Graphics upgrade

Hi folks,

I have been talking to a work colleague today and he has said that because he doesn't really use his PC (more of a mac user), he is looking at splitting it and selling the parts separately

Now I currently have (both running at stock) an E8400 and an 8800GT with a 23" 1920x1080 monitor

He has got a 5850 in the machine and I was wondering (assuming the price he wants for it is ok) if it would be a worthwhile upgrade or whether I would be better looking at a 6*** series, a GTX4** or even just sticking with the 8800

If money (within reason) wasn't an issue I would have been considering an upgrade to an i5 along with graphics but this would mean a new motherboard, RAM, etc and with the new stuff out next year I would rather wait and see what happens to prices of current tech as I am not fussy about having the latest and best stuff, hence the i5 I suggested rather than i7

What would your advice be, would the 5850 do as something to tide me over for another 12 months or so?

Definately. As you've said its down to how much he wants for the 5850.

The 5850 is slightly worse than a 470 give or take. It is slightly better than a 6850 in terms of raw power.

The 69k series cards are probably going to be >£200 so in temr sof value its not bad.

A 5850 would be quite a significant upgrade over an 8800GT, so as long as he's not daft about the price (< £150 would be reasonable for a second hand one IMNSHO) I see no reason not to go for it. The rest of your PC should be OK for a bit longer. I certainly wouldn't do a current i5 build as they are going to be replaced by Sandy Bridge in a matter of months, and it should be well worth holding on for that...

Cheers guys, I will see how much he wants for it then :thumbsup:

HD5850 is definitely worth it if you are useing 1920x1080 and want high graphics settings.

I would say closer to 100 bobs or less, the price for these are dropping as retailers are trying to get rid of them.

Google search found one here for £149.78:
http://www.inmyshop.com/products.asp...o=HD-585X-ZAFC

overclockers uk were selling a HD5850s brand new for £153 plus postage that is £ 162. They are still going for like 140-150 on ebay for some reason though :S. I reckon anything between £100-£125 is fair. But that is just my humble opinion.

Depends on how much of a mate he isn't doesn't it! ;)