Best card for 1440 x 900???

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mdaniel

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
Messages
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I'm trying to decide what sub $150 video card will allow me to run current games (Fallout 3 & Farcry 2) at the highest settings on dual 1440 x 900 resolution LCDs.

I've been looking at the 9600 GT, 9800 GT/GTX, and the 3870, 4830 and finally 4850 series cards. I'd like to spend as little as possible, but most reviews don't list my monitor resolution.

Thanks,
 
the 3870 and the 9600 GT on the low end (though I would go with one of the 9800GSO deals, 50 dollars AR) would work but the newer games would like the horsepower esp if you want to max them out. I suggest the 4850, nice card. the 4830 is the crippled version of the 4850 and hard to recommend at only a little less then the 4850 for 130 AR.
 
mdaniel said:
I'm trying to decide what sub $150 video card will allow me to run current games (Fallout 3 & Farcry 2) at the highest settings on dual 1440 x 900 resolution LCDs.

I've been looking at the 9600 GT, 9800 GT/GTX, and the 3870, 4830 and finally 4850 series cards. I'd like to spend as little as possible, but most reviews don't list my monitor resolution.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

If you are putting this into the rig in your sig then you must select an agp card and in that case the 3850 is the only worthwhile candidate for you. If somehow you need a card for a different system then far and away the 4850 is the best sub $150 card
 
For that low res, I think AA is a must, so prefferably a card that can do 4xAA at that res without dropping settings is what you need. I play at a slightly higher res (1280x1024) and the 4850 runs all my games minimum with 4xAA (except cryis naturally) Source engine games run at 8x AA which removes all jaggies on site :D. I think many ppl recommend weaker cards, but i think 4xAA at that res is a must. Thats my take on it anyway.
 
Mystic-Micro said:
For that low res, I think AA is a must, so prefferably a card that can do 4xAA at that res without dropping settings is what you need. I play at a slightly higher res (1280x1024) and the 4850 runs all my games minimum with 4xAA (except cryis naturally) Source engine games run at 8x AA which removes all jaggies on site :D. I think many ppl recommend weaker cards, but i think 4xAA at that res is a must. Thats my take on it anyway.
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+1

I have a 4850 at 1280x1024, and it was definitely worth it over the 9600GT (which my friend has for 1440x900). Running with and/or at higher levels of AA is definitely worth it.

I would definitely recommend the 4850, followed closely by the 9800GTX+ (4850 has a bit better AA - otherwise the two are neck and neck)
 
GonzoP said:
If you are putting this into the rig in your sig then you must select an agp card and in that case the 3850 is the only worthwhile candidate for you. If somehow you need a card for a different system then far and away the 4850 is the best sub $150 card
Click to expand...

Sorry about that, I just finally finished building my current computer last week using the stuff that is now in my sig. I've got 4g of OCZ 800 ram coming that will replace the Wintec 667 that is currently in it. I picked up the 7900GT card for about $30 a few months back just to get the computer build moving, since my AGP card would not be moving into the new build. Having a child killed my computer budget, so I had to do it in pieces over several months.

So it sounds like the 4850 is the way to go?
 
For that price range and resolution, I have to agree with everyone else. The 4850 is the way to go.
 
OP, as others have previously posted, you are running a system with an AGP slot so you are really limited on your choices. GeForce 7 series, Radeon 19XX series or Radeon 3850 based video cards do come in AGP. Your best bet is a 3850 512MB.

Here is the one I have used in a couple of customers systems and it has worked flawlessly:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131090
 
AceGoober said:
OP, as others have previously posted, you are running a system with an AGP slot so you are really limited on your choices. GeForce 7 series, Radeon 19XX series or Radeon 3850 based video cards do come in AGP. Your best bet is a 3850 512MB.

Here is the one I have used in a couple of customers systems and it has worked flawlessly:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131090
Click to expand...

Read the thread buddy

mdaniel said:
Sorry about that, I just finally finished building my current computer last week using the stuff that is now in my sig. I've got 4g of OCZ 800 ram coming that will replace the Wintec 667 that is currently in it. I picked up the 7900GT card for about $30 a few months back just to get the computer build moving, since my AGP card would not be moving into the new build. Having a child killed my computer budget, so I had to do it in pieces over several months.

So it sounds like the 4850 is the way to go?
Click to expand...

And yes a 4850 is the way to go
 
AceGoober said:
OP, as others have previously posted, you are running a system with an AGP slot so you are really limited on your choices. GeForce 7 series, Radeon 19XX series or Radeon 3850 based video cards do come in AGP. Your best bet is a 3850 512MB.

Here is the one I have used in a couple of customers systems and it has worked flawlessly:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131090
Click to expand...
what thread are you looking at? the OP has a pci-e slot.

OP, personally I would get the 9800gtx+ because its better than the 4850 in Far Cry 2. the 4850 is the better card in most other games though.
 
cannondale06 said:
what thread are you looking at? the OP has a pci-e slot.

OP, personally I would get the 9800gtx+ because its better than the 4850 in Far Cry 2. the 4850 is the better card in most other games though.
Click to expand...

In fairness the OP's OP sig was different it reflected an agp card but he changed it and certainly his response in post 6 cleared that up
 
GonzoP said:
In fairness the OP's OP sig was different it reflected an agp card but he changed it and certainly his response in post 6 cleared that up
Click to expand...
oh okay. I thought AceGoober had posted in the wrong thread. I didnt even notice your posts to the OP or his response back to you. :eek:
 
Even a 4670 would run most games great at that res but you might have to sacrifice FSAA in the latest games. A 4830 would allow you to turn up the AA level one notch (from 0x FSAA to 2x AA in demanding games and from 2x AA to 4x AA in older, less demanding ones). The 4850 or 9800GTX should allow you to run virtually every game at 4x FSAA/16X AF or better. It depends on your budget and how important AA is to you.

