blame as well? I'd like to pretend I know this, but pride aside... I really have no clue these days.

Oh ya, I also just saw Radeon 5850's for $260, all factors included would that be a good idea? Or would I be better off buying a 4890 and some shitty monitor like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...5&Sku=F93-2404 ?

 

[Barfo]

A 4890 is likely to be held back by your CPU, go for it only if you plan to use it for your next build. A 4850 will let you run most current games at max detail + AA & AF and it goes for less than $100 nowadays.

 

[Kwestyuns]

DON'T BOTHER READING UNLESS YOU JUST WANT TO BE HELPFUL (WHICH IS WHY I DIDN'T JUST DELETE THE POST).

Hmm.. thats a good thought. I geuss I'm still in that mode where whenever I upgrade anything I have to try and get as good as I can, when in my case right now most any new video card would be a substantial upgrade. And the lower price makes buying something like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...TCjCVqHCjCdwwp more feasible. I think I just may do that. And just be content with me mediocre rig until I'm in good enough shape to build a top-end rig again. Thanks for that tip, I hadn't even really thought of it like that.

What about a 4870? Would that offer anything substantial over a 4850, or would my CPU limit that as well? And finally, do you think I could run the 4850 off the same power supply I run the X1900? I believe the power supply does have the 2 6-pin connectors that (I think) are required for the 4850/70.

One more thing (sorry), whats the main difference between the 4850 and the 5770? Is it just that the 5770 has GDDR5 instead of GDDR 3 RAM and a bit higher clock speed? I know this may seem obvious to most everyone, but I'm trying to see why you would recommend the 4850 over the 5770 when the price points are within 30 dollars from each other. I don't mean to be a pain in the ass, just want to put the most I can into my shitty system to squeeze the most out of it.

 

[Kwestyuns]

DON'T BOTHER READING UNLESS YOU JUST WANT TO BE HELPFUL (WHICH IS WHY I DIDN'T JUST DELETE THE POST).

After finding more graphs and information, from what I can tell it seems like the 4870 would really be the highest I can go with my system and still squeeze the performance out of the video card I want. Does that sound right to anyone? The 4850 just seems to get about 60% less frames than the 4870 does. With the parts I listed in the original post, what type of power supply would you guys say would be sufficient, I'm holding out in hopes mine will be fine at 550W (I believe, will check tomorrow to be sure). But anand says the TDP of the 4870 is 150W and that seems like it may cut it a bit close.

Would there be any harm is going ahead and grabbing the 4890? I found an XFX one for $175 and the average 4870 price is about $160, seems like getting the 4890 would be worth the extra few bucks, but can my system handle it? Would the 4890 be a definitive jump to have to get a new power supply? Would it be too much for my shitty 1280X1024 monitor to push?

Any thoughts?

 

[Kwestyuns]

OK... I'm done asking random questions that I should find out for myself. After more research I've come to the conclusion that I should get the 4870. It seems like its the best card for the best price right now and that I shouldn't need to upgrade my power supply for it. All I'm really looking for is for someone to tell me, 'no, you shouldn't get that, it wouldn't work well with your system' or 'yes, you should get it because you have a pretty horrid system and this is the best you can put into it without having to upgrade EVERYTHING'.

So... last question of the thread (I hope), is the 4870 the best I can fit into my system without having to upgrade everything? Will the specs I listed in my first post be able to handle the 4870? From what I've been able to gather, the 4870 is the best I can put into my system AND the best bang for the buck, AND it will run off of my existing hardware, true?

 

[IlllI]

to me 4870 would be overkill if you plan on playing at 1280 X 1024

 

[postmortemIA]

get decent monitor first, forget about graphics

 

[toyota]

a 4870 would be a waste with your cpu especially at just 1280x1024. in many cpu intensive games you would not even get much more than 50% of what a 4870 is capable of at 1280x1024.

 

[ShreddedWheat]

I think it was anandtech that did an article with basically your setup comparing an 8800gs vs 4850 which showed little improvement with 4850 so your definately going to be held back by the cpu. I had the same cpu in last computer. If you don't have to run games at the highest rez I would recommend a 4850 if you can find one for around 90 bucks. Then take it with you to your next system. I'm running a 4850 with e5200 oced to 3.4 with a 28" monitor and can play almost all game maxed out minus Crysis which runs mix of high/very high on winXP. Though with your current cpu 1280x1024 should be fine. Hope this helps.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I see you have an AM2 motherboard, do yo know what CPU's are supported? You might want to see what CPU's you can put in that board, if you could get a PhII tri core or something, that'd probably be a big help and not too much money. That and a 4850 or GTS250 level card would be a big upgrade at your resolution. I wouldn't bother upgrading your video card if you are stuck with that CPU or similar.

 

[SRoode]

Horrible X sad.

