4850 or GTS 250

dave343

dave343

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I can grab a 4850 1GB for about $20-25 cheapter then the GTS 250. Would the saved money on the 4850 be worth it? Is there much of a difference between the two cards? They seem pretty on par. It's going to be pared with a E8400 (stock speed) CPU. I'm going to be using this for FEAR 2, AMRA 2... and that's about it. For now :) Thanks.
 
go for the 4850 just to spite nvidia for rebranding the g92 for the 3rd time.
 
dave343 said:
I can grab a 4850 1GB for about $20-25 cheapter then the GTS 250. Would the saved money on the 4850 be worth it? Is there much of a difference between the two cards? They seem pretty on par. It's going to be pared with a E8400 (stock speed) CPU. I'm going to be using this for FEAR 2, AMRA 2... and that's about it. For now :) Thanks.
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They are about the same in terms of performance, so if the HD 4850 is cheaper, definitely get that one. FEAR 2 is a TWIMTBP game though, so NVIDIA's drivers will be better optimized for it, than AMD's. Don't know about ARMA 2.
 
Silus said:
They are about the same in terms of performance, so if the HD 4850 is cheaper, definitely get that one. FEAR 2 is a TWIMTBP game though, so NVIDIA's drivers will be better optimized for it, than AMD's. Don't know about ARMA 2.
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it doesn't matter in fear, just about any modern card will max it out. and for the money yea the 4850 is it here.

not to mention I have to agree with the BS renaming scheme, its almost fraud. the 9800+ is not a bad card but its still a cut down 8800GTX.
 
I agree that whichever is cheaper is the one to get. The performance difference between the 4850 1GB and GTS 250 1GB in FEAR 2 isn't that significant for playability. Both will be smooth. It's kind of a wash right now since the 4850 benchmarks a little higher in Arma 2 and the GTS 250 easily wins in FEAR2.

newegg has the GTS 250 1GB for $125AR and up, $140 + shipping without rebate for a few models. the 4850 1GB is $107AR and up, $120 shipped without rebate for the XFX model.
 
Wouldn't an HD4870 be within striking range if you're in the market for a GTS250 (aka 9800GTX+) or HD4850?
 
THe same old Nvidia or AMD question. Pick what you prefer. Performance is pretty much a wash, drivers - you decide. Same for price.
 
Syntax Error said:
Definitely worth the extra $20-25...you won't miss it if you invest a little more for a superior card. ;)
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seconded, I didn't realize the price was that close. completely kills both the others listed here
 
The 4870 is not an option because my power supply only has 1x6pin and ALL Sata power connectors. So basically unless I shell out for a new PSU, I'm limited to any card that takes only 1x6pin. If there are other cards faster that only take 1 6pin I'm open to suggestions. :)
 
What exact model PSU do you have? There are SATA to PCIe converters out there, if the supply is up to it.
 
In the general case, performance is pretty close, but there are definitely game-specific instances where G92 chokes, esp with 4xAA or higher. I'd go with a 4850 or 4870 if I were you, no question.
 
Yep lol, Dell Inspiron 530 C2D E8400, 3gb, 320gb. It's not a bad machine, pretty peppy but yeh, having all Sata connectors sucks. Buying a new PSU is out of the question so I'm limited to 1x6pin cards.

Also, in Arma 2 would there be a significant difference between a 512mb card and a 1gb variant? If I picked up a 512mb would it limit my viewing distance substantially or would there be little difference because I have a strong CPU. (I think it's a good CPU lol...am I rite?)
 
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How much cheaper is the 512MB version anyway?
I would get the 4850 1GB to be safe.
 
Huston, we have a problem... :( So I picked up a Sparkle GTS 250 1GB for a great price. Problem is it's one of he only 250's I think that has two 6pin plugs... my whole point in staying with the 4850/250 lol... anyways, a buddy gave me these 2 molex connectors that actually attach to the wires on your PSU to give you 12v molex connectors. They originally shipped with Antec or someone's PSU's so that you could add more molex conectors to the wires.
Well, new problem arose... or one that I didn't think about. My PSU as explained only has Sata power plugs, and sata is 5 wires, not the molex 4, so screwed right? My PSU does have a floppy connector that uses the regular 12v 4wire scheme but can I attach two molex connectors to the floppy wire? Or would that be too much current going over floppy wires.
If I've lost you, let me know lol, but my PSU has one 6pin plug, and since the Sparkles takes two 6pins, I need 2 molex connectors to use one of those 6pin adapters.

The whole point of staying with the 4850/250 is because I can't dish out for a new PSU right now. The Dell PSU I have is pretty good, and from what I understand Dell underrates them. It's a Delta Electronics, pretty heavy, well built, and I've run the 8800GTS 512mb off it before for months, no problems. IF using two molex connector things on the floppy wire is highly unadvised, I have a 450w Oreon...or whatever, but... I would have to use some serious spliters/adapters/changers on it... something I'd like to avoid. Since the Sparkle will get at least 1 true 6pin direct from my PSU I can't imagine it'll draw too much power from the second... or am I wrong? Just seeing as how 99.9% of hte 250's out htere only use 1x6pin... and then drawing the other 6pin power from the floppy power cable... maybe... no... yes..? Thanks for the replies.
 
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SATA power has a whole mess of pins. 3 x 3.3v, 3 x ground, 3 x 5.0v, another 3 x ground and 3 x 12.0v. The 4 pin molex adapters should mate 3 x 5.0v to one pin, 3 x ground to another, 3 x ground to another and 3 x 12.0v to another. The 3.3v group of pins is unused by rhe adapter, mating 4 out of 5 sets if that's what you're worried about.

I've had no problem using generic versions of those adapters in a Dell 530, but I didn't need it for a high powered video card. It was for an 8600GTS.
 
Got it! :D Used the molex connectors and attached them to the Sata wires, worked like a charm.
 
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Freaking awesome, then get that HD 4870, that's the same that I own, I got it since november and worked like a champ, very low idle temperatures, is practically noiseless, the audio through the HDMI will not work with newer drivers but downloading the Realtek ones worked great, it uses a Realtek audio codec.
 
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