Hello,

I've just bought a new config;
- 4 gb ram 5-4-4-12 mushkin pc2-6400 800mhz
- intel core 2 duo E8500
- PC power and cooling Silencer 610W

the problem is I still have my evga 7900 gs ko

I know it's my system's bottleneck and I was wondering which graphic card to choose budget around 150$;
I was hesitating between the 8800gt (less expensive) or the 4850 (more efficient). I think I'll go for the 4850, I'm planning on keeping this config for 2 years so 40$ more is not such a big deal.

In your opinion which 4850 should I choose;
Asus, gigabyte, visiontek,etc..?

i believe (not 100% sure) visiontek has lifetime warranty go with them.

For the price difference , should I just go for the 4870 or is it too much for my system?

with your budget, the 4850 is close and will beat the 8800. The 4870 will be over $260.

What are the rest of your specs? especially the mobo?

Depending on mobo, your system can handle the 4870, but you might not have enough wattage.

I like visiontek. I have had 3 of them and my buddy has 1 now. Neither of us have had any issues. I dont like Sapphire, terrible customer service. I really love Gigabyte mobos, but cant speak about their vid cards. Con't care for Asus mobos and i have no history with Asus vid cards.

If your interested in waiting a couple of weeks the overclocked and non referance designs will be out.
Gecube will be releasing a sonic variant that is oced already and has an enhanced power system to help it oc even more. The price is said to be the same as a standard card (I think a little more though). Others will of course be released but i dont know any details of those yet.
Other than that the Visiontec with its lifetime warranty would stand out to me.

Mactronix

i recommend 8800 GT 1GB then overlock it to the max. its the best value for the money.

That is the worst advice I've heard in a long time. The 8800GT 1GB version doesn't perform any better than the 512mb version. Of course, from you it is not very surprising.

As far as the original poster's question is concerned. what resolution are you going to be playing at? If you are going to play at a relatively high resolution with AA, I'd go with the 4870, otherwise go for the 4850. If you are playing at something like 1280x1024 or lower, go for a 8800GT.

go with 4850. if ur budget allows then get 4870........

^^^^^^^^^^^^^Damn good advice!

OP; As for manufacturer choice; I think all these cards are made by AMD themselves (correct me if incorrect), all the others do is apply their stickers and plonk goodies into the retail box, so you`ll get the same card, made by the same factory whatever box it is in.
As you will be keeping this rig, go for a good warranty ahead of price, paying a few dollars more now could save a lot of grief-and money-later.
Oh and remember, these cards run hot under the current drivers, you might want to check out the `My 4870 is hot` and `4870 fan fix` type threads here so you know what to expect, and how to overcome it before you make a decision, and purchase.

Oops! sarwar_r87 posted first, the above should ahve gone under the post by IndigoMoss

I just built a nearly identical system... and I went with the 4850. I figure I'll just slap another 4850 in there later for about $50 more than a 4870 would cost, but I'll have much better performance than the single 4870.

I have:
E8500
4850
DFI lan party x48 (crossfire mobo)

if you can afford it then 4870 , i have E8400 + 4870 and DFI lanparty x48. for that spec the 4850 is a bit lowrange imo dont get me wrong good card but your running a system that deserves the 4870

AND FFS CONCRUM SHUT UP!!!!!!! your comments are getting more ridicolous every day , jeeessus your a numpty

I think you've just convinced me

My mobo is a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R, I think it could handle the 4870 (with PCI 2.0 if I'm not mistaken).

I'll wait mid september to get it, hopefully the price might drop a bit then.

for overheating issue, I have an antec 900, is the aircooling enough? (1 top 200mm fan, 1 rear 120mm, 2 front 80mm)

I found out that the gtx 260 is the same price as the 4870, benchmarks show it's better, maybe I'll get that one if the price is the same

Coozie,

Doesn't manufacturers like Saphire (as an example) tweak their cards a little bit? If it's the same card, why is Powercolor, Saphire, Visiontek and any other have different prices? I was also curious, is their a manufacturer who allows you to trade in your old card and credit it ( small amount) toward a newer card?

To run the 4870, you need a mobo that has PCIe-2.0 correct? I was researching mobos because I was going to make my wish list. I was looking at the Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS4 but I see it doesnt have PCIe 2.0 (If i read correctly). What would be a good mobo for a 4870 (which is what I was leaning to). I was thinking of just getting a 4870 and possibly if the prices go down maybe buy another and crossfire them. UNless if the price plummets for a 4870x2 but I dont think I want to make the power company happy