Upgrading from a x1900xtx

[aceshigh23]

I have $160 to spend to upgrade my 1900xtx. How loud the card is at idle and under load do play a factor in my decision. I game at 1920x1200. The newest game I play most often is Fallout 3. It's an AMD FX-60 system, WinXP, 2gb PC-3200 RAM, 600W PS, DFI NF4 SLI-DR system board.

Looking at performance charts and such, the 8800gtx would seem to be near a perfect card, as it's quiet and performs decently in Fallout 3, but I can't seem to find a new one anywhere (I'd go used if I could find one with a warranty). The 9800gtx+ is a bit out of my price range, and is also apparently slightly louder than the 8800gtx. The 4850s seem to be too loud and hot.

Thoughts?

 

[Quiksilver]

Your not going to find an 8800GTX new anywhere cause it's 2 generations old (well I supposed if you included all the re-hashes into the same series it would be 5) on top of that it's not going to be $160. If you did, it's have to be a used one off fleabay or similar.

Your going to probably want either a) 4850 and just deal with the tad bit of extra noise, b) 9800GT (not sure about noise), or c) spend a tad over your budget and get a 9800GTX+

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Here's my advice, save a little more money and get a 1Gb version of the latest Gen cards

 

[cusideabelincoln]

There are several HD4850s with aftermarket coolers, and the latest drivers (I do believe) fix the high temperatures the cards are accused of. The HD4850s are not hotter nor louder than a 9800GTX+.

 

[vj8usa]

I got the cheapest 4850 Newegg offered (Palit with aftermarket cooler) when I upgraded from an X1900XT, and it was loud at stock. I stuck a Zalman Fanmate on it to drop the fan voltage and speed, and now it's dead silent, and still barely breaks 60C under full (Furmark) load. 4850s don't generate excessive heat, and can be very quiet with proper cooling.

I noticed a HUGE performance improvement over my X1900XT, but keep in mind that I game at 1680x1050. I don't know if I'd want to use a 512MB card at 1920x1200 - I've noticed slight stuttering from lack of VRAM even at 1680, and that'll only be worse at 1920. I'd go for a 1GB 4870/GTX260 216 or better for your resolution, but that'd mean going past your $160 budget. If $160's your absolute max and you can't find a 4870/GTX260 at that price, a 4850's your best bet.

EDIT: hm, Newegg actually has a 1GB 4850 for $162, probably $170ish shipped. Not sure if it's worth the $40 premium over a 512MB card, though.

 

[Ares202]

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I got the cheapest 4850 Newegg offered (Palit with aftermarket cooler) when I upgraded from an X1900XT, and it was loud at stock. I stuck a Zalman Fanmate on it to drop the fan voltage and speed, and now it's dead silent, and still barely breaks 60C under full (Furmark) load. 4850s don't generate excessive heat, and can be very quiet with proper cooling.

I noticed a HUGE performance improvement over my X1900XT, but keep in mind that I game at 1680x1050. I don't know if I'd want to use a 512MB card at 1920x1200 - I've noticed slight stuttering from lack of VRAM even at 1680, and that'll only be worse at 1920. I'd go for a 1GB 4870/GTX260 216 or better for your resolution, but that'd mean going past your $160 budget. If $160's your absolute max and you can't find a 4870/GTX260 at that price, a 4850's your best bet.

EDIT: hm, Newegg actually has a 1GB 4850 for $162, probably $170ish shipped. Not sure if it's worth the $40 premium over a 512MB card, though.

I read a review of the 2gb 4850 vs the 512mb 4850 there wasnt any difference in performance until you reach 2560x1600 at 1600x1200 the 512mb version was actually a little bit faster on a lot of tests

link
http://www.guru3d.com/article/...50-2-gb-gddr3-review/1

 

[vj8usa]

Originally posted by: Ares202
I read a review of the 2gb 4850 vs the 512mb 4850 there wasnt any difference in performance until you reach 2560x1600 at 1600x1200 the 512mb version was actually a little bit faster on a lot of tests

link
http://www.guru3d.com/article/...50-2-gb-gddr3-review/1

Weird, it's like there's something wrong with that 2GB card. guru3d did a review of a 1GB Gigabyte card, and the difference is huge when you run out of VRAM.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/...b-gvr485oc1gi-review/8
Scroll down a bit and look at Crysis - at 1920x1200, it's faster than a 512MB 4870.

EDIT: ah, I guess this is why the 2GB card is slower. "And here's a bit of a turn-ff, a regular 4850 will have that memory clocked at 1986 MHz, the 2GB means more wires, more latency yet also lower frequency memory. The card has it's memory clocked at 1800 MHz, which definitrely is going to effect the overall performance in a negative way as that is nearly 200 MHz."

The 1GB card that was reviewed was also clocked at 700MHz vs the stock 625MHz. The performance advantage in Crysis is clearly due to the extra RAM, though.

 

[aceshigh23]

I could spend more, but the 260 is just too loud at idle, let alone under load. The 260 at idle is supposedly almost as loud as the 4850 is under load. I'm looking at http://www.techpowerup.com/rev...or/HD_4850_PCS/25.html]these charts for noise. The 4870 would seem to be acceptable for noise, but there doesn't seem to be any difference in Fallout 3 between the 512 and 1 GB version.

 

[Denithor]

Not sure if you're fixed at $160 before or after rebates but here are some deals to consider.

Powercolor 4850 $125 ($20MIR and free shipping)
EVGA 9800GTX $150 ($10MIR and free shipping)
PNY 9800GTX+ $160 + shipping ($40MIR)

The 4850 looks like a great deal at that price point. Has an aftermarket fan factory installed, several of the reviews comment on quiet & cool performance so that shouldn't be an issue for you.

If you prefer nVidia the 9800GTX is a great card and the 9800GTX+ (55nm, higher clocks) is even better. These cards have stock cooling so comments in general reviews for this family of cards is probably going to hold true.

EDIT: And regarding 512MB at 1920x1200, don't worry too much about it. I game at that resolution with my G92 8800GTS and it works fine. You have to get to the 4870 level of card before the extra memory really makes a difference.

 

[aceshigh23]

Thanks Denithor, that's great info. My budget is creeping upwards. Trying to decide between the 9800GTX+, the 260-216, or waiting to see if the new 55nm 260s are quieter than the current batch of 260s.

 

[vj8usa]

Originally posted by: aceshigh23
Thanks Denithor, that's great info. My budget is creeping upwards. Trying to decide between the 9800GTX+, the 260-216, or waiting to see if the new 55nm 260s are quieter than the current batch of 260s.

I wouldn't advise getting a 9800GTX/GTX+ at the prices Denithor linked. The 4850 is comparable in performance to the 9800GTX+, and at $35 less, it's a no brainer at that price range (that specific 4850 seems to be quiet from the reviews, too). A 260 or 4870 are also great cards, if you increase your budget.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: vj8usa
I got the cheapest 4850 Newegg offered (Palit with aftermarket cooler) when I upgraded from an X1900XT, and it was loud at stock. I stuck a Zalman Fanmate on it to drop the fan voltage and speed, and now it's dead silent, and still barely breaks 60C under full (Furmark) load. 4850s don't generate excessive heat, and can be very quiet with proper cooling.

I noticed a HUGE performance improvement over my X1900XT, but keep in mind that I game at 1680x1050. I don't know if I'd want to use a 512MB card at 1920x1200 - I've noticed slight stuttering from lack of VRAM even at 1680, and that'll only be worse at 1920. I'd go for a 1GB 4870/GTX260 216 or better for your resolution, but that'd mean going past your $160 budget. If $160's your absolute max and you can't find a 4870/GTX260 at that price, a 4850's your best bet.

EDIT: hm, Newegg actually has a 1GB 4850 for $162, probably $170ish shipped. Not sure if it's worth the $40 premium over a 512MB card, though.

I did the exact same thing with a Gigabyte 4850 with a zalman cooler for $149 after rebate, upgrading from an x1950Pro. I had to use the fan mate controller to calm the damn fan speeds down. The whine was bad. Now, it's near silent and I'm seeing similar temps -- nothing more than 60C during gameplay.

 

[Denithor]

Keep in mind the Powercolor 4850 I linked above has a factory-installed aftermarket fan that, based on the newegg reviews, keeps the card cooler than the reference design model and is nice and quiet.