Sorry but i dont know my budget as of now. Not tryina go too expensive tho, trying to get a good bang for tha buck and a good price/performance ratio. please leave recomendations. Also heres My Computer Specs. Planning on using it on this computer for a while with the settings down on the games until i have the money to start building one. One more thing, im undecided about which one i want 4850 or 9800gtx which is why im asking for: which is the BEST 4850, and which is the BEST 9800GTX, and after i come up with that answer i want to know which is BEST from th two.
They are virtually identical except the ati is $30+ cheaper. The ATI usually outperforms the 9800GTX+ slightly in benchmarks, but they trade blows really. The 4870 is on sale today only for $180 after a $20 rebate and is much better than either card. Here is the link to the 4870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102797 You need a promotion code for the extra $20 off for the 4870 and it is TODAY ONLY. Here is a link to the 4850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770 Here is the BEST 4850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102802 The 1GB 4850 gives about a 1 - 2 FPS benefit in most games. As resolution goes up and features go up, the 1GB version looks a little better. For Crysis, the 1GB version is pretty much equal to the 4870 from what I have seen. For 9800GTX, just make sure it is 9800GTX+. As for the best, I am not sure... For workstation cards, I use PNY, but I have no idea if they build reliable desktop cards. Maybe EVGA and BFG?
The HD4850 and 9800GTX+ use a lot of power, and are unlikely to work in that PC without failing the PSU, I think I've spoken about this in another thread? The HD4850 is the better card as it performs the same for a lower price. Don't buy the 1GB version unless you're using at least a 24" monitor, or you'll never see the benefit. The 512MB version though, is an excellent value card, and is what I'd recommend, providing you are doing a complete system rebuild. The best I would recommend for you to use in that Gateway without causing power issues (or potentially heat issues, those things are rarely cooled well) is an HD4670, which is around half as powerful as the HD4850 - it's a massive cut down, but that's what you'll have to live with unless you want to start a new build from scratch.
i think ill jus get the 1gb 4850 because..well for now im not using a 24 inch, but in the future i plan to get one of those big flat lcds and ill be glad i bought it then, rather than regret getting a 512mb.. both of u helped me out alot tho n thnx. oh and yes u did tell me i need a psu, i just think its smarter to know which card ima get 1st b4 getting the psu...but say for instance i get that 4850 that was recommended to me as tha best one... which psu do i need? and i was told it wouldnt fit my computer case, so which case would be da best one for it (being that i would want it not only to be compatible with my psu but also have good airflow and space...and also cheap yet not uggly...lol)
Well, often prebuilt PCs use strange motherboard designs that aren't compatible with other PSUs and Cases. If yours does happen to support regular stuff, get an NZXT Alpha.
Look at these benchmarks for 4850 512MB vs. 4850 1GB vs. 4870 512MB. The 4850 1GB is $150 + shipping (about $160) The 4850 is $130 shipped The 4870 is $200 shipped (the extra $20 off ended last night)
Oh wow. Brain fart Here's the first page: http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-radeon-hd-4850-1gb-gvr485oc1gi-review/1 The actual tests start here: http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-radeon-hd-4850-1gb-gvr485oc1gi-review/7
thank yall that helped me out alot..well according to you information the 1gb is 20 dollars more n yet gets almost the same benchmarks.... as for the 4870, it is 80 EXTRA BUCKS.... yet does get alot more benchmarks... earlier one of u said that i wont notice the difference between the 512 and the 1gb video card unless i have a 24inch monitor..... now my question is if i had a ummmm........ 32 inch monitor... will it lookgood on the 1gb...? and would it look almost as good on the 512?
Guru3D have been criticised for false reviews in the past, so I'm not too focused on their benchmarks, but what I do know is that the HD4870 is around 20% faster than the HD4850, and the 1GB versions of the cards are the only ones that can draw 1920x1200 with Anti-Aliasing in a small number of titles, and at 2560x1600 with Anti-Aliasing in a lot of titles. That said, a lot of the games that require 1GB of RAM to run like that need a faster GPU than the HD4850 or HD4870 anyway, so you win, you lose. To clarify, the problem is not the actual size of the screen, it's the resolution, as I highlighted above. HDTVs have a low resolution by comparison to PC monitors, most are 1366x768, some more expensive HD1080 ones are 1920x1080, but even 24" PC monitors are 1920x1200. The only way to get a higher resolution than this is to get a 30" PC monitor, which can do 2560x1600 (In contrast to a 32" TV which is usually 1366x768). However these are not cheap, typically costing the same as 42" or 46" HDTVs.
no see.. what i was actually planin on doing (in the future) is getting a 32 - 42 inch lcd.. (hopefully this year during tax time lol or if not next year) and well i didnt want the game to look crappy on it. but now that i know that tvs use low res, im not really too worried about it now. but again, if i bought the case recommended to me with the 4870, and of course some more ram, now what psu should i get? (and again i do plan on using that psu, case, and card with a future pc where all i would need is maybe ram, cpu and mobo) oh yeah, and thanx
Here's a reasonably priced parts list: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146026 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131117 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184 $443 before rebates, $353 after.
alright thanx. i really appreiciate it. only thing id do diff. is the card.. that ones too loud i'd get a 4870 just a different one.. maybe sapphire or sumthing.. one with better reviews..
Your best bet is probably one like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102796
They're messing with me again... Did you notice the $50 off when you buy the 4870 along with the 9950BE? @M4TR1X, Something you can consider is, if your budget allows, you can add $240 and make this upgrade into a new build... The $240 would be $120 for the 9950BE and about $120 for a motherboard. Again, this is all dependent on your budget.
it says that card is very long.. says it might not fit in most mid size towers and that it takes up 2 to 3 slots space.... is there anyyy way around this.. and wat exaclty does that mean when it takes up 2 to 3 slots space... does that mean its gonna block my mobos pci slots to where i cant put in any memory?...
The HD4870 is long but fits in every normal size case, it's the HD4870X2 that's the problem, as that's exceptionally long. Most graphics cards (the 9800GTX and HD4870 included) take up two slots, very few take up three. The second slot on motherboards is always reserved for either PCIe 1x, a seldom-used slot, or there's a gap there, left intentionally. Memory fits on the other side of the board, and can never be obstructed by a graphics card.
alright thank you, im glad to hear that. i'd be pretty pissed off if i couldnt put any memory on there cuz it is blocked. thank you guys i think all my questions here were answered.
