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I am using an overclocked HD4830 512MB ATM which seems to be fine for the games I am playing currently. However, the HD5850 1GB can be had for under £130 and the HD6850 1GB seems to have dropped to a similar price.
The main reason I am thinking of an upgrade is because of Crysis 2. However,since it is a couple of months away would it be better to wait until it is released??
Definitely wait, IMO.
An overclocked 4830 is basically a 4850 AFAIK and is still not a bad card by todays standards.
Also being "THE" Mighty Moose that you are. I'm sure the rest of your system will be upto scratch (PSU etc.)
Consider what res you game at perhaps?
With that in mind if you where to sell that 4830, the 6850 would look even more attractive. :)
The only things you could possibly be waiting for are the GTX560 - which is projected to be nearer £200 so out of the price range you're currently looking at - or the 6770 - which is rumoured to be little more than a rebadged 5770. I'd personally get a cheap 5850 now before the stock vanishes (which it will pretty quickly now they're end of line...)
I have a Q6600 at around 2.4GHZ ~ 2.95GHZ and a 450W Shuttle PSU. I game at 1680X1050 and 1440X900.I use XP and Vista.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iron Sights
The HD6860 1GB seems to have better tessellation performance than the HD5850 1GB but has inferior shader performance. OTH,the HD6850 1GB requires less power at load and has a shorter PCB.Quote:
Originally Posted by scaryjim
Flush Moose eh?
Its always wait but there is not alot on the horizon except as already saidthe 560. Your 4830 should not depreciate much until Crysis 2 is released. As Jim said; its whether you are willing to let the 5850 offer slip by. Tesselation of the 6850 vs the mad bandwidth on the 5850.
Same old game; if you wait for the next big thing, by the time you get it the next big thing is just around the corner and you'll end up wishing you'd waited for that instead.
It's a never ending game, buy the best you can afford right now and be happy with your purchase. And don't bother looking at prices/upgrades at all for at least six months after your purchase.
Is that like Toilet Duck or something??Quote:
Originally Posted by Domestic_Ginger
:p
I am not exactly flush with the petty cash but I am getting a bad case of the upgrade itch.
I built my current system at the end of 2006 and I bought the HD4830 in March 2010 IIRC and that was only after I thought I broke my HD3870 (I dropped my heatsink on it). Luckily the HD3870 survived.
The MSI HD5850 1GB Twin FrozR II is on offer at OcUK for £125:Quote:
Originally Posted by Domestic_Ginger
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=56&subcat=411
OTH,I am not sure if it fits my P2 Shuttle. I think I need to check this!
Hmm... but AMD will still be rolling out new drivers which MAY squeeze the newer cards further than the older ones perhaps?Quote:
Originally Posted by Domestic_Ginger
http://dogjake.com/store/images/TS_moose_large.pngQuote:
Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH
Maybe someone can loan me an HD6850 1GB for an, ahem, long term review! :p
Thats the probalem with tech u could wait for the 560 but then something better may be announced and so the waiting cycle continues :D
Wouldn't have thought the 560 was really part of the equation.
Do you want a generation for the 7850 which should be twice as fast? Hmm, AMD already have a CPU of that name which could make gpu naming interesting :D
Generally very good advice but in this case I'd say wait as he's indicated he only wants the card for a game that isn't out yet. If I'm right on that I'd say take this advice - just at hte time you buy the game :)Quote:
Originally Posted by rox0r
I haven't looked at 5850 prices for a while - certainly much cheaper now! I paid £217 ish back in June for mine. Seems pretty fast to me. I'll be getting a higher res monitor soon though, but it should be able to handle that (only gaming at a lowly 1280x1024 res at the moment :P)
Crysis 2 (if Crytek are to believed) shouldn't be as demanding as the original crysis, but because its Crytek you can bet there'll be a setting that cranks it up to 11 and brings a triple SLi GTX 580 setup to its knees!
By March we'll probably be hearing about a potential GTS 550 which could be in the price/ performance bracket you're looking for, and a price war between the GTX 560 and HD 6950 could bump the 6870 down into your price range also.
So personally I'd say wait.