+streakeagle 871 Posted April 12, 2009 My ATi x1800XT was a bargain and it still works fairly well, but I was shocked to discover when I went to download Catalyst 9.4 that my card is now a legacy product no longer supported after Catalyst 9.3. On the other hand, my 9800 Pro just now became a legacy product after 7 years! I think my video card and processor are well matched, so I don't think it is worth it for me to buy a 4870 or better since it will probably be CPU bound. Hopefully, I get moved to Kissimmee sometime this year so that I can start saving up to build a newer PC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted April 13, 2009 Buy a midrange card like the 4850, it will match your CPU better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+streakeagle 871 Posted April 22, 2009 Actually, given the current prices ($230 to $250), why not get a 4890? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted April 23, 2009 Well, just because like you said your CPU will be holding you back for the most part. So a 4890 and a 4850 might perform more or less equally on your PC. True the 4890 isn't much, and if you're planning on moving it to the new PC you're going to build then it is definitely worth it. However, if you're not going to move it you could just save the $ and put it toward the new PC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+starfighter2 117 Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) Jedi Master is right... I have AMD 4000+ proc.(dual core 2.1Ghz), 3GB Ram, ATI 3650 (what a bargain) and I'm quite happy with it. It runs Vista OK, SF2 engine is OK here, much better fps then "old" games. Only SF series cause problems on higher resolutions, e.g. I can run Crysis - 1280x800 on medium settings with 30fps - which is fine for this machine if you ask me. I tryed 4650 - got it for test from neighbour (again cheap stuff) and everything boosted for 20% So I guess even 4650 will be fine for some time (don't expect miracles with it though) and when you get some "real" money - buy a new rig. Edited April 23, 2009 by starfighter2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+FLOGGER23 3,077 Posted April 23, 2009 Can i ask what about a HD2600 XT model? is the one i have it works pretty well for me and it can be upgraded to the latest version of the patch, i'm running xp with 4GB of ram and a Phenom processor @2.3Ghz, do you, guys, think i should upgrade it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted April 24, 2009 A Phenom should be able to go faster with a 4850 or nvidia GTX. Of course the top of the line cards would be wasted, but midrange will do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+streakeagle 871 Posted April 26, 2009 Based on my experience with the Radeon 8500 and 9800 Pro on P3 PCs, I would say that while framerates my not improve much, I was able to run the 9800 Pro on max quality settings no matter what the game was, so sometimes buying an overmatched gpu can be convenient. I consider the price difference between the 4850, 4870, and 4890 insignificant: I can get an OC (900 MHz) 4890 with 1GB of RAM from NewEgg for about $250 after MIR, a stock 4850 with 1GB of RAM is about $140... difference is about 2 hours of overtime pay (trivial since I just racked up 22 hours last pay period and will get about 5 hours a week guaranteed for a couple of more weeks). I am willing to bet there would be differences, even with my CPU being so slow, depending on the level of FSAA selected and I always play all of my games at 1600x1200 or 1920x1080. If I wasn't about to move, I would just go get another PC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted April 27, 2009 Yes, resolution does have a significant bearing on speed as well. However, it's not JUST the video card but the CPU as well when it comes to res. For FSAA, it's pretty much 100% on the video card. A faster CPU won't let you play with 4x at 19x10 if you can't now, but a faster video card will. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+streakeagle 871 Posted October 12, 2009 Given the current market and the fact that it may be a year or more before I build a new PC, I decided to get a 4890 before they disappear. Picked up a Sapphire 4890 1GB at NewEgg for $189.99, plus a $20 rebate, and free shipping. Of course, I am still CPU limited and running only XP, but I still expect to see a bit of improvement in FPS and/or image quality. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 13, 2009 I can't imagine that you won't. I won't predict how much as it will be game dependent, of course! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+streakeagle 871 Posted October 16, 2009 I didn't have a solid opportunity to do a solid benchmark before switching cards, but in SF2 series I was getting 20 to 40 fps in normal cockpit view with mirrors turned off and shadow on medium and now I am getting 30 to 45 fps, mainly in the 40s until some bases come into view. Aces High 2 apparently taps into to newer hardware pretty well, went from a mid 30 fps or less to a 40 to 60 fps, only less than 40 on the runway... but turning on self-shadowing (an option not even available with the other card), caused a big hit. If only I could give my cpu a boost... I might even be able to play Armed Assault. This will have to do until I can build a new machine. One thing I noticed is that the 4890 was barely longer than the x1800xt and in some ways smaller. So it easily fit into my somewhat large Antec aluminum case. I am pretty sure it would be a tough fight to get the 5800 series into this case unless I completely relocated the RAID 1 hard drive array. I bet a 4850 would have given similar performance gains given my CPU limits... but the 4890 didn't cost that much more and I can use it in the next machine to help keep my new build costs down. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 16, 2009 The 5850 is a bit shorter than the 5870 but puts the PCI power connector on the back of the card instead of the top, making it a wash. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+streakeagle 871 Posted October 29, 2009 Upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7, now the 4890 really shines with DirectX 10 shaders and improved performance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 29, 2009 Yeah, I have to figure out when I want to take the plunge and upgrade myself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
