1900x1200 and Ati 4850

Z

Zake202

Gawd
Joined
Jan 19, 2008
Messages
559
Since I bought this new monitor I've run most games at 1900x1200 with medium settings, and occasionally 1680x1050.

They include,
WOW, EQ2, BFBC2, TF2, Heroes of Newerth, etc.

They all seem to run smoothly and I get 50-60 FPS in all of them. (yes I like Vsync, sometimes AA)

My question is, if I plan to build a new PC next year is it worth upgrading the video card in this system? I don't want to unless it would really be worth the investment.

My specs are as follows:
Asus P5Q Pro
Q6600 @ 3.4Ghz
4Gb Memory
WD 6400AAKS
MSI 4850
Cm690 Case (if it matters)
Corsair CMPSU-450VX 450-Watt VX Series 80 Plus

Just looking for opinions, this card seems decent and things seem to run ok, but I keep questioning if an upgrade is worth the money or if I should save it for future building.

Thanks
 
Well the anser is simpler than you may think.

If you don't want to buy a new video card unless you need to, then simply don't. There are no immediate plans to stop production or sales of video cards, so you can very easily build your new system, slap the 4850 in there and play your games. If you decide you need more graphics processing power, THEN buy a new video card.

If you're looking to play some other, more demanding titles like Metro 2033, Just Cause 2, Bad Company 2 with HBAO, then an upgrade may be worth it.
 
Well I think I'd completely build a new system in fall of next year and let my gf use this one.

I'm fairly happy with everything I play currently, thinking for D3 etc I may want something new.

At least if I want to continue at 1900x1200.
 
Zake202 said:
My question is, if I plan to build a new PC next year is it worth upgrading the video card in this system? I don't want to unless it would really be worth the investment.
Click to expand...

Why does this decision need to be made now? Ask again when the future gets here.
 
I think what he might be asking is if his 4850 will tie him over until he gets an upgrade. If thats the case, personally I'd say keep the 4850 unless you want to have the bells and whistles of dx11 which there isnt much of at the moment.
 
Zake202 said:
Well I think I'd completely build a new system in fall of next year and let my gf use this one.

I'm fairly happy with everything I play currently, thinking for D3 etc I may want something new.

At least if I want to continue at 1900x1200.
Click to expand...

if your 4850 is 1gb (missed that) then I would keep it. if anything get a second one. unless you must have DX11
 
Well your currently running a 450W PSU. supringsly it runs your gfx card. any sort of upgrade would require a new PSU with it (Im guessing)
 
I am running a 5850 off a high quality Antec 450w PSU with no problems. His Corsair PSU should be fine.
 
greeneye said:
Well your currently running a 450W PSU. supringsly it runs your gfx card. any sort of upgrade would require a new PSU with it (Im guessing)
Click to expand...

ahh no. The OP should be fine running 2xHD4850 in crossfire with his PSU or upgrading to a HD5850.

The OP system is pretty decent with a quad core CPU at 3.4GHz. Crossfiring another HD4850 for less than $100 seems like a great option if he decides he wants more GPU performance. Otherwise I think he should just wait to upgrade.
 
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keep in mind here that we are going off your post OP, you don't seem that dissatisfied at the movement.a lot of user (me) would not be happy running at medium settings. so by all means if you feel the need a 5850 is a great buy if that's your goal. but you said most things are ok so I am assuming that you would rather save the money now. a nice compromise is of course the 4850. you can get one used for around 75 if you look. crossfire and you should be quite happy.
 
Zake202 said:
Well I think I'd completely build a new system in fall of next year and let my gf use this one.

I'm fairly happy with everything I play currently, thinking for D3 etc I may want something new.

At least if I want to continue at 1900x1200.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, Blizzard has not been one to push the boundaries of gaming so far as to alienate most of its core users. My guess is even an HD4850 will have no problem come time for the release of Diablo 3. ;)

If it helps any, I ran an HD4850 512MB single card for a long while before I found my HD4850 1GB cards in Crossfire for really cheap. Even at 1920x1200, the 512MB card ran mostly high settings in the majority of games. Now having the 1GB cards in Crossfire, the performance is that much better - especially if you are looking to turn on the high settings and anti-aliasing! :D So if you happen to have a 1GB card, throwing another into the Crossfire mix is a very good and cheap solution that should last you for a good while, judging by how satisfied you are in your first post. :)
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I am a bit skeptical about my PSU. I know the rail amps etc are strong but if everyone says it can handle crossfire that may be an option.

As far as upgrading to a new card like a 5850 that's pretty pricey for what I had in mind.

$100 is closer to what I was thinking but I'm still a bit crunched on cash.

I forgot to mention which 4850 I have. It's the MSI 4850 512Mb Gddr3.

I guess my only concern is the amount of memory on it combined with the resolution I'm wanting to play at.

WOW does run well currently. My fps never drops unless in dalaran or in a bigger BG.
 
Battlefield BC2 is the most demanding game in your list, if it's performance is OK w/ you, then I would think that you should be OK for a year. I would think that a year from now you should be able to pick up a radeon 5850 or equivalent for much less than current prices, and would probably do so for a new system.
 
Zake202 said:
Thanks for all the replies.

I am a bit skeptical about my PSU. I know the rail amps etc are strong but if everyone says it can handle crossfire that may be an option.

As far as upgrading to a new card like a 5850 that's pretty pricey for what I had in mind.

$100 is closer to what I was thinking but I'm still a bit crunched on cash.

I forgot to mention which 4850 I have. It's the MSI 4850 512Mb Gddr3.

I guess my only concern is the amount of memory on it combined with the resolution I'm wanting to play at.

WOW does run well currently. My fps never drops unless in dalaran or in a bigger BG.
Click to expand...

you can but its going to be about it I think once you OC. a fully loaded crossfire 4850 system pulls around 300 to 375 (450 if you have a LOT of crap or a ton of voltage on your overclocks) from the wall. given that you have a corsair that is going to be max 360 or so on the PSU. that is outside the sweet spot but still 90+ watts under your limit. the normal is around 275 to 325

take a look here http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/06/25/amd_radeon_hd_4800_series/8

best bet is to get a killawatt meter anyways (you can get them for around 15 bucks) before you go nuts on the OC

also while Crossfire 4850 are pretty awesome even now some games will not like high AA due to the 512mb buffer. but picking one up for 75 is still a nice upgrade
 
I think unless I find a really good deal on a new card I'll just continue using the 4850.

It seems to fit the rig well and I doubt I'll stray off to anything newer than bc2, or at least not more graphic intensive.

I know my original post looked like I was leaning towards this anyway but the replies at least gave me some other options if needed.
 
Zake202 said:
I think unless I find a really good deal on a new card I'll just continue using the 4850.

It seems to fit the rig well and I doubt I'll stray off to anything newer than bc2, or at least not more graphic intensive.

I know my original post looked like I was leaning towards this anyway but the replies at least gave me some other options if needed.
Click to expand...

keep a look out for another 4850 512. they should go for less then a 1gb model. cheap upgrade. if not then just go on. ;)
 
i think you should get a 5850 as an upgrade, you only need to wait for a good deal.
 
The 5850, even at $250 isn't something I would be able to afford atm. It seems the card runs $300-350.

I can barely budget $100 in.

Most of the cash I get each check goes towards rent/food/gas etc. So the bits I can save are in savings towards a new one next year. Hopefully after a new line of cards/processors come out. That is, if some other expense doesn't hit me first.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for another 4850. What you said about running 2 4850's worries me unless I misunderstood it. Will it only draw a lot of power if OCing the cards? Not sure I would want to OC the cards.
Does it have to be the same manufacturer to Crossfire also?

I did notice a 4870 was on sale for $100. I know it is an XFX Refurb, so maybe not an amazing deal but, I'm curious how it performs vs my current 4850? The other one at least has gddr5 and 1gb mem.

Edit: After reading a bit more about the 4870, it doesn't look like it would be a big enough upgrade, though I could be wrong.
 
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One thing to consider is selling your card locally and adding that to your upgrade budget.

But If I were you, unless I managed to sell the card for a good price, I wouldn't. Unless there is some game you really want more performance in, you might as well wait.
 
I think I'll keep this rig as is.

My last computer I gave to my gf when I built this one.

She plays a lot of games also just not as graphic intensive.
 
Zake202 said:
The 5850, even at $250 isn't something I would be able to afford atm. It seems the card runs $300-350.

I can barely budget $100 in.

Most of the cash I get each check goes towards rent/food/gas etc. So the bits I can save are in savings towards a new one next year. Hopefully after a new line of cards/processors come out. That is, if some other expense doesn't hit me first.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for another 4850. What you said about running 2 4850's worries me unless I misunderstood it. Will it only draw a lot of power if OCing the cards? Not sure I would want to OC the cards.
Does it have to be the same manufacturer to Crossfire also?

I did notice a 4870 was on sale for $100. I know it is an XFX Refurb, so maybe not an amazing deal but, I'm curious how it performs vs my current 4850? The other one at least has gddr5 and 1gb mem.

Edit: After reading a bit more about the 4870, it doesn't look like it would be a big enough upgrade, though I could be wrong.
Click to expand...

I meant that once you did you would not be able to add a lot. I E you will still want some head room to be comfortable in. and you have it. The short of it is its fine.
 
greeneye said:
Well your currently running a 450W PSU. supringsly it runs your gfx card. any sort of upgrade would require a new PSU with it (Im guessing)
Click to expand...

You are guessing wrong.

Ati 5770 is faster than 4850 and takes less power for example.


But as for OP - actually i don't understand why you would like to upgrade your system next year. 3,4 Ghz Q6600 is still very solid contender (you are faster than any AMD user who doesn't overclock for example).

So imho first thing to change is 4850 then you cpu.
 
I know the system can work beyond another year in it's current state, but my old pc, the one my gf is using will not. It's a P4 3.0Ghz, 3gb mem etc. Considering we play a lot of the same games, and I usually play newer ones also, I'll just let her have this one.

Still going to keep an eye out for a good video deal but, not going to search for one.

I check hot deals everyday, something may pop up that isn't a $300 one.
 
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