4870 on 22"

[Cmustang87]

Am I spending $100 extra on a video card to play on a 22" LCD that I don't need to? Comparing a 4850 to a 4870. Or should I save that $100 towards another video card upgrade a couple years down the line when the 4xxx series ages.

Games I play/want to play:
Warhammer Online
Fallout 3
Oblivion
Far Cry 2

AFAIK the 4850 and 4870 are both plenty of power at a 22" native resolution, but I just don't know if I want to save that $100 for a later video card upgrade.

 

[rincewind]

Am I spending $100 extra on a video card to play on a 22" LCD that I don't need to? Comparing a 4850 to a 4870. Or should I save that $100 towards another video card upgrade a couple years down the line when the 4xxx series ages.

Games I play/want to play:
Warhammer Online
Fallout 3
Oblivion
Far Cry 2

AFAIK the 4850 and 4870 are both plenty of power at a 22" native resolution, but I just don't know if I want to save that $100 for a later video card upgrade.

If your next upgrade is a couple of years away then you would probably be better off with the 4870 as it will give you a bit more mileage.

 

[zod96]

I was in that same boat with my 22 inch. I was either going to get the 4850 or the 4870 I tried both. And I play oblivion. The 4870 seemed a bit faster but not much. I'd say on a 22 inch the 4850 is perfect. But as rincewind said if you want to keep the card longer then get a 4870, it will give you more horsepower for a longer time...

 

[DimFilter]

I game at 16x12 which is pretty close to your 22'' and use the 4870. I really have no complaints with this card at that rez. I can usually always run 2x/4x AA and 16x AF with most current games and keep extremely playable frame rates.

I'd vote 4870 cuz you probably will be able to get a little more AA/AF over the 4850. With GTX 260 and 4870s so cheap (like $250 iirc) either would be a good choice. I went ATI since my mobo supports crossfire and maybe down the rode if no new single card monsters come out I'll add another 4870 on the cheap.

 

[Cmustang87]

Yea, this is a tough boat to be on. I mean if I saved the 100 and went with the 4850 I would be able to upgrade again. I would expect to upgrade in less than a couple years since a 4850 would last me for a bit. BTW... has anyone played oblivion high res with Qarls Texture pack?

I'm really interested to see how it plays/looks. It killed my 7800 GS OC when I patched the game with that texture pack. BTW the rest of my rig will be QX6850, 4 GB DDR2 1000, P5Q Pro, Corsair VX550. Just too damn tough of a call. But more AA is always good in any game. Forgot to mention I haven't had the COD4 PC experience yet...