1280 X 1024. Now that you mentioned that thats something I didn't even think about. Looks like I'm either gonna be replacing it after I get a new video card, or hooking my old CRT that could do like 2560 X 2048 back up (I know thats not a correct resolution, but it's something along those lines). How drastically will my shitty monitor affect my framerates? I.e. in a 25 man WoW raid I get like 1 fps with graphics at like 70% for half the time, I always assumed it was my video card, could my monitor be to blame as well? I'd like to pretend I know this, but pride aside... I really have no clue these days.

Oh ya, I also just saw Radeon 5850's for $260, all factors included would that be a good idea? Or would I be better off buying a 4890 and some shitty monitor like http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...5&Sku=F93-2404 ?

You should not be getting 1fps in WoW with your current rig and resoultion. Are you using dial-up or hi-speed internet?

 

[fffblackmage]

At 1280x1024 with the current rig you have, I'd probably recommend a 4850, or 4830/4770 if they're cheaper and still around.

 

[BD231]

Get as much power as you can for the price, anyone who would tell you a card is overkill for your setup is not thinking forward.

 

[big4x4]

My vote would be upgrade your processor if you can and find a 4850 for around 90 . That would get you a LOT more performance than just getting the 4870

 

[Barfo]

Get as much power as you can for the price, anyone who would tell you a card is overkill for your setup is not thinking forward.

Sure he can drop a 5870 in his system if he wants, but that GPU and many more will be overkill for his setup

 

[Kwestyuns]

Thanks for all the replies and thoughts.

SRoode, I don't really get 1 fps, but its definately really laggy during a 25 man raid. My internet is fine, its definately frame lag that I mainly attribute to my video card.

So it seems like it would be pointless for me to go passed a 4850 for now. Thanks.

What would you guys recommend as an upgrade for my CPU? This is the best 'upgrade' I could find: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103471 .

Any thoughts?

Are you guys sure the best upgrade for me is a 4850? Its like the only one with GDDR 3 RAM!

 

[happy medium]

Is this your motherboard? The Asus site says it's am2+ ready but the cpu list only has Athlon x2's?

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=0jMy2X8lKstYRvev

Newegg says only "AM2" No + ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131011

The phenom II 940 would be an excellent upgrade if you could do it.
Then the hd4890 would be a great choice @ 1280x1024 or a gtx260 since you have a sli board.

 

[fffblackmage]

yeah, any phenom II would be an awesome upgrade, but check the mobo/chipset and make sure it's compatible. Wouldn't want to buy a new Phenom II X4 only find it's not compatible. Though I guess then you could make the excuse of upgrading the mobo too.

An "overkill" video card probably wouldn't be overkill if you plan on upgrading the cpu and whatnot within a month. Otherwise, it's a bit pointless if you leave the gfx card bottlenecked for several months until you finally decide to upgrade. By that time, a newer better gfx card might have popped up or the card you got ended up dropping in price.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Get as much power as you can for the price, anyone who would tell you a card is overkill for your setup is not thinking forward.

-Couldn't disagree more.

Scenario 1: Buys a 5850 RIGHT NOW for ~$300.

Horribly bottle necked by his res and proc, doesn't experience the true glory of his card until 6-12 mo. later when he finally has his system fully upgraded. By this time, the 5850 has dropped to sub $200, the drivers have matured and there are some bitchin sweet aftermarket coolers. TC is bitter and hateful, snaps needlessly at his girlfriend and falls in with a bad crowd.

Scenario 2: Buys a 4850 RIGHT NOW for ~$80.

Still bottle necked by his processor and resolution, it achieves the same framerate that a 5850 would for $220 less. Over the next 6-12 mo. he upgrades different components of his computer, so when he is finally in a place where his computer could fully utilize a 5850, the card has dropped to sub-$200 dollar prices, its drivers have matured and it now

 

[Hyperlite]

you know, i dunno if the 4850 is going back up in price or what, but i can't find it anywhere for less than $110 right now.

 

[Via]

Yeah, unfortunately 4200+ has been a bottleneck for a few years now; that's what I put in when I first built my PC.

I replaced it with a 6400+ (which I still have) and got a huge boost in gaming performance.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Don't forget in most GPU limited games, the X2 4200+ can keep up for the most part. It's two 3500+s on one die. Some people still game with that CPU. TF2 and DOD:S are heavily CPU limited, yet my s939 4200+ keeps up with over 60+ FPS at ALL times.

A 4850 is as fast as I would go though. You'll be able to do 2xAA in EVERY game without a performance penalty. After that you might be throwing money away.

 

[Kwestyuns]

Ok, so I think I'll just go ahead and buy a 4750 for this PC. A few months down the road when I decide to upgrade it further I'll just build a new PC.

To happy_medium and blackmage, yes, my motherboard does say it supports AM2 and not AM2+. But I did a bit of research and from what I understand, it does work with AM2+ but it won't say its + until you flash the bios to the newest version. So that phenom I linked will, in fact, work. Depending on if I understood it correctly, and I'm sure I did.

Thanks again to everyone for their input.