Longevity of 4850

[allies]

Alright. I'm torn. I don't really have $150ish to spend on a graphics card, but it'd be nice to play FIFA and Madden 08 at high details smoothly.

My HTPC is an Athlon X2 @ 2.6 GHz, 2GB ram, and currently integrated X1250 graphics. The PC is generally used for movie playing and to play music and whatnot. The display is a 37" 720P display which is fine for the distance I view/play games at (from a couch). This obviously makes it easier on the video card.

The question at hand is; how long will a 4850 be adequate for gaming at this rez and high details in sports, racing, and maybe occasional FPS games? I know there's no solid answer, but I guess if anyone even had an estimate I'd appreciate it. Or if people think it'd be wiser to settle for something like a 8800GS I'm open to suggestions. Thanks.

 

[AzN]

I would think a long time for such low resolution.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The 4850 plays everything except Crysis well at 1680x1050 and plays many games at 19x12, so at just 1280x720 I'll make a wild guess that it will last at least 2-3 years before you might need to change settings from "high" down to "medium" for some game.

 

[bryanW1995]

I think that at that low of a res 4+ years is reasonable to expect, especially with the light usage you anticipate for it.

 

[nevbie]

I'd expect the new recently released cards to massacre the prices of some older cards, or at least confuse the market a bit. Might be a good time to hunt for good deals of older tech. If you don't really have $150ish to spend on a graphics card, then don't. If you look at reviews of these new cards, notice that they are often ran @ 1920x1200 or so.

 

[taltamir]

The 4850 is 200$, and can be found on sales or with MIR lowering it to the 165$ range. (there is still tax and shipping), and remember that MIR might not reach you.

At that resolution. I would have recommended a used card on ebay, except a lot of dolts on ebay but things for MORE then you can buy them new online... If you get lucky and score a 3870 or 8800GT for 60-90$ on ebay. Go for it (including shipping).
But I show very few of those... maybe going a little lower might work. The 7900GS sells for 30$ on ebay now. But I have no idea how it will handle those, I think it will do fine, it will definitely be a HUGE improvement over integrated graphics.

The 4850 is such a great deal cause it gives playable frame rates at 1920x1200 in high settings on most games today. And it is also the HIGHEST bang per buck of anything.

Anything cheaper then the 4850 will actually give you less performance per dollar. And anything more expensive will ALSO give you less performance per dollar. So if you are interested in buying for the long term, and updating rarely, then it is a great purchase. If you are willing to upgrade more often, a cheaper card and an earlier upgrade might serve you better. I am seeing the 8800GT 512MB for 130 - 30MIR. on newegg. that might suit you better. just remember that the 4850 is better.