HD 4890 can't cut it any more :(

[Timothy]

Hi all
On my last post a few days ago you guys and girls were trying to help me get my HD 4890 to run better when playing COD Black ops and BC 2.
In the end i had my CPU up to 3gig and i had to drop the resoultion down which on my wide screen ViewSonic looked pooh as all the choices made gaming pleasure terrible.
So im going to by a new GFX card, and im going for the HD 6970. I would go for the 6950 and flash it but knowing my lucky it would probably explode lol.
Or would a GTX 480 be better. People on both sides say both cards are great but i need someone to tell me what to do.

So with my current system would i have enough power and speed for this card to work well at 1920 x 1080. Or would it be a whole new system to get the best performance out of the card.

Many thanks all

Intel Quard Q6600 2.4 running at 3.0g
Abit IP 35 pro
Corsair 625W
OCZ Reaper PC2-6400C4 800M

 

[Supernaut91]

I really cant see a big difference in them games tbh with a gpu upgrade. They are CPU dependant. OC that q6600 a bit more and you will see way more performance!

I have a 4870, and it's fine for me at an okish res. Suppose a 4890 may struggle a little at 1920x1080

 

[tommybhoy]

So im going to by a new GFX card, and im going for the HD 6970. I would go for the 6950 and flash it but knowing my lucky it would probably explode lol.

Do yourself a favour, save about £60 and get the 6950. Cheapest just now is the Asus one: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-248-AS

I flashed my HIS:http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-027-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752 and it is really easy to do, if it goes wrong then you have a backup bios.

If you're stumped on how to unlock your own shaders then send me a message on Trust and we can talk. I could do it for you with your original backed up BIOS, takes less than a second .

I'm sure JD would be more than willing to help you out too if you feel uncomfortable about doing it.

 

[6644kp]

if you are scared to unlock the 6950 then just go for the GTX 480.

 

[Orcvader]

Honestly with those games I think a CPU upgrade will be better. Get yourself a 2500K and you should see better performance. If not jump to a 570 or a 6950 and flash to a 6970.

 

[Rezident]

I had a 4890 and upgraded to a 6970 and it's been fantastic. I agree 4890 is nice but just not quite enough for 1920 x 1200 going forward.

Obviously it depends on the games you play or those your existing gpu struggles with but a lot of people told me to update my old cpu but when I looked at benchmarks and did my own tests, upgrading cpu is a waste of money for many games e.g.:

My Q9650 + 6970 vs Anandtech's review of the 6970 (using a Intel Core i7-920 @ 3.33GHz). I even put my Q9650 back to stock to further exaggerate the difference (upgrade itch). An old cpu should be way slower and be bottlenecking a new gpu, right? Not according to benchmarks. At 1920 x 1200 in Crysis Warhead, my old cpu was how much slower than the newer, faster, overclocked i7? Answer: one frame per second. One. Not even one and a half.

6950 and flashing it is obviously the cheaper option but if you have the money and want to avoid extra risks, trust your gut and go with the 6970.

 

[Tealc]

Still getting 80FPS+ in BC2 with my HD4890 gaming at 1680x1050. I don't have the eye candy switched on though. The FPS drops to below 60 only when I am recording using Fraps. Been thinking of upgrading for a while as it is one and a half generations old now and I'd like a quieter card.

 

[Jupiter]

if you are scared to unlock the 6950 then just go for the GTX 480.

I agree.

If your concerned then dont bother. It will only make you worried

 

[Buckster]

to the OP I 've just upgraded from a 4890 to a GTX570 - I'll let you know my impressions

I was tempted with a 6950 or GTX 560 (and in fact the GTX 480 too) - but decided the additional money (no more than about 40-45 quid) for the GTX 570 was worth it in the long run for a bit more performance but still quite and nice temps

I'm in the view that OC'd the 570 at around the £250-260 mark is good value for near (or almost on par) 580 stock performance

YMMV

 

[Timothy]

Thanks for all your inputs guys will have to make a decision now

 

[Phil2008]

Yeh my 4yr 3870 can still run all the latest games in mid - high detail at 1600x1200 smoothly, but Ive just changed it for a 6950 because I wanted to use full res/widescreen and the 3870 get a bit chuggy running in 1920x1200.