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8800GT --> 4850 or 4870?

Orm

Orm

Orm

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10 Jan 2006
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81
8800GT --> 4870 or GTX260.

Looking at either upgrading my graphics card from an 8800GT to Ati 4850/4870 - how big a difference is there between the two ATI cards compared to my current?

If I don't go for a graphics card then i'll settle on a 24" TFT (Dell TN panel), but thinking my present card will struggle at native res.

Any thoughts appreciated.

My rig is Q6600 3.4gig, 4 gig OCZ PC2-8500.

My Budget is around £200-£225
 
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I'd advise a 4870 for a 24" screen, and the performance boost from my 8800GT to 4850 was noticeable. Not huge, but noticeable, and worth the £30 it cost to make the move.
 
Been doing some research and narrowed my choice down to either the HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail for £177 or Point of View GeForce GTX 260 "Maxcore" 896MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail for £217, both on TWO.

Which is the "better" card in terms of performance and drivers, been with Nvidia for some time after the 8800 wooed me but had a X1950XT prior.
 
krooton said:
I'd advise a 4870 for a 24" screen, and the performance boost from my 8800GT to 4850 was noticeable. Not huge, but noticeable, and worth the £30 it cost to make the move.
Click to expand...
Totally agree ive just made the 8800gt to 4850 move costing me £35 and also because i knew my psu wasnt good enough for a 4870 and wasnt prepared to buy another just yet.
 
Orm said:
Been doing some research and narrowed my choice down to either the HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail for £177 or Point of View GeForce GTX 260 "Maxcore" 896MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail for £217, both on TWO.

Which is the "better" card in terms of performance and drivers, been with Nvidia for some time after the 8800 wooed me but had a X1950XT prior.
Click to expand...

4870
 
Orm said:
Been doing some research and narrowed my choice down to either the HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail for £177 or Point of View GeForce GTX 260 "Maxcore" 896MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail for £217, both on TWO.

Which is the "better" card in terms of performance and drivers, been with Nvidia for some time after the 8800 wooed me but had a X1950XT prior.
Click to expand...

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

If i were you the above 4870 is what i would be going for. In terms of performance they are both pretty much equal tbh but the radeon has more memory and bandwidth. Can't lose with either card tbh drivers seem fairly stable on both cards with the latest whql drivers. They both have there plus points so you won't lose either way.

If getting the maxcore i would pay the £6 extra for the one linked below better company imo.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp... GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
 
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TheRealDeal said:
snip
Click to expand...

Hello TheRealDeal, having had both the 512MB and the 1024MB editions of the ATI Radeon 4870, I certainly wouldn't pay an extra £30 for the 1024MB over the 512MB edition one. The performance difference is so small, you honestly wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Now, the only reason why I purchased the ATI Radeon 4870 1024MB edition because at the time I was looking at buying one, it was only a couple of quid more than the 512MB edition. :)

Hello Orm, with regards original question though. I would personally have a look at the HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB on This Week Only, it really is a fantastic graphics card. :)
 
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Thanks for the great replies.

If I did go for the 260 then it would be the BFG you linked RealDeal, pre-overclocked for £6 more is good value.

TBH, the main thing putting me off the 4870 was the RAM size - I'm not in a position to upgrade frequently so have to make my upgrades work over a period of time and it's likely this card upgrade will be for around 16-18 months. I play mainly WoW and RTS with the occasional shooter/sports game thrown in when i'm bored.

I'm guessing both cards will let my max out on my 22" widescreen TFT, which is a luxury I don't really have with my 8800GT.

Over the course of the next ~18 months, how big a different will that extra 512 meg make in the 4870 - don't think I would suffer the issues with the 260 holding 896meg.

If 512meg is sufficient then you're right, the deal of the week is a snip.
 
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