Going back to PC gaming(HTPC)

[Blackmage]

This Graphics card is for the Rig in the Sig, I've basically have decided to back to PC gaming which means a need for a new graphics card!

I will be gaming at 1360*768, I would like to use 16AA and 16AF, card must last me about a year too! What you recommend?

[format]

At that res, a Radeon 4850 would be excellent.

[Blackmage]

At that res, a Radeon 4850 would be excellent.

Even with 16AA & 16AF? I also forgot does it have UVD? (HD Decoding)

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Make sure you get this HD4850 as it has an excellent cooler:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?SAP-4850VX

This 1gb versions is also decent but has an inferior cooler:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...html?NOV-48501

An HD4870 has higher power consumption but is faster:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/155497

[staffsMike]

+1 on the vapor x especially for an HTPC.

At that res you won't need any more than this card, it should handle the AA and AF as well.

The HD4890 Vapor X would be my next stop. £150 though..

[scaryjim]

For gaming at 1366 x 768 don't go any higher than a 4850, it'd be wasted money.

If you want a cheaper option you could get away with a HD4670 at that resolution - 1GB MSI 4670 for £53 - but it wouldn't leave much overhead as games become more resource hungry: there's also the 4730 - Powercolor's version is only £58 - it has similar performance to a 4850 without AA / AF, but takes a hit when you load up the AA / AF. That said, the resolution you'd be running at won't really give it that much of a challenge. Hexus have done an in depth examination and review. Alternatively, ebuyer currently have MSI 4830s in stock: 512MB version for £62 and 1GB version for £67 - they're well worth considering...

On the NVidia side, this 48 stream 9600GSO looks a steal at only £50 and should perform similarly to the 4670 - above that you could consider a 9800GT for £73, or go to the GTS250 (with approximately 4850 performance) but they start at > £80.

My choice would be either the 512MB 4830, or the Vapour-X 4850, I think...

[kevpuk]

As above, the 4850 is probably the best choice for the resolution you are aiming at - cannot see any difficulties with AA/AF either......thing to consider is that CPU limitations will mean more powerful gfx cards will likely not improve your lot; essentially, at *lower* resolutions, CPU can often be the decisive factor with any half-decent gfx card

[Blackmage]

I think I will go with that HD4850 vapour X. It seems reasonable in price, in comparison to performance!

[scaryjim]

I think I will go with that HD4850 vapour X. It seems reasonable in price, in comparison to performance!

Good choice! Enjoy your gaming experience

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think I will go with that HD4850 vapour X. It seems reasonable in price, in comparison to performance!

Good choice! The cooler is meant to be quite quiet too!

[jonny440]

How would that card (the 4850 512 vapour x) handle duel monitors at 1600x1200?

I'm currently running them on a ATI X1950pro 256, and have been for a year or two. Playing TF2 and Eve online no trouble, but no doubt settings could be higher

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

How would that card (the 4850 512 vapour x) handle duel monitors at 1600x1200?

I'm currently running them on a ATI X1950pro 256, and have been for a year or two. Playing TF2 and Eve online no trouble, but no doubt settings could be higher

For the games you are playing it would be a huge upgrade. My old HD3870 GDDR4 was around twice as fast as my x1900gt which is slightly slower than a x1950pro. The HD4850 is at least 30% faster than an HD3870 and is probably faster than an 8800GTX in many games. An HD4870 is around 20% faster than an HD4850.

Also I would look at the 1gb versions of the HD4850 and HD4870 as you are running dual monitors. Make sure that you have a decent PSU though as these cards do require a reasonable amount of power.

[jonny440]

Firstly...sorry for the (slight) thread necro

Still deciding on (and talking myself into) a new graphics card and am thinking of this one.


Would my Coolermaster iGreen 500w PSU be up to the job?


While I do have two 1600x1200 monitors hooked up, I only play FPS's on one. If I'm playing EVE online and have multiple clients running, then I'd only have one in a GPU hungry situation such as a fleet fight.

Also, both my monitors are DVI, but this card has 1 DVI, 1 HDMI and 1 VGA. Is there such a thing as a HDMI to DVI converter?

Any advice appreciated

[format]

Yeah you can get a HDMI>DVI dongle, only a couple of quid. In fact, a lot of GFX cards come with them now.

As for the PSU, the coolermaster would be fine but I'd recommend a Corsair or Be Quiet model myself.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Firstly...sorry for the (slight) thread necro

Still deciding on (and talking myself into) a new graphics card and am thinking of this one.


Would my Coolermaster iGreen 500w PSU be up to the job?


While I do have two 1600x1200 monitors hooked up, I only play FPS's on one. If I'm playing EVE online and have multiple clients running, then I'd only have one in a GPU hungry situation such as a fleet fight.

Also, both my monitors are DVI, but this card has 1 DVI, 1 HDMI and 1 VGA. Is there such a thing as a HDMI to DVI converter?

Any advice appreciated

Depends on what OEM makes the PSU! The 600W version is made by Acbel and is considered decent by jonnyGURU although not all Acbel units are good. The 500w version does seem to have reasonable reviews but most seem to be a few years old.

Unless you need the better cooler as a reference model HD4890 can be had for a similar price and cheaper HD4870 1gb can be had for around £110 mark.

[rushholme]

The vapour-x HD 4850 is ~£90

A inno3d/Zotac GTX 260 192 core can be had on ebay for £100.

Novatech/Scan do new £120 GTX 260s with 216 cores from quality brands.

Any GTX 260 will destroy the HD 4850.

Also consider, for £75 the 40nm - GDDR5 - HD 4770, which also outperforms the HD 4850.

Worth mentioning that at idle, the GTX 260s use way less power than the HD 4870 and the same amount at load. However, the ATI cards get very hot.