• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Upgrading from X1900 XTX

R

ryan256

Platinum Member
Here's what I'm looking for.
1. A card that is a worthwhile upgrade from an X1900 XTX
2. A card that can run off of a single 6 pin PCIE power connection.
3. A card that is <$350.

I had thought about getting a HD4870 But those don't meet the power limitations.

EDIT: OOPS!! My bad.... What I meant to say was a 4870!


UPDATE:
Well... last night my card overheated like a mofo. Now it cannot game anymore and gives a ton of artifacts even loading windows. So now I MUST get another one.

Right now I'm trying to decide between a HIS 4850 or using an adapter to get another PCIE power connector off my 500w PSU and run either an MSI 4870 or a Powercolor 4870.

One thing I'm wondering about though is if I should bother going for a 4870 or will the CPU and chipset become my bottleneck with a 4850. My current system has an Intel E6600 on an Asus P5B motherboard with 4GB of memory. The P5B has a PCI-X 1.0 slot. Not PCI-X 2.0.

Would I even notice the difference in a 4850 and a 4870 in this system??


PS: I'm not an ATI fan boy. Its just that ATI had the best card for the money when I bought my last one and now that I need another it seems again... they have the best card for the money.
 
My 4850 has a single six pin PCIE, cost about 150 USD about a month or more ago...and I'm sure it's a big step up...
 
Wha? I run my 4850 with just a single 6-pin PCIe connector. You don't need two. At least, not on any of the models I was looking at.

The 4850 is a great card. I paid $149 for mine after rebate. Considering the 4830 is $130, it's hard to justify not getting a 4850.
 
The single PCIe 6-pin requirement is kind of limiting. Your budget is $350, but the 9800GTX, HD4870/X2, GTX260/280 all require more than one PCIe plug.

Does your PSU not have more than one? If so, does it have enough capacity to power those cards if you added a PCIe power adapter?
 
A 4850 should amaze you. I went from a 1900XTX to a 3870 a year or so ago and that was at least a 30% performance increase. Kind of downer considering how much the 1900 cost when I got it. But you never know what a year will do to performance, wasn't expecting the drastic cost drop though.
 
Yup, you won't be disappointed with a 4850. I used an X1900XT for about 2.5 years and got my 4850 a few weeks ago, and the difference was huge. I'm getting higher framerates at 1680x1050 in most games than I was at 1280x800 with the old card. The new card's fast enough that I'm feeling CPU limited in a lot of games now.
 
I had an x1900xt running at xtx speeds when I upgraded to an 8800gt a year ago. It was a good upgrade (75% faster), and the 4850 is even better, so my best guess is that you'll get about 2x the performance of the xtx. That's not bad for $150. That's the minimum step up I'd recommend to you to really see the difference and feel like it's a good investment. Of course, as you know, anything faster needs two power plugs, so there you have it: 4850 or nothing at all (until faster, lower power cards come out).
 
Well... last night my card overheated like a mofo. Now it cannot game anymore and gives a ton of artifacts even loading windows. So now I MUST get another one.

Right now I'm trying to decide between a HIS 4850 or using an adapter to get another PCIE power connector off my 500w PSU and run either an MSI 4870 or a Powercolor 4870.

One thing I'm wondering about though is if I should bother going for a 4870 or will the CPU and chipset become my bottleneck with a 4850. My current system has an Intel E6600 on an Asus P5B motherboard with 4GB of memory. The P5B has a PCI-X 1.0 slot. Not PCI-X 2.0.

Would I even notice the difference in a 4850 and a 4870 in this system??


PS: I'm not an ATI fan boy. Its just that ATI had the best card for the money when I bought my last one and now that I need another it seems again... they have the best card for the money.
 
Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Why did you make a complete repost ? Every1 allready said you should go with a HD4850 ... That particular HD4850 from HIS isn't a very good choice though, this one is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121272 for example ... Unless you're gaming on a bigger screen than 24" you don't need 1gb of vram ...
Click to expand...

Because I didn't think about putting the updated info in the first post until after I posted it. Figured I'd make it easier to find.

Yes I am using an Acer 24" LCD for a display and from what I've seen extra memory is beneficial when playing at resolutions of 1600x900 or higher.
 
Paying 220$ for a 1gb HD4850 is ridiculous when $220 buys you a HD4870 512mb instead or a GTX260 216sp with 896mb of vram ... I'm pretty sure a HD4870 512mb will be faster then a HD4850 1GB at 1920*1200. HD4870 1GB costs $265 btw, GTX260 costs $230 and comes with Far Cry 2, from BFG tech. Check the hot deals section for it, I think it's $200 with a mail in rebate ...
 
What about a 9600GSO? Nice and cheap, almost twice as fast as you existing card. I guess it depends at what resolution you play your games at. At higher res, the 384MB is somewhat limiting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top