I ran my 4850 with a 19" monitor (1280x1024) before I got my current 22" monitor and it wasn't overkill as long as I used 4x FSAA or higher.
 
JimmiG said:
Even a 4670 would run most games great at that res but you might have to sacrifice FSAA in the latest games. A 4830 would allow you to turn up the AA level one notch (from 0x FSAA to 2x AA in demanding games and from 2x AA to 4x AA in older, less demanding ones). The 4850 or 9800GTX should allow you to run virtually every game at 4x FSAA/16X AF or better. It depends on your budget and how important AA is to you.

I ran my 4850 with a 19" monitor (1280x1024) before I got my current 22" monitor and it wasn't overkill as long as I used 4x FSAA or higher.
Click to expand...
as a 4670 owner I say dont even if fool with it unless you are just trying to get a low power or htpc card. the 4670 cant even come close to running Far Cry 2 smoothly on maxed out settings even at 1440. a 4850 is what you need if you actually want good framerates and eye candy.
 
AFG34 said:
ati 4830 imo...or 4850 if you have a little more to spend.
Click to expand...

The pricepoint of the 4830 and the difference in performance from the 4850 makes the 4830 a poor choice. Always spend the extra $ for the 4850 if considering the 4830
 
Just looking at Newegg, you can get a 4830 for $99AR (granted Powercolor may not be the best but it'll do and an HIS is only $10 more anyway) while a 4850 is at least $139AR. Unless there are good deals elsewhere, it seems like the difference in performance is not worth an extra $40 if you're trying to spend as little as possible.
 
I'd think anything around the performance of an 8800GT or higher would suffice.
 
you will be very happy with that! It owns everything on my 22" @ 1680x1050, so 1440x900 should be childs play. If I were to guess I would say 40-60 fps on high for Crysis, 100+fps on cod4.

Nice purchase!
 
deddyeka said:
how about some information like this

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/palit_9800gtx_plus/6.htm

that at low resolution
NVIDIA => IS THE KING

while at high resolution
ATI => GOOD DEAL
Click to expand...

They only used 2xAA, and that was in Crysis, a game Nvidia usually enjoys a bit of an edge. Look at the call of Juarez review and the 4850 mops the floor with the 9800GTX+ at every resolution. The real problem is that they never really cranked the AA for the low resolutions - which is when it is needed the most. I play all my games with at least 4xAA if not 8xAA at 1280x1024.

Of course, if you look at the numbers it is more "all the cards are tied at the low resolutions because of a massive CPU bottleneck" (2.66ghz c2q, wtf?). I also wouldn't call nvidia "THE KING" because it beat the ati card by 1 fps in Crysis at 1280x1024 :rolleyes:
 
OK,

My Sapphire HD 4850 arrived last night and apparently I have some sort of driver conflict or something, so I'll be un-installing and re-installing the drivers for it again tonight after work. When the computer would start loading the windows desktop, the screen would flash and then be replaced by vertical bars that appear to have also resulted in a locked up computer. I thought I resolved it last night, because I finally got in with no issues. However, it did it again on my first attempt to boot up this morning and it was fine after hitting the reset switch. Just didn't have time to re-install everything before coming to work.

Anyway, when I did have it working last night, all I can say is WOW. I had everything set to max in Fallout 3 and it was amazing how much better the game looks and how much smoother the game was to play. I've never paid for a video card that cost more than $150, and I've never experienced such a performance improvement in this price range until now. Going from a 7900 GS to the HD 4850 is like night and day. Thanks for talking me into this card.

Now if I can just get the driver issue resolved.
 
what drivers/version are you using? I can honestly say that I have had zero problems with the ati drivers.
btw what fps are you getting in fallout3?
 
mdaniel said:
OK,

My Sapphire HD 4850 arrived last night and apparently I have some sort of driver conflict or something, so I'll be un-installing and re-installing the drivers for it again tonight after work. When the computer would start loading the windows desktop, the screen would flash and then be replaced by vertical bars that appear to have also resulted in a locked up computer. I thought I resolved it last night, because I finally got in with no issues. However, it did it again on my first attempt to boot up this morning and it was fine after hitting the reset switch. Just didn't have time to re-install everything before coming to work.

Anyway, when I did have it working last night, all I can say is WOW. I had everything set to max in Fallout 3 and it was amazing how much better the game looks and how much smoother the game was to play. I've never paid for a video card that cost more than $150, and I've never experienced such a performance improvement in this price range until now. Going from a 7900 GS to the HD 4850 is like night and day. Thanks for talking me into this card.

Now if I can just get the driver issue resolved.
Click to expand...

this might be a dump question but did you re seat the card? double check that everything was plugged in well? some time the dumb things can catch us. I failed to get the power connector in tight on one. also if its a driver issue go in in VGA mode and run the driver cleaner again and load the current versions.
 
Run driver cleaner and make sure to purge the nvidia drivers from the system. There seem to be a ton of complications when migrating from nvidia to ATI - so much so that I suspect that nvidia isn't cleaning up after its drivers.
 
Thanks for the idea. I did uninstall the nVidia drivers before installing the new card and it's drivers.
 
mdaniel said:
Thanks for the idea. I did uninstall the nVidia drivers before installing the new card and it's drivers.
Click to expand...

That is all I did when I switched from a 7950GT to a 4850, and it went flawlessly for me, but there just seems to be a ton of problems when switching from nvidia to ATI, so might as well make sure :)
 
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