Need advice on new graphics card

[QuackPot]

Since my 5 year old geforce 6800GT died yesterday I need a new graphics card. But I'm not sure on which one to get.

I've seen this ATI 1GB 4850 for £76
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-...DDR3-GPU-625MHz-800-Cores-DL-DVI-I-HDMI-D-Sub


Geforce GTS 250 512MB for £80
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512M...it-2200-MHz-GDDR3-GPU-738-MHz-HDTV-DVI-Retail

But would a 1GB 4850 be better than a 512MB GTS250 at the same price? Or would the 1GB GTS 250 be similar or better than the 4850?

I'll be using the likes of CS4 and Steam games like HL2 etc a lot too.

I've read mix reports that the ati is way hotter but has slighty more features especially for gaming but the gts has physx, CUDA and may be better for the likes of photoshop and flash and sony vegas.

I have a 480W PSU and I can only guess that'll be ok enough to support the cards?

 

[unibrow1990]

They are basically identical when they have the same amount of memory so get the 1 gig 4850 as it is cheaper. The temps should be fine on that 4850, the ones that got to hot were the very early single slot reference cards. What brand it your PSU, a 480W from a decent brand will be fine for those cards but maybe not if its a cheapo brand.

 

[QuackPot]

It's a Tagan which is quite a good brand. Its just that ATI usually or used to have better AA than geforce cards and since it's got 2x more RAM and at the same price that it might be the better choice.

Still not sure though.

 

[JrRacinFan]

To me it depends if it will be used in a possible HTPC setup and what motherboard will be paired with it.

 

[ShadowFold]

4850 would be a lot better in source games and just a little faster than the 250 in everything else. I'd spend a little more and try to get a 5750 or 5770, tho.

 

[unibrow1990]

If the ati card has more ram and is cheaper than definatly get it, Like I said the two perform almost identically +/- a few frames either way depending on the game.

 

[QuackPot]

I have an old desktop that I need for storage and old programs. I really can't afford more than £90 and since power and cooling mean quite a bit these are my old two choice. That and the fact that I only have a 1GB RAM and AMD Athlon 64 3500 that I wouldn't get any more performance out of anything more powerful.

 

[JrRacinFan]

How much is a 9800GT a 4770 or a 4830?

 

[QuackPot]

Is the physx support worth it? And is CUDA any use in CS4?

 

[ShadowFold]

PhysX isn't worth it in the slightest. CUDA doesn't really do anything in CS4 from my experience.

 

[BraveSoul]

get whichever one u like,, 512mb of video memory is enough for that pc

 

[QuackPot]

Is there any chance of Nvidia releasing some <£100 graphics cards next months when their new series comes out?

 

[ShadowFold]

Is there any chance of Nvidia releasing some <£100 graphics cards next months when their new series comes out?

GT300 won't be out until the end of the year or even next year.

 

[Laurijan]

PhysX isn't worth it in the slightest. CUDA doesn't really do anything in CS4 from my experience.

In Folding@Home it rules

 

[QuackPot]

Does the XFX 4850 run cooler than the Power Color one? Just that I read the power color review on this site and in the comment people mention it high temp when under load.

 

[sneekypeet]

Just checking something for certainty.....
Your old rig and 6800 are definately PCIe and not AGP to begin with?

Also the cards being listed, except for Jr's suggestions are good but extreme overkill for your PC.

 

[QuackPot]

Yup, PCI-E and I want a good graphics card to make it future proof. Just incase the CPU or something else goes next *touch wood*.

 

[Jstn7477]

If you are going for a 4850, get a dual-slot one (it has better cooling).

 

[pantherx12]

I've got an Asus Matrix 9800gt if you want it?

 

[QuackPot]

If you are going for a 4850, get a dual-slot one (it has better cooling).

Yeah, that was another thing I was wondering. There is an XFX card on scan which for £10 more has a dual slot configuration. I might get that one although it hasn't got HDMI but I guess it don't matter too much.

 

[Laurijan]

I've got an Asus Matrix 9800gt if you want it?

Its basiclly a 250 they just renamed the 8800GT to 9800GT and then to GTS 250

 

[sneekypeet]

Yup, PCI-E and I want a good graphics card to make it future proof. Just incase the CPU or something else goes next *touch wood*.

Great retort, to which I have one other question. What is the size and resolution of the monitor, and do you plan to increase/enlarge it soon?

 

[[Ion]]

Its basiclly a 250 they just renamed the 8800GT to 9800GT and then to GTS 250

Nope, it's not. The 8800GT got renamed to a 9800GT, which got renamed to the GTS 240.
The 8800GTS G92 got renamed to the 9800GTX, which became the 9800GTX+, which morphed into the GTS 250.
I hate Nvidia these days

 

[Laurijan]

Nope, it's not. The 8800GT got renamed to a 9800GT, which got renamed to the GTS 240.
The 8800GTS G92 got renamed to the 9800GTX, which became the 9800GTX+, which morphed into the GTS 250.
I hate Nvidia these days

My bad

 

[QuackPot]

Great retort, to which I have one other question. What is the size and resolution of the monitor, and do you plan to increase/enlarge it soon?

It's a 19" at 1152×864.

I'm after the XFX version of each for the cooling. Does Ati still have better AA than nvidia or has that all changed?