What is a good card for around $400 AU?

~~RE III - Frankie~~ · May 19, 2009, 09:36 AM

Hi. I'm building a new system and I'm not sure where to start to look for a new ATI brand card. I am definitely interested in the 4850X2 1GB for 550 AU. Though the 4870 Toxic makes me wonder in awe. Where should I start and what do I have to look out for?

procupine14 · May 19, 2009, 10:09 AM

I must say you are on the right track. The 4850x2 is an exceptional card I've heard. Although if you aren't in the mood to deal with setting up crossfire (since that card is dual GPU it comes with the territory but isn't really a big deal) you could always go with the 4870. Definitely what you should look for primarily is getting the cards in the 1gb range for video card memory....even though the 512mb cards are cheaper if you can afford the 1gb you will be future proofing your purchase a little longer and will be much happier with the performance in games.

FURTHER MORE:

If you are contemplating a 4850x2 and happen to be able to find a SAPPHIRE 100270SR Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GBI highly reccomend going that route. I don't know how expensive it would be there as I do not live there but here in the states its about 299.99USD which (current exchange rate applying of course) converts to about 388.23AUD. Now like I said I'm not sure about pricing at a brick and mortar store considering where I live buying highend stuff like this is only possible through newegg.com or another online retailer but that's what I know. You can also pick up a 4870 1GB for a little cheaeper than that depending on what brand you go with/which one you are most confortable with buying from. I will tell you if you get a 4870 please get one with a nice big cooler on it considering that they have a "getting really hot and loud on the stock cooler" issue.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Judas · May 19, 2009, 10:02 PM

I would heavily consider the HD4770's...

While a HD4850x2 sounds like a good power card.... you may be able to get 2 of the HD4770's for a fraction of the costs and crossfire them for roughly the same amount of juice if overclocked a wee bit (and they overclock like crazy)....

Get a board with Triple PCI-EX and 3 cards will definitely surpass a single hd4850x2. I'm still waiting, but i plan to grab myself 4 of the hd4770's just to try it out

OldBuzzard · May 19, 2009, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by procupine14

.... Although if you aren't in the mood to deal with setting up crossfire (since that card is dual GPU it comes with the territory but isn't really a big deal) ...

You don't need to set up Crossfire with the X2 cards. That's one of their advantages. You get crossfire performance without the setup hassle.

~~RE III - Frankie~~ · May 21, 2009, 09:12 AM

I've settled on the 4850X2. I will be picking one up next Thursday. Cost is $530 AU. A bit different to the $388 one mentioned before. I wonder what they use the extra money on? I've always asked myself that.

procupine14 · May 21, 2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

You don't need to set up Crossfire with the X2 cards. That's one of their advantages. You get crossfire performance without the setup hassle.

Oh wow now i feel dumb.....I thought that was something that had to be done for awhile there. never mind then forget what I said

procupine14 · May 21, 2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RE III - Frankie

I've settled on the 4850X2. I will be picking one up next Thursday. Cost is $530 AU. A bit different to the $388 one mentioned before. I wonder what they use the extra money on? I've always asked myself that.

most likely import taxes and other things of that nature? That is my guess. Also overhead cost if you are getting if from an actual store.

OldBuzzard · May 21, 2009, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by procupine14

Oh wow now i feel dumb ...

Naw, nothing to feel dumb about.

Shucks, I were a bit confuzulated as to how them rascals worked as well, until I bought a 3870 X2

~~RE III - Frankie~~ · May 21, 2009, 11:04 PM

Less than a week to go now. Oooh, I'm so excited! I can't wait! Just bought Crysis. I'm going to run a benchmark on my current hardware so to compare to my new system when it's complete. I'll post the scores soon.

Cow_160483 · May 22, 2009, 06:54 AM

Good luck Frankie thats one sweet card you are getting

Mac Daddy · May 22, 2009, 07:42 AM

Good choice Frankie I know Chaos is really happy with his 4850x2 ... keep us posted

procupine14 · May 22, 2009, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

Naw, nothing to feel dumb about.

Shucks, I were a bit confuzulated as to how them rascals worked as well, until I bought a 3870 X2

Yeah the only thing I've ever messed with is actual SLi and Crossfire setups so the 'X2' realm is a new field to me...although I might consider getting one since the board I have currently is just a simple mATX on my main rig and I kinda want some more GPU power

~~RE III - Frankie~~ · May 24, 2009, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by procupine14

Yeah the only thing I've ever messed with is actual SLi and Crossfire setups so the 'X2' realm is a new field to me...although I might consider getting one since the board I have currently is just a simple mATX on my main rig and I kinda want some more GPU power

Haha. 5 days to go. The order is in! Just have to sit here and wait.

GPU power is usually the bottleneck for me anyway especially with the 9800 I have. I found that in a Fear benchmark running at 3.6 was the same when running at 4.0 because I guess of my GPU.

~~RE III - Frankie~~ · May 24, 2009, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cow_160483

Good luck Frankie thats one sweet card you are getting

Thanks Cow! I'm getting it in 5 days.

May 19, 2009, 09:36 AM	#1
~~RE III - Frankie~~ BANNED Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Castle Mansion Paradise 113 Posts: 1,200 Rep Power: 0	What is a good card for around $400 AU? Hi. I'm building a new system and I'm not sure where to start to look for a new ATI brand card. I am definitely interested in the 4850X2 1GB for 550 AU. Though the 4870 Toxic makes me wonder in awe. Where should I start and what do I have to look out for?

May 19, 2009, 10:09 AM	#2
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,168 Rep Power: 27 System Specs	Re: What is a good card for around $400 AU? I must say you are on the right track. The 4850x2 is an exceptional card I've heard. Although if you aren't in the mood to deal with setting up crossfire (since that card is dual GPU it comes with the territory but isn't really a big deal) you could always go with the 4870. Definitely what you should look for primarily is getting the cards in the 1gb range for video card memory....even though the 512mb cards are cheaper if you can afford the 1gb you will be future proofing your purchase a little longer and will be much happier with the performance in games. FURTHER MORE: If you are contemplating a 4850x2 and happen to be able to find a SAPPHIRE 100270SR Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GBI highly reccomend going that route. I don't know how expensive it would be there as I do not live there but here in the states its about 299.99USD which (current exchange rate applying of course) converts to about 388.23AUD. Now like I said I'm not sure about pricing at a brick and mortar store considering where I live buying highend stuff like this is only possible through newegg.com or another online retailer but that's what I know. You can also pick up a 4870 1GB for a little cheaeper than that depending on what brand you go with/which one you are most confortable with buying from. I will tell you if you get a 4870 please get one with a nice big cooler on it considering that they have a "getting really hot and loud on the stock cooler" issue. GOOD LUCK!!!! __________________ Laptop: HP dv6000 - Vista Ultimate (32-bit) - AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.0GHz) - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 256MB - 4GB Kingston DDR2 667 - 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive HTPC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 5200+ x2 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - Samsung EcoGreen 1TB - Hauppauge single tuner HD - ASUS Radeon HD4550 512MB - ECS RS485M-M mobo - Creative X-fi soundcard Other PC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 - 4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - XFX 8600GT XXX - DFI Infinity NF570 SLI-M2/G Last edited by procupine14; May 19, 2009 at 10:18 AM.

May 21, 2009, 09:12 AM	#5
~~RE III - Frankie~~ BANNED Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Castle Mansion Paradise 113 Posts: 1,200 Rep Power: 0	Re: What is a good card for around $400 AU? I've settled on the 4850X2. I will be picking one up next Thursday. Cost is $530 AU. A bit different to the $388 one mentioned before. I wonder what they use the extra money on? I've always asked myself that.

May 21, 2009, 11:04 PM	#9
~~RE III - Frankie~~ BANNED Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Castle Mansion Paradise 113 Posts: 1,200 Rep Power: 0	Re: What is a good card for around $400 AU? Less than a week to go now. Oooh, I'm so excited! I can't wait! Just bought Crysis. I'm going to run a benchmark on my current hardware so to compare to my new system when it's complete. I'll post the scores soon.

May 22, 2009, 06:54 AM	#10
Cow_160483 DH's only cow moooooo... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BOTSWANA Posts: 3,633 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	Re: What is a good card for around $400 AU? Good luck Frankie thats one sweet card you are getting __________________ Decode! Muhahahahah!

May 22, 2009, 07:42 AM	#11
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	Re: What is a good card for around $400 AU? Good choice Frankie I know Chaos is really happy with his 4850x2 ... keep us posted __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen