• 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.

Yes... another which card should I get - From 3x4850 to?

Rhoxed

Golden Member
I currently have a thuban at 4.2ghz and 3x 4850's (the 512mb versions)

With newer games I notice slowdowns at 1920x1080 with max settings (usually AA) which I am pretty sure is related to memory limitations.

What would be the best card to purchase, that will give me the same or better performance of 3x 4850's but without the RAM limitations in high res and settings.

If 3x 4850's get 200 FPS @ 720P and get 60FPS @ 1080P - I wouldnt mind a card that got 150FPS @ 720P but closer to that 100FPS @ 1080P (this is possible with the memory limits am i right?)

pretty much, what should i get? I have been eyeing the 6950 - will that be an upgrade? or a sidegrade except for the higher resolutions?
 
Last edited:
Grab a 6950, that should give you what you want..
Edit: Do you have 1gb 4850's or 512mb?

If you have the 4850 1gb version, it will be a sidegrade and probrobly not worth it.
 
Last edited:
I'd do it even if it offered no performance increase, multicard setups are cool for epeen but a pain for practical use, it'll at least save on a lot of needless extra heat and noise. I know I'm really tempted to try and trade my dual 470s for a single 580 but am not sure if I can bring myself to accept the downgraded raw performance.

At any rate the extra memory would most certainly help with higher resolution scenarios. Not only does the 512MB 4850 lack memory buffer it lacks memory bandwidth.
 
Thanks for the quick responses guys. Its my b-day so I get a new piece of hardware to play with 🙂

The 6950 2gb seems to be the direction I am heading. Any particular models I should keep an eye out for?

(might grab a SSD too if anyone has a suggestion on those also)
 
4850's in Tri should be faster then a 6950 but your X6 is holding back any multi card setup.

4850's in Xfire = 5850
 

that's a 1gb. 2gb cards are typically between $230-$250 AR these days. if OP is staying at 1920x1080 forever then the 1gb should be fine, but if he goes xfire/trifire/etc and/or multi monitor or higher res during the life of the card then the 2 gb would probably become more important.

Brand isn't really that important with amd. XFX is better b/c they have the double lifetime warranty, but they typically cost so much more that I'd recommend another brand most of the time. Cheapest stock-clocked unit is probably the way to go, with perhaps a $10-$15 premium on the xfx cards.

SSD prices are seriously tanking these days, I'd recommend getting the largest ssd storage space you can get for the price that you select, though make sure that whatever ssd you buy has trim. another option on SSD's is to get the silverston HDDBOOST and a very small/cheap SSD.
 
that's a 1gb. 2gb cards are typically between $230-$250 AR these days. if OP is staying at 1920x1080 forever then the 1gb should be fine, but if he goes xfire/trifire/etc and/or multi monitor or higher res during the life of the card then the 2 gb would probably become more important.

Brand isn't really that important with amd. XFX is better b/c they have the double lifetime warranty, but they typically cost so much more that I'd recommend another brand most of the time. Cheapest stock-clocked unit is probably the way to go, with perhaps a $10-$15 premium on the xfx cards.

SSD prices are seriously tanking these days, I'd recommend getting the largest ssd storage space you can get for the price that you select, though make sure that whatever ssd you buy has trim. another option on SSD's is to get the silverston HDDBOOST and a very small/cheap SSD.

The difference at 2560x1600 (except in one or two extreme cases) is less then 2fps http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/331?vs=293
 
yes, but he has a documented track record of going multi-gpu, and his current 3 gpu setup is failing him due to lack of ram. wouldn't it be a bit short-sighted of him to encourage that same situation in the future by settling for 1gb now?
 
yes, but he has a documented track record of going multi-gpu, and his current 3 gpu setup is failing him due to lack of ram. wouldn't it be a bit short-sighted of him to encourage that same situation in the future by settling for 1gb now?

Idk i never really encourage multi GPU setup's in the first place 😛

im not saying the 2GB is "bad" or anything but it isnt at the moment needed even at higher resolutions.
 
Thanks again for the suggestions. Yes I have had multiple crossfire set-ups and have always been pleased with them. As some others have said 3x4850 is about as fast as a 6950, but the ram limits me to resolution under 1080P if i want full eye candy, which I hope the 6950 will fix.

I going to pick up a 2GB 6950 - seems to be the best path, and I most likely will x-fire down the road if BD performs like we hope (otherwise it might be back to intel for me - first time since 1.8ghz p4) - eyefinity might be an option also.

as for SSD's im 100% out of the loop. I don't know where to start. Looking to spend about 200-250$ on an SSD if anyone knows the best in that price range.
 
Idk i never really encourage multi GPU setup's in the first place 😛

im not saying the 2GB is "bad" or anything but it isnt at the moment needed even at higher resolutions.

For the amount a 2gb version costs even if he wont add another card, its better getting a 2gb card. Just like when the 4870 came out. The 512mb version was only a little faster, but as more games came out, the memory requirements increased by quite a bit and today a 1gb 4870 is good for most if not all games, but the 512 version struggles quite a bit.

So you never know how game requirements will change, better to have too much memory than have "just enough" for today.
 
Thanks again for the suggestions. Yes I have had multiple crossfire set-ups and have always been pleased with them. As some others have said 3x4850 is about as fast as a 6950, but the ram limits me to resolution under 1080P if i want full eye candy, which I hope the 6950 will fix.

I going to pick up a 2GB 6950 - seems to be the best path, and I most likely will x-fire down the road if BD performs like we hope (otherwise it might be back to intel for me - first time since 1.8ghz p4) - eyefinity might be an option also.

as for SSD's im 100% out of the loop. I don't know where to start. Looking to spend about 200-250$ on an SSD if anyone knows the best in that price range.

SSD-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...8348:thumbsup:
 
Well, the OP said he was willing to dump about 200-250, so i went and found the best on that price range. I'm sure he can get SSDs just as fast, just with less memory for half the price.

If you have the room and your motherboard works with it (not all do there are some bugs) then the RevoDrive is a good choice.
 
Back
